Skip to main content

Full text of "A history and description of New England, general and local : In two volumes"

See other formats 


Cornell  University 
Library 


The  original  of  this  bool^  is  in 
the  Cornell  University  Library. 

There  are  no  known  copyright  restrictions  in 
the  United  States  on  the  use  of  the  text. 


http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924089941722 


CORNELL  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 


3   1924  089  941    722 


In  compliance  with  current 

copyright  law,  Cornell  University 

Library  produced  this 

replacement  volume  on  paper 

that  meets  the  ANSI  Standard 

Z39.48-1992  to  replace  the 
irreparably  deteriorated  original. 

2001 


CORNELL 

UNIVERSITY 
LIBRARY 


HE  SPARKS 

LIBRARY. 

[AMERICA.] 
Collected   by 

JARED  Sparks,  LL.  D., 

President  of  Harvard  College. 

Purchased  by  the  Cornell  University , 

1872. 


o 


HISTORY  ATO  DESCRIPTION 


N,  EW    ENGLAND, 


GENERAL    AND    LOCAL. 


.r,'- 


A*^  jfcOOLIDGE  AND  J.  B.  MANSFIELD. 


fillustrateti  toitl)  numerous  Enaraliinas. 


"  In  all  countries  and  in  all  companies,  for  several  years,  I  have,  in  conversation  and  in  writing,  enumerated  the 
towns,  militia,  schools,  and  churches,  as  the  four  causes  of  the  growth  and  defence  of  New  England."  —  Diary 
of  John  Adams.  


IN     TWO      VOLUMES. 

VOL.  L 

MAINE,  NEW  HAMPSHIEE,  AND  VERMONT. 


BOSTON: 

AUSTIN    J.     COOLIDGE. 

185  9. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869,   by 

AUSTIN   J.   COOLIDGE, 

In  the   Clerk's   Office  of   the   District   Court  for  the  District  of  Massachusetts, 


CAMBRIDGE  : 

ALLEN    AND    FARNHAM,    ELECTROTTPERS . 

PRINTED    BY    H.    0.    HOOGHTON    AND    COMPAKT. 


TO    THE 

SONS   OF   NEW   ENGLAND, 

IN     WHAXEVEE     CLIME, 

WHOSE  JUST  PKIDE  IT  IS,   THAT    THE    PIBTT    AND    SELF-DENTING    LABORS    OP    THE  FORE- 
FATHERS    IN    PLANTING    CIVIL  AND    RELIGIOUS   LIBERTT,    THE   VIGILANT   TOIL   OP 
PATRIOT  SIRES   IN   NURTURING   AND    DEFENDING    IT,  THEIR   OWN  ACHIEVE- 
MENTS   IN    INDUSTRY,   AND    THEIR     FOSTERING      CARE     FOR     THE 
INSTITUTIONS    OP     LEARNING    IN   WHICH   THE    HUMBLEST 
MAT    TAKE    RANK    WITH    THE     MOST     OPULENT, 
FORM     THE     GRAND     MATERIALS     OF 
NEW      ENGLAND      HISTORY, 

THIS  WOKK  IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


(iu) 


PREFACE. 


This  ■n'ork  is  designed  to  satisfy  a  public  desire  to  see,  in  as  comprehensive  a 
form  as  is  possible,  a  more  particular  and  popular  account  of  the  planting, 
growth,  and  present  state  of  the  numerous  little  democracies  that  make  up  the  whole 
of  New  England.  We  are  now  in  possession  of  many  valuable  books  fi-om  the 
pens  of  gifted  authors,  which,  in  describing,  in  a  general  manner,  the  character, 
condition,  language,  religion,  and  laws  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  upon  this  continent, 
recite  more  or  less  of  the  history  of  New  England.  But  these,  when  not  beyond 
the  means  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  reading  public,  are  very  generally  either  ex- 
tended to  a  length  quite  disproportionate  to  the  limited  time  for  reading  afforded  to 
most  people,  or  are  suited  only  to  the  tastes  of  those  who  have  made  history  a  study. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  geographical  dictionary  or  gazetteer,  although  indispen- 
sable to  the  commercial  world,  of  great  utility  to  men  of  letters,  and  containing  with 
its  descriptive  matter  much  of  historical  interest,  stands  outside  of  the  proper  sphere 
of  history.  Destitute,  for  the  most  part,  of  living  actors,  and  the  incidents  which 
surround  them,  it  is  like  a  view  of  the  distant  city,  where  one  beholds  the  piles  of 
brick  and  granite,  but  sees  no  moving  form,  and  hears  no  human  voice.  It  allows 
you  to  carry  the  surveyor's  chain  and  compass,  taking  the  measurements  and  alti- 
tudes of  the  way,  but  not  to  ride  and  enjoy  the  prospect. 

The  thing  wanted,  then, — more  easily  ascertained  than  produced,  —  is  such  a 
condensation  of  the  style  of  general  narrative,  such  bringing  out  of  the  material 
facts,  and  such  a  combinatjon  of  these  with  the  exhibition  of  topography  and  statis- 
tics, as  will  insure  the  interest,  without  impairing  the  practical  utility,  of  the  work. 
Aware  of  the  difficulty  of  such  a  task,  the  authors  would  have  shrunk  from  it,  had 
they  not  felt  confident  that  a  generous  public  would  not  be  severe  in  judging  an 
effort  which  must  be  attended  with  so  much  labor,  and  be  an  object  of  such  con- 
stant solicitude.  It  would  be  vain  to  expect,  in  a  work  so  full  of  details,  that  errors 
will  not  appear  ;  but  it  is  hoped  that  none  will  be  found  of  any  magnitude. 

The  work  commences  with  a  brief  outline  of  general  events,  extending  from  the 
early  discoveries  upon  the  New  England  coast  and  the  planting  of  the  first  colo- 
nies, down  through  the  Provincial  and  Revolutionary  periods,  to  that  of  the  Consti- 
tution, —  and,  again,  through  the  successive  organizings  of  independent  sovereignties 
to  this  day,  when  the  representatives  of  the  people  come  from  both  oceans  to  meet 
in  the  National  Capital.  It  gives  so  much  of  the  general  history  of  each  State 
embraced  in  it,  as  is  a  necessary  and  fitting  introduction  to  the  main  object.  It 
contains  a  summary  view  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants.  The  volume  now  presented 
has  an  account,  more  or  less  full,  according  to  their  relative  importance,  of  thirtj-- 
nine  counties,  and  upwards  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  towns,  no  town,  however  small 
or  insignificant,  being  omitted.  The  facts  presented  under  each  of  these,  were  ob- 
tained from  an  extensive  examination  of  histories,  general  and  local,  centennial 
addresses,  sermons,  documents,  maps  and  plans,  personal  inspection  of  records,  and 
from  a  wide  correspondence.  Very  many  of  the  notices  were  written  out  by,  or 
submitted  to,  gentlemen  resident  in  the  places  noticed,  and  well  qualified  to  make  or 
verify  the  statements.  A  much  more  frequent  reference  to  authorities  might  have 
been  made,  but,  even  if  the  expansion  of  the  book  to  an  unwieldy  size  were  laid  out 

A*  (V) 


VI  PREFACE. 

of  consideration,  it  is  obvious  from  its  very  plan  that  such  a  service  was  not  re- 
quired. A  very  full  table  of  historical  works,  general  and  local,  precedes  the  opening 
pages  of  this  volume,  which,  it  is  thought,  will  be  found  of  great  convenience. 

A  supplementary  list  of  towns  and  plantations  in  Northern  Maine,  containing  such 
information  respecting  their  history,  condition,  and  fitness  for  settlement,  as  could  be 
obtained  from  sources  most  worthy  of  credit,  follows  immediately  after  the  towns 
of  Vermont.  To  this  succeeds,  in  the  form  of  Appendixes,  a  list  of  Post-Offices  not 
found  in  the  body  of  the  work  ;  a  table  of  the  Lights  upon  the  coast,  with  a  complete 
description  of  the  same;  Epitaphs  of  several  distinguished  men;  lists  of  the  Sena- 
tors and  Representatives  in  Congress  from  each  State  during  the  whole  period  of 
its  history ;  also  of  Governors,  and  Electors  of  President ;  of  Gubernatorial,  Presi- 
dential, and  Electoral  Votes  ;  and  tables  showing  the  Number  of  Electoral  Votes 
and  the  Ratio  of  Representation. 

The  Illustrations  are,  with  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  exceptions,  made  from 
original  ambrotypes  or  photographs,  recently  taken  expressly  for  the  work,  the 
drawing  and  engraving  of  which  were  committed  to  the  most  competent  and  faith- 
ful artists ;  and  it  is  believed  that  those  best  acquainted  with  the  respective  locali- 
ties here  portrayed  will  testify  to  their  accuracy. 

The  Maps  have  been  projected  with  great  care  from  the  most  recent  surveys. 
The  triangulations  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  were  scrupulously  followed 
in  delineating  the  coast  line,  and  the  drawings  were  submitted  to  men  best  able  to 
point  out  their  errors  and  pass  upon  their  correctness.  The  general  topographical 
execution,  the  fulness  of  detail,  and  the  neatness  of  the  engravings,  it  is  hoped,  will 
be  a  sufficient  evidence  of  their  accuracy. 

The  authors  gratefully  acknowledge  the  important  aid  received  from  gentlemen 
in  all  parts  of  their  field  of  labor,  among  whom  they  feel  honored  in  being  able  to 
designate  the  Hon.  Joel  Parker  and  Charles  Deane,  Esq.,  of  Cambridge ;  Samuel 

C.  Jackson,  M.  D.,  John  L.  Sibley,  William  F.  Poole,  Esqs.,  John  Appleton,  M.  D., 
and  William  B.  Trask,  Esq.,  Librarians  respectively  of  the  State  Library,  Harvard 
University,  the  Boston  Athenasum,  the  Mass.  Hist.  Society,  and  the  New  England 
Historic-Genealogical  Society ;  John  W.  Dean,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  N.  E.  Historical 
and  Genealogical  Register ;  the  Hon.  George  Folsom,  of  New  York,  editor  of  the 
Historical  Magazine ;  the  Hon.  Lorenzo  Sabine,  of  Boston ;  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Quint, 
of  West  Roxbury;  the  Hon.  William  Willis,  of  Portland  ;  the  Hon.  Thomas  Par- 
ker, of  Farmington ;  the  Hon.  AVilliam  Allen,  of  Norridgewock  ;  John  McKeen, 
Esq.,  of  Brunswick  ;  the  Hon.  E.  E.  Bourne,  of  Kennebunk ;  J.  H.  Cochrane,  Esq., 
at  the  State  Secretary's  Office,  Augusta ;  the  Hon.  Noah  Barker,  of  Bangor,  Land 
Agent  of  Maine ;  David  Norton,  Esq.,  of  Oldtown ;  the  Hon.  Samuel  D.  Bell,  of 
Manchester ;  the  Hon.  C.  E.  Potter,  of  Hillsborough ;  the  Rev.  Charles  Burroughs, 

D.  D.,  of  Portsmouth ;  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Bouton,  D.  D.,  Allen  Tenney,  Esq.^ 
Dep.  Secretary  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  G.  Parker  Lyon,  and  J.  F.  Brown' 
Esqs.,  all  of  Concord  ;  Henry  Stevens,  Esq.,  of  Burlington  ;  F.  W.  Hopkins,  Esq.^ 
of  Rutland  ;  Usher  Parsons,  M.  D.,  of  Providence ;  Charles  Folsom  and  'm.  t! 
Bigelow,  Esqrs.,  of  Cambridge. 

In  conclusion,  if  this  effort  shall,  in  any  manner,  stimulate  a  disposition  to  write 
and  present  to  the  world  the  histories  of  any  of  the  towns  of  New  Eno-land  so 
rich  in  local  story,  it  will  have  an  importimt  use,  additional  to,  but  entirefy  conso- 
nant with,  its  main  purpose  ;  and  it  is  now  submitted  to  the  public,  whose  approval 
will  excite  a  pleasure  second  only  to  that  awakened  by  the  consciousness  of  en- 
deavored faithfulness  in  its  preparation. 

THE  AUTHOES. 

Apkil,  1859. 


CON  T  E  N  T  S  . 


PAGE 

LIST    OP   ILLUSTRATIONS   AND    NAMES    OF    ARTISTS        ......  ix 

TABLE    OF    HISTORICAL   WORKS,    GKNKRAL    AND    LOCAL xi 

CHAPTER    I. 

NKW   ENGLAND DISCOVERY   AND    SKTTLKMKNT 1 

CHAPTKR    II. 

MAINE OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY      .            .                       8 


CIIAPTEPv.    III. 

MAIXE ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS       .  ....         20 

CHAPTER    IV. 

COUNTIES,    CITIE.S,    AND    TOWNS    OF    MAINE  .  .  .  .         25 

CHAPTER     V. 

NEW   HAMPSHIRE OUTLINES    OF    ITS   HISTORY  ......      376 

CHAPTER    VI. 

ABORIGINAL    TRIBES    OF   NEW   HAMPSHIRE 401 

CHAPTER    VII. 

COUNTIES,   CITIES,    AND    TOWNS    OF   NEW   HA.MPSIIIRE. 405 

CHAPTER     VIII. 

VERMONT OUTLINES    OF    ITS    HISTORY 705 

(Vii) 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

COUNTIES   AND   TOWNS    OF    VERMONT .       731 

ADDITIONS    AND    CORRECTIONS •      962 

SUPPLEMENT. 

TOWNS    AND   PLANTATIONS   IN   MAINE 963 

APPENDIX    A. 

POST-OFFICES   NOT   ENUMERATED   IN   THE    BODY   OF   THE    WORK  .  .  .      977 

APPENDIX    B. 

LIGHTS    ON   THE    COAST   OF    MAINE    AND   NEW   HAMPSHIUE  ....      977 

APPENDIX     C. 

EPITAPHS    OF    SOME    OF    THE    REPRESENTATIVE   MEN   AND   FAMILIES  OP  MAINE, 

NEW    HAMPSHIRE,    AND    VERMONT  .  .  984 

APPENDIX    D. 

SENATORS   AND   KEPRESENTATIVES    IN    CONGRESS  .....  985 

APPENDIX    E. 

POPULAR  AND  ELECTORAL  VOTE  FOR  PRESIDENT,  WITH  NAMES  OF  ELEC- 
TORS ...  987 

NUMBER    OF    ELECTORAL  VOTES    TO  WHICH    EACH    STATE    I[AS    BEEN    ENTITLED 

AT    EACH    PRESIDENTIAL    ELECTION 991 

APPOETIONMENT  OF  FEDERAL  KEPRESENTATIVES,  AND  RATIO  OF  REPRE- 
SENTATION   BY    THE    CONSTITUTION,    AND    AT    EACH    CENSUS      .  .  .991 

APPENDIX    F. 

GUBERNATORIAL  VOTE  IN  MAINE,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  AND  VERMONT,  TO- 
GETHER WITH  THE  GOVEKNORS  AND  ACTING  GOVEBNORS  IN  MAINE 
AND    NEW    HAMPSHIRE  .  .  902 

GENERAL    INDEX        .............       999 


LIST  OF  nXUSTRATIONS  AND   ARTISTS. 


-|. 


'  Z.  Norwood^ 


Picture  by 

View  of  the  Progress  of  Civ- 
ilization IN  New  England 

Weymouth,  anchored  off  Bath 

Lewiston  Falls Loche  Bros.     .     . 

Pine     Forests     of     Northern  ) 
SIaihe  ) 

Auburn  

State  House  at  Augusta 

Arsenal  at  Augusta ... 

Insane  Hospital  at  Augusta      ...  ... 

Bangor T.  Ji.  Burnham^  . 

Bath J,\V.  C.  Morrison^ 

Belfast T.W.  Stuart,  .    . 

Saco  and  Biddefokd JS.If.  McKeimey, . 

Site  of  Piiip's  Fort  —  Ancient 
Pemaquid 

Antiquities  in  Bristol "    .     .     .     . 

BowDoiN  College,  Brunswick  ... 

Dexter J.  F.  Page,     .    . 

Ellsworth Moses  Hale,     .     . 

Farmington a.  B.  Jennings,   . 

Greenville .     J.  F.  Page,      .     . 

Lewiston 

MoNiiEGAN  Isle A.  C.  Jlamlin,  .     . 

Death  of  Kasles    .         

County  Buildings  upon   Paris 
Hill 

Pembroke  Iron  Works 

View  on  the  Upper  Penobscot,  ) 
Mt.  Katahdin  in  the  distance  ) 

Portland Morriscm,    .     . 

View  of  Neutral  Island 

LiBBEY  pursued  BY  THE  INDIAN 

Berwick  Academy     .    .         .    .    K  H.  Bracey, 

Owl's  Head         ....         .     .     Emily  Eaton,   , 

Waterville  College     .    .    .    .    S.  Wing,     .    . 

Fort  Halifax,  Winslow 

Birthplace    of    Hon.    Horace  ) 

Greeley  ) 

Berlin  Falls 

Sunset  View  of  Lake  Winne- 

pesaukee 

Claremoxt Charles  AUen, 

Concord McPherson  Bn 


Draughtsman. 
A.  R.  Wand,   . 

M.  M.  Tidd,   . 
A.  C.  Warren, 

Tidd,      .    .     . 

Warren,     .     . 
Tidd,      .     .     . 


Engraver.  Page 

John  Andrew,  J.""""? 
'  title-page. 

B.  T.  Smith,      .     .      11 

Benry  Marsh,  Facing  31 

Smith,  .     .  .     .      33 


Marsh, 
Smith,  . 


37 


ir;  Waud,  . 
Warren, 
Kllburn, 
Warren, 

A.R.  Waud, 


'  iS.  W,  Sawyer, 


JJyde,      .  .  . 

Kllburn,      .  .  . 

Tidd,       .     .  .  . 

Worcester,  .  .  . 

Kllbwn,      .  . 

Warren,  .  .  . 
Hamlin,  .     . 

W.  L.  Champney, 

W.  Wand,  .  .  . 


A.  R.  Waud, 
Warren, 


Tidd,.     . 
W.  Waud, 
Tidd,      . 


Marsh, 
F.  E.  Fox, 
Mallory,    . 
Marsh, 

AndreiD,   . 


Smith,  . 

Mallory, 

Smitli,  . 

(( 

Mallwy, 
Marsh, 
Smith,  . 
W.  J.  Pierce, 

Fox,     .     . 
Andrew,   . 


Marsh, 
Pierce, 

Smith,  .  . 

Fox,     .  . 

Andrew,  . 

Smith,  .  . 


.     .      40 

Facing  46 

"        50 

.       "        52 

.       "        56 

69 

.      71 
.      77 
.    106 
.    119 
.     .    125 
.     .    146 
.     .    189 
Facing  212 
233 

.    247 

Facing  253 

"      260 

"  276 

.  .  283 

.  .  297 

.  .  310 

.  .  .  311 

.  .  345 

.  .  362 


A.  R.  Waud, 


^'  '  [  Warren,      .     .     .     Warren, 


Andrew,   .     . 

G.  B.  Bayes, 
Marsh,     .     . 


411 
423 
437 


A.  R.  Waud, 

Warren,     . 


Smith,  . 


.     ...    446 
Facing  456 
(ix) 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTEATIONS   AND    ARTISTS. 


Picture  by 
"  j  Whipple  4-  Black, 


T.  E.  BmdeUe, 


Conway  and  the  White  Moun- 
tains 

Dover    

BiKTHri.ACE  of  Hon.  Lewis  Cass 

Phillips  Academy "    .    .    .    . 

EXETEK "     .     . 

Old  Man  of  the  Mountain 

Birthplace  of  Daniel  Webster    ... 

Dartmouth  College  

Birthplace  of  Franklin  Pierce 

Goodrich's  Falls Whipple  tf  Blach, 


Braaghtsman. 
A.  R.  Waiid, 
W.  Waud,  .     . 


Chester  Allen, 


.  R. 


Whipple  cf  Blach, 
Cutler,    .     . 
J.  S.  Miller, 


Whipple  (^  Bhich,     Wtwren. 


Central  Square,  Keene    . 
Viaduct  of  the  Cheshire  R. 

AT  South  Keene 

The  Flume 

Manchester,  from  the  W.  bide 

OF  THE  Merrimack, 
Works  of  Nashua  Iron  Comfaki' 
Gage,  Warner  &  Whitney's  Ma-  |  ,, 

chine  Shop  ' 

Nashua    Manufacturing    Com-  )         ;, 

PANY,  ' 

Jackson  Company "     .    . 

Nashua "     .    . 

Portsmouth    .     .  .         .     A.  Gregory, 

Great  Falls  Village         .     .         H,  U.  Bracy, 

Notch  of  the  White  Mountains  ) 
soon  after  the  Slide  J 

Silver  Cascade,  White    Moun- 
tains 

Cry^stal    Falls,   White    Moun-  )  „ 

TAINS  ' 

Glen  Ellis,  White  Mountains        .  u 

Top  of  Mt.  Washington         

Wolfbokough Whipple  <f-  Black, 

Battle  Ground,  Bennington      .     C  Bart,      .     .     . 
Pico,  Killington,  and  Shrews-  )  ^^        ^  jj,,^^^„ 

BURY  Peak,  Gbeen  Mountains  J 
Brattleboro'      .    .  ...     C.L.Jloice^     .     . 

Burlington Luther  White^     . 

University  of  Vermont     ....  "        ... 

Medical  College,  Castleton 

Mlddlebuby W.  IT.  Hablen, 

MiDDLEEURY   COLLEGE      .      .  ...".... 

MoNTPELiER    ....         ...     White,   .... 

NOBTHFIELD 0.  G.  MosOUj    .      . 

Norwich  University .     . 

Bellows  Falls  ....  .     .  .... 

Rutland Moiory  <f  Russell, 

Old  Court-house,  Rutland    .         .     .        "         .     . 
Marble    Works    at    the  West  j  „ 

Village  3 

St.  Albans J.  W.  Jones,     . 

St.  Johnsbury F.  B,  Gage, 

TowNSHKND Cailion,  .     . 

Birthplace  of  Hira:m  Powers   .     Fletcher,     .     .     . 
Woodstock     .    .  "      .         ,    . 


Warren, 
u 

W.  Waucl,  . 
Lossing, .     . 

Tidd,  .  . 
A.Ji.  Waud, 

A.  E.  Waud, 


W.  Wmtd,  . 
Warren, 
A,  R.  Waud, 

a 

Tidd, 


A.  R.  Waud, 
Warren, 
A.  R.  Watul 


A.  R.  Waud, 
Rarley,  . 

nyde, 

Warren, 
Kilbuim, 
Tidd,      . 

Champney, 


Tidd,      . 
Warren, 


Tidd, 

A.  R.  Waud, 

Tidd,      . 

Warren, 


Engraver. 
Fox,     . 

Marsh, 
Fox,  . 
Pierce, 
Fox,     . 


BarriU, 
Smith, . 
Fox,  . 
Marsh, 
Fox,     . 

Andrew, 
Fox,     . 


Andreio, 


Smith, . 


Marsh, 
Fox,  . 
JTayes, 


Marsh, 


Fox,     . 
Synith,  . 


Marsh, 
Malhry, 
Smith,  . 

Pierce, 
u 

Smith,  . 
Marsh, 
Fox, 
Smith,  . 
Fox,  . 
Smith,  . 


Marsh, 


Fox, 
Marsh, 


Page 
Facing  459 

.  474 

.  .  .  489 

.  .  491 

.  492 

.  .  .  496 

.  498 

.  .  618 

.  .  .  525 

.  635 

.  .  641 


.  .  .  542 
.  .  .  554 
Facing  670 

.  .  .  687 


689 


.  .  590 

Facing  592 

"   627 

.  .  650 


686 

687 

689 
690 


.  .  702 
Facing  719 

.   "   726 

.   "   767 

.   "   766 

.  .  768 

.  .  775 

.  .  .  844 

.  .  .  845 

Facing  852" 

.  .  .  864 

.  .    866 

887 

Facing  894 

.  .  .  892 


892 

907 
909 
920 
958 
959 


TABLE  OF  HISTOEICAL  WORKS, 


GENERAL    AND    LOCAL. 


The  following  table  is  quite  full,  but  does  not  exhaust  the  list  of  works  throwing  light  on  the  early  history  of 
New  England.  Such  authorities  as  treat  more  particularly  of  the  Provinces  or  States  not  included  in  this  volume, 
are  reserved  for  the  second  volume.  Of  local  histories  in  Maine,  New  Ilampshire,  and  Vermont,  all  that  have  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Authors  are  here  given. 


NEW    ENGLAND. 


Adams,  Amos.  Two  Fast  Discourses  at  Eoxbury,  April  6,  1769,  with  a  Historical  View  of  the  Dif- 
ficulties, Hardships,  and  Perils  which  attended  the  Planting  and  Progressive  Improvement  of 
New  England.     Boston,  1769.     Eeprint,  8vo,  pp.  68.     London,  1770. 

Adams,  Hannah.     History  of  New  England.     8vo,  pp.  513.     Dedham,  1799. 

Adams,  John.    Life  and  Works  of.  Life  by  Charles  Francis  Adams.    10  vols.  8vo.    Boston,  1850-1856. 

Adams,  John  Quincy.  The  New  England  Confederacy  of  1643;  a  Discourse  delivered  before  the 
Mass.  Hist.  Soc.,  May  29, 1843.  8vo,  pp.  47.  Boston,  1843.  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxix.  pp.  189- 
223. 

Allen,  William.  The  American  Biographical  Dictionary:  containing  an  Account  of  the  Lives, 
Characters,  and  Writings  of  the  most  Eminent  Persons  deceased  in  North  America,  from  its  First 
Settlement.     Eoyal  8vo,  pp.  x,  and  906.    Boston,  1857. 

Ameeican  Akchives:  consisting  of  a  Collection  of  Authentic  Records,  State  Papers,  Debates,  and 
Letters  and  other  Notices  of  Public  Afl'airs.  Fourth  Series:  From  March  7, 1774,  to  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  by  the  United  States,  July  4,  1776.  6  vols,  folio.  Published  by  JI.  St. 
Clair  Clarke  and  Peter  Force.  Washington,  1837-1846.  Fifth  Series,  from  July  4, 1776,  to  Sept. 
3,  1783.  Edited  by  Peter  Force.  3  vols.  foho.  Washington,  April,  1848,  May,  1851,  and  January, 
1853. 

[The  original  plan  of  these  pubUcations  embraced  Six  Series,  extending  from  the  discoTery  and  settlement 
of  the  country  to  the  final  ratiflcation  of  the  ConstitutioQ  of  the  DnitcJ  States,  in  1|8|.  The  pubhcation  of 
the  Archives  commenced  with  the  Fourth  Series,  and  has  extondcd  through  the  third  volume  of  the  Kfth 
Series,  or  the  year  1776,  where  it  has  apparently  rested  for  the  present.] 

Amebican  Revolution.  The  History  of  the  War  in  America,  between  Great  Britain  and  her  Colo- 
nies, from  its  commencement  to  the  end  of  1778.     8vo,  pp.  399,  427.     Dublin,  1779. 

The  Detail  and  Conduct  of  the  American  War  under  Generals  Gage,  Howe,  Burgoyne,  and 

Vice- Admiral  Lord  Howe,  with  a  very  full  and  correct  state  of  the  whole  Evidence,  as  given  be- 
fore a  Committee  of  the  House  of  Commons.    8vo,  pp.  190.    London,  1780. 

(XI) 


xii  A   TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   WOKKS. 

Babcock  Eufus.  Brief  View  of  the  Baptist  Interest  in  the  New  England  States,  embracing  notices 
of  the  Origin,  History,  and  Present  State  of  the  Churches,  Literary  and  Theological  Institutions, 
Bible  Missionary,  Education,  Tract,  and  Sunday  School  Societies,  and  Religious  Periodicals,  with 
Statistical  Tables.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.  Aug.  IMO,  vol.  xiu.  pp.  67-67. 

Backus  Isaac.  History  of  New  England,  with  particular  Reference  to  the  Denomination  called  Bap- 
tists'.    3  vols.  8vo,  pp.  544,  432,  334.     Boston,  1777,  1796. 

Baikd,  Robert.     Religion  in  America.     8vo,  pp.  696.    New  York,  1856. 

Bancroft,  George.  History  of  the  United  States  from  the  Discovery  of  the  American  Continent. 
8vo,  7  vols,  issued,  extending  to  1775.     Boston,  1837-1858. 

Baebek,  John  W.     History  and  Antiquities  of  New  England.    New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Penn- 
sylvania.    8vo,  pp.  676.     Worcester,  1841. 
Bradford,  Alden.     New  England  Chronology  from  1497  to  1800.     8vo,  pp.  480.     Boston,  1835. 

Bradford,  William.  History  of  Flvmouth  Plantation,  edited  with  Notes,  by  Charles  Deane.  Mass. 
Histor.  Soc.  Coll.  vol.  xxxiii.     8vo,  pp.  476.     Boston,  1856. 

Breketon, 

this 
Edw 
83-123. 

British  Dominions  in  North  America,  History  of,  from  1497  to  1763,  in  14  books.  4to,  2  vols,  in  one, 
pp.  584.     London,  1773. 

BuHGOYNE,  Licut.-General.  A  Statement  of  the  Expedition  from  Canada  as  laid  before  the  House 
of  Commons.    4to,  pp.  140,  Ixii.     London,  1780. 

[BuHKE,  Edmund].  An  Account  of  European  Settlements  in  America.  8vo,  2  vols.  pp.  324,  308. 
London,  1757. 

.     Speech  on  American  T.ixation,  April  19,  1774.   2d  ed.  8vo,  ppi  96.     London,  1775 

[Calef,  J.]     The  Siege  of  Penobscot  by  the  Rebels.     8vo,  pp.  44.     London,  1781. 

Chalmers,  George.  Political  Annals  of  the  Present  United  Colonies,  from  their  Settlement  to  the 
Pence  of  17U3.     4to.     Book  I.  pp.  695.     London,  17S0. 

Champi.aix,  Sicur  de.  Lcs  Voyages  de  la  Nouvello  France  Occidentale  dicte  Canada,  from  1603  to 
1029.     4to,  in  two  Parts,     pp.  308,  310.     Paris,  1632. 

Charlevoix,  le  P.  de.  Histoire  et  description  generale  de  la  Xouvelle  France,  &c.  6  vols.  Paris, 
1744. 

Cleark,  John.  (Pbysitian  of  Piode-Island  in  America.)  Ill  Newes  from  New  England,  or  a  Narra- 
tive of  New  England's  Persecution:  whoreunto  is  added  eight  severall  arguments  to  prove  that 
no  servant  of  Christ  hath  any  liberty  much  less  authority  from  Christ  to  prosecute  others  for 
case  of  Conscience,  &c.  Sniail  4to,  pp.  76.  London,  1652.  Another  copy,  same  year,  with  fol- 
lowing title:  "HI  Newes  from  New-England:  or  a  Nan-ative  of  New  England's  Persecution: 
wherein  is  declared  that  while  Old  England  is  becoming  New,  New-England  is  become  Old.  Re- 
printed in  JIass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxii.  pp.  1-113. 

Clinton,  Gen.  Sir  Henry.     Narrative  of,  relating  to  his  Conduct,  &c.     8vo,  pp.  112.    London,  1782. 

Cooper,  J.  Fenimore.  History  of  tlie  Navy  of  the  United  States  of  America.  2d  ed.  2  vols.  8vo, 
pp.  438,  417.  Philadelphia,  1840.  Also,  same  conthiued  to  1856.  3  vols,  in  one,  pp.  630.  New 
York,  1856. 

D'AuLNEY  and  La  Touk,  the  Rival  Chiefs,  Papers  relative  to.  JIass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxvii.  pp.  90- 
121. 

Douglass,  William.  Summary,  Historical  and  Political,  of  the  British  Settlements  in  North  America. 
2  vols.  Svo,  pp.  568,  416.     Boston,  1749,  1753.     Reprinted,  London,  1755. 

DnAKE,  Samuel  G.  The  Book  of  tlie  Indians:  or  Biogi'aphy  and  History  of  the  Indi.ans  of  North 
America,  li-om  its  first  Discovery  to  the  year  1841.  8th  ed.,  with  large  additions  and  corrections, 
and  numerous  Engravings.     Svo,  pp.  680.     Boston,  1841.     11th  ed.  pp.  720.     1849. 

.     Tragedies  of  the  Wilderness;  or  Tnie  and  Authentic  Narratives  of  CaptiA'es  who  have  been 

carried  away  by  the  Indians  from  the  various  Settlements  of  the  United  States  from  the  earliest 
to  the  present  time.     12mo,  pp.  360.     Boston,  1841. 

Du.MMEK,  Jeremiah.  A  Defence  of  the  New  England  Charters.  Svo,  pp.  60.  London,  1720.  Re- 
printed in  1766.     Svo,  pp.  88. 


A  TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   'WORKS.  xiii 

DwiGHT,  Timothy.  TraTels  in  New  England  and  New  York.  4  vols.  .  8vo,  pp.  624,  527,  534,  627. 
Kew  Haven,  1821-2.    Reprint,  London,  1823.    4  vols.  8vo. 

EuoT,  John.    Biographical  Dictionary  of  New  England.    8vo,  pp.  511.    Boston,  1809. 

Eluot,  Charles  W.  The  New  England  History,  from  the  Discovery  of  the  Continent  bv  the  North- 
men, A.  D.  986,  to  the  period  when  the  Colonies  declared  their  Independence,  A.  d.  1776.  2  vols, 
large  12mo,  pp.  479,  492.    New  York,  1857. 

Fakmek,  John.  A  Genealogical  Register  of  the  First  Settlers  of  New  England ;  to  which  are  added 
various  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Notes.    8vo,  pp.  351.    Lancaster,  Mass.,  1829. 

A  List  of  Ministers  who  arrived  in  New  England,  from  its  first  settlement  in  1620  to  1687. 


Amer.  Quart.  Beg.,  Feb.  1833,  vol.  v.  pp.  200-203. 
Felt,  Joseph  B.    The  Customs  of  New  England.    8vo,  pp.  208.    Boston,  1853. 

The  Ecclesiastical  History  of  New  England.    Vol.  1st,  to  the  year  1647.    8vo,  pp.  664. 


Boston,  1655. 

FoBCE,  Peter.  Tracts  and  other  Papers  relating  principally  to  the  Origin,  Settlement,  and  Progress 
of  the  Colonies  in  North  America,  from  the  Discovery  of  the  Country  to  1776.  4  vols.  8vo. 
Washington,  1836,  1838,  1844,  1846. 


.     (See  American  Archives.) 

GooKiN,  Daniel.  Historical  Collections  of  the  Indians  in  New  England.  JIass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp. 
141-227. 

Gordon,  William.  The  History  of  the  Rise,  Progress,  and  Establishment  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  including  an  Account  of  the  Late  War,  and  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies 
from  their  Origin  to  that  Period.     4  vols.  8vo.    London,  1788. 

Gorges,  Ferdinando.  America  painted  to  the  Life.  4to.  The  part  of  it  entitled  "  A  Description 
of  New  England,"  contains  51  pages.  London,  1059.  Another  part  contains  A  Briefe  Narration 
of  the  Originall  Undertakings  of  the  Advancement  of  Plantations  into  the  parts  of  America,  es- 
pecially showing  the  Beginning,  Progress,  and  Continuance  of  that  of  New  England.  Small  4to, 
pp.  57.  London,  1658.  Reprinted  in  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxvi.  pp.  45-93.  Maine  Hist  CoU. 
voL  ii.  pp.  1-71. 

Gorges,  Ferdinando.  Deed  of,  conveying  Province  of  Maine  to  John  Usher,  March  13, 1678 :  also 
Usher's  Deed  of  same  to  Gov.  and  Comp.  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp. 
257-264. 

Hakluyt,  Richard.  Voyages,  Navigations,  Traffiques,  and  Discoveries  of  the  English  Nation.  3 
vols,  foiio.     London, "1589-1600.     New  ed.  with  additions.     6  vols.  4to.    London,  1809-1812. 

Halkett,  John.  Historical  Notes  respecting  the  Indians  of  North  America.  8vo,  pp.  408.  London, 
1825. 

Hayward,  John.  The  New  England  Gazetteer  .  .  .  Alphabetically  arranged.  8vo.  Boston,  1839. 
New  ed.  8vo,  pp.  704.     Boston,  1856. 

Hazard,  Ebenezer.    Hist.  CoUec.  of  State  Papers,  &c.     2  vols.  4to,  pp.  639,  640.    Phila.  1792-4. 

Hildreth,  Richard.  History  of  the  United  States  of  America,  from  the  Discovery  of  the  Continent 
to  the  Organization  of  Government  under  the  Federal  Constitution;  1497-1789.  Revised  edition. 
In  three  vols.  8vo.  Vol.  i.  (Colonial),  1497-1688;  vol.  ii.  (Colonial),  1663-1773;  vol.  iii.  (Revolu- 
tionary), 1773-1789.  Three  additional  vols.,  from  the  Adoption  of  tlie  Federal  Constitution  to  the 
end  of  the  Sixteenth  Congress,  1788-1821.  Vol.  i.  Administration  of  Washington ;  vol.  ii.  John 
Adams  and  Jefferson;  vol.  iii.  Madison  and  Monroe.    New  York,  1848-1851. 

HisTORiCAii  Magazine,  and  Notes  and  Queries,  concerning  the  Antiquities,  Histonr,  and  Biography 
of  America.  Issued  Monthly.  Vol.  i.  4to,  pp.  380.  Boston,  1857.  Edited  by  J.  W.  Dean; 
voL  ii.  pp.  380.    New  York,  1858.    Edited  by  George  Folsom. 

Holmes,  Abiel.  American  Annals ;  or  a  Chronological  History  of  America,  from  its  Discovery  in 
1492  to  1806.  2  vols.  8vo,  pp.  484,  540.  Cambridge,  1805,  1808.  Reprint,  London,  1813.  2d 
ed.  brought  down  to  1826.    2  vols.  Svo,  pp.  584,  599.     Cambridge,  1829. 

HoTT,  Epaphras.  Antiquarian  Researches,  comprising  a  History  of  the  Indian  Wars  in  the  country 
bordering  Connecticut  River  and  parts  adjacent,  from  the  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims  to  the  Conquest 
of  Canad.a,  in  1760.     8vo,  pp.  312.     Greenfield,  Mass.,  1824. 

Hubbard,  William.  Narrative  of  the  Troubles  with  the  Indians  in  New  England,  from  1607  to  1677. 
In  two  parts,  4to,  pp.  146,  88.  Boston,  1677;  4to,  144,  88.  London,  1677 ;  12mo,  288.  Boston, 
1775;  12mo,  pp.  359.    Brattleborough,  1814. 

B 


XIV  A   TABLE    OP   HISTOKICAL   "WORKS. 

HuEBARD,  AVilliam.  A  General  History  of  New  England,  from  the  Discovery  of  the  Country  to  1675. 
Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vols.  xv.  xvi.  8voj  pp.  768. 

Ls'GEKsoi.L,  Charles  J.  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Second  War  between  the  United  States  of  America 
and  Great  Britain,  declared  by  Act  of  Congress,  June  18,  1812,  and  concluded  by  reaco  of  Feb. 
15, 1815.  First  Series,  embracing  1812  and  1813.  2  vols.  8vo,  pp.  515,  317.  Philadelphia,  1845. 
Second  Series,  embracing  1813  and  1814.     2  vols.  pp.  422,  374.     Philadelphia,  1853. 

Instruction  and  Letters  relating  to  New  England's  Expedition  against  Cape  Breton.  Mass.  Hist. 
Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  5-00, 108-111. 

Irving,  Washington.     Life  of  George  Washington.     8vo.     i  vols,  issued.     New  York,  1855-1857. 

Jeffzkys,  Thomas.  History  of  the  French  Dominions  in  North  and  South  America.  In  two  parts, 
folio,  pp.  168,  246.     London,  1760. 

Johnson,  Edward.  Hist,  of  New  England,  from  the  English  Planting  in  the  j-'eere  1628  untill  the 
yecre  1002  ;  or  "  Wonder-working  Providence  of  Sion's  Saviour."  4to,  pp.  236.  London,  1654. 
Eepr.  in  JIass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xii.  pp.  49-95;  vol.  xiii.  pp.  123-160;  vol.  xiv.  pp.  1-51;  vol.  xvii. 
pp.  1-58 ;  vol.  xviii.  pp.  1-39. 

Johnson,  Samuel  (Dr.).     Taxation  no  Tyranny.     8vo,  pp.  131.     London,  1775. 

JossELVN,  John.  Account  of  two  Voyages  to  New  England,  with  a  Chronological  Table  of  the 
most  Remarkable  l^assages  from  the  Arst  Discoverings  of  the  Continent  of  America  to  the  Year 
1C73.     16mo,  pp.  279.     London,  1G74.     Also  in  JIass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxiii.  pp.  211-354. 

Lahontan,  B.iron.  New  Voyages  to  North  America.  2  vols.  Svo,  pp.  280,  302.  London,  1703.  Re- 
printed, 1735. 

Lescakbot,  Marc.     Histoire  de  la  Nouvelle  France.     2  vols.  12mo,  pp.  876.     Paris,  1612. 

Levett,  Christopher.  A  Voyage  into  New  England,  begun  in  1623,  and  ended  in  1624.  Small  4to. 
London,  1628.  Reprint,  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxviii.  pp.  159-190.  Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp. 
73-109. 


Maine. 
of  the 


A  Catalogue  of  Original  Documents  in  the  English  Archives,  relating  to  the  Early  History 
;  State  of  Maine.     Privately  printed.     New  York,  1858. 

Marshall,  John.     Life  of  George  Washington.     5  vols.  Svo.    Philadelphia,  1804-1807. 

History  of  the  Colonies,  from  their  Settlement  to  the  War  of  Independence.     8vo,  pp.  486. 


Philadelphia,  1824. 

Mather,  Cotton.  Magnalia  Christi  Americana,  or  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  New  EngLind,  from 
1620  to  1698.     Fol.  iu  seven  books.    London,  1702.    New  ed.  2  vols.  8vo.     Hartford,  1821. 

Mather,  Increase.  A  Brief  History  of  the  War  with  the  Indians  in  New  England,  from  June  24 
1675,  to  Aug.  12,  1676.     Small  4to,  pp.  51 ;  postscript,  pp.  8.     London,  1676. 

Morse,  Jedediah,  and  Elijah  Parish.  A  Compendious  History  of  New  England.  Svo,  pp.  388.  Charles- 
town,  1804.     Third  edition,  enlarged  and  improved.    12mo,  pp.  324.     1820. 

Morton,  Nathaniel.  New  England's  Memoriall.  Small  4to,  pp.  189.  Cambridge,  1669.  Fifth  edi- 
tion, by  John  Davis.     Svo,  pp.  481.    Boston,  1826. 

Murray,  James.  An  Impartial  History  of  the  Present  War  in  America.  2  vols.  Svo,  pp.  573,  676 
and  a  part  of  vol.  iii.  pp.  332.     London,  1778.  '  '        ' 

Neal,  Daniel.  Hist,  of  New  England  to  the  year  1700,  to  which  is  added  the  Present  State  of  New 
England.     2  vols.  Svo,  pp.  712.     London,  1720.     Reprinted,  1747. 

New  England  and  her  Institutions,  by  one  of  her  Sous.  12mo,  pp.  271.  Boston,  1835.  Also  vol.  i. 
of  Allen's  Amer.  Pop.  Library,  * 

New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register.  Published  quarterly  under  the  patronage  of 
the  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Society.  12  vols.  Svo,  issued  from  1847  to  1858. 
Boston. 

New  England  Ministers  in  1760,  Statistics  of.    Amer.  Quart.  Beg.,  Aug.  1834,  vol.  vii.  pp.  20-26. 

NiLEs'  Weekly  Register ;  containing  Political,  Historical,  Geographical,  Scientifical,  Statistical, 
Economical,  and  Biographical  Documents,  Essays,  and  Facts,  together  with  notices  of  the  Arts 
and  Manufactures,  and  a  Record  of  the  Events  of  the  Times.     From  Sept.  1811  to  Sept.  1837 


Hughes.  •' 


A  TABLE  OF  HISTORICAL  WORKS.  XV 

NiLES,  Samuel.  A  Snmmarv  Historical  Narrative  of  the  Wars  in  New  England  witli  the  French 
and  Indians.     MSS.  1760^    Mass.  Hist  Coll.  vol.  xxvi.  pp.  154-279. 

Ogilby,  John.    America.    Folio,  pp.  674.    London,  1670.    2d  ed.  1671. 

Otis,  James.  The  Eights  of  the  British  Colonies  asserted  and  proved.  8vo,  pp.  80.  Boston,  1764. 
Eepr.,  8vo,  pp.  120.    London,  1765. 

Paine,  Thomas.  Common  Sense,  addressed  to  the  Inhabitants  of  America.  8vo,  pp.  54.  Lon- 
don, 1776.  '  '  '^ 

Palfkey,  John  Gorham.     History  of  New  England.     Vol.  1st,  8vo,  pp.  6'!4.    Boston,  1858. 

Palmer,  John.  The  Revolution  in  New  England  justified,  with  Narrative  of  Proceedings  of  Sir 
Edmund  Andros.     London,  1691-1694.     8vo,  Boston,  1773. 

Peshallow,  Samuel.  History  of  the  Wars  of  New  England  with  the  Eastern  Indians,  from  1703 
to  1713,  and  from  1722  to  1726.  12mo,  pp.  134.  Boston,  1726.  Repr.  in  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i. 
pp.  13-135. 

PowNAL,  Thomas.  A  Memorial  addressed  to  the  Sovereigns  of  Europe  on  the  Present  State  of 
Affairs  between  the  Old  and  New  World.     8vo,  pp.  127.     London,  1780. 

Present  State  of  New  England,  with  respect  to  the  Indian  War,  bv  a  Merchant  of  Boston.  Folio, 
pp.  29.     London,  1675. 

Pkince,  Thomas.  A  Chronological  History  of  New  England,  in  the  form  of  Annals.  Vol.  i.  12mo, 
pp.  254,  and  3  nos.  of  vol.  ii.  pp.  96.  Boston,  1736,  1755.  New  ed.  8vo,  pp.  439.  Boston,  1826. 
The  3  nos.  making  vol.  ii.  repr.  in  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xvii.  pp.  96  (original  paging  preserved). 

PuKCHAs,  Samuel.  His  Pilgrimage.  Folio,  pp.  1102.  Book  viii.  Relations  of  the  Discoveries,  Re- 
gions, and  Religions  of  the  New  World.     London,  1613.    2d  ed.  1614  ;  3d,  1617  ;  4th,  1626. 

.     His  Pilgrims.    In  four  parts,  fol.     London,  1625.     Part  Four,  book  x.  pp.  1627-1891,  re- 
lates to  "  English  Discoveries  in  New  England,  and  Newfoundland,"  &c. 

Eafn,  C.  C.  Antiquitates  Americanae,  sive  Scriptores  septentrionales  rerum  Ante  Columbian- 
ai-uni  in  America.     Fol.  pp.  479.     Haffni«,  1837.    Imper.  4to,  pp.  526. 

.     America  discovered  in  the  Tenth  Century.     8vo,  pp.  32.     New  York,  1838. 


Ramsat,  David.  History  of  the  American  Revolution.  2  vols.  8vo,  pp.  359,  360.  Philadelphia, 
1789;  two  vols,  in  one,  8vo,  pp.  360.  London,  1791;  2  vols.  8vo.  Trenton,  1811. 

Ratnai,,  G.  T.  (I'Abb^).  Philos.  and  Polit.  Hist,  of  the  Settlements  and  Trade  of  the  Europeans  in 
the  East  and  West  Indies.  Transl.  from  the  French  by  J.  B.  Justamond.  8  vols.  8vo.  Lon- 
don, 1788. 

.     Revolution  de  I'Amerique.     8vo,  pp.  183.     Dublin,  1781. 

Register,  Annttal  ;  or  a  View  of  the  Historv,  Politics,  and  Literature  of  the  year .    91  vols. 

8vo,  issued  from  1758  to  1858.     London.     (See  from  1776-1783.) 

Bobbins,  Thomas.  An  Historical  View  of  the  First  Planters  of  New  England.  12mo,  pp.  300. 
Hartford,  1815. 

Robinson,  Matthew.    Peace  the  best  Policy.    8vo,  pp.  176,  Append,  pp.  45.     London,  1777. 

Robertson,  William.  History  of  America.  Books  ix.  and  x.  containing  the  Histoiy  of  Virginia, 
to  tlie  year  1688,  and  of  New  England  to  1632.  8vo,  London,  1796.  12mo,  pp.  192  (New  Eng- 
land, pp.  129-192).     Philadelphia,  1799. 

Rogers,  Robert.    A  Concise  Account  of  North  America.    8vo,  pp.  264.    London,  1765. 

Smith,  John  (Capt).  Description  of  New  England,  or  Observations  and  Discoveries  in  1614.  4to, 
pp.  61.     London,  1616.     Repr.  in  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  xxvi.  pp.  95-140. 

.  General  Historie  of  Virginia,  New  England,  and  the  Summer  Isles,  &c.  Fol.  pp.  246.  Lon- 
don, 1624  ;  2d  ed.  1626  ;  3d,  1682. 

Smith,  Rev.  Thomas,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Deane,  Journals  of.  Edited,  with  Notes,  by  William  Willis. 
8vo,  pp.  417.     Portland,  1849. 

Smyth,  William.  Lectures  on  Modern  History.  In  2  vols.  6vo.  The  last  six  lectures  relating  to 
the  American  War,  vol.  ii.  pp.  347-490.     2d"Amer.  from  2d  Lond.  ed.     Cambridge,  1843. 

Sparks,  Jared.    Life  of  George  Washington.    8vo,  pp.  562.    Boston,  1839. 


XVI  A   TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   WORKS. 

Stedman,  C.    History  of  the  Origin,  Progress,  and  Termination  of  the  American  War.    2  vols.  4to, 
pp.  399,  449.     London,  1794. 

TuDOE,  William.,   Letters  on  the  Eastern  States.    12mo,  pp.  356.    New  York,  1820. 

Tucker,  Josiah  (Dean  of  Gloucester).    Letter  to  Edmund  Burke  in  Answer  to  his  Printed  Speech. 
12mo,  pp.  68.     Glocester,  1775. 

.    An  Humble  Address  and  Earnest  Appeal, .  .  .  respecting  a  Separation  from  the  Continental 

Colonies.    12mo,  pp.  93.'    Glocester,  1775. 

.    A  Series  of  Answers  to  certain  Popular  Objections  against  separating  from  the  Rebellious 

Colonies.    8vo,  pp.  108.    Glocester,  1776. 

.    Four  Tracts  on  Political  and  Commercial  Subjects.    3d  ed.  12mo,  pp.  224.    Glocester.  1776. 

.    Tract  V.    The  Respective  Pleas  and  Arguments  of  the  Mother  Country  and  of  the  Colonies 

distinctly  set  forth,  &c.     12mo,  pp.  60.     Glocester,  1776. 

Cui  Bono  ;  or  an  Inquiry  what  Benefit  can  arise  either  to  the  English  or  Americans,  &c., 


from  the  greatest  Victories  or  Successes  in  the  present  War.     8vo,  pp.  141.     London,  1782. 

Washington.  The  Writings  of  George  Washington  ;  being  his  Correspondence,  Addresses,  Mes- 
sages, and  other  Papers,  Official  and  Private,  selected  and  published  from  200  folio  volumes  of 
Original  Manuscript,  purchased  by  order  of  Congress  :  with  a  Life  of  the  Author,  Notes,  and 
Illustrations,  by  Jared  Sparks.     12  vols.  8vo.     Boston,  1833-1837. 


.  Correspondence  of  the  Revolution  ;  being  Letters  from  Eminent  Men  to  George  Washing- 
ton, from  tlie  time  of  his  taking  command  of  the  American  Army  to  the  end  of  his  Life.  Edited 
by  Jared  Sparks.    4  vols.  8vo.    Boston,  1853. 

Webster,  Daniel.  Discourse  delivered  at  Plymouth,  Feb.  22,  1820,  in  Commemoration  of  the 
First  Settlement  of  New  England.    8vo.    Boston,  1821.    [Also  iu  Webster's  Speeches,  &c.] 

White,  Henry.  Early  Hist,  of  New  England,  illust.  with  numerous  interesting  Incidents.  4th  edit. 
12mo.    Concord,  1841.    6th  ed.  12mo,  pp.  420.    1842. 

Williams,  Roger.  A  Key  into  the  Language  of  America:  or  An  Help  to  the  Language  of  the  Na- 
tives in  that  part  of  America  called  New  England.  18mo,  pp.  197.  London,  1643.  Repr.  iu 
R.  L  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  163.    Extracts  in  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  203-238. 

Williamson,  Peter.  French  and  Indian  Cruelty  ;  exemplified  in  the  Life,  &c.,  of  the  Author.  4th 
ed.  12mo,  pp.  120.    London,  1759. 

WiNSLOw,  Edward.  Good  Newes  from  New  England.  4to,  pp.  66.  London,  1624.  Abbreviated  in 
Purchas's  Pilgrims,  book  x.  chap,  v.,  or  vol.  iv.  pp.  1853-1870  ;  and  repr.  in  Mass.  Hist.  Coll. 
vol.  viii.  pp.  239-276.    The  remainder  supplied  iu  vol.  xix.  pp.  74-104. 

WiNTHROP,  John.  History  of  New  England,  from  1639  to  1649.  Ed.  with  notes  by  James  Savage.  2 
vols.  8vo,  pp.  514,  504.    Boston,  1863. 

WiNTHROP,  Robert  C.  An  Address  delivered  before  the  New  England  Society  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  Dec.  22,  1839.    8vo,  pp.  60.    Boston  and  New  York,  1840. 

Wood,  William.  New  England's  Prospect.  4to,  pp.  232.  London,  1634  and  1639.  Reprint.  8vo  on. 
128.    Boston,  1764.  p  .  ff 

Young,  Alexander.    Chronicles  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  &c.,  from  1602  to  1625 ;  now  first  collected 
with  Notes.    8vo,  pp.  604.    Boston,  1841.    2d  ed.  1846.  ' 


MAINE. 


Allen,  William.  Benedict  Arnold's  Expedition  (through  Me.)  to  Canada,  including  Mohtresor's 
Journal.    Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  341-416. 

Baetlet,  William  S.  The  Frontier  Missionary  ;  a  Memoir  of  the  Rev.  Jacob  Bailey,  A.  M  Mis- 
sionary at  Pownalborough,  Maine,  Cornwallis,  and  Annapolis,  N.  S.,  with  Illustrations,  Note's  and 
Appendix,  and  Preface  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  George  Burgess.    8vo,  pp.  365.     New  York,  1853.      ' 

Coffin,  Paul.  Memoir  and  Journals  of.  8vo,  pp.  181.  Portland,  1855.  Maine  Hist.  Coll.  voL  iv.  pp. 
239—405. 

Felt,  Joseph  B.    Statistics  of  Mame  Territory.    Statist  CoU.  vol.  i.  pp.  57-99. 


A   TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   WORKS.  xvii 

Gali/Atin,  Albert.  The  Eight  of  the  United  States  of  America  to  the  Northeastern  Boundary, 
claimed  by  them  ;  principally  extracted  from  the  Statements  laid  before  the  King  of  the  Nether- 
lands ;  with  an  Appendix,  &o.    8vo,  pp.  178.    New  York,  1640. 

.     A   Memoir  on  the  Northeastern  Boundary,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Jay's  Map  ;  together 

■with  a  Speech  upon  the  same  subject,  by  the  Hon.  Daniel  VVeustek.   Map.  pp.  74.  New  York. 
1843. 

GiLLETT,  Eliphalet.  Congregational  Churches  and  Ministers  in  Maine,  from  the  Settlement  of  the 
Country  to  1840.  Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  Nov.  1840,  vol.  xiii.  pp.  144-162  ;  Feb.  1841,  pp.  253- 
269;  Feb.  1842,  vol.  xiv.  pp.  269-284. 

Geeenleaf,  Jonathan.  Sketches  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Hist,  of  Maine,  from  the  Earliest  Settlement 
to  the  Present  Time.     12mo,  pp.  293,  App.  pp.  78.    Portsmouth,  1821. 

Greenleaf,  Moses.    Statistical  View  of  the  District  of  Maine.    8vo,  pp.  154.    Portland,  1816. 

.    A  Survey  of  the  State  of  Maine  in  reference  to  its  Geographical  Features,  Statistics,  and 

Political  Economy.    8vo,  pp.  468.    Portland,  1829. 

Hayward,  John.  A  Gazetteer  of  the  United  States,  &c.  —  Maine,  8vo,  pp.  92.  Portland,  Concord, 
and  Boston,  1843. 

Hough,  Franklin  B.  Peraaquid  Papers  ;  compiled  from  the  Original  Documents  in  the  State  De- 
partment of  New  York.    Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  1-138. 

Jekks,  William.    Notice  of  the  Sieur  D' Aulney  of  Acadie.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxxiv.  pp.  462-470. 

Lincoln,  Hon.  General.  Observations  on  the  Climate,  Soil,  &:c.  of  the  Eastern  Counties,  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Maine.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iv.  pp.  142-156. 

Maike,  View  of  the  History  and  Present  Condition  of.  Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  Nov.  1832,  vol.  v.  pp. 
105-121. 

McKeen,  John.   Remarks  on  the  Voyage  of  George  Waymouth.    Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  307-338. 

Millet,  Joshua.     A  History  of  the  Baptists  in  Maine.     12mo,  pp.  472.     Portland,  1845. 

Northeastern  Boundary  of  the  State  of  Maine,  Documents  relating  to.  8vo,  pp.  275.  Boston, 
1828. 

Northeastern  Boundary.  Review  of  the  Correspondence  snbmitted  to  Parliament,  and  of  Mr. 
Gallatin's  Compilation  of  the  Statements  laid  before  the  King  of  the  Netherlands.  North  Amer. 
Rev.,  April,  1841.     Vol.  lii.  pp.  424-452. 

-.   Review  of  the  Treaty  of  Washington,  commonly  called  the  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty;  of 


the  President's  Message  accompanying  the  same,  and  of  the  Speeches  thereupon  in  the  United 
States  Senate.     North  Amer.  Rev.,  April,  1843.     Vol.  Ivi.  pp.  452-496.     (See  Gallatin.) 

Norton,  David.  An  Address  upon  the  Indians  of  Maine,  more  especially  the  Tarratines.  4to, 
MSS.  pp.  44.     Oldtown,  December,  1654. 

Papers  relating  to  the  Eastern  Indians,  including  an  Account  of  Gov.  Dummer's  Treaty  with  them. 
Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  341-447. 

Parsons,  Usher.     Life  of  Sir  William  Pepperrell.     12mo,  pp.  352.     Boston,  1855. 

Popham,  George.  Letter  from,  to  King  James  I.,  dated  at  Sagadahock,  Dec.  13, 1607,  with  Introduc- 
tory Remarks  by  the  Editor.     Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  341-360. 

PoWNALL,  Gov.  Thomas.  Journal  of,  from  Boston  to  the  Penobscot  Riv^r,  May,  1769,  with  Notes  by 
Joseph  Williamson.     Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  363-387. 

Easles  or  Rale,  Sebastian.  A  Dictionary  of  the  Abnaki  Languages  in  N.  America,  with  an  Intro- 
ductorv  Memoir  by  John  Pickering.  Memoirs  of  Amer.  Acad.  New  Series.  4to,  pp.  370-574. 
Cambridge,  1833.     (See  also  Memoir  of  Rale  in  Sparks's  Amer.  Biog.     Second  Series,  vol.  vii.) 

Rosier,  James.  A  Tnie  Relation  of  the  most  prosperous  Voyage  made  this  present  year,  1605,  by 
Capt.  George  Waymouth,  in  the  discovery  of  the  Land  of  Virginia.  4to.  Londonj  1605.  Mass. 
Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxviii.  pp.  125-157. 

Sabine,  Lorenzo.  Report  on  the  Principal  Fisheries  of  the  American  Seas.  (Senate  Doc.)  8vo, 
pp.  317.     Washington,  1853. 

Sewall,  Eufus  K.     Ancient  Dominions  of  Maine.     8vo,  pp.  400.     Portland,  1859. 

[This  work  describes  the  earliest  openings  and  settlements  in  the  towns  of  Phipsburg,  Bath,  Topsham.  Rich- 
mond, Dresden,  Alna,  IViscasset,  Woolwich,  Arrowsic,  Georgetown,  Westport,  Newcastle,  Edgecomb,  Boothbay, 
Damariscotta,  Bristol,  Thomaeton,  and  Waldoboro',  with  an  account  of  the  remains  of  the  Aboriginal  Cities  on 
the  Sheepscot  and  Damariscotta  Rivers,  &c.,  &c.] 

B* 


XVIU  A   TABLE   OF   HISTORICAL  WORKS. 

Stkachey,  William.  The  Second  Book  of  the  first  Decade  of  the  Historic  of  Travaile  into  Virginia 
Britannia,  entreating  of  the  first  Discoveries  of  the  Country,  &c.,  as  also  of  the  Northern  Col- 
oaie,  seated  upon  the  River  Sachadehoc,  transported  Anno  1585  [1607],  at  the  charge  of  Sir  John 
Popham,  Knight,  Late  Lord  Chiefe  Justice  of  England.  Hakluyt  Soc.  Coll.  vol.  for  1849,  pp. 
203.  Repr.  entire,  with  a  note  by  Wm.  S.  Bartlet,  in  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxxi.  pp.  219-246 ; 
Extract  in  Maine  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  iii.  pp.  279-309. 

Sullivan,  James.    History  of  the  District  of  Maine.    8vo,  pp.  421.    Boston,  1795. 

.    The  History  of  the  Penobscot  Indians.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ix.  pp.  207-232. 

Thornton,  J.  Wingate.  Ancient  Pemaquid ;  a  Historical  Review.  Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  139- 
304. 

Whipple,  Joshua,    History  of  Acadie,  Penobscot  Bay  and  River.    8vo,  pp.  102.    Bangor,  1816. 

Williamson,  William  D.  History  of  the  State  of  Maine;  from  its  first  Discovery,  a.  d.  1602,  to  the 
Separation,  A.  D.  1820,  inclusive.     2  vols.  8vo,  pp.  696,  729.     Hallowell,  1832. 

,    Indian  Tribes  in  New  England.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xxix.  pp.  93-100. 


LOCAL    HISTOKY 

AUGUSTA ,    Centennial  Address  upon  the  Erection  of  Fort  Western ;  by  Nathan  Weston.    8vo, 
pp.  23.    Augusta,  1854. 

BATH,  History  of;  by  Gen.  Joseph  Setvall.    Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  189-228.    A  Contribution 
to  the  History  of,  by  Wm.  S.  Bartlet.     Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  273-277. 

BELFAST,  History  of ;  by  WilUam  White.     12mo,  pp.  120.     Belfast,  1827. 

BIDDEFORD.    (See  Saco  and  Eiddeford.) 

BLOOMFIELD.     (See  Norridgewock,  &c.) 

BEIDGTON,  Historical  Address  at;  by  Marshall  Cram.     8vo,  pp.  44.     Portland,  1852. 

BRUNSWICK,  Description  of ;  Anon:  by  [Henry  Putnam].     1820. 

.    By  Joseph  McKeen.    MSS.    pp.120. 

BUXTON.    Centennial  Address  on  the  Settlement  of  the  Town,  by  Nath.  W.  Williams.    8vo  pp. 

.    The  Narragansett  Townships,  Buxton  being  Number  One,  by  Charles  Coffin    Mame  Hist 

CoU.  vol.  ii.  pp.  138-143. 

CANAAN.    (See  Norridgewock,  &c.) 

CASCO   BAY,  Chronicles  of.     8vo,  pp.  56.    Portland,  1860. 

CAMDEN,  History  of;  by  J.  L.  Locke. 

CUMBERLAND    COUNTY,   Description  of  Plantations  in.     Mass.  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  iii.  pp.  239  240. 

,  History  of  East  park  of,  and  Vicinity,  by  J.  D.  Weston.     8vo,  Pamphlet. 

FALMOUTH.    (See  Portland.) 

FARMINGTON,  History  of,  with  Sketches  of  the  History  of  other  To-vvns  in  the  countv  of  FrankHn 
by  Thomas  Parker.     8vo,  pp.  112.     Farmington,  1846.  ■'  """^'"i 

FREER  OET,  Topographical  and  Historical  Sketch  of,  by  Reuben  Mason.     Mass  Hist  Coll  vol 
xiv.  pp.  176-184. 

GARDINER,  History  of,  and  Pittston,  by  J.  W.  Hanson.     12mo,  pp.  343.    Gardiner  1852. 

GEORGETOWN,   A  Topographical  Description  of.    Mass.  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  i.  pp.  251-256     Memoir  nf 
the  Lithgow  Family.     Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iv.  pp.  418-423.  iuemoir  o: 

GORHAII.     Centennial  Address,  by  Josiah  Pierce.     8vo,  pp.  36.     Portland  1S36. 

.    Narragansett  Township,  Number  Seven.    Maine  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  ii.  pp.  146-150.    (See  Bux- 


A  TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   WORKS.  XIX 

ISLES  OP  SHOALS.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  vii.  pp.  242-261.    Sabine's  Report  on  Fisheries,  pp. 

H4r-117. 

KATAHDIN,  MOUNT,  A  Description  of;  by  Charles  Tukkeb,  Jr.  Mass.  Hist  Coll.  vol.  xviii.  pp. 
112-116. 

KENNEBEC  PURCHASE,  History  of  the;  bv  Robert  H.  Gardiner.  Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp. 
269-294. 

KENNEBUNK,  History  of ;  in  MSS.,  by  E.  E.  Bourne. 

KENNEBUNKPORT,  History  of,  from  its  first  Discovery  by  Barthol.  Gosnold;  by  Charles  Brad- 
bury.   12mo,  pp.  301.    Kennebunk,  1837. 

LIMERICK,  An  Account  of;  by  Charles  Freeman.    Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  245-253. 

MACHIAS,  A  Topographical  Description  of;  by  John  Cooper.  Mass.  Hist  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp. 
144-148. 

MINOT,  Annals  of  Bakerstown,  Poland,  and;  by  Wm.  Ladd.  Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp. 
111-130. 

NEW  GLOUCESTER,  An  Account  of,  by  Isaac  Parsons.    Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  151-164. 

NORRIDGEWOCK,  &c.    History  of;  by  J.  W.  Hanson.    12mo,  pp.  371.    Boston,  1849. 

,  History  of;  by  William  Allen.    12mo,  pp.  252.    Norridgewock,  1849. 

NORTH  YARMOUTH,  History  of ;  by  Edw.  Russell.    Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  165-188 

NORWAY,  The  History  of ;  by  David  Noyes.     8vo,  pp.  216.    Norway,  1852. 

OXFORD  COUNTY,  Sketches  of;  by  Thos.  T.  Stone.    12mo,  pp.  112.     Portland,  1830. 

PITTSTON.    (See  Gardiner  and  Pittston.) 

POLAND.    (See  Minot) 

PORTLAND.  History  of,  from  its  first  Settlement,  with  Notices  of  the  neighbormg  Towns ;  by 
Wm.  Willis;  making  vol.  i.  of  Maine  Hist.  Coll.;  in  two  parts,  part  i.  pp.  416,  part  ii.  pp.  356. 
Portland,  1831,  1833. 

SACO,  Topographical  and  Histor.  Sketch  of;  by  Jona.  Coggswell.  Mass.  Hist  Coll.  vol.  xiv. 
pp.  184-189. 

SACO  and  BIDDEFORD,  History  of;  by  George  Folsom.    12mo,  pp.  331.    Saco,  1830. 

SAGADAHOCK  RIVER,  Early  Settlements  at    Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  311-324. 

SANDY  RIVER,  and  its  first  Settlement;  by  William  Allen.  Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  iv.  pp. 
32-40. 

SCARBOROUGH,  History  of,  by  Wm.  S.  Southgate.     Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  1-237. 

SHAPLEIGH;  byAmasaLoRiNG.     8vo,  pp.  40.    1854. 

SHEEPSCOT,  Ancient  Settlement  of;  by  David  Cushman.  Maine  Hist  Coll.  vol.  iv.  pp.  209- 
233. 

SHEEPSCOT  RIVER,  Account  of  an  Ancient  Settlement  on;  by  SamuelJoHNSON.  Maine  Hist 
Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  229-241. 

IIaS?^*^^''' I  See  Norridgewock. 

THOMASTON.    A  Topographical  Description  of.    Mass.  Hist  CoU.  vol.  iv.  pp.  20-25. 

TOPSHAM.    A  Topographical  description  of;  by  Jona.  Ellis.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  141-144. 

UNION,  History  of;  by  John  Langdon  Sibley.    12mo,  pp.  540.     Boston,  1851. 

WALDOBOROUGH,  Some  Account  of  the  German  Settlement  in;  by  Rev.  Mr.  Staeman,  with  a 
Biographical  Sketch  of  the  Author.    Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  403-411. 

Some  further  historical  notes  in  article  on  the  "  Lutherans,"  by  Wm.  D.  Williamson,  in  Amer. 
Quart  Reg.  vol.  xiii.  pp.  162-169. 

[Considerable  matter  relating  to  the  Ilistory  of  tliis  town  is  contained  in  tlie  "  Annals  of  tlie  Town  of  War- 
ren."] 

WARREN,  Annals  of  the  Town  of,  with  the  Early  History  of  St.  George's,  Broad  Bay,  and  the 
Neighboring  Settlements ;  by  Cyrus  Eaton.    12mo,  pp.  437.    Hallowell,  1861. 


XX  A   TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   WORKS. 

WATERFOED,  A  Description  and  History  of;  by  Lincoln  Ripley.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ix.  pp. 
137-147. 

WELLS,  Topographical  Description  of;  by  Nathaniel  Wells.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  138-140. 

,  An  Account  of;  by  Jer.  Hubbakd  and  Jona.  Gkeenleaf.    Mame  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  255- 

268. 

WEST   GARDINER.    (See  Gardiner.) 

WINDHAM.    Centennial  Address;   by  Thomas  L.  Smith,  July  4,  1839.    8vo,  pp.  32.     Portland, 
1840. 

WINTHROP,  History  of,  from  1764  to  1855;  by  David  Thuhstou.    12mo,  pp.  247.    Portland,  1855. 

WISCASSET,  A  Description  of,  and  of  the  River  Sheepscot ;  by  Alden  Bradford.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll. 
vol.  vii.  pp.  163-171. 

YORK,  Topographical  Description  of,  by  David  Sewall.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  6-12. 

YORK  COUNTY,  Extracts  from  the  Records  in.     Maine  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  269-286. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 

Baestow,  George.  The  History  of  New  Hampshire  from  its  Discovery  in  1614,  to  the  passage  of  the 
Toleration  Act  in  1819.     8vo,  pp.  426.     Concord,  1842. 

Belknap,  Jeremy.  The  Historj'  of  New  Hampshire.  Vol.  i.  (1615-1712),  pp.  361,  Append.  Ixxxiv. 
PhiLidelphia,  17S4.  Repr.  fioston,  1792.  Vol.  ii.  (1715-1790),  8vo,  pp.  493.  Boston,  1791.  Vol. 
iii.  Statistics,  Bvo,  pp.  480,  8.  Boston,  1792.  Second  ed.  3  vols.  8vo.  Boston,  1810-1813.  Third 
ed.,  old  vols.  i.  and  ii.  in  one,  with  Notes,  by  John  Farmer.    8vo,  pp.  512.    Dover,  1831. 

Charlton,  Edwin  A.  New  Hampshire  As  It  Is.  In  three  parts.  Pai-t  i.  A  Historical  Sketch  of 
New  Hampshire,  from  its  first  Settlement  to  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in  1788. 
Part  ii.  A  Gazetteer  of  New  Hampshire.  Part  iii.  A  General  View  of  New  Hampshire.  8vo, 
pp.  624.     Claremont,  1856. 

Douglass,  William.  Summary  of  British  Settlements;  (part  relating  to  New  Hampshire.)  Vol.  ii. 
pp.  22-73. 

Farjier,  John,  and  J.  B.  Mooke.  A  Gazetteer  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire.  12mo,  pp.  276. 
Concord,  1823. 

' — .  Collections  Topographical,  Historical,  and  Bibliographical,  relating  principally  to  New  Hamp- 
shire. Vol.  i.  8vo,  pp.  296.  Concord,  1822.  Repr.  Concord,  1831.  Vols.  ii.  iii.  under  tlie  title: 
Collections,  Historical  and  Miscellaneous,  and  Monthly  Literary  Journal.  8vo,  pp.  387,  103;  382, 
88.     Concord,  1823,  1824. 

Felt,  Joseph  B.     New  Hampshire.    Statistical  Coll.  vol.  i.  Part  1st,  pp.  13-21. 

Hayward,  John.     Gazetteer  of  New  Hampshire.     8vo,  pp.  264.     Boston,  1849. 

Lawrence,  Robert  F.  The  New  Hampshire  Churches;  comprising  Histories  of  the  Congregational 
and  Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  State,  with  Notices  of  other  Denominations ;  also  containing 
many  interesting  Incidents  connected  with  the  first  Settlement  of  Towns.  8vo,  pp.  624.  Clare^ 
mont,  1856. 

Merrill,  Eliph.  &  Phineas.     Gazetteer  of  New  Hampshire.     12mo,  pp.  218,  13.     Exeter,  1817. 

Moore,  Jacob  B.  Historical  Notices  of  Newspapers  published  in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire. 
Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  174-180;  240-242. 

.     History  of  Newspapers  published  in  New  Hampshire  from  1756  to  1840.    Amer.  Quart  Reg. 

vol.  xiii.  pp.  170-181. 

New  Hajipshike,  The  First  Settlement  of.  Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  61-55 ;  123-127 ; 
193-198. 

-,  The  First  Constitution  of,  with  an  Origin.il  Letter  on  the  Subject  from  Major-Gen.  Sullivan 


to  President  Weare.     Fanner  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  269-277. 
— ,  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Northern  Boundary  of.    N.  H.  Hist.  Col.  vol.  ii.  pp.  267-290. 


A   TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL  WORKS.  XXI 

New  Hampshire,  An  Account  of  the  Insurrection  in,  in  1786.    N.  H.  Hist  Coll.  vol.  1.  pp.  227-230. 

,  Documents  relating  to  the  History  of.    N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  297-336. 

.     Census  of  1775.    N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  231-236. 

,  Ecclesiastical  History  of.    Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  234r-239:  261-269;  289-300: 

330-337;  361-370;  vol.  iu.  pp.  21-27 ;  41-47;  77-82;  115-123. 

,  Baptist  Ministers  in,  in  1776.    Amer.  Quart.  Eeg.  vol.  xi.  p.  44. 

Nevst  Hampshire  Histoeical  Society,  Collections  of  the.  8vo,  6  vols.  Vol.  i.  pp.  336.  Concord, 
1824;  vol.  ii.  pp.  300.  Concord,  1827;  vol.  iii.  pp.  304.  Concord,  1832;  vol.  iv.  pp.  302.  Con- 
cord, 1834;  vol.  V.  pp.  307.  Concord,  1837;  vol.  vi.  pp.  336.  Concord,  1850. 

Powers,  Grant.  Historical  Sketches  of  the  Discovery,  Settlement,  and  Progress  of  Events,  in  the 
Coos  Country  and  vicinity,  between  1764  and  1785.     12mo,  pp.  240.     Haverhill,  1841. 

Register,  The  New  Hampshire  Annual,  and  United  States  Calendar  for  the  year ,  by  G.  Parker 

Lyon.     18mo.     Concord. 

[The  earliest  B«gister  published  was  for  the  year  1772 ;  after  which,  the  only  numbers  known  to  have  been 
issued  up  to  1800,  were  for  the  years  1787,  1788, 1789, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1800.  Since  that  time,  it 
has  appeared  annually,  making,  up  to  1859,  69  nos.  The  numbering  commenced  with  1822,  and  the  new 
series  with  1845.] 

Whiton,  John  M.  Sketches  of  the  History  of  New  Hampshire,  from  1623  to  1833.  12mo,  pp.  222. 
Concord,  1834. 


LOOAL    HISTOKY/ 

ALSTEAD,  A  Sermon  preached  at,  on  the  First  Sabbath  in  January,  1826,  with  Historical  Sketches 
of  the  Town;  by  Seth  S.  Arnold.    8vo,  pp.  60.    Alstead,  1826. 

AMHERST,  Historical  Sketch  of ;  by  John  Farmer,  written  in  1814.  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xii.  pp. 
247-254.  Revised  as  —  Hist.  Sketch  of  Amherst.  8vo.  Amherst,  1820.  2d  ed.  continued  to 
1837.    12mo,  pp.  62.    Concord,  1837.    Also  iu  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  79-128. 

ANDOVER,  Topographical  and  Historical  Sketch  of ;  by  J.  B.  Moore.  Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll. 
vol.  i.  pp.  9-24.     Same;  8vo,  pp.  24.     Concord,  1822. 

ANTRIM.  Half  Centurv  Sermon,  by  John  M.  Whiton.  8vo,  pp.  24.  1838.  History  of,  from 
1744  to  1844,  by  John  M.  Whiton.     8vo,  pp.  95.     Concord,  1852. 

ATKINSON,   History  of ;  by  William  Coggswell.    N.  H.  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  vi.  pp.  56-79. 

BATH,   Sketch  of ;  by  David  Soctheeland.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xiil.  pp.  105-109. 

BEDFORD.  Historical  Sketch,  by  Thomas  Savage.  8vo,  pp.  16.  1841.  Topographical  Descrip- 
tion of,  by  A.  Foster  and  P.  P.  WooDEaRy.    N.  H.  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  i.  pp.  288-297. 

,   Centennial  Celebration  at,  in  1850,  by  P.  P.  Woodburv,  Thomas  Savage,  and  William 

Patten,  Com.    8vo,  pp.  364.    Boston,  1851.    A  part  of  same  published  separately,  pp.  96. 

BOSCAWEN,  A  Descriptive  and  Historical  Account  of,  1821.    Mass.  Hist.  CoL  voL  xx.  pp.  71-76. 

,  A  Chronological  Register  of;  by  Ebenr.  Price.  8vo,  pp.  116.  Concord,  1823.  The  part  re- 
lating to  the  Indian  troubles  in  Boscawen,  repr.  iu  Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  375-378. 

CANDXA,  History  of;  by  F.  B.  Eaton.    8vo,  pp.  152.    Manchester,  1852. 

CANTERBURY,  Sketches  of  the  History  of;  by  William  Patrick.  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iv.  pp. 
174-193. 

,  Some  Account  of  the  Shakers  at.     Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  60-55. 

.     A  Historical  Sermon,  delivered  Oct.  27, 1833 ;  by  William  Patrick.    8vo,  pp.  39. 

CHARLESTOWN,  Annals  of;  by  Jaazaniah  Crosby.    N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iv.  pp.  101-139. 

CHESTERFIELD,  Description  of;  by  L.  G.  Mead.    Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  277-282. 

CONCORD,  Historical  Sketch  of  (with  Biographical  Notices).  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  153-218. 
The  same,  under  the  title:  Annals  of  the  Town  of  Concord,  N.  H.  from  its  first  settlement  la 
1726,  &c. ;  by  J.  B.  Moore.     8vo,  pp.  112.   Concord,  1824. 


xxii  A   TABLE   OF   HISTORICAL   WORKS. 

CONCORD.     Two  Discourses  (Centennial);  by  Nathaniel  BOCTON.    8vo,  pp.  102.     Concord,  IS.'JO. 

,  The  History  of,  from  the  First  Grant  in  1725,  to  the  Organization  of  the  City  Government  in 

1853,  ivith  a  History  of  the  Ancient  Penacooks,  &c. ;  by  Nathaniel  Bouton.     8vo,  pp.  786.    Con- 
cord, 1866. 

CORNISH,  Historical  Facts  relating  to.  Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  Tol.  ii.  pp.  153-156. 

CROYDEN,  Historical  Sketch  of;  by  Lemuel  P.  Cooper,  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  vi.  pp.  212-242. 

DERRY.     (See  Londonderry.) 

DOVER.    Extracts  relating  to  Dover  and  Hampton,  from  Capt  Edw.  Johnson's  Hist.  New  Eng- 
land.    Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  255,  256. 

.    Bi-Centennial  Sermon,  delivered  Nov.  29,  1838,  by  David  Root. 


DUBLIN,  History  of,  containing  the  Address  by  Charles  Mason,  and  the  Proceedings  at  the  Centen- 
nial Celebration ,  Jure  17,  1862;  with  a  Register  of  F.imilies,  by  Levi  W.  Leonard.  8vo, 
pp.  433.     Boston,  1855. 

Dunbarton.     Two  Addresses  before  the  Lyceum.     8vo,  pp.  27. 

Dunstable,  History  of  the  Old  Township  of,  including  Nashua,  Nashville,  HoUis,  Hudson,  Litch- 
field, and  Merrimack,  and  Dunstable  and  Tyngsborough,  Mass.,  by  Charles  J.  Fox.  12mo,  pp. 
178.    Nashua,  1846. 

,  Scrap  of  History  relating  to  Hollis  and.     Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  p.  67. 


DURHAM,  Sketches  of  the  Civil  and  Ecclesiastical  History  of;  by  F.  Burt.     N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol. 
V.  pp.  129-153. 

ENFIELD,  Topographical  Description  of;  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  237-241. 

EPSOM,  Historical  Sketch  of,  by  Jona.  Curtis;  Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  321-329. 

EXETER,  A  Topographical  Description  of;  by  Samuel  Tennev.     1795.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iv. 
pp.  87-98. 

.     Address  at  the  Celebration  on  the  Close  of  the  Second  Century  from  the  time  when  Exeter 

was  settled  by  John  Wheelwright  and  others;  by  Jeremiah  Smith.    July  4,  1838.    N.  H.  Hist. 
Coll.  vol.  vi.  pp.  167-204. 

GILMANTON,   Sketch   of  the  History,   Geologj',  &c.  of;  by  William   Prescott.      Farmer   and 
Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  321-329. 

,  History  of,  &c.,from  the  First  Settlement  to  the  Present  Time;  including^  what  is  now  Gil- 
ford, to  the  time  it  was  disannexed ;  by  Daniel  Lancaster.     8vo,  pp.  304.    Gilmanton,  1845. 

HAMPSTEAD,  Historical  Sketch  of,  by  John  Kelly.     N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  pp.  179-199. 

Address  delivered  July  4,  1849,  at  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  the  Incorporation  of  the 


Town  of;  by  Isaac  W.  Smith.     8vo,  pp.  84.     Manchester,  1849. 

HAMPTON,  An  Historical  Address  delivered  at,  Dec.  25,  1838,  in  Commemoration  of  the  Settlement 
of  that  Town;  two  hundred  years  having  elapsed  since  that  event;  by  Joseph  Dow.  8vo,  pp. 
44.     Concord,  1839.     See  also  Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  p.  266. 

HILLSBOROUGH,  Annals  of;  by  Charles  J.  Smith.     8vo,  pp.  72.     Sanbornton,  1841. 

HILLSBOROUGH  COUNTY,  Note  on;  by  John  Farmer,  Dec.  1818.  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xvii. 
pp.  65-71. 

HOLDERNESS  [New],  Note  on;  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xiii.  pp.  113-117. 

HOLLIS.     Centennial  Address,  by  Grant  Powers.     8vo,  pp.  S5.     Dunstable,  1830. 

,  A  Discourse  occasioned  by  the  Centennial  Anniversary  of;  by  Timothy  Farrar.     8vo,  pp. 

28.     Andover,  1847.     (See  also  Dunstable.) 

HUDSON.     (See  Dunstable). 

KEENE,  Annals  of  the  Town  of,  from  its  First  Settlement,  in  1734,  to  the  3'earl790;  by  Salma 
Hale.  8vo,  pp.  69.  Concord,  1826.  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  71-136.  Same  continued  to 
1815.      8vo,  pp.  120.     Keene,  1851. 

LANCASTER,  Note  on,  by  C.  L.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xiii.  pp.  97-105. 

LITCHFIELD.    (See  Dunstable.) 


A  TABLE   OF  HISTORICAL   WORKS.  XXIU 

LOND  ONDERRY,  History  of,  comprising  the  towns  of  Derry  and  Londonderrv ;  by  Ediv.  L.  Paiiker. 
8vo,  pp.  366.     Boston,  1851. 

MANCHESTER,  History  of;  by  Chandler  R.  Potter.    Bvo,  pp.  764.    Manchester,  1856. 

MASON,  History  of  the  Town  of,  from  the  First  Grant  in  1749,  to  the  year  1858;  by  John  B.  Hill. 
8vo,  pp.  324.     Boston,  1858. 

MEEEIMACK.     Centennial  Address ;  by  S.  T.  Allen.    8vo,  pp.  64.    1846.    (See  also  Dunstable.) 

MERRIMACK  COUNTY,  Description  of.   Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  169-173. 

MIDDLETON,  Note  on  [Middletown],  July,  1814.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xiii.  pp.  120,  121. 

NASHUA.     (See  Dunstable.) 

NEW  IPSWICH,  A  Sketch  of,  Civil,  Literary,  and  Ecclesiastical;   by  Charles  Walkek.      N.  H. 
Hist.  Coll.  vol.  V.  pp.  155-175. 

,  History  of,  from  its  first  grant  in  1736  to  the  present  time;  by  F.  Kiddek  and  A.  A.  Gould. 

8vo,  pp.  492.    Boston,  1852. 

NEW  LONDON,  Note  on;  by  John  Farmer.    July,  1818.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xviii.  pp.  173-175. 

NORTH  HAMPTON,  Historical  Sketch  of;  by  Jona.  French.   Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xiv.  pp.  189-192. 

,  A  Half  Centui-y  Discourse  delivered  in;  by  Jona.  French.     8vo,  pp.  46.     Portsmouth,  1852. 

NOETHWOOD,  Recollections  in  the  History  of;  N.  H.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  67-94. 

PETERBOROUGH,  A  Topographical  and  Historical  Account  of;  by  Elijah  Dunbar.    Farmer  and 
Moore's  Coll.  vol.  i.  pp.  129-140. 

,  Centennial  Address  at,  Oct.  24,  1839;  by  J.  H.  Morrison.     8vo,  pp.  99.     Boston,  1839. 

PLYMOUTH,  Note  on.    June,  1814.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xiii.  pp.  109-113. 

PORTSMOUTH,  Annals  of,  from  its  First  Settlement  in  1621,  with  Biographical   Sketches;   by 
Nathaniel  Adams.     8vo,  pp.  400.     Portsmouth  and  Exeter,  1825. 

,  Century  Sermon  at,  Jan.  4,  1801,  witli  Historical  Notes,  and  Account  of  Newspapers  printed 

in  New  Hampshire ;  by  Timothy  Alden.     8vo.     Portsmouth,  1801. 

,  An  Account  of  the  several  Religious  Societies  in,  from  their  first  establishment,  and  of  the 


Ministers  of  each,  to  Jan.  1,  1805 ;  by  Timothy  Alden.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  x.  pp.  37-72. 

,  Discourse  at,  occasioned  by  the  late  desolating  Fire ;  by  Joseph  Buckminstee.    8vo.   Ports- 
mouth, 1803. 

ROCHESTER,  Notices  of  the  Town  of;  by  Joseph  Haven.   Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp. 
169-171. 

SALISBURY,  Topographical  Sketch  of.    Farmer  ana  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  297-302. 

SANBORNTON,  Historical  Sketch  of.     Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  iii.  pp.  351-356. 

WALPOLE,  Sketch  of;  by  M.  A.  Bellows.     Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xvii.  pp.  124,  125. 

WARNER,  Historical  Sketch  of;  by  Dr.  M.  Long.     N.  H.  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  iii.  pp.  179-207. 

WILTON,  Topographical  and  Historical  Description  of;  by  Tliomas  Beede.     Farmer  and  Moore's 
Coll.  voL  i.  pp.  65-72. 

,  Address  at  Centennial  Celebration  in ;  by  Ephraim  Peabody.     8vo,  pp.  103.     Boston,  1839. 

WHITE  MOUNTAINS.     Some  Account  of  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire;  by  Dr.  Jacob 
BiGELOW.     New  Engl.  Journal  of  Med.  and  Surg.  vol.  v.  pp.  321-338. 

,  Notes  made  during  an  Excursion  to  the  Highlands  of  New  Hampshire  and  Lake  Winnipiseo- 

gee;  by  a  Gentleman  of  Boston  [Nathan  Hale].     12  mo,  pp.  184.     Boston,  1833. 

.     A  Ramble  among  the  White  Mountains.     Worcester  Magazine,  vol.  i.  pp.  1-7. 

.     Sketch  of  the  White  Mountains.    Farmer  and  Moore's  Coll.  vol.  ii.  pp.  97-107. 


A  Trip  from  Boston  to  Littleton,  through  the  Notch  of  the  White  Mountains ;  by  B.  S.  Z. 


12mo,  pp.  80.     Washington,  1836, 


XXIV  A   TABLE   OF  HISTOEICAL   TVOEKS. 

WHITE  MOUNTAINS.    Scenery  of  the  White  Monntains,  with  Sixteen  Plates,  from  the  Drawings 
of  Isaac  Sprague;  by  William  Oakes.     Large  4to.     Boston,  1848. 

Incidents  in  White  Mountain  History;  containing  Facts  relating  to  the  Discovery  and  Set- 


tlement of  the  Mountains,  Indian  History  and  Tradition,  a  minute  and  authentic  Account  of  the 
Destruction  of  the  Willey  Family,  Geology  and  Temperature  of  the  Mountains ;  together  with  nu- 
merous Anecdotes  illustrating  Life  in  the  Back  Woods;  by  Benj.  G.  Willey.  12mo,  pp.  322. 
Boston,  1855. 

.    See  also  Travels  in  the  United  States,  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell.    (Second  Visit.)    Vol.  i.  pp. 


WOLFBOROUGH,  Note  on.    Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  xui.  pp.  117-120. 


VERMONT. 


Allen,  Ethan.  Proceedings  of  New  York,  1774.  Animadversary  Address.  8vo,  pp.  24.  Hartford, 
1778. 

.     Vindication  of  Vermont.    12mo,  pp.  172.     Windsor,  1779. 

.  Narrative  of  his  Captivity,  including  his  Voyages  and  Travels.  12mo,  pp.  64.  Philadel- 
phia, 1779.     12mo,  pp.  168.  Walpole,  N.  H.     12mo,  pp.  126.  Boston,  1845. 

Allen,  Ira.  The  Natural  and  Political  History  of  the  State  of  Vermont.  Map.  8vo,  pp.  300.  Lon- 
don, 1798. 

Aethuk,  T.  S.     (See  Carpenter,  W.  H.) 

Beckley,  Hosea.  The  History  of  Vermont,  with  Descriptions,  Physical  and  Topographical.  12mo, 
pp.  396.    Brattleborough,  1846. 

Beadley,  Stephen  E.  Vermont's  Appeal  to  a  Candid  and  Impartial  World.  8vo,  pp.  62.  Hart- 
ford, 1779. 

Bdtlek,  James  Davie.  An  Address  delivered  before  the  Vermont  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Soci- 
ety, Oct.  16,  1846,  entitled  "  Deficiencies  in  our  History."     8vo,  pp.  36.     Montpelier,  1846. 

.     An  Address  on  the  Battle  of  Bennington,  delivered  before  the  Legislature  of  Vermont,  Oct. 

20, 1848.     8vo,  pp.  40.     Burlington,  1849. 

Carpenter,  W.  H.,  and  T.  S.  Arthur.  The  History  of  Vermont,  from  its  earliest  Settlement  to 
the  present  Time.     18mo,  pp.  260.     Philadelphia,  1853. 

Dean,  James. '  Alphabetical  Atlas  or  Gazetteer  of  Vermont.    8vo.     Montpelier,  1808. 

Deming,  Leonard.  Catalogiie  of  the  Principal  Officers  of  Vermont,  as  connected  with  its  Political 
History,  from  1778  to  1851,  with  some  Biographical  Notices,  &c.,  and  an  Appendix,  containing 
Historical  Notices  of  all  the  Towns  in  the  St.ate.     8vo,  pp.  216.     Middlebury,  1851. 

Eastman,  F.  S.     History  of  Vermont.     12mo,  pp.  110.     Brattleborough,  1828. 

Graham,  J.  A.  A  Descriptive  Sketch  of  the  Present  State  of  Vermont.  8vo,  pp.  187.  London 
1797.  ' 

Hall,  B.  H.  The  History  of  Eastern  Vermont,  from  its  earliest  Settlement  to  the  close  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century;  with  a  Biographical  Chapter,  and  Appendixes.     8vo,  pp.  799.     New  York, 

HosKiNS,  Nathaniel.  History  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  from  its  first  Discovery  and  Settlement  to 
the  close  of  1830.     12mo,  pp.  316.     Vergennes,  1831. 

Houghton,  George  F.  An  Address  before  the  Legislature  of  Vermont,  October  20,  1848,  on  the 
Life  and  Services  of  Colonel  Seth  Warner.     8vo,  pp.  57.     Burlington,  1849. 

Eegister  Vermont,  and  Farmer's  Almanac.  [This  was  commenced  at  Montpelier  in  1817,  and  has 
since  been  issued  in  18mo.    42  vols.] 

[There  were  several  successive  annual  political  Kcgistera  published  at  Rutland  previous  to  the  vear  1800; 
Dut  the  earliest  series  which  was  continued  for  any  length  of  time  was  commenced  at  Middlebury,  in  1803, 
ana  was  published  for  about  twelve  years.  The  next  series  was  commenced  at  Burlington,  in  1810,  and  was 
published  annually  nntill824.] 


A  TABLE   OF   HISTORICAL   WORKS.  XXV 

Slade,  'William.    Vermont  State  Papers.    8vo,  pp.  568.    Middlebnry,  1823. 

Thompson,  Daniel  P.  An  Address  pronounced,  Oct  24,  1850,  before  the  Vermont  Historical  Soci- 
ety, in  the  presence  of  both  Houses  of  the  General  Assembly.  [This  Address  gives  a  Graphic 
Picture  of  the  Convention  that  adopted  the  State  Constitution,  and  of  the  Old  Council  of  Safety. 
8vo,  pp.  22.     Burlington,  1850.] 

Thompson,  Zadock.    A  Gazetteer  of  the  State  of  Vermont.    12mo,  pp.  312.    Montpelier,  1824. 

-.     History  of  Vermont;  Natural,  Civil,  and  Statistical.    In  3  parts.     8vo,  pp.  224,  224,  200,  iv. 


Burlington,  1842. 
— .    The  Same,  with  Appendix  pp.  63.    Burlington,  1853. 


Williams,  Samuel.    The  Natural  and  Civil  History  of  Vermont.    8vo,  pp.  416.    Walpole,  1794. 
2d  ed.,  corrected  and  enlarged.    2  vols.  8vo,  pp.  517,  487.    Burlington,  1809. 


LOCAL    HISTORY. 

BENNINGTON,  Description  of  the  Battle  of.    Mass.  Hist.  CoU.  vol.  ii.  pp.  28-30.    [See  also  Butler's 
Address,  ante.] 

BENNINGTON   COUNTY,  The  Congregational  Churches  and  Slinisters  in,  from  their  Organization 
to  the  year  1842;  by  James  Anderson.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  Nov.  1842.     Vol.  xv.  pp.  131-136. 

CALEDONIA   COUNTY,  Congregational  Churches  and  Ministers  in,  from  its  first  Settlement  to 
July  31,  1840;  by  Leonard  Worcester.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  Feb.  1841.     VoL  xiii.  pp.  280-284. 

DANVILLE,  Historical  Address  upon ;  by  Rev. Dudley. 

ESSEX  COUNTY,  Congregational  Churches  and  Ministers  In,  from  the  first  Settlement  to  1841;  by 
Jeremiah  Glines.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  May,  1841.     Vol.  xiii.  pp.  448-451. 

FRANKLIN  COUNTY,  Congregational  Churches  and  Ministers  in,  from  its  first  Settlement  to  1840; 
by  Phineas  Kingsley.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  May,  1840.     Vol.  xii.  pp.  862-357. 

LAMOILLE  COUNTY,  Congregational  Churches  and  Ministers  in,  from  its  first  Settlement  to  1841; 
by  S.  Robinson.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  vol.  xiv.  pp.  129-132. 

MIDDLEBURY,  Statistical  Account  of  the  Town  of.  Part  i.;  by  Frederick  Hall.    Mass.  Hist.  CoU. 
vol.  xix.  pp.  123-158. 

Semi-Centennial  Sermon,  containing  a  History  of,  delivered  Dec.  3,  1840,  being  the  first 

Thanksgiving  Day  after  the  Expiration  of  Half  a  Century  from  the  Organization  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  (Sept.  6,  1790);  by  Thomas  A.  Merrill.     8vo,  pp.  92.     Middlebnry,  1841. 

MONTPELIER,  History  of.     A  Discourse  delivered  at  Montpelier,  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  Dec.  8, 
1842;  by  John  Gridley.     Bvo,  pp.  43.     Montpelier,  1842. 

RUTLAND    COUNTY,  Congi-egational  Churches  and  Ministers  in,  from  its  first  Settlement  to  1841; 
by  Joseph  Steele.     Amer.  Quart.  Reg.,  vol.  xiv.  pp.  34-42. 

WINDHAM  COUNTY,  Congregational  Churches  and  Ministers  in,  from  its  first  Settlement  to  1840; 
by  Charles  Walker.    Aiuer.  Quart.  Reg.,  Aug.  1840.    Vol.  xiii.  pp.  29-34. 

VOL.   I.  C 


HISTORY 


DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


(  xxvii ) 


HISTORY 


DESCRIPTION    OF  NEW   ENGLAND 


CHAPTER    I. 

DISCOVERY   AND    SETTLEMENT. 

New  England  occupies  a  geographical  position  between  the  parallels 
of  41°  and  48°  of  north  latitude,  and  the  meridians  of  67°  and  74°  of 
longitude  west  from  Greenwich,  or  between  3°  and  10°  east  from  Wash- 
ington. It  comprises  the  six  northeastern  States  of  the  American  con- 
federacy; namely,  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut,  —  the  whole  covering  an  area  of  65,038 
square  miles. 

The  discovery  of  New  England  —  the  honor  of  which,  according  to 
the  testimony  of  the  most  reliable  authors,  belongs  to  John  Cabot  and 
his  son  Sebastian  —  occurred  in  1497,  five  years  after  Columbus  had 
made  his  first  voyage  of  discovery,  and  had  raised  the  veil  that  con- 
cealed the  continent  from  the  eyes  of  Europe. 

Inspired  by  the  success  of  Columbus,  envious  of  his  fame,  and  jeal- 
ous of  the  acquisitions  that  might  be  made  by  the  Spanish  crown,  the 
Cabots  fitted  out  an  expedition,  under  the  patronage  and  authority  of 
Henry  VII.,  of  England,  consisting  of  two  caravels,  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  each.  This  expedition,  encouraged  by  the  merchants  of 
London  and  Bristol,  sailed  from  the  latter  port  in  the  early  part  of 
May ;  and,  on  the  24th  of  June,  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  the 
voyagers  were  realized  by  the  sight  of  l^-nd.  As  the  morning  breeze 
and  the  rising  sun  cleared  up  the  fog,  the  rock-bound  coast  of  Labra- 
dor 1  reechoed  the  roar  of  the  beating  surge,  and  the  summits  of  its  icy 

'  It  has  generally  been  supposed  that  the  part  of  this  continent  first  seen  by  the 
Cabots  was  Newfoundland,  but  Biddle  in  his  Memoir  of  Sebastian  Cabot,  p.  52,  has 
VOL.  I.  1 


2  HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

peaks  came  fully  into  view.  The  discoverers  pushed  further  to  the 
north,  but  were  compelled  by  their  sailors,  who  were  frightened  at  the 
idea  of  perpetual  day,  to  turn  back ;  and,  accordingly,  they  bore  south- 
ward as  far  as  35°  north  latitude. 

Fully  aware  of  the  importance  of  this  voyage  to  the  British  crown, 
and  familiar  with  the  maxims  and  prevalent  notions  of  those  days, 
which  made  new  countries,  not  inhabited  by  civilized  nations,  the  abso- 
lute property  of  the  discoverers,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Cabots  to  make  the  most  of  their  voyage.  But  historians 
do  not  agree  as  to  the  extent  of  their  explorations ;  and,  as  no  records 
were  left  by  them  sufficiently  in  detail  to  set  the  matter  at  rest,  we  must 
fall  back  upon  the  statements  of  others  which  are  deemed  most  relia- 
ble. Holmes,  in  his  Annals,  quoting  a  passage  from  Peter  Martyr's 
Decades,  "  De  rebus  Oceanicis  et  novo  orbe,"  concludes  that  they  ranged 
the  coast  as  far  south  as  Florida.^  There  is  some  obscurity  in  Martyr's 
statement,  but  it  is  quite  evident  that  a  large  portion  of  the  Atlantic 
coast  passed  before  their  eyes.^  Here  a  mutiny  broke  out  among  the 
crews,  and  the  expedition  was  obliged  to  return  to  England,  without 
attempting  any  further  explorations,  or  settlements  on  any  part  of  the 
coast 

The  English,  by  virtue  of  the  discoveries  made  on  this  voyage,  which 
were  confirmed  by  subsequent  expeditions,  set  up  their  original  claim  to 
the  principal  part  of  North  America.  But,  because  the  Cabots  made  no 
settlement,  some  writers  dispute  the  validity  of  the  claim.  This,  how- 
ever, is  rather  a  question  for  statesmen  and  jurists  to  discuss. 

The  gold  that  Columbus  had  obtained  from  the  natives  of  Hispaniola 
on  his  first  voyage,  and  which  he  presented  to  his  patrons  and  friends, 
stimulated  the  spirit  of  adventure  ;  and  private  expeditions,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  searching  for  the  golden  treasures  which  the  New  World  was 

rendered  it  quite  certain  that  it  was  Labrador,  adducing,  among  other  proofs,  a  description 
of  the  land  (thought  to  be  Cabot's)  as  "  full  of  white  bears,''  which  has  never  been  appli- 
cable to  Newfoundland. 

'  Holmes's  Annals,  p.  13,  and  note  vi.  at  end,  (ed.  1829). 

'  Martyr,  B.  6,  p.  267.  This  writer  represents  the  Cabots  to  have  met  with  obstruc- 
tions from  ice,  and  turned  southward,  following  the  line  of  the  coast,  till  in  about  the 
latitude  of  Gibraltar  and  the  longitude  of  Cuba,  which  would  only  bring  them  oif 
Cape  Hatteras.  But,  from  his  mention  of  Cuba  bearing  upon  their  left,  it  would  seem 
that  he  meant  that  they  took  a  southerly  course  to  about  35°  north  latitude,  thence  a 
southwesterly  course  till  nearly  off  Cuba.  It  is  but  fair  in  this  case  to  allow  the  reader 
the  benefit  of  the  original,  which  is  as  follows :  "  Qiiare  coactus  fuit,  uti  ait,  vela  vertere 
et  Occidentem  sequi :  tetenditque  tamen  ad  meridiem,  littore  sese  incurvante,  ut  Her- 
culei  freti  latitudinis  fere  gradus  equarit :  ad  Occidontemque  profectus  tantum  est,  ut 
Cubam  insulam  a  Iseva,  longitudine  graduum  pene  parem,  habuerit." 


DISCOVERT    AND    SETTLEMENT.  d 

supposed  to  possess,  were  fitted  out  in  Spain  and  Portugal,  by  those 
who  had  been  the  companions  of  Columbus.  Alonso  de  Ojeda,  an 
ofRcer  in  the  Spanish  naval  service,  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  ^hese 
adventurers.  Having  obtained  the  royal  license  for  his  enterprise,  the 
merchants  of  Seville  equipped  him  with  four  ships  for  the  voyage ;  and, 
on  the  20th  of  May,  1499,  he  sailed  from  the  port  of  St.  Mary's,  in 
Spain.  He  took  with  him,  as  companion  for  the  voyage,  a  Florentine 
gentleman,  by  the  nanae  of  Amerigo  Vespucci,  whose  services,  on  ac- 
count of  his  superior  attainments  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  science  of 
navigation,  were  of  the  utmost  importance  to  Ojeda,  in  navigating  the 
uncertain  and  dangerous  seas  of  an  unknown  and  distant  clime.  While 
in  this  subordinate  position,  however,  Vespucci  coveted  the  fame  which 
the  success  of  the  voyage  would  create  for  its  projector ;  and,  as  early 
certainly  as  1510,  he  published  an  account  of  the  voyage,  claiming  to 
have  been  himself  the  principal  discoverer,  and  demanding  that  the  new 
world  should  be  called  by  his  name.  This  claim  was  soon  after  unjustly 
conceded  to  him ;  and,  by  general  consent,  this  new  quarter  of  the 
globe  has  ever  since  been  called  America.^  But  neither  to  Vespucci  nor 
to  Columbus  belongs  the  honor  of  making  the  first  discovery  of  this 
continent,  but  to  John  Cabot  alone,  of  all  the  voyagers  of  the  fifteenth 
century ;  and  to  Italy  belongs,  without  dispute,  the  imperishable  honor 
of  giving  birth  to  the  three  contestants  for  this  fame. 

Europe,  at  this  period,  had  but  too  recently  emerged  from  barbarism 
to  take  immediate  advantage  of  so  great  a  discovery.  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal, however,  sent  out  expeditions  to  the  New  World  ;  but  while  they 
were  making  the  most  of  their  discoveries  in  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica, England,  France,  and  the  other  European  powers,  remained  inac- 
tive, —  an  apology  for  which  must  be  sought  in  the  unpropitious  cir- 
cumstances in  which  those  governments  were  then  placed. 

On  the  accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth  to  the  throne  of  England,  a 
more  liberal  policy  was  inaugurated,  and  greater  encouragement  given 
to  explore,  colonize,  and  settle  the  new  country.  Various  expeditions 
were  sent  to  New  England  during  her  reign  ;  but  all,  or  nearly  all,  ter- 
minated disastrously  to  those  engaged ;  and  nothing  was  accomplished 
in  establishing  colonies  and  opening  settlements  until  the  commence- 
ment of  the  seventeenth  century. 

'  Robertson's  America,  vol.  I.  note  22  ;  Holmes's  Annals,  vol.  i.  p.  16,  note  vii.  at 
end,  (ed.  1829).  Herrera  says,  that,  "  to  make  good  his  false  and  assumed  claim  to  the 
discovery  of  the  continent,  he  suppressed  the  name  of  '  Dragon's  Mouth,'  which  Colum- 
bus had  given  to  the  entrance  into  a  bay  near  Trinidad  ; "  and  that  "  he  confounded  the 
passages  of  the  two  voyages,"  —  that  made  before,  with  Columbus,  and  this  made  with 
Ojeda,  —  in  order  to  make  it  appear,  in  fact,  that  he  (Vespucci)  was  the  original  discoverer. 


4  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

England  and  France,  the  two  rival  nations  of  Western  Europe,  who 
for  centuries  had  vied  with  each  other  for  supremacy,  now  commenced 
the  race  of  empire  together  on  the  virgin  soil  of  America.  Had  these 
two  nations  —  the  fiery,  impetuous  Gaul,  and  the  cool,  calculating, 
and  determined  Anglo-Saxon — inaugurated  the  work  of  colonization 
together,  leaving  their  national  jealousies  and  animosities  at  home,  and 
been  rivals  only  in  their  efforts  to  promote  the  welfare  and  improve- 
ment of  their  colonies,  and  in  developing  the  resources  of  the  country, 
the  labors  of  the  eighteenth  century  would  not  have  been  thrown  over 
upon  the  nineteenth.  Instead  of  erecting,  as  they  did,  respectively,  lines 
of  fortifications  along  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Kennebec,  ex- 
tending from  New  Orleans  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  contest  inch  by  inch 
each  other's  progress,  they  would  have  been  opening  wide,  for  immigra- 
tion from  the  liberty-seeking  nations  of  Europe,  the  eastern  and  western 
portals  of  the  country.  Instead  of  maintaining  a  protracted  siege  at 
Louisburg,  they  would  have  been  constructing  the  great  highways  of 
commerce  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans  even  now  only  in 
contemplation.  In  short,  had  they  been  employed  in  these  vast  enter- 
prises, the  moral  and  the  material  power  of  each  would  have  been  vastly 
augmented  from  year  to  year,  both  at  home  and  abroad ;  and,  to-day, 
America,  in  her  onward  progress,  would  have  been  more  than  a  century 
in  advance  of  her  present  position,  —  not  only  in  those  beautiful  arts 
■which  embellish  life  and  appeal  to  the  higher  parts  of  a  nation's  charac- 
ter, but  also  in  those  useful  ones  by  which  the  happiness  and  comfort 
of  its  citizens  are  secured. 

But,  unfortunately,  the  interests  of  France  and  England,  from  the 
first,  were  conflicting.  Their  aims  -were  dominion ;  the  success  of  the 
one  was  regarded  as  involving  the  extinction  of  the  claims  of  the  other. 
The  opposing  interests  of  each  continued  to  increase  in  magnitude, 
until  they  were  brought  together,  face  to  face,  and  grappled  in  deadly 
conflict.  Victory  oscillated  for  a  time,  —  now  inclining  to  the  standard 
of  France,  anon  to  that  of  England ;  but  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham 
the  die  was  cast,  and  victory  settled  down  upon  the  banner  of  England. 
France,  unable  to  recover  from  so  great  a  defeat,  or  to  prolong  the  con- 
test with  dignity,  ceded  her  American  possessions,  and  retired  from  the 
field. 

The  country,  which  had  been  found  a  wilderness,  dense  and  unbroken, 
and  ancient  as  the  powers  of  nature,  inhabited  by  roving  tribes  of  sav- 
ages, living  in  rude  wig^A^ams  on  the  coast  and  along  the  banks  of  the 
great  rivers,  was  scarcely  less  than  a  wilderness  on  the  extinction  of  the 
claims  of  the  French.  It  was  so,  in  fact,  for  aught  that  had  been  done 
by  the  great  proprietors  and  corporations.     They  had  expended  large 


DISCOVERY    AND    SETTLEMENT.  O 

sums,  it  is  true,  but  for  the  purpose  of  transplanting  and  establishing 
here'  the  institutions  of  the  Old  World.  They  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing only  one,  and  that  one  was  the  direst  of  all  the  curses  that  have 
been  piled  on  humanity  from  Adam  down,  —  African  slavery. 

FaiUng  to  establish  a  system  of  landed  tenantry  here,  as  well  as  all 
other  schemes  of  private  avarice  and  lordly  aggrandizement,  and  seeing 
no  prospect  of  ever  recovering  their  ruined  fortunes  by  further  efforts, 
the  great  proprietors  withdrew  from  the  scene,  and  relinquished  all,  in 
despair  and  disgust,  into  the  hands  of  the  poor  but  hardy  laboring 
classes,  Avhom  they  had  been  mainly  instrumental  in  removing  here. 

In  1620,  the  English  Puritans,  who  had  been  driven  to  Holland  on 
account  of  their  non-conformity  to  the  usages  of  the  established  church, 
landed  on  the  shores  of  Plymouth.  Their  arrival  here  was  a  great 
epoch  in  our  history.  It  may  with  truth  be  said,  that  the  history  of 
New  England,  and  the  continent  itself,  had  its  commencement  with  the 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims  on  our  shores.  Their  migration  hither,  unlike 
that  of  those  who  had  preceded  them,  was  not  for  purposes  of  gain. 
Royal  patents  of  extensive  territories,  or  the  prospect  of  an  abounding 
commerce,  had  no  attractions  for  them.  They  were  poor,  persecuted 
exiles,  who  had  been  hunted  out  of  their  native  land  by  the  bigotry  and 
fanaticism  of  a  powerful  and  unrelenting  Episcopal  hierarchy,  whose 
intolerant  spirit  towards  dissenters  w^as  only  equalled  by  that  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  itself.  Self-exile  w^as  the  only  refuge  for  the  dis- 
senter ;  and  religious  freedom  being  the  highest  and  holiest  of  all  earthly 
considerations,  to  enjoy  it,  untrammelled  by  the  surveillance  and  pro- 
scription of  the  civil  power,  the  Plymouth  PUgrims  severed  the  tenderest 
earthly  ties,  and  sought  on  the  -wild  shores  of  America  a  refuge  from 
their  persecutors,  and  opportunity  to  establish  a  pure  church,  which 
might  be  nourished  with  their  prayers  and  tears  through  the  period  of 
its  infantile  being,  and  which,  when  as  strong  in  the  maturity  of  its 
years  as  in  the  soundness  of  its  principles,  might  transmit  its  blessings 
to  their  posterity.  That  single  idea  led  the  first  Plymouth  colonists  to 
these  shores  ;  and  that  single  idea  supported  them  under  all  difficulties, 
and  enabled  them  to  maintain  their  position  in  spite  of  obstacles  enough 
to  have  utterly  prostrated  common  men.  They  were  rigid  in  their 
notions  and  practices,  it  is  true,  and  sometimes  exceeded  what  the  lib- 
erality of  the  nineteenth  century  would  approve;  but,  for  all  their 
excesses,  the  circumstances  of  the  times  offer  a  sufficient  apology.  None 
can  deny  the  honesty  and  sincerity  of  their  purposes.  They  were  not 
the  safe  men,  the  conservative  men,  the  timid  men,  that  are  now  occa- 
sionally to  be  found,  who  are  so  very  fearful  of  doing  a  bad  act,  that 
they  never  do  a  good  one  in  the  course  of  their  whole  lives ;  but  they 

1* 


6  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

were  men  of  stem  will  and  indomitable  energy,  —  God-appointed,  it 
might  almost  seem,  to  settle  ice-and-granite-bound  New  England.  TJiey 
braved  every  danger,  and  resolutely  encountered  every  difficulty,  —  even 
such  as  had  before  appalled  the  stoutest  hearts  and  made  bankrupt  the 
wealthiest  proprietors  of  England.  They  had  no  money  to  back  them  ; 
no  royal  prerogatives  to  lean  upon;  nothing  but  the  mere  connivance  of 
King  James  at  their  movements,  and  the  faith  which  can  only  live  in  a 
Christian's  bosom,  to  which  they  clung  as  the  shipwrecked  mariner 
clings  to  the  last  plank  of  his  stranded  vessel. 

Such  was  the  germ  of  our  colonial  system,  which,  after  a  painful 
struggle  of  two  centuries,  and  the  trying  events  of  a  revolution,  ripened 
into  a  full-grown  republic,  the  most  powerful  that  the  world  ever  knew. 
By  it  and  through  it  a  vast  system  of  internal  colonization  has  been 
prosecuted,  the  entire  continent  overrun,  and  the  Anglo-American  flag 
carried  to  the  regions  of  the  setting  sun. 

From  the  few,  feeble,  and  unprotected  settleme_nts  along  the  rugged 
coast  of  New  England  have  sprung  thirty-two  sovereign  and  indepen- 
dent states,  ■ —  possessing  territory  sufficient  for  as  many  more,  —  which, 
while  being  severally  towers  of  beauty  and  strength,  covering  their  sep- 
arate peoples  and  having  their  distinctive  purposes  wrought  within,  are 
also  the  colossal  supports  of  the  great  temple  of  the  Republic  which 
spans  the  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  within  the  walls  of  which 
the  arts  of  war  and  peace  are  being  perfected,  without  confusion  of 
tongues,  among  people  of  various  origin. 

The  colonial  epoch  may  be,  for  convenience'  sake,  divided  into  four 
periods.  The  first  extends  from  the  establishment  of  the  Pojjham 
Colony  at  Sagadahoc  in  1607,  to  1660,  when  the  troubles  with  the 
natives  were  beyond  pacification,  and  an  exterminating  Indian  war  was 
opening  upon  the  colonists.  During  this  period,  the  colonia:l  governments 
were  established,  and  the  troubles  with  the  natives,  incident  to  their  es- 
tablishment, had  originated  the  war  with  the  Pequots  in  1637,  and  that 
between  the  Dutch  and  Algonquins  in  1643.  These  were  both  short  in 
duration,  and  a  few  years  sufficed  to  repair  whatever  loss  they  had  occa- 
sioned to  the  colonists.  This  period  is  also  distinguished  for  the  emi- 
gration to  New  England  of  such  men  as  Brewster,  Wilson,  Cotton, 
Shepard,  Phillips,  Higginson,  Shelton,  Hooker,  Davenport,  Winthrop, 
Bradford,  Winslow,  Eaton,  and  the  persecuted  Roger  Williams ;  and  is 
styled  by  Dr.  Baird  the  golden  age  of  the  colonial  cycle. 

The  second  period  extends  from  1660  to  1720.  The  colonies  had 
now  taken  permanent  root,  when  the  blast  of  every  misfortune  seemed 
to  be  let  loose  upon  them.  The  resistance  to  the  union  of  church  and 
state,  the  violeiit  disputes  wdth  the  home  government  on  the  rights  of 


DISCOVERY    AND    SETTLEMENT.  7 

the  colonies,  and  the  serious  Indian  wars,  shook  the  colonies  to  their 
very  foundations ;  but  they  were  too  firmly  grounded  to  be  overturned. 

The  third  period  extends  from  1720  to  1750.  Notwithstanding  the 
troubles  which  the  colonies  experienced  during  this  time,  on  account  of 
the  part  they  had  talcen  in  the  controversies  between  France  and  Eng- 
land, the  "  Great  Awakening,"  or  the  great  religious  revivals,  that  per- 
vaded all  the  colonies,  occurred.  This  was  the  period  during  which  the 
key-note  of  the  gospel  was  sounded  in  the  wilderness  by  such  men  as 
Edwards  and  Prince,  Dickinson,  Davies,  and  Finlay,  the  Tennents, 
the  Wesleys,  and  that  "  Prince  of  preachers,"  George  Whitefield,  who, 
like  the  angel  symbolized  in  the  Apocalyptic  vision,  traversed  colony 
after  colony,  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel. 

The  fourth  period  extends  from  1750  to  1776,  and  was  one  of  great 
agitation.  The  colonies  had  aided  England  in  another  war  with  France, 
w^hich  terminated  with  the  conquest  of  the  Canadas,  which  were  made 
over  to  England  by  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763.  Colonial  rights  were 
again  discussed  with  the  mother  country,  and  with  a  bitterness  that 
foreclosed  aU  prospect  of  an  amicable  adjustment,  and  the  colonies 
were  compelled  to  make  an  appeal  to  the  arbitrament  of  the  sword. 

Another  period  embraces  the  eighty  years  of  our  national  existence. 
The  initiative  for  independence  was  taken  by  the  colonists,  July  4, 1776 ; 
and,  after  a  severe  contest  of  seven  years'  duration,  they  were  victorious. 
Their  independence  was  acknowledged ;  a  republic  was  organized ;  and 
the  United  States  were  enrolled  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Not  a 
century  has  elapsed  since  this  great  event,  yet  the  progress  of  this 
Republic  has  been  without  a  parallel  in  the  world's  history.  Besides 
the  increase  of  its  territory,  its  commerce,  at  that  time  just  beginning 
to  spread  its  sails  to  the  breeze,  now  extends  over  the  whole  world,  com- 
passing oceans,  and  sweeping  along  the  great  stream  of  traffic  from  hemi- 
sphere to  hemisphere ;  while  its  internal  improvements,  —  its  cities  and 
towns,  which  have  sprung  up  in  every  direction,  —  its  highways  of 
travel,  —  its  improvements  in  the  arts  and  manufactures,  —  and,  above 
all,  the  magnetic  telegraph,  as  an  instrument  of  intercommunication,  — 
have  made  these  states  the  wonder  of  the  world. 

Learning  has  become  the  preceptor  of  industry,  and  labor  the  body  of 
thought;  art  the  handmaid  of  religion,  and  science  the  elevator  of 
humanity.  With  such  aims  as  these,  there  is  no  destiny  too  glorious 
for  our  country  or  our  people,  who,  in  following  the  instructions  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  interpreted  by  the  voice  of  experience,  look  above  the 
stars  of  science  and  the  differing  glories  of  their  devotees,  to  Him  who 
walkcth  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks,  and  holdeth  the  stars  in 
his  right  hand. 


CHAPTER    II. 

MAINE  — OUTLINES   OF  ITS  HISTORY. 

Maine  is  the  largest  of  the  New  England  States,  and  the  most  easterly 
of  the  United  States.  It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Atlantic 
Ocean;  on  the  east  by  the  St,  Croix  river,  and  by  a  line  running  due 
north  from  the  monument ^  at  its  source,  to  St.  John  river;  on  the 
north  by  St.  John  and  St.  Francis  rivers,  to  the  head  of  Lake  Pohenaga- 
mook,  in  latitude  47°  31'  39",  longitude  69°  17'  31",  thence  by  a  line  fol- 
lowing the  highlands,  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  New  Hampshire ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire.  Maine  is  estimated  to  contain  an  area  of  31,766  square 
miles,  or  20,330,240  acres.  The  greatest  width  of  the  state,  from 
Quoddy  Head  due  west  to  New  Hampshire,  is  200  miles;  and  its 
greatest  length,  from  Kittery  Point  to  the  northeastern  angle,  is  350 
mUes. 

Whenever  the  first  name  on  the  great  roll  of  American  States  is  pro- 
nounced, the  imagination  is  borne  in  an  instant  to  the  remotest  east 
and  the  most  w^intry  north  of  a  vast  national  domain,  where,  in  front, 
the  ocean  rolls  with  all  its  storms,  and  from  behind  wave  the  boundless 
forests.  Colonial  enterprise  was  earlier  here  than  in  any  other  northern 
state ;  and  yet,  of  all  the  Atlantic  States,  this  is  the  youngest. 

For  the  period  of  one  hundred  and  ten  years  after  America  had 
become  known  to  Europe,  the  coast  of  Maine  remained  unexplored.  No 
bark  had  ascended  any  of  its  majestic  rivers,  nor  found  its  way  into  any 

1  The  first  surveys  of  the  eastern  boundary  line  were  made  by  Samuel  Titcomb  and 
John  Harris,  in  1797.  They  established  a  monument  at  the  head  of  St.  Croix  river,  in 
latitude  45°  48',  which  w£is  a  yellow  birch  tree,  hooped  with  iron,  and  on  it  they  inscribed 
the  initials  of  their  names.  Joseph  Bouchette  and  John  Johnson,  survej'ors  under  the 
treaty  of  Ghent,  erected  a  new  monument,  a  few  feet  north  of  the  old  one,  consistin<r  of 
a  large  cedar  post,  supported  by  large  rocks,  and  marked  "  Julv  31,  1817."  This  is  the 
monument  recognized  in  the  treaty  of  1842  by  Webster  and  Ashburton,  establishin"-  the 
eastern  and  northern  boundaries  of  the  state. 
(8) 


MAINE  —  OUTLINES   OF   ITS   HISTORY.  9 

of  its  capacious  bays.  All  that  had  been  done  during  that  time  was  to 
engross  the  lucrative  trade  of  the  fisheries  along  the  coast  of  Newfound- 
land, and  erect  temporary  residences  thereon,  for  the  accommodation  of 
fishermen  while  prosecuting  their  business. 

Bartholomew  Gosnold  was  the  earliest  navigator,  of  whom  we  have 
any  authentic  account,  who  made  the  discovery  of,  and  to  some  extent 
explored,the  coast ;  but  the  records  of  his  voyage  are  so  imperfect,  that 
but  little  is  known  of  its  results.  He  sailed  from  Falmouth,  England, 
on  the  26th  of  March,  1602,  and  made  land  on  the  4th  of  May,  in 
about  the  43°  north  latitude.  At  what  particular  place  he  landed,  is 
not  now  known,  as  he  erected  no  monument  to  mark  the  spot.  The 
uncertainty  of  the  place  of  his  landing  is  occasioned  by  the  error  in  the 
chart  that  he  sailed  by,  which,  says  Weymouth,  was  more  than  half  a 
degree  out  of  the  true  latitude.  Williamson  thinks  he  landed  at  Mount 
Desert,  or  Mount  Agamenticus,  because  the  central  Isle  of  Shoals, 
which  is  in  latitude  42°  29',  is  south  of  the  land  he  first  saw.  He  sailed 
around  the  southerly  side  of  Cape  Cod,  discovered  the  Elizabeth  Isles ; 
and,  on  the  18th  of  June,  in  the  same  year,  reembarked  for  England. 
Gosnold  had  by  this  voyage  awakened  a  spirit  of  adventure ;  and,  from 
this  time,  the  coast  of  New  England  was  visited,  from  year  to  year,  by 
French,  English,  and  other  European  navigators,  until  it  was  fully  ex- 
plored. 

Martin  Pring  sailed  the  next  year  from  Milford  Haven,  and  on  the  7th 
of  June  entered  Penobscot  Bay.  He  and  his  companions  were  highly 
pleased  with  the  view  they  had  of  a  "  high  country,  full  of  great  woods ; " 
and  they  spoke  in  enthusiastic  terms  of  the  good  fishing-grounds  and 
good  moorings  which  they  found  among  the  islands.  Pring  returned  to 
England  in  August,  with  a  valuable  cargo  of  fish,  fur,  and  sassafras.  He 
pronounced  the  cod  and  haddock  taken  in  Penobscot  Bay  much  supe- 
rior to  those  taken  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland.  Among  the  many 
curiosities  that  Pring  carried  home  was  a  birch-bark  canoe,  a  specimen 
of  aboriginal  ingenuity.  Gorges  says,  in  his  history,  that  Pring  made  a 
perfect  discovery  of  all  these  eastern  rivers  and  harbors,  and  brought  the 
most  exact  account  of  the  coast  that  had  ever  yet  come  to  hand.i 

The  success  of  this  voyage  of  Pring  excited  the  adventurous  spirit  of 
the  French,  and  encouraged  the  Enghsh  in  repeating  their  visits  to  these 
northern  shores.  France  and  England  were  both  highly  elated  with 
ideas  of  extensive  foreign  doininion,  and  the  prospect  of  an  abounding 
commerce.     Yet  the  means  and  the  measures  best  fitted  for  their  attain- 

'  "A  Brief  Narration  of  the  Original  Undertakings  for  the  Advancement  of  Planta- 
tions in  America."  By  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  Kt.,  ch.  v.  p.  19.  London:  printed  in 
1658. 


10  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OK    NEW   ENGLAND. 

ment  were  altogether  unknown,  as  well  to  the  statesman  as  to  the  spec- 
ulator. They  did  not  understand  that  a  well-devised  plan,  a  thorough 
organization,  and  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  that  plan,  in  settling  the 
new  country,  under  the  auspices  of  their  respective  governments,  could 
give  to  the  enterprise  success  and  permanency.  They  based  their  rights 
on  the  priority  of  discovery,  nominal  possession,  or  royal  commission, 
not  thinldng  that  rights  on  such  a  basis  were  too  slender  to  be  seriously 
defended. 

It  was  a  great  misfortune  to  France  and  England,  as  well  as  to  this 
country,  that  they  both  coveted  the  same  territory,  and  were  using  all 
possible  means  to  establish  their  claims  to  it,  either  by  discovery,  nomi- 
nal possession,  or  royal  patent.  The  people  of  both  nations  were 
resolved  in  their  purposes ;  and,  with  such  an  object  in  view,  and  with 
the  rival  feelings  and  jealousies  w^ith  which  each  regarded  the  other,  it 
might  have  been  foreseen  that  these  counter  claims  would  ultimately 
produce  the  most  violent  controversies,  quarrels,  and  perhaps  wars. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  1603,  Pierre  De  Monts,  one  of  the  court 
favorites  of  Henry  IV.  of  France,  received  from  his  sovereign  a  royal 
patent  to  all  the  territory  between  40°  and  46°  north  latitude.  This 
extensive  region  embraced  all  the  present  New  England  States,  besides 
New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  Canadas,  and  was  named  in  the 
patent  "Acadia."  De  Monts  sailed  for  his  new  possessions  in  the  ensu- 
ing spring,  March  7,  1604,  and  arrived  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Aca- 
dian peninsula  (Nova  Scotia),  on  the  6th  of  May.  He  spent  the 
summer  in  exploring  the  coast ;  sailed  up  the  St.  John,  gave  it  the 
name  it  now  bears ;  and  passed  the  winter  of  1604—5  on  St.  Croix 
Island,  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay.  The  winter  was  severe,  and  many  of 
his  men  died.  On  the  opening  of  the  spring,  he  ranged  the  coast 
westerly  to  the  Kennebec,  where  he  erected  a  cross,  and  took  possession 
of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  France.  Thence  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Cape  Cod.  Some  of  the  places  he  passed  appeared  suitable 
for  settlement,  but  his  company  was  small,  and  the  savages  numerous, 
unfriendly,  and  thievish ;  so  he  returned  to  St.  Croix,  and,  in  Septem- 
ber, embarked  for  France,  leaving  Dupont,  Champlain,  and  Chauvin  to 
explore  the  country  and  perfect  a  settlement. 

During  this  year,  several  English  gentlemen,  to  avoid  if  possible  the 
jealousy  of  the  French,  and,  at  the  same  time,  secure  to  themselves  the 
advantages  of  prior  possession,  despatched  George  Weymouth  across 
the  Atlantic,  on  a  pretended  search  for  the  northwest  passage,  the  grand 
idea  of  the  English  navigators. 

Weymouth  sailed  from  Ratcliffe  on  the  31st  of  March,  and  on  the 
11th  of  May  hove  in  sight  of  Cape   Cod.     He  explored  the  coast,  and 


MAINE OUTLINES    OF    ITS    HISTORY. 


11 


erected  crosses  in  several  places,  by  Avay  of  establishing  his  claim  to  the 
country ;  i  and  in  June  sailed  up  the   Kennebec  river,  came  to  anchor 


ofT  Bath,  and 


in    a   boat    some    distance    up   the    Andros- 


proceeded 
coggin.- 

On  the  10th  of  April,  1606, 
James  I.  of  England  incorpo- 
rated t\vo  companies,  agreeably 
to  their  own  choice,  one  called 
the  London  company,  and  the 
other  the  Plymouth  company ; 
and  granted,  by  royal  patent, 
to  both  of  the  companies,  all 
the  territory  between  the  37° 
and  the  45°  of  north  latititde. 
This,  it  will  be  noticed,  covered 
the  whole  territory  that  had 
been  granted  to  De  Monts  three  we^ mouth  anch  ru  os  Lath,  June,  ibos 

years  previous,  —  except  one  degree  upon  the  north,  - —  with  the  addition 
of  three  degrees  on  the  south.  On  the  20th  of  December,  of  the  same 
year,  the  London  company  despatched  three  vessels,  ^vith  one  hundred 
colonists,  for  the  coast  of  South  Virginia ;  and  in  April,  1607,  a  perma- 
nent settlement  was  established  on  James  river ;  and  there  the  earliest 
administration  of  government  ^vas  commenced  on  the  continent  of 
America,  north  of  Mexico. 

A  similar  enterprise,  by  the  Plymouth  company,  W'as  matured  about 
the  same  time,  for  settling  another  colony  in  North  Virginia,  as  the 
region  east  of  the  Hudson  was  then  termed.  One  hundred  emigrants, 
besides  mariners,  were  engaged  in  the  enterprise  ;  all  necessary  supplies 
were  procured,  and,  on  the  31st  of  May,  they  took  their  departure  in  two 
ships  from  Plymouth.  They  had  a  favorable  passage,  and,  on  the  8th 
of  August,  landed  on  the  Phipsburg  peninsula,^  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ken- 
nebec river,  called  by  the  natives  Sagadahoc  river.  They  soon  erected 
several  cottages,  sunk  two  or  three  wells,  and  commenced  an  intercourse 
with    the    natives.      On  the  11th,  they  organized  their  government  by 


>  Purchas,  1G59-76  ;  2  Belknap's  Biog.,  p.  40. 

'   See  Address  by  John  ISIcKeen,  Maine  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  v. 

'  Some  modern  writers  insist  tbat  it  was  upon  Parker's  Island,  others  at  Arrowsic,  and 
still  others  at  Georgetown  ;  but  the  recent  discovery  of  the  manuscript  of  "  William  Stra- 
chey  Gent,"  in  the  Sloane  Collection  of  the  British  Museum,  published  by  the  "  Ilakluyt 
Society,"  London,  1849,  and  republished  by  the  Mass.  Hist.  Soc,  Fourth  Series,  vol.  1, 
pp.  221-24G,  has  thrown  new  light  upon  the  point,  and  hardly  leaves  room  for  a  doubt 
that  they  lauded  ou  the  peninsula.     See  also  Bartlet's  Froutier  INIissiouary,  Note  B.  p.  236. 


12  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

formally  reading  their  patent.  They  named  the  settlement  the  Saga- 
dahoc colony,  and  elected  their  officers  —  George  Popham  as  president, 
Captain  Rawleigh  Gilbert,  James  Davies,  Richard  Seymour  (the  first 
Episcopal  clergyman  north  of  Virginia),  Captain  Richard  Davies,  and 
Captain  Harlow,  as  assistants.  Here  they  built  their  cabins,  and  erected 
a  fortification,  the  remains  of  which  are  even  now  to  be  seen. 

The  winter  months  were  fraught  with  various  trials.  They  suffered 
much  from  cold  and  hunger;  and,  by  the  impolitic  course  they  had 
pursued  with  the  natives,  had  forfeited  their  trade  and  hospitality. 
Their  storehouse  took  fire  in  midwinter,  and  was  reduced  to  ashes,  and 
most  of  their  provisions  were  destroyed.  Three  of  the  principal  patrons 
of  the  colony  died  during  the  winter,  one  of  whom  was  the  President 
(George  Popham).^  The  hostility  of  the  natives,  and  the  various  mis- 
fortunes that  befell  the  colonists,  rendered  their  situation  truly  deplora- 
ble ;  and  they  resolved  to  quit  the  country  and  return  to  England.  As 
soon  as  the  affairs  of  the  colony  could  be  settled,  and  arrangements 
made  for  leaving,  they  embarked  for  home,  reporting  to  their  friends  and 
patrons  in  England,  as  the  cause  of  their  return,  that  the  country  was 
"  intolerably  cold  and  sterile,  unhealthy,  and  not  habitable  by  our  Eng- 
lish nation."  ^ 

By  the  untimely  end  of  this  colony,  some  further  deaths,  and  addi- 
tional discouragements,  a  fatal  blow  was  given  to  the  spirit  of  coloni- 
zation for  some  years.  De  Monts,  the  French  patentee,  had  also  met 
with  many  reverses  and  disappointments ;  and,  on  learning  the  dis- 
astrous termination  of  the  Sagadahoc  colony,  abandoned  the  idea  of 
prosecuting  his  enterprise  any  further,  and  surrendered  his  patent  to 
Madame  De  Guercheville,  a  Catholic  French  lady,  who  was  desirous  of 
making  the  experiment  of  converting  the  natives  to  the   Catholic  faith. 

'  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  colonists,  for  their  amusement  in  the  tedious  winter 
months,  among  other  tilings,  set  a  company  of  the  natives  to  hauling  a  loaded  cannon 
with  drag  ropes,  with  the  muzzle  pointing  forward,  which,  at  a  favorable  opportiuiity,  was 
discharged,  consigning  to  instant  death  many  of  the  unsuspecting  victims.  The  Indians, 
justly  incensed  at  this  act  of  wanton  barbarity,  assembled  in  a  large  body,  resolved  on 
the  massacre  of  the  whole  colony,  and  made  a  descent  on  the  storehouse,  containing  the 
merchandise  and  provisions,  which  were  its  sole  dependence.  In  the  overhauling,  they 
broke  open  some  barrels  of  powder,  which,  being  accidentally  ignited,  produced  a  terrific 
explosion,  killing  many  of  their  number.  The  survivors,  in  their  simplicity,  understood 
this  as  the  reproving  voice  of  the  Great  Spirit  for  their  attempt  to  exterminate  the 
settlers ;  and  forthwith  brought  provisions  enough  to  sustain  them  through  the  winter, 
without  which  every  man  must  have  perished  from  starvation.  It  is  thought  by  some, 
upon  insufficient  evidence  however,  that  Popham  fell  a  victim  to  the  merited  revenge 
of  his  savage  neighbors. 

'  Prince's  Annals,  p.  35. 


MAINE OUTLINES   OF  ITS   HISTOEY.  13 

She  obtained  a  charter  from  the  king,  in  confirmation  of  the  patent  she 
had  received  from  De  Monts,  and  immediately  sent  over  her  agent 
(Suassaye),  with  twenty-five  colonists,  to  take  possession  of  Acadia  in 
her  name.  He  landed  on  the  16th  of  May,  1613,  at  Mount  Desert,  built 
a  small  fort  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  a  few  cabins  around  it, 
erected  a  cross,  celebrated  mass,  and  called  the  place  St.  Saviour. 

The  English,  being  greatly  chagrined  at  their  late  defeat  in  establish- 
ing a  settlement  at  Sagadahoc,  watched  the  settlement  of  the  French  at 
St  Saviour  with  a  jealous  eye.  On  learning  the  important  advantages 
the  French  were  obtaining  at  this  place,  in  their  fur  and  peltry  trade  with 
the  natives,  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  one  of  the  patrons  of  the  Sagadahoc 
colony,  a  man  not  to  be  overcome  by  failure  where  he  saw  another  suc- 
cessful, determined  upon  a  second  expedition.  He  purchased  a  ship 
with  his  own  money,  and  obtained  a  master  and  crew  to  make  a  voyage 
hither ;  but  so  strangely  had  the  passion  for  adventure  abated  in  England, 
that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  he  could  find  any  one  willing  to 
engage  with  him  in  the  enterprise  of  attempting  another  settlement,  or 
even  in  exploring  the  country.  During  this  time.  Captain  Samuel  Argal, 
of  Virginia,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  making  occasional  visits  to  these 
northern  shores,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  fish,  was  cast  ashore  on  one 
of  the  islands  in  Penobscot  Bay ;  and,  by  closely  questioning  the 
natives  in  regard  to  the.  French,  learned  aU  the  particulars  of  their  recent 
settlement  on  Mount  Desert,  under  the  auspices  of  Madame  De 
Guercheville.  This  intelligence  he  immediately  communicated  to  the 
magistrates  in  Virginia,  and  they  determined  at  once  to  expel  these 
Roman  Catholic  Frenchmen,  as  intruders  on  the  territory  granted  by 
his  sovereign  majesty  James  I.  to  his  loyal  subjects. 

A  naval  armament  was  immediately  fitted  out  for  the  purpose  of 
reducing  Mount  Desert,  consisting  of  eleven  fishing  vessels,  containing 
sixty  soldiers,  and  carrying  fourteen  pieces  of  cannon.  Argal  took  the 
place,  with  scarcely  any  show  of  resistance.  The  inhabitants  surren- 
dered themselves  as  prisoners,  to  whom  Argal  offered  the  alternative  of 
returning  to  France,  or  going  with  him  to  Virginia,  —  the  latter  of 
which  most  of  them  accepted.  He  broke  in  pieces  the  cross  the  Jesuits 
had  erected ;  and,  by  way  of  taking  formal  possession  of  the  place, 
erected  another,  and  inscribed  on  it  the  name  of  King  James  I.  He 
then  proceeded  to  the  island  of  St.  Croix,  and  destroyed  what  remained 
of  De  Mont's  settlement  there.  From  thence  he  went  to  Port  Royal ; 
and,  after  setting  fire  to  that  place,  returned  to  Jamestown. 

These  counter  claims  of  the  tw^o  governments  were  the  principal 
cause  of  all  the  troubles  in  the  colonies.     They  frequently  involved  the 
VOL.  I.  2 


14  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

two  nations  in  war  ;  and  it  was  not  until  Wolfe  led  the  cohorts  of  Eng- 
land on  to  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  and  British  banners  waved  in  tri- 
umph over  Quebec,  that  the  question  of  sovereignty  was  finally  settled, 
and  France  abandoned  her  claims. 

Gorges  succeeded  in  securing  the  services  of  Captain  Richard  Vines, 
to  take  the  command  of  his  vessel,  than  whom  no  better  man  could 
have  been  obtained  to  carry  out  his  design,  which  was  ostensibly 
to  engage  in  fishing  and  trade,  though  in  reality  it  was  to  keep  pos- 
session of  the  country  against  the  French.  Vines  landed  at  the  mouth 
of  Saco  river  during  the  fall  of  1617,  and  spent  the  winter  there ;  at 
w^hich  place,  in  1623,  Gorges  succeeded  in  establishing  a  permanent  set- 
tlement. 

After  some  years  of  variable  fortune  and  uncertain  prospects,  he 
obtained  a  charter  from  Charles  I,  of  aU  the  territory  between  the  Ken- 
nebec and  the  Piscataqua,  as  far  north  as  the  source  of  the  latter  river. 
By  this  charter,  dated  April  8,  1639,  this  territory,  with  its  inhabitants, 
was  incorporated  into  a  body  politic,  and  named  the  province  or  county 
of  Maine, —  a  compliment  to  the  queen  of  Charles  I.,  who,  it  is  com- 
monly supposed,  inherited  the  province  in  France  of  that  name.^  By 
this  charter,  Gorges,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  were  made  absolute  lords 
proprietors  of  the  province,  excepting  the  supreme  dominion,  faith,  and 
allegiance  due  to  the  crown,  and  the  right  to  exact,  yearly,  a  quarter 
of  wheat,  and  a  fifth  of  the  profits  arising. from  the  pearl  fishings,  and 
from  gold  and  silver  mines. 

The  territory  over  which  Gorges  was  made  dictator  was  but  little 
less  than  one  sixth  of  the  area  of  the  present  State  of  Maine,  and  his 
proprietorship,  thus  chartered,  was  little  less  than  an  absolute  sov- 
ereignty. Sir  Ferdinando,  whose  mind  was  ever  fruitful  in  expedients, 
used  every  possible  means  to  raise  his  province  into  distinction,  by 
encouraging  settlements,  and  making  grants  of  the  land  to  gentlemen 
of  rank  and  influence.  He  was  fully  convinced  that  the  growth  of  his 
province  was  surpassed  by  all  its  colonial  neighbors,  not  excepting  New^ 
Hampshire,  whilst  the  seizure  of  it  by  the  French,  who  occupied  the 
country  east  of  the  Penobscot,  was,  not  without  reason,  apprehended. 

After  the  death  of  Gorges,  the  province  fell  to  his  heirs ;  and,  on  the 
6th  of  May,  1677,  Massachusetts  purchased  it  from  them  for  the  sum 

'  Hon.  George  Folsom,  in  his  Discourse  before  the  Maine  Historical  Society,  in  1846 
(vol.  II.),  denies  the  generally  received  notion  that  the  queen  owned  the  "  Province  of 
Meyne."  He  says,  "  Such  is  the  prevailing  impression  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name 
finally  given  by  Gorges  to  his  province ;  but,  unfortunately  for  its  accuracy,  the  prov- 
ince of  Maine,  in  France,  did  not  appertain  to  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  but  to  the 
crown  ;  nor  is  it  discoverable  that  she  possessed  any  interest  in  that  province." 


MAINE OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  15 

of  £1,250  sterling.  This  event  closed  the  first  period  in  the  provincial 
history  of  the  State. 

There  are  other  matters  connected  with  this  period,  such  as  the  occu- 
pation of  Bigaduce,  now  Castine,  by  D'Aulney,  and  subsequently  by 
Baron  de  Castin ;  the  revival  of  the  settlement  of  Sagadahoc  by  the 
celebrated  John  Smith  and  Thomas  Dermer ;  the  Muscongus  or  Waldo 
patent;  the  Pemaquid  patent,  and  other  grants  outside  of  what  was 
then  the  province  of  Maine,  —  a  detailed  account  of  all  which  is  given 
in  another  part  of  the  work. 

The  second  period  extends  from  this  colonial  union  to  the  close  of 
the  Indian  wars,  embracing  over  eighty-three  years,  and  bringing  down 
the  history  to  1760.1 

It  "was  but  two  years  before  the  purchase  of  the  title  of  Gorges  from 
his  heirs  in  1677,  that  the  war  of  King  Philip  broke  out;  and  the  ter- 
ritory of  Maine  was,  for  the  first  tiine,  alarmed  by  the  hostile  aspect  of 
the  savages.  Thenceforth,  till  1760,  the  Indians  made  the  land  a  wil- 
derness, and  as  such  held  it  as  their  own.  It  is  appalling,  even  now,  to 
read  the  narratives  of  the  deeds  of  slaughter  which  were  then  perpe- 
trated, and  which  allowed  to  three  successive  generations  no  secure  rest 
upon  their  pillows.  Every  twentieth  person  in  the  colony  was  either 
slain,  or  carried  into  captivity  to  return  no  more.  Eighty  were  mur- 
dered within  three  months,  between  the  Piscataqua  and  the  Kennebec. 
The  people  lived  in  garrisons,  reaping  their  fields  amidst  the  hazards  of 
ambush  and  massacre ;  and  not  a  few  of  them  withdrew  to  the  more 
protected  towns  of  Massachusetts.  Casco  was  deserted,  Arrowsic  was 
burned,  amidst  terrible  slaughter,  and  the  shores  further  east  entirely 
devastated.  Berwick  was  defended  only  at  the  sacrifice  of  a  gallant 
family ;  Wells  and  York  were  again  and  again  attacked,  with  blood- 
shed ;  and,  at  the  fight  of  Black  Point,  sixty  out  of  ninety  combatants 
were  left  on  the  field. 

Ten  years  of  peace  followed  the  close  of  King  PhiUp's  war,  when  the 
war  of  King  William  broke  out,  and  the  wild  weapons  of  the  Indian, 
supported  by  the  muskets  of  the  French,  were  again  bathed  in  blood. 
This  war  lasted  ten  years,  and  was  terminated  by  the  peace  of  Ryswick. 
Six  years  of  peace  here  intervened,  when  Queen  Anne's  war  began, 
renewing  for  ten  years  more  the  former  misery,  before  the  waste 
places  had  been  repaired.  This  war  was  terminated  by  the  peace  of 
Utrecht:  and  was   soon   followed   by  Lovewell's  war,  of   three  years' 

'  The  grateful  acknowledgments  of  the  authors  are  due  to  the  Et.  Eev.  George  Bur- 
gess, D.  D.,  for  permission  to  use  matter  contained  in  his  address  before  the  Maine  His- 
torical Society  in  1854,  published  in  the  fourth  volume  of  their  Collections. 


16  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

duration,  memorable  for  the  slaughter  of  the  Roman  Catholic  mis- 
sionary, Rasle,  at  Norridgewock,  and  the  bloody  fight  at  Fryeburg. 

The  ravages  of  these  Indian  wars  checked,  for  a  whole  century,  the 
advance  of  the  civilizing  power  of  commerce,  tUlage,  and  education. 
It  is  hardly  possible  to  paint  too  strongly  the  disastrous  fruits  of  this 
harassing  strife.  Scarcely  a  foot  was  won  from  the  forests.  On  every 
spot  where  settlements  had  been  attempted,  nothing  but  the  smoulder- 
ing ruins  of  habitations  and  the  bleaching  bones  of  their  recent  occu- 
pants met  the  eye. 

The  third  great  period  in  the  history  of  Maine  extends  from  the  close 
of  the  Indian  wars,  in  1760,  to  the  organization  of  the  State,  and  its 
admission  into  the  Federal  Union  in  1820,  during  which  a  steady 
advance  was  made  in  the  productive  industry  of  the  province,  —  the 
war  of  the  Revolution  scarcely  impeding  its  progress. 

There  were,  in  1760,  but  thirteen  incorporated  townships,  which 
formed  little  more  than  a  streak  along  the  coast  from  Kittery  to  Pema- 
quid.  In  this  year,  the  two  counties  of  Cumberland  and  Lincoln  were 
added  to  the  original  shire  of  York.  Old  claims  are  revived,  new  grants 
obtained ;  the  course  of  the  great  rivers  is  explored,  and  the  coast 
between  the  Penobscot  and  the  St.  Croix  is  taken  into  possession.  In 
1789,  twenty  new  towns  were  incorporated,  and  two  new  eastern  coun- 
ties were  honored  with  the  names  of  Hancock  and  Washington.  The 
wrecks  of  questioned  claims  and  confiscated  rights  were  recovered,  and 
large  allotments  were  granted  for  the  encouragement  of  education ;  the 
advances  of  the  axe  upon  the  forests  were  steady ;  mighty  woods  were 
floated  down  every  stream  ;  and  the  whispers  of  the  wind  through  the 
pines,  hitherto  heard  only  by  the  wild  Indian  or  the  wandering  hunter, 
now  mingled  with  the  lowing  of  the  herds,  the  hum  of  industry,  and 
the  songs  of  the  settler. 

The  population  of  Maine,  during  the  first  half  of  these  sixty  years, 
increased  to  eight  times  its  previous  number ;  and,  in  the  last  half,  it  had 
a  threefold  increase.  In  the  last  war  with  England,  a  cloud  was  cast 
over  the  smiling  prosperity  of  the  province,  and  the  Penobscot  was 
again  made  a  frontier  river ;  but  when  that  cloud  had  passed,  the  three 
hundred  thousand  inhabitants  of  Maine  demanded  and  obtained  a 
separate  constitution,  as  also  admission  as  a  State  into  the  Federal 
Union. 

The  fourth  and  last  period  extends  from  1820  to  the  present  time. 
Of  this  period,  little  is  as  yet  historical,  in  that  sense  in  which  history  is 
the  record  of  facts  completed.  It  contains,  indeed,  the  beginning  and  the 
end  of  those  ambitious  speculations  which  a  stirring  people  are  always 
but  too  ready  to  undertake.     Unlimited  credit,  vast  enterprises,  fictitious 


MAIKE  —  OUTLINES   OF   ITS   lUSTORY.  17 

fortunes,  and  final  calamity,  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession ; 
when  a  new  era  —  that  of  the  lumber  business  —  seemed  to  dawn  upon 
the  country.  Immense  sums  ■w^ere  embarked  in  this  enterprise  ;  but  this 
too  failed,  bringing  upon  its  projectors,  and  on  capitalists  generally, 
wreck  and  ruin.  That  crisis  has  passed ;  but  it  has  left  a  bolder  spirit 
of  enterprise,  and  perhaps  even  a  preference  for  hazardous  undertakings, 
which  are  sometimes  seen  in  singular  contrast,  if  not  in  singular  union, 
with  the  former  cautious  habits  of  the  people.  Shipwrecks  of  every 
kind  are  the  punishment  of  such  adventures ;  but  whUe  the  individual 
sinks,  the  calamity  may  sometimes  open  more  speedily  the  general  path- 
way to  success.  This  period  embraces  the  final  settlement  of  the  north- 
eastern boundary.  The  small  diminution  of  territory  was  but  the  loss 
of  so  much  land ;  but  the  decision,  while  it  removed  a  possible  occasion 
for  strife,  gave  a  more  distinct  view  of  the  -wrilderness  behind.  It  is  still 
a  peculiar  feature  of  Maine,  that  it  contains,  and  must  long  contain, 
such  a  wilderness. 

"  Stern  famine  guards  the  solitary  coast, 
And  winter  barricades  the  realms  of  frost." 

It  is  at  least  a  background,  which  somewhat  appalls  the  timid  and  the 
easy,  so  long  as,  under  a  genial  sky,  vast  prairies  repose  untitled  along 
the  Mississippi,  or  the  setting  sun  is  reflected  from  golden  hills  without 
an  owner.  Maine  may  have  a  woody  desert  of  her  own,  larger  perhaps 
than  any  of  the  sisterhood  of  original  states ;  but,  inch  by  inch,  the  trees 
will  probably  fall,  and  fences,  gravelled  roads,  pleasant  cottages,  and 
fields  of  waving  grain,  wiU  extend  to  the  Chaudiere  and  to  Madawaska. 

K  we  take  a  step  backw^ard  in  the  view  of  the  population  of  Maine, 
we  shall  find  that  the  whole  number  of  its  inhabitants,  one  century  ago, 
did  not  probably  exceed  ten  thousand  ;  and  they  were  scattered  along 
the  coast,  occupying  only  a  few  salient  points,  and  engaged  in  lum- 
bering and  fishing,  —  not  extending  at  all  into  the  interior,  through  fear 
of  savages,  who  held  empire  over  the  forests,  and  for  want  of  roads. 
This  ten  thousand,  notwithstanding  the  outsetting  current,  under  the 
genial  influence  of  free  institutions,  has  become  six  hundred  thousand. 
To  predict  that  Maine  must  be,  in  some  sense,  a  northern  hive,  sending 
forth  its  young  to  win  wealth  in  warmer  fields,  is  but  to  say  that  it 
must  be  what  the  north  always  was  in  Asia,  in  Europe,  and  America, 
either  through  conquests,  through  commerce,  or  through  constant  emi- 
gration. But  neither  Scandinavia  nor  Tart,ary  is  depopulated  by  these 
swarmings  of  men;  nor  will  Maine  be,  who  can  spare  her  thousands  to 
California,  and  still  keep  her  hundreds  of  thousands,  quite  as  worthy  and 
vigorous,  at  home. 

2* 


18  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

This  state,  participating  in  nearly  all  the  great  improvements  of  the 
age,  has  gone  on  steadily  developing  her  resources,  and  increasing  her 
wealth  and  power.  Her  railroad  interest,  which  did  not  fully  open  until 
since  1840,  has  become  one  of  vast  magnitude.  There  are  upwards  of 
four  hundred  miles  of  track  in  operation,  at  a  cost  of  from  $15,000,000 
to  $20,000,000,  penetrating  all  parts  of  the  state  west  of  the  Penobscot, 
and  affording  facilities  for  transportation  which  greatly  augment  the 
value  of  property,  and  contribute  to  the  general  prosperity.  In  the  year 
1856,  the  several  railroads  carried  upwards  of  2,600,000  passengers,  for 
which  they  received  $1,248,404.69,  besides  $1,073,244.66  for  freight  and 
$78,993.46  for  mail  and  other  services.  These  advantages  are  increased 
by  555  miles  of  telegraph ;  and  by  the  steamboat  navigation,  which  was 
forced  into  notice  under  great  discouragements,  —  requiring  some  ex- 
clusive privileges  from  the  state,  —  and  which  is  now  an  important 
interest,  engrossing  a  large  capital. 

The  slow  advance  of  agriculture  into  the  interior  of  the  State  indi- 
cates that  the  energy  of  the  people  has  turned  into  other  channels  than 
the  enlargement  and  cultivation  of  their  fields  at  home.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  diversion,  the  census  of  1850  shows  seventy-seven  thousand 
persons  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  who  had  more  than  2,000,000 
acres  of  improved  land  in  their  home  farms,  and  2,500,000  acres  unim- 
proved,—  the  land  being  valued  at  $55,000,000,  and  the  implements  of 
cultivation  at  $2,284,000.  The  aggregate  value  of  stock,  agricultural 
produce,  and  articles  of  home  manufacture,  exceeds  annually  $30,000,000, 
showing  that  here  is  a  substantial  interest  not  to  be  overlooked.  Agri- 
culture forms  the  permanent  basis  of  a  country's  greatness.  It  is  the 
nursing  mother  of  a  wise  and  virtuous  people  ;  and  it  is  fortunate  indeed 
that  the  recent  decline  in  the  lumber  trade  seems  to  be  creatine  a 
deeper  interest  in  the  products  of  the  soil.  Maine,  in  1857,  held  her 
third  annual  agricultural  exhibition,  thus  getting  the  start  of  her  mater- 
nal state,  which  that  year  held  her  first. 

But  Maine  is  essentially  a  commercial  state,  with  an  extended  sea- 
coast  of  278  miles,  (or  2,486  njiles,  including  bays  and  islands,)  having 
numerous  safe  and  convenient  harbors,  with  facilities  for  buUding,  man- 
ning, and  equipping  vessels  of  every  size  and  class.  She  has  always 
ranked  among  the  foremost  in  maritime  operations.  In  ship-building 
she  took  the  lead  at  the  very  start,  and  has  never  lost  supremacy,  but 
has  left  her  competitors  still  further  behind.  In  1820,  27,705  tons  of 
shipping  were  built ;  and,  in  1855,  it  amounted  to  215,904  tons,  divided 
among  213  barques,  107  brigs,  sLxty-eight  schooners,  two  sloops,  and 
six  steamers.  In  the  fisheries,  Maine  holds  the  second  ranlc;  in  the 
general  aggregate  of  tonnage,  the  third ;  in  imports,  the  seventh ;  and  in 


MAINE OUTLINES    OF    ITS    HISTORY.  19 

exports,  the    tenth.     She    has    thirteen   districts    for   collection   of  the 
revenue. 

Her  comparative  wealth  is  large.  The  aggregate  valuation  of  real 
and  personal  property  in  the  state  in  1850  was  $122,777,561,  making 
an  average  of  $210  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child.  Her  capital  is 
not  idle.  Besides  the  means  of  its  employment  before  mentioned,  up- 
wards of  $15,000,000  are  embarked  in  manufacturing  operations,  with  an 
annual  product  of  more  than  $25,000,000.  There  is  also  a  banking  cap- 
ital of  $8,107,485,  distributed  among  seventy-nine  banks. 

In  her  civil  organization,  she  has  fifteen  counties,  388  incorporated 
towns,  of  which  ten  have  received  a  city  charter  ;  about  350  plantations 
and  settlements,  embracing  territory  and  natural  capacities  sufficient  to 
support  a  very  large  population.  Touching  her  moral  and  social  condi- 
tion, the  last  census  returns  exhibited  945  churches,  valued  at  $1,794,209, 
giving  accommodations  to  325,997  persons,  or  56  per  cent,  of  the  entire 
population,  each  church  having  an  average  value  of  $1,899,  and  seating 
345  persons ;  two  colleges,  one  theological  and  one  medical  school,  with 
an  annual  income  of  $14,000 ;  131  academies  and  private  schools,  with 
an  annual  income  of  $51,187.  The  report  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Schools  for  1857  gave  4,102  school-districts,  3,889  school-houses,  240,764 
pupils,  and  an  expenditure  of  $666,797.58,  or  $2.59  to  each  pupU. 
There  are  about  fifty  newspapers  (eight  of  which  are  daUy),  circulating 
among  63,887  subscribers,  and  having  an  annual  issue  of  more  than 
4,000,000  copies.  The  united  libraries  of  Maine,  other  than  private, 
embracing  the  public,  the  school,  the  Sunday  school,  the  coUege,  and  the 
church  libraries,  contain  121,969  volumes. 

The  pulpit,  the  school,  the  press,  and  the  library,  then,  co-working  with 
the  natural  and  acquired  resources  of  Maine,  are  an  irresistible  power, 
which  must  give  her  a  distinguished  position  among  the  orbs  of  our 
political  constellation.  Her  extent  of  territory,  rich  soil,  long  line  of 
sea-coast,  excellent  harbors  and  navigable  rivers,  the  enterprise  and 
ingenuity  of  her  people,  their  regard  for  education  and  a  faithful  admin- 
istration of  duties  in  the  government  of  the  state,  are  sure  precursors 
of  an  exalted  destiny. 


CHAPTER    III. 

MAINE  — ABORIGINAX   INHABITANTS. 

In  closing  the  general  view  of  Maine,  a  passing  notice  should  be 
devoted  to  the  race  which  so  long  held  undisputed  title  to  its  forests, 
and  whose  tragic  history  forms  such  an  exciting  chapter  in  the  early- 
annals  of  the  state.  The  aborigines  of  this  state  were  divided  into 
two  nations,  the  Abnakies  and  the  Etchemins;  and  these  were  sub- 
divided into  several  tribes  and  clans. 

The  Abnakies.  ■. —  This  nation  occupied  the  whole  of  the  country 
between  the  Piscataqua  and  the  Penobscot  rivers,  and  numbered,  in 
1615,  about  seventeen  thousand  souls.  This  nation  was  a  most  terrible 
enemy  to  all  the  English  settlements.  The  members  of  it  were  early 
converted  to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  by  the  French  missionaries, 
who  spared  no  effort  to  embitter  the  savage  mind,  not  only  against  the 
EngUsh,  but  against  aU  Protestants,  of  -whatever  nation.  Hence  they 
were  constantly  excited,  by  religious  motives,  to  miniature  crusades,  in 
which  the  lonely  cabin  of  the  settler  was  so  often  ravaged,  and  the  awful 
terrors  of  barbaric  warfare  repeated  so  frequently,  that  the  extermination 
of  this  nation  became  a  matter  of  colonial  policy  with  the  English.^  In 
1795,  only  seven  families  remained;  and  now  the  whole  of  that  once 
noble  nation  is  extinct.  The  dark,  solemn  forests  have  fallen ;  the  wig- 
wam has  been  succeeded  by  the  farm-house,  the  village,  and  the  city ; 
and  the  busy  avocations  of  civilized  life  occupy  the  soil  where  once  the 
noble  form  of  the"  dusky  Abnaki  dwelt. 

This  nation  was  divided  into  four  tribes,  as  follows :  the  Anasagun- 
ticooks,  who  occupied  the  country  about  the  Androscoggin  river ;  the 
Sokokis,  who  had  their  haunts  about  the  Saco  river ;  the  Wawenocs, 
who  dwelt  along  the  coast,  from  Merry-Meeting  bay  to  Muscongus 
river ;  and  the  Canibas,  who  occupied  the  country  from  Merry- Meet- 

'  For  a  detailed  account  of  this  extermination,  see  town  of  Norridgewock. 
(20) 


MAINE  —  ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS.  21 

ing  bay,  along  the  whole  extent  of  the  Kennebec  river,  to  Moosehead 
lake.  This  latter  tribe  was  divided  into  three  clans:  the  Norridge- 
wocks,  whose  abode  was  at  Norridgewock ;  the  Taconnets,  at  Water- 
ville ;  and  the  Cushnocs,  at  Augusta.  These  clans  had  a  slight  differ- 
ence in  dialect,  but  were  essentially  one  people. 

The  Elchemins.  —  This  nation  occupied  all  the  eastern  part  of  the 
state,  from  the  Penobscot  to  the  St.  Croix,  and  their  domain  extended 
into  New  Brunswick  as  far  as  the  St.  John.  They  were  divided  into 
three  tribes ;  namely,  the  Tarratines,  who  had  their  residence  on  the 
banks  of  the  Penobscot, — the  feeble  remnants  of  which  are  now  gath- 
ered up  at  Oldtown ;  —  the  Openangoes,i  who  lived  about  the  Schoodic 
and  St.  Croix  rivers  ;  and  the  Marachites,  who  inhabited  the  vicinity  of 
the  St.  John.  Strong  ties  of  friendship  existed  between  these  three 
tribes;  and  when  either  of  them  had  any  grave  question  to  settle,  or 
installed  new  officers,  a  delegation  attended  from  each  of  the  other 
tribes. 

The  earliest  information  we  have  of  either  the  Etchemin  or  Abnaki 
nation  was  obtained  in  1614,  by  Captain  John  Smith,  who,  how- 
ever, was  unable  to  ascertain  the  numbers  of  either.  The  Abnakies 
were  much  more  numerous,  but  less  hardy  and  warlike  than  the  Etche- 
mins,  who  frequently  made  inroads  on  the  Abnakies,  plundering  and 
killing  them.  At  the  time  of  Captain  Smith's  visit  to  Maine,  these  two 
nations  were  engaged  in  a  general  war,  during  which  the  Etchemins 
entered  the  heart  of  the  Abnaki  country,  killed  the  Bashaba  or  Great 
Chief,  carried  off  his  women  and  effects,  and  destroyed  the  succession 
to  the  chieftaincy.  After  this  conquest,  the  Etchemins  were  not,  like 
their  enemies,  Avasted  by  disease  and  famine.  On  the  contrary,  they 
retained  their  valor ;  and,  animated  by  their  success,  were  less  disturbed 
than  the  western  tribes  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  possessions.  Being 
discreet,  they  were  always  reluctant  to  plunge  into  hostilities  with  the 
English. 

About  the  year  1667,  the  Baron  de  Castin  settled  at  Bigaduce,  to 
which  place  he  left  the  legacy  of  a  name.     He  had  four  or  five  Indian 

'  "  If  we  may  believe  Captain  Francis,  this  is  a  younger  tribe  than  either  of  those  at 
Penobscot  or  St.  John.  He  sa3's  it  was  told  him  by  his  fathers,  that  an  Indian  of  the 
latter  married  a,  Tarratine  wife,  and  settled  at  Passamaquoddy,  and  from  them  origi- 
nated a  tribe.  It  is  certain,  this  one  has  immemorially  lived  on  terms  of  the  most  friendly 
intercourse  with  both  the  others ;  and  was  never  known  to  take  an  active  part  in  any 
transactions  separate  from  them.  Indeed,  its  chiefs  are  not  distinctly  mentioned  in  any 
treaty,  till  that  of  1 760  ;  nor  is  the  name  of  a  single  sagamore  previously  living  handed 
down  to  us,  —  so  much  has  the  tribe  mixed  with  those  tribes,  and  followed  their  fortune 
and  fate." —  Williamson,  vol.  I.,  pp.  474-5. 


22  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

wives,  and  amassed  a  large  fortune  by  traffic  with  the  Indians.  His 
influence  with  them  was  unbounded,  and  was  much  sought  after  by 
both  the  English  and  French  authorities.  He  lived  in  the  country 
about  thirty  years,  and  conformed  himself  in  all  respects  to  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  natives. 

In  1675,  at  the  time  of  King  Philip's  war,  mention  is  made  of  the 
great  prince  and  orator,  Assiminasqua,  chief  of  the  Tarratines.^ 
Madockawando,  who  was  probably  a  prisoner,  taken  by  the  Tarratines 
in  some  of  their  wars  with  the  Avestern  Indians,  was  his  adopted  son 
and  successor.  There  were  frequent  negotiations  between  the  colonists 
and  this  chief,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  was  in  1698. 

Treaties  between  the  Tarratines  and  the  English  government  were 
ratified  in  1675,  1676,  and  1693 ;  one  condition  of  which  was  that  they 
should  take  arms  against  the  Anasagunticooks,  in  the  event  of  their 
committing  further  depredations  on  the  colonists,  which  were  frequent 
and  dreadful. 

These  treaties  were  repeatedly  broken  by  the  wanton  avarice  of  the 
white  traders.  For  example,  in  1688,  the  house  of  Castin  was  robbed, 
his  household  furniture,  fire-arms,  ammunition,  and  chapel-service  being 
taken  away.  There  were  frequent  acts  of  kidnapping  and  robbing  the 
natives.  Their  effects  were  deemed  by  many  lawful  plunder ;  and  the 
same  logic  which  justified  this  course  allowed  them  also  to  steal  a 
savage  and  sell  him  into  perpetual  bondage,  to  wear  out  a  miserable 
existence  in  the  performance  of  menial  services,  or,  worse  still,  to  feel 
the  lash  of  the  taskmaster,  — •  degradations  to  which  the  savage  nature 
of  the  Indian  could  never  submit. 

Castin  the  younger,  whose  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Madock- 
awando, upon  the  death  of  that  prince,  succeeded  to  the  chieftaincy. 
He  was  a  very  good  friend  of  the  English,  and  endured  much  on  that 
account.  Yet  in  1703,  his  house  was  robbed  by  them,  and  one 
of  his  sisters  was  taken  captive  by  Captain  Church.  In  1710,  young 
Castin  went  on  a  mission  to  Canada,  in  company  with  Major  Livings- 
ton, and  returned  by  way  of  Albany.  In  1721,  he  was  improperly 
seized  and  carried  to  Boston,  where  he  was  detained  several  months, 
and  then  released.  In  1722,  according  to  Charlevoix,  he  visited  B^arn, 
in  France,  to  inherit  his  father's  property  and  honors,  from  which  time 
nothing  further  is  known  of  him. 

After  the  time  of  the  younger  Castin,  there  were  frequent  -w^ars 
betwreen  the  Tarratines  and  ■\\'hites ;  but  they  were  of  short  duration. 
In  1726,  a  treaty  was  ratified,  which  was  the  most  lasting  ever  made 

'  The  Tarratines  were  the  most  influential  and  powerful  tribe  of  the  Etchemin  nation. 


MAINE  —  ABORIGINAL   INHABITANTS.  23 

with  the  tribe.  Every  subsequent  treaty  has  renewed  some  of  its  prin- 
cipal provisions,  many  of  which  are  still  in  force.  It  was  negotiated  by 
Captain  Duramer,  and  was  signed,  on  the  part  of  the  tribe,  by  Wene- 
movet,  chief  sagamore.  The  treaty  of  1745,  renewing  that  of  1726,  was 
signed  by  Egeremet  as  chief. 

It  is  not  known  who  were  chiefs  from  1745  to  1775.  Orono  flourished 
during  the  period  of  the  Revolution.  History  represents  him  as  a  chief; 
but  the  tradition  of  his  tribe,  only  as  a  captain.  He  died  in  1801,  at  the 
age  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years.  The  names  of  the  governors 
since  Orono's  time  are  as  follows :  John  Atteon,  grandfather  of  the  pres- 
ent governor ;  John  Neptune,  father  of  the  present  lieutenant-governor ; 
Joseph  Lola,  father  of  Captain  Francis ;  John  Atteon,  father  of  the 
present  governor,  said  to  have  been  a  lineal  descendant  of  Castin,  and 
the  only  Indian  of  the  tribe  with  blue  eyes,  who  served  from  1816  until 
his  death  in  May,  1858 ;  and  Joseph  Atteon,  elected  governor  Septem- 
ber 9,  1858,  to  hold  the  office  for  two  years. 

The  territory  of  the  tribe,  during  the  last  century,  has  been  constantly 
encroached  upon  by  the  white  population,  until  aU  that  remains  to 
them  of  what  was  worth  millions  of  dollars  are  the  islands  in  the 
Penobscot  river,  a  yearly  annuity  worth  some  $1,500,  and  an  invested 
fund  of  $55,000,  the  interest  to  be  paid  annually,  —  the  whole  annual 
amount  being  about  $3,300. 

Most  of  the  young  men  of  the  tribe  engage  in  day-labor.  They  are 
considered  excellent  hands  in  the  woods,  and  are  esteemed  the  best  of 
men  in  the  arduous  and  dangerous  business  of  river-driving.  Some  of 
the  more  helpless,  and  many  of  the  squaws,  engage  in  basket-making ; 
and  their  productions  are  found  in  every  household  in  the  vicinity,  being 
also  much  sought  after  by  strangers  visiting  them,  as  presents  for  their 
friends. 

This  tribe,  though  it  has  outlived  all  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  the 
state  with  the  exception  of  the  Openangoes,  or,  as  they  are  sometimes 
called,  the  Passamaquoddy  tribe,  has  been  slowly  but  constantly  de- 
creasing in  numbers,  until  its  present  population  amounts  to  but  four 
hundred  souls. 

The  Openangoes  reside  in  the  town  of  Perry,  Washington  county,  on 
a  piece  of  land  comprising  about  550  acres,  purchased  for  them  by 
Massachusetts  for  £250  ;  and  there  they  will  probably  remain  until  the 
last  of  the  race  shall  have  passed  to  the  "  happy  hunting-ground,"  — 
apparently  not  very  far  in  the  future.  In  1794,  there  were  at  Pleasant 
point  five  hundred  wigwams,  arranged  in  four  rows  or  streets,  which 
covered  a  large  part  of  the  point;  and  the  canoes  of  the  tribe  were  said 
to  resemble  a  large  white  winrow  around  the  shore. 


24  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  customs  of  the  Indians,  lilce  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians, 
seem  unchangeable.  They  are  still  found,  as  they  were  a  century  ago, 
in  their  canoes,  —  chasing  the  porpoise  in  summer,  and,  in  winter, 
removing  into  the  interior,  to  trap  the  beaver  or  hunt  the  moose  and  the 
deer.  Their  canoe  of  the  present  day  is  the  same  as  that  of  old,  and 
their  habitations,  when  buUt  by  themselves,  are  still  wigwams.  It  is 
true,  in  the  matter  of  dress,  some  departures  have  been  made  from 
ancient  usage.  They  have  exchanged  the  conical  cap  for  a  hat,  the 
loose  blanket  for  the  citizen's  coat  and  pantaloons ;  and,  in  some 
instances,  an  extra-fine  young  dandy  dons  a  ruffled  shirt  and  polished 
boots.  But,  in  general,  their  tailor  and  shoemaker  have  improved  no 
more  than  their  boatbuilder  or  architect. 

The  Indian  has  an  hereditary  hatred  of  the  white  man ;  and,  ■when  he 
thinks  of  his  circumscribed  situation,  and  that  his  brethren  have  been 
gradually  swept  from  the  land  by  the  advance  of  the  strange  invader, 
this  feeling  must  kindle  in  his  bosom  with  redoubled  force.  He  looks 
upon  the  broad  extent  of  this  fair  continent,  and  says  to  himself :  "  Once 
my  ancestor  possessed  this  goodly  land.  On  that  spot,  made  beautiful 
by  Nature's  plastic  hand,  he  reared  his  cabin.  There,  shaded  by  the 
venerable  trees  of  the  forest,  he  smoked  his  calumet  in  peace,  and  lis- 
tened to  the  innocent  prattle  of  his  offspring  around  him.  Upon  that 
alluvial  acre,  formed  by  the  changing  current  of  the  river,  he  planted  the 
maize  which  was  to  supply  the  demands  of  appetite,  left  unsatisfied  by 
misfortune  in  the  chase.  Upon  yon  placid  stream  he  launched  his 
canoe,  paddling  leisurely  along,  or,  in  meditation,  floating  calmly  and 
silently  down  the  current  of  life.  By  that  murmuring  waterfall  he  sat 
for  many  hours,  watching  the  finny  tribe  ;  and  the  well-filled  basket  by 
his  side  gave  evidence  of  his  skill  in  the  use  of  the  spear.  In  that 
boundless  forest,  whose  towering  and  leafless  trunks  ever  opened  their 
broad  and  distant  vista,  —  not  inappropriate  emblems  of  the  converging 
lines  of  futurity,  —  he  chased  the  moose  and  the  caribou,  then  unscared 
by  the  rifle  of  the  pale-face." 

These,  and  a  thousand  other  visions  of  greatness  and  happiness,  are 
associated  in  the  minds  of  this  unhappy  race  ;  and  we  seem  to  hear 
them  further  exclaim  : 

"  The  footstep  of  civilization  has  blotted  out  the  war-path  of  our 
fathers ;  the  axe  of  the  pioneer  has  felled  the  forest  and  scared  away 
the  game ;  the  march  of  improvement  has  dammed  up  the  waterfall ; 
and  the  salmon,  frightened  by  its  clatter,  have  ceased  to  frequent  our 
streams.  The  scythe  of  Time  has  mowed  a  wide  swath  in  our  ranks, 
cutting  down  its  victims,  of  all  ages  and  conditions,  leaving  but  a  rem- 
nant of  once  countless  hosts." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

COtTNTIES,    CITIES,   AND    TOWNS    OF  MAINE. 

Abbott,  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Piscataquis  county, 
embraces  an  area  of  23,040  acres,  and  is  one  of  the  five  towns  that 
were  granted  to  Bowdoin  College  in  1794.  Its  settlement  is  of  recent 
date,  and  hence  the  town  possesses  but  little  material  for  history.  It 
was  incorporated  in  1827,  and  possesses  all  the  elements  of  a  thriving 
agricultural  town.  The  Piscataquis  river  flows  through  the  southwest 
part,  on  the  banks  of  which  are  many  good  farms.  There  are  here  two 
small  villages,  one  post-oflice,  two  religious  societies  (Congregational 
and  Free-will  Baptist),  and  nine  school  districts,  with  sixteen  schools. 
Population,  747 ;  valuation,  $65,351. 

Acton  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  York  county,  one  hundred 
and  five  miles  from  Augusta,  and  lies  on  the  boundary  line  between 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire.  The  history  of  the  town  belongs  to  that  of 
Shapleigh,  from  which  it  was  taken,  and  incorporated  in  1830.  Hills 
and  valleys  diversify  its  surface,  except  in  the  east  and  northeasterly 
parts.  The  soil  is  stubborn,  but  with  proper  attention  good  crops  are 
obtainable.  The  town  is  well  watered  by  several  ponds,  known  by  the 
names  of  Long,  Square,  Great  East,  Garvin's,  and  Loon.  Little  Ossi- 
pee  river  lies  on  the  north,  Salmon  river  on  the  west,  and  Mousam 
river  towards  the  northeast  of  the  town.  Acton  has  three  villages, — 
Acton,  North  Acton,  and  South  Acton,  —  at  each  of  which  there  is  a 
post-office  and  a  church ;  and  fourteen  school  districts,  having  twelve 
schools.     Population,  1,359  ;  valuation,  $213,825. 

Addison  is  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  on  the  west  side  of  Indian 
river,  in  Washington  county.  It  was  settled  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  organized  into  a  plantation,  known  as  Number 
Six  west  of  Machias.     It  became  an  incorporated  town  February  14, 

VOL.  I.  3  (25) 


26  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

1796.  It  has  two  villages  —  Addison  Point  and  Indian  River,  with  a 
post-office  at  each ;  one  church  edifice  (Baptist)  ;  fourteen  school 
districts,  having  twenty-six  schools.  Population,  1,152 ;  valuation, 
$206,931. 

Albany,  Oxford  county,  lies  south  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  and 
fifteen  miles  west  of  Paris.  It  was  settled  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  in  1800  contained  a  population  of  between 
sixty  and  seventy.  It  was  incorporated  March  20,  1804.  It  is  drained 
by  Pequawket  river,  Avhich  has  its  source  in  a  small  pond  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  town.  A  series  of  basins,  formed  by  the  wear  of  the  river 
in  the  solid  talcose  rock,  are  objects  of  great  curiosity,  one  of  which 
is  seventy  feet  deep  and  forty  feet  in  diameter.  The  surface  of  the 
town  is  mountainous,  and  much  of  it  remains  uncleared.  There  is  one 
village  in  the  town,  and  one  post-office.  It  is  divided  into  eight  school 
districts,  with  an  aggregate  of  234  pupils.  Population,  747  ;  valuation, 
$71,843. 

Albion,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Kennebec  county,  twenty-four 
miles  from  Augusta  and  forty-four  miles  southwest  from  Bangor,  was 
first  organized  in  1802  into  a  plantation,  and  called  Freetown.  In 
1804,  it  Avas  incorporated  into  a  town  and  called  Fairfax,  next  Lygonia, 
and  lastly  Albion. 

The  town  is  about  six  miles  square.  The  soil,  in  the  westerly  part,  is 
free  from  stones,  and  easily  cultivated ;  the  eastern  portion  is  somewhat 
rocky,  but  productive.  The  southern  portion  is  hiUy ;  and  well  adapted 
to  the  cultivation  of  wheat.  The  Lovejoy  pond,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  is  famous  for  pickerel  and  perch,  and  is  skirted  on  all  sides 
with  beautiful  farms. 

Albion  has  five  shingle  machines ;  one  saw-mill ;  one  grist-mill,  hav- 
ing three  sets  of  stones ;  fourteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-six 
schools ;  two  post-offices,  Albion  and  South  Albion ;  and  five  meeting- 
houses. Population  in  1850,  1,604 — which  has  been  increased,  by  the 
annexing  of  Albion  Gore,  to  about  1,650;  valuation,  $228,597. 

Alexander,  in  the  easterly  part  of  Washington  county,  about  mid- 
way between  its  northern  and  southern  extremity,  was  first  settled  in 
1810.  Solomon  Perkins,  Caleb  Pike,  George  Hill,  A.  Bohanan,  Wil- 
liam D.  Crockett,  Paul  Morse,  Cyrus  Young,  and  Samuel  Cottel  were 
among  the  first  who  made  Alexander  their  home,  and  came  principally 
from  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamj)shire.  The  settlers  obtained  the 
titles  to  their  lands  from  John  Black,  agent  for  the  Bingham  Purchase. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  ALFRED.  27 

The  town  was  incorporated  in  1835,  being  prior  to  that  time  designated 
as  Plantation  No.  16. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  but  there  is  a  variety  of  good  farming  land, 
and  the  inhabitants  depend  principally  on  their  agricultural  labors  for  a 
livelihood.  The  principal  stream  is  the  Wapskanegan,  which  runs  through 
the  centre  of  the  town.  Pleasant  lake  lies  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town,  as  also  does  Burrows  lake.  Medybemps  and  Pokey  lakes  lie 
partly  in  this  town. 

A  Congregational  and  a  Methodist  society  have  been  organized  here, 
neither  of  which  has  a  church  edifice,  holding  their  meetings  in  the 
school-houses.  The  town  contains  four  school  districts;  Stephenson's 
mills,  situated  on  Pleasant  lake  ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Alexander  and 
Lane's  Brook.     Population,  544  ;  valuation  for  1858,  $42,000. 

Alfred,  the  shire  and  central  town  of  York  county,  eighty-eight  miles 
from  Boston  and  twenty-six  from  Portland,  contains  about  eight  thousand 
acres.  The  early  history  of  Alfred  is  involved  in  that  of  Sandford,  of 
which  it  was  formerly  a  part,  bearing  at  that  time  the  name  of  "  North 
Parish  of  Sandford,"  or  "  Massabesick."  The  people  of  Alfred,  at  the 
time  of  its  incorporation  in  1794,  called  Sandford  "  Phillipstown,"  this 
being  the  name  of  the  township  before  Sandford  was  incorporated  in 
1768.  The  origin  of  these  names  may  be  traced  to  the  owners  of  the 
territory,  namely.  Major  William  Phillips  and  Peleg  Sandford.  Alfred 
took  its  name  from  that  early  monarch  of  England,  Alfred  the  Great. 

The  first  settler  ^  in  Alfred  was  Simeon  Coffin,  who  moved  hither  in 
1764,  and  settled  on  what  is  now  called  the  Hall  Farm,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  pond.  Daniel  GUe  settled  north  of  Mr.  Coffin,  and  after- 
wai'd  Stephen  Coffin  and  his  brother  Daniel  settled  south  of  him. 
Many  others  followed  at  different  periods. 

The  tragedy  connected  with  the  "  picture-tree,"  which  stood  a  little 
west  of  Parson  Sweet's  meeting-house,  on  which  was  carved  the  image 
of  a  child's  head,  is  explained  thus :  the  daughter  of  Peter  Morrill,  while 
gathering  hemlock  near  Doughty's  Falls,  was  surprised  and  captured  by 
Indians,  who,  to  prevent  her  giving  alarm  by  screams,  killed  her  on  the 
spot,  and  on  their  retreat  to  Canada,  carved  her  likeness  on  the  tree 
above  mentioned.  In  Alfred,  a  female  captive  was  murdered  at  the 
crossing  of  Pequawket  road,  within  a  mile  of  the  court-house.  She  was 
weak,  and  the  Indians  liiUed  her  to  rid  themselves  of  the  incumbrance. 

The  northern  part  of  the  town  is  very  hiUy,  and  abomids  in  granite 

'  The  authors  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Peter  Coffin,  -who  has  preached  among  the  Shakers 
here  for  more  than  forty  yeai-s,  for  much  valuable  information  respecting  the  early 
pioneers. 


28  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

rocks  and  hard-wood  forests.  The  southern  part  is  comparatively  level. 
Near  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  plain,  stands 
the  beautiful  village  of  Alfred.  There  are  two  small  rivers  intersect- 
ing this  town,  which  unite  to  form  Mousara  river,  at  a  place  called 
Swett's  Mill.  Each  of  these  streams  affords  water-power  for  mills 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year ;  and  below  their  junction  the  power 
is  sufficient  to  run  factories  the  whole  year.  One  of  these  streams 
rises  from  Pomegranate  pond,  and  passes  through  Massabesick  pond ; 
the  other  takes  its  rise  in  a  dense  forest  and  marsh,  called  Jebung 
Woods. 

The  chief  occupation  of  the  first  settlers  seems  to  have  been  lumber- 
ing. Several  saw  and  grist  mills  were  early  erected  ;  and  mechanics 
of  almost  every  kind  began  to  locate  themselves  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  miUs. 

The  court-house,  located  in  the  village  of  Alfred,  was  erected  in  1806, 
on  land  given  by  WiUiam  Parsons  and  Dr.  Hall.  The  jail  was  not 
built  until  about  two  years  after.  In  1821,  a  newspaper  was  started, 
called  the  "  Eastern  Star,"  but  had  a  short  existence.  The  first  framed 
building  erected  in  town  was  a  school-house,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
brick  hotel,  and  was  designed  for,  and  occupied  by,  the  whole  town.  In 
1803,  the  brick  school-house  was  put  up  and  opened,  and  districts  were 
formed.     The  academy  was  built  in  1823  or  1824. 

The  first  emigrants  were  from  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire, 
where  religious  instruction  was  particularly  regarded.  They  soon  felt 
the  privation  here,  and  were  early  in  supplying  the  best  means  of  public 
worship  their  situation  allowed.  A  church  was  formed,  comprising  the 
first  settlers  around  Massabesick  and  Pomegranate  ponds,  and  the  con- 
tiguous part  of  Waterboro',  under  the  direction  and  care  of  Mr.  Merriam 
and  Mr.  Little.  A  second  one  was  soon  after  formed  around  Conant's 
mills,  by  Mr.  Little.  In  1780  the  two  were  united  under  Mr.  Prince, 
and  meetings  were  held  regularly  in  John  Knight's  barn,  a  part  of  which 
was  also  occupied  by  Mr.  Knight  as  a  dwelling-house.  At  this  time 
there  were  only  about  twenty  members  in  the  church. 

About  1782,  the  order  of  Shakers  had  its  origin,  and  a  small  village 
of  them  was  soon  after  formed  at  Mastcamp,  four  miles  northeast  of  the 
principal  settlement.  In  1793,  the  society  was  organized  as  a  body,  in 
the  present  order  and  discipline  of  church-government. 

In  1802,  the  supreme  court,  which  had  been  held  at  Kennebunk  for 
the  two  preceding  years,  was  removed  to  Alfred,  although  not  without  a 
severe  contest ;  and  the  bench  was  occupied  by  Judges  Dana,  Gushing, 
and  Thacher.  In  1806,  the  court  of  common  pleas  and  the  York 
courts  were  removed  to  this,  the  shire  town. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  ALNA,   ETC.  29 

There  are  now  five  church  edifices  in  the  town,  —  one  Congregational, 
two  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Shaker;  eleven  school  districts 
with  ten  schools;  one  bank  with  a  capital  of  .$75,000;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  1,319  ;  valuation,  $271,600. 

Alna,  Lincoln  county,  on  the  west  side  of  Sheepscot  river,  is  bounded 
south  by  "Wiscasset.  It  was  originally  a  part  of  Old  Pownalborough,  — 
now  Dresden,  —  and  its  history  is  included  in  that  town's.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  1794,  under  the  name  of  New  Milford,  afterwards  changed 
to  Alna. 

The  town  extends  abolit  six  miles  north  and  south,  and  four  miles 
east  and  west.  The  surface  is  uneven,  —  the  western  part,  back  from 
the  river,  being  quite  broken,  —  while  other  portions  abound  in  ledges 
and  bogs.  On  the  banks  of  the  river,  however,  good  soil  is  found.  Its 
abundance  of  berries  makes  it  a  place  of  resort  in  the  fall. 

At  the  head  of  the  tide,  near  the  north  line  of  the  town,  there  is  a 
small  village,  with  two  saw-mUls  and  one  grist-mill.  One  mile  east,  on 
the  river,  is  another  small  village,  named  Puddle  Dock,  with  a  ship-yard, 
where  shipbuilding  is  carried  on  to  a  moderate  extent.  At  the  south 
part  of  the  town  is  another  small  village,  called  Sheepscot  Bridge, 
where  are  one  saw  and  one  grist  mill,  and  a  ship-yard,  doing  a  moderate 
business.     Agriculture  is  the  general  employment 

Alna  has  t^vo  church  edifices,  —  one  Congregational,  the  other  Free- 
will Baptist;  also  six  school  districts,  with  twelve  schools;  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  916 ;  valuation,  $182,679. 

AiTON,  Penobscot  county,  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot  river,  north 
of  Oldtown,  and  formerly  a  part  of  Argyle,  was  incorporated  a  town  in 
1845.     Its  surface  is  generally  level,  but  the  soil  poor. 

There  is  a  small  village  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town,  on  the 
west  side  of  Dead  stream,  with  a  tannery,  doing  a  large  and  lucrative 
business ;  also  a  saw-mill  and  a  shingle  machine,  recently  put  in  opera- 
tion, promising  a  profitable  business.  Alton  has  two  post-offices,  Alton 
and  Alton  Village;  and  has  six  school  districts,  with  nine  schools. 
Population,  252 ;  valuation,  $13,346. 

Amherst,  in  the  northern  part  of  Hancock  county,  constitutes  a  part 
of  Bingham's  Purchase.  Its  settlement  was  commenced  between  1805 
and  1808  by  Captain  Goodell  Silsbee,  Moses  Kirhball,  Asahel  Foster, 
Jesse  Gils,  Joseph  Day,  Judah  West,  and  Elisha  Chick.  Its  progress 
since  has  been  slow.  In  1822,  Amherst  was  set  off"  from  the  planta- 
tion of  MariaviUe,  and,  in  1831,  was  incorporated  a  town. 

3* 


30  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Its  surface  is  considerably  broken  and  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  very 
rocky.  It  is  watered  by  some  small  ponds  having  their  outlet  in  Union 
river.  Its  heavy  growth  of  pine  has  been  mostly  cleared  off.  It  has 
one  saW-mill,  two  clapboard  and  shingle  machines  ;  a  large  tannery, 
doing  considerable  business ;  one  small  village ;  one  post-office ;  one 
church  edifice  (Congregational)  ;  and  four  school  districts,  with  three 
schools.  The  inhabitants  are  engaged  in  agriculture  and  lumbering. 
Population,  823 ;  valuation,  $43,962. 

Amity,  Ajoostook  county,  was  incorporated  March  19,  1836.  The 
first  settlement  was  commenced  in  1826  by  Jonathan  T.  Clifford,  Jona- 
than Greenleaf,  and  Columbus  Dunn.  This  township  was  formerly 
known  as  "  No.  10,  first  range."  The  first  settlers  bought  their  lands 
for  twenty  cents  per  acre,  payable  one  half  in  cash,  and  one  half  in 
work  on  the  public  highways.  Since  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  the 
lands  have  been  sold  to  speculators  by  the  state.  This  has  retarded  its 
growth  to  a  very  great  extent,  since  settlers  can  buy  of  the  state,  at  the 
Aroostook  settlement,  much  cheaper  than  of  the  proprietors  of  land 
here,  most  of  whom  are  non-residents. 

The  surface  is  rolling,  and  well  timbered  with  hard  wood.  It  is 
watered  by  branches  of  the  Penobscot,  St  John,  and  St.  Croix  rivers, 
which  take  their  rise  in  this  town,  and  which  are  large  enough  for  float- 
ing lumber,  supplied  by  the  surrounding  region.  It  has  three  school  dis- 
tricts, with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population,  256  ;  valuation  for 
1858,  $23,300. 

ANDO'vrER,  Oxford  county,  was  incorporated  in  1804,  under  the  name 
of  East  Andover,  and  was  then  in  York  county.  The  first  settler  was 
Ezekiel  MerriU,  —  with  his  wife  and  six  children,  —  who  came  from 
Fryeburg.  He  drew  his  effects  on  hand-sleds  —  aided  by  his  three 
sons  —  through  the  woods,  the  only  guide  being  the  spotted  trail  of  the 
Lidians.  Mrs.  MerriU  was  here  tw'o  years  without  seeing  the  face  of 
any  white  female,  save  her  own  three  daughters.  The  next  settlers 
were  mostly  from  Andover,  Mass.,  and  were  Jonathan  Abbott,  Samuel 
Poor,  Sylvanus  Poor,  Theodore  Brickett,  Francis  Swan,  Josiah  "Wright, 
John  Abbott,  Jeremiah  Burnham,  and  others.  The  title  to  the  land  was 
first  obtained  by  grant  from  Massachusetts. 

The  surface  is  mostly  smooth,  consisting  of  large  intervals  on  the 
river,  with  a  little  higher  elevation  of  pine  plains.  The  town  is  sur- 
rounded by  mountains,  lying  mostly  without  and  on  the  borders.  Lone 
mountain  being  the  only  one  lying  wholly  within  its  limits.  The  town 
is  well  watered  by  Ellis  river,  which  runs  through  it.  Black  brook,  Saw- 


ELi  ^^iis,    fi3&    ia^jsfpi 


MAINE  —  COUNTY   OF   ANDROSCOGGIN.  31 

yer  brook,  Frye's  brook,  —  on  which  is  the  cataract,  —  Stony  brook, 
Gardner's  brook,  and  Lone  brook.  These  streams  frequently  rise  so 
high  as  to  overflow  the  intervals,  and  cause  great  damage  to  crops ; 
and  the  soil  being  sandy,  it  is  difficult  to  build  bridges  so  strong  as  to 
withstand  the  freshets.     The  streams  abound  in  trout. 

The  chief  occupation  of  the  settlers  is  agi-iculture  and  lumbering. 
This  town  has  but  one  village,  which  is  called  Andover  Corners.  '  It 
has  seven  school  districts,  with  sixteen  schools ;  two  churches,  both 
occupied  by  Congregational  societies,  with  one  minister;  two  post- 
offices,  Andover  and  South  Andover;  one  grist-mill  and  one  tannery. 
Population,  710 ;  valuation,  $75,390. 

Androscoggin  County,  situated  towards  the  southwest  part  of  the 
state,  has  the  smallest  territory,  excepting  Sagadahoc,  of  all  the  coun- 
ties, containing  an  area  of  about  four  hundred  square  miles.  The  act 
establishing  it  was  passed  March  18,  1854.  It  was  made  up  from 
four  counties,  and  comprises  fourteen  towns,  as  follows :  —  Lewiston, 
Lisbon,  and  Webster,  from  the  county  of  Lincoln ;  Auburn,  Danville, 
Durham,  Minot,  and  Poland,  from  the  county  of  Cumberland ;  Liver- 
more  and  Turner  from  the  county  of  Oxford ;  East  Livermore,  Greene, 
Leeds,  and  Wales,  from  the  county  of  Kennebec.  The  inhabitants 
were  left  at  liberty  to  select  for  the  shire  town,  either  Auburn,  Lewiston, 
or  DanviUe,  but  were  restricted  to  a  location  within  the  limits  of  the 
Lewiston  Falls  Village  corporation  ;  and  they  chose  Auburn. 

The  county  is  watered  by  the  river  whose  name  it  bears,  and  its  trib- 
utaries ;  and  possesses,  for  the  most  part,  a  fertile  soil,  and  excellent  ad- 
vantages for  manufacturing,  which  are  being  largely  improved.  The 
leading  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants  is  agriculture,  although  the  manufac- 
turing interest  bids  fair  to  be  of  no  secondary  importance.  The  county 
has  also  the  best  facilities  for  communication,  being  traversed  by  the 
Grand  Trunk  railway,  and  the  Andi-oscoggin  and  Kennebec  railroad. 

The  substantial-and  commodious  county  buildings  are  situated  a  short 
distance  westerly  from  Lewiston  falls.  A  view  of  these  falls,  which  so 
beautifully  combine  the  wildness  of  nature  with  the  elements  and 
achievements  of  industrial  life,  and  which  seem  to  belong  to  the  Avhole 
county  rather  than  to  any  part  of  it,  is  given  in  connection  with  this 
article. 

The  inhabitants  have  full  county  privileges,  except  in  the  matter  of 
choosing  senators,  for  whom  they  vote  with  their  original  counties. 

There  are  three  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court,  for  both  civil  and 
criminal  business,  in  this  county,  commencing  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of 
.January,  July,  and  August. 


32  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  aggregate  poptilation  of  the  towns  composing  the  county,  was, 
by  the  last  census  returns,  25,748 ;  valuation,  14,152,502. 

Anson,  Somerset  county,  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Kennebec 
river,  is  a  large  and  thriving  town.  Settlements  were  made  here  about 
the  same  time  as  at  Norridgewock,  by  adventurers  who  pushed  up  the 
river,  in  order  to  be  the  first  to  take  possession  of  the  rich  alluvial  lands 
on  the  banks  of  the  Kennebec.  When  surveyed  it  was  found  to  be 
without  the  limits  of  the  Plymouth  Patent,  and  was  accordingly 
called  township  Number  One  west  of  the  Kennebec  river,  north  of  the 
Plymouth  Patent  It  was  incorporated  March  1,  1798,  by  its  pres- 
ent name.  It  was  divided,  and  North  Anson  was  incorporated  out  of  it 
March  20,  1845  :  but  a  reunion  took  place  March  13,  1855.  Anson  has 
two  villages,  North  and  South  Anson,  both  on  the  Kennebec  river,  with 
a  post-ofEce  at  each  ;  two  tanneries,  doing  a  good  business ;  an  academy, 
well  patronized ;  twenty-four  school  districts,  with  thirty-six  schools ; 
four  churches,  Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Univer- 
salist.     Population,  2,016 ;  valuation  $310,391. 

Appleton  is  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  Waldo  county,  twenty- 
five  miles  easterly  from  Augusta.  Settlements  were  made  in  this  town 
about  1775.  It  is  watered  by  the  Medomac  and  the  St.  George's  rivers, 
and  is  a  very  good  agricultural  town.  There  are  two  villages,  McLain's 
Mills  and  North  Appleton,  at  the  latter  of  which,  lime  is  manufactured  to 
a  considerable  extent.  Lumber,  hme,  dairy  and  farm  produce  form  the 
staples  of  trade.  Appleton  has  five  saw-mUls ;  nine  shingle  and  stave 
mills  ;  three  grist-mills ;  one  tannery ;  one  carriage  manufactory ;  three 
shoe  and  boot  manufactories ;  two  social  libraries ;  four  church  edifices, — 
one  Baptist,  one  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Friends'  and  one  Union,  occupied 
by  Methodists  and  Universalists ;  two  post-offices,  —  McLain's  Mills 
and  North  Appleton;  and  twelve  school  districts,  with  twenty-four 
schools.     Population,  1,727  ;  valuation,  $206,691. 

Argtlb,  Penobscot  county,  on  the  west  bank  of  Penobscot  river, 
twenty  miles  north  from  Bangor,  was  incorporated  in  1839.  The  sur- 
face of  the  town  is  generally  level,  —  some  of  it  swampy  ;  and  the  soil 
poor.  There  are  two  saw-mills  and  two  grist-mills ;  two  churches, 
Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  four  school  districts,  with  five  schools ; 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  338 ;  valuation,  $22,573. 

Aroostook  County,  forming  the  whole  northern  .and  northeasterly 
part  of  the  state,  is  the  largest  county,  embracing  an  area  of  6,800  square 


MAINE COUNTY    OP    AROOSTOOK. 


33 


miles,  most  of  which  is  wild  land.  It  was  taken  from  the  counties  of 
Penobscot  and  Washington.  The  act  establishing  it  was  passed  March 
16,  1839,  at  which  time  its  name  became  identified,  far  and  near,  with 
the  controversy  with  Great  Britain  respecting  the  boundary.  The  act 
defines  it  to  be  "  all  that  part  of  the  state  lying  north  of  the  north  line 
of  the  fourth  range  of  townships,  north  of  the  Lottery  townships,  and 
east  of  the  dividing  line  between  ranges  five  and  six  west  of  the  east 
line  of  the  state,  and  of  a  line  from  the  north  termination  of  the  said 
dividing  line,  and  running  the  same  course,  to  the  north  fine  of  the 
state."     ■ 

This  territory  was  enlarged  by  act  of  March  21,  1843,  by  annexing 
to  the  county  aU  of  Penobscot  county  north  of  the  three  townships 
numbered  eight,  in  the  sLxth,  seventh,  and  eighth  ranges  of  townships 
west  from  the  east  line  of  the  state ;  and  again,  by  act  of  March  12, 
1844,  defining  the  boundaries  between  several  counties,  in  which  Aroos- 
took acquired  from  Piscataquis  and  Somerset  counties,  aU  the  territory 
north  of  the  townships  numbered  ten,  and  west  of  the  seventh  range  of 
townships  west  of  the  east  line  of  the  state. 

It  is  divided  by  the  state  surveys  into  one  hundred  and  eighty-one 
townships,  and  into  three  districts  of  registration,  known  as  the  first, 
second,  and  third  districts. 

The  whole  county  is  well 
watered  by  a  great  number 
of  lakes,  ponds,  rivers,  and 
brooks,  and  on  many  of  the 
streams  there  is  a  sufficient 
fall  for  propelling  machin- 
ery. The  principal  rivers 
are  the  St.  John,  Allagash, 
Aroostook,  Masgunicook, 
and  the  Mattawamkeag, 
which  are  fed  by  a  great 
number  of  tributaries.  The 
principal  lakes  are  Long 
lake,  in  the  western  part ; 
and  Portage,  Eagle,  Square, 
Cross,  and  Madawaska,  in 
the  northeastern  part.  Here 
and  there  a  few  bogs  may  be  seen,  though  the  country  cannot  be  called 
swampy. 

The  settlements  are  mostly  in  the  southerly  and  easterly  portions  of 
the  county.     As  yet,  only  thirteen  towns  have  been  incorporated,  though 


rinc  Forests  of  Northern  Mai 


34  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

many  others,  called  plantations,  are  being  rapidly  settled,  and  %vill  soon 
become  incorporated  municipalities. 

Houlton  was  made  the  shire  town.  There  are  two  terms  of  the 
supreme  judicial  court,  for  both  civil  and  criminal  business,  commenc- 
ing on  the  second  Tuesday  of  March,  and  the  third  Tuesday  of  •Sep- 
tember. 

Aroostook  has,  until  lately,  been  valued  only  for  its  timber.  It  is  now 
gradually  recovering  from  the  unwise  policy  which  .the  state  has  pur- 
sued, in  making  grants  of  its  land  to  public  institutions  and  to  scheming 
speculators,  instead  of  encouraging  actual  settlers.  The  forests  are 
receding  before  the  sinewy  arms  of  the  woodsmen,  who  are  turning 
their  attention  from  river-driving  to  clearing  up  the  lands,  and  to  the 
development  of  the  abundant  agricultural  resources  of  the  county. 

The  soil  is  generally  excellent,  and  of  three  kinds, — -diluvial,  alluvial, 
and  soil  resulting  from  the  disintegration  of  the  rocks  beneath.  Lime- 
stone is  found  along  the  banks  of  the  Aroostook  and  the  St.  John,  and 
in  some  parts  of  the  county  is  quite  abundant.  Houlton  is  remarkable 
for  its  limestone  soil,  which  makes  it  extremely  productive,  and  admira- 
bly suited  for  the  growth  of  grain  and  grasses.  The  rich  alluvial  soils 
of  this  county  will,  when  cleared  up,  yield  to  no  other  districts  in  the 
lirxuriance  of  their  productions.     Pop.,  12,529  ;  Val.,  |537,438. 

AuROWSic,  Sagadahoc  county,  is  an  island  town  in  the  Kennebec  river, 
near  its  mouth,  and  contains  about  twenty  thousand  acres,  including  a 
large  quantity  of  salt  marsh.  This  island  was  purchased  of  the  natives 
by  Major  Clark  and  Captain  Lake,  in  1661,  at  which  time  a  fort  was 
standing  on  the  west  side  of  the  island,  at  a  place  now  known  as  Stin- 
son's  point,  and  was  occupied  by  one  Hammond,  an  old  trader,  who 
probably  erected  it  to  prevent  a  surprise  from  the  natives.  It  is  not, 
however,  known  that  Hammond  purchased  or  claimed  any  land  at  that 
place.  The  Indians  destroyed  this  fort,  so  tradition  says,  in  resentment 
for  the  loss  of  furs  and  arms  stolen  by  the  English  from  some  of  their 
friends,  who  lived  further  up  the  river.  Clark  and  Lake's  fort,  which 
was  distant  about  tw^o  miles  from  Hammond's,  was  destroyed  about  the 
same  time  by  the  natives  who  surprised  the  former ;  and  Captain  Lake, 
in  attempting  to  flee  from  it,  was  mortally  wounded.  His  bones,  which 
were  afterwards  found,  were,  it  is  said,  interred  in  Boston. 

The  early  settlers  met  with  many  reverses ;  and,  at  times,  suffered 
great  privations.  During  the  Indian  wars,  massacres  and  conflagrations 
were  of  frequent  occurrence.  A  short  time  before  the  erection  of  Fort 
Halifax,  the  Norridgewock  Indians  descended  the  river,  and  landing  at 
Arrowsic,  killed  a  Mr.  Preble,  while  he  was  working  in  his  field  ;  after 


ETC.  35 

which  they  proceeded  to  his  house,  murdered  his  wife,  and  took  his 
children  (a  son  and  two  daughters)  captives,  whom  they  carried  to 
Canada.  Captain  Hamden,  a  relative  of  theirs,  after  the  peace  of 
Paris,  in  1763,  proceeded  to  Canada  and  obtained  their  release. 
Remains  of  dwellings,  and  other  evidences  of  Indian  depredations,  are 
still  to  be  seen  on  the  island. 

Arrowsic  was  set  off  from  Georgetown  and  incorporated  in  1841. 
At  present,  there  is  little  that  would  be  attractive  to  the  traveller.  As  a 
summer  resort  it  is,  however,  much  visited  by  persons  in  search  of  health 
and  recreation,  —  its  invigorating  breezes,  and  opportunities  for  bathing 
and  fishing  being  unequalled.  It  has  a  church  edifice ;  two  school  dis- 
tricts, with  three  schools ;  and  one  post-ofhce.  Population,  311 ;  val- 
uation, $72,875. 

Ashland  is  near  the  centre  of  Aroostook  county.  "William  Dalton 
began  its  settlement  about  1835,  at  the  junction  of  the  Great  Machias 
with  the  Aroostook.  Dalton  was  followed  a  year  or  two  afterw^ards  by 
Benjamin  Howe,  who  settled  on  the  Aroostook  river,  a  short  distance 
above  him,  and  still  resides  there.  The  township  was  lotted  by  Noah 
Barker,  during  the  years  of  1839^0.  At  that  time  there  were  but 
five  families  here.  The  Fairbanks  road,  leading  to  Presque  Isle,  was 
opened  the  same  year.  The  Aroostook  road,  extending  from  the  miU- 
tary  road  seven  miles  above  Mattawamkeag  point  to  the  north  line  of 
this  township,  having  been  cut  through  a  year  or  two  previous,  was  not 
made  passable  till  about  1843.  From  the  termination  of  this,  the  Fish 
river  road,  which  was  surveyed  and  opened  in  1839,  runs  northerly  to 
the  mouth  of  Fish  river.  A  large  portion  of  the  township,  bordering 
upon  the  river  and  the  roads  just  mentioned,  is  cleared  up  and  set- 
tled. The  surface  is  generally  even,  and  the  occupation  of  the  inhab- 
itants about  equally  divided  between  lumbering  and  farming.  There  is 
one  village  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Machias,  which  has  a  public-house,  two  stores,  and  a  post-office,  but  no 
church  edifice.  This  township  was  once  incorporated  as  a  town,  but 
the  charter  was  subsequently  revoked,  and  it  has  relapsed  into  its  plan- 
tation state.     There  are  four  school  districts.     Population,  354. 

Athens,  Somerset  county,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Kennebec  river, 
about  forty  miles  north  from  Augusta,  was  settled  about  1782,  and 
incorporated  March  7,  1804.  It  is  an  excellent  farming  town,  watered 
by  a  tributary  of  the  Kennebec.  Athens  has  one  village,  one  post-office, 
thirteen  school  districts,  and  three  religious  societies,  —  two  Baptist  and 
one  Methodist     Population,  1,460 ;  valuation,  $245,687. 


36  HISTORY  AND    BESCEIPTION    OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

Atkinson  is  in  the  southern  part  of  Piscataquis  county.  Its  settle- 
ment was  commenced  in  1802,  by  Byley  Lyford,  from  Canterbury,  N. 
H.,  who,  for  two  years,  was  the  only  inhabitant.  In  1807,  a  saw-mill 
and  grist-mill  were  built  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  by  Jonathan  and 
Josiah  Colcord,  from  Nottingham,  N.  H.  Since  then  three  saw-mills 
and  several  shingle  machines  have  been  erected. 

In  1819,  the  town  was  incorporated,  and  named  in  honor  of  Judge 
Atkinson,  of  the  supreme  court  of  New  Hampshire,  —  one  of  the  three 
original  proprietors  of  the  town,  —  upon  which  he  gave  the  town  a 
library  of  about  one  hundred  volumes. 

The  surface  is  roUing.  The  lowlands  between  the  swells  are  not 
generally  suitable  for  cultivation.  The  highlands  or  swells  have  a  rich, 
deep  soil,  free  from  stone,  and  easily  cultivated. 

Atkinson  has  four  church  organizations,  —  Baptist,  Congregational, 
Methodist,  and  Free-wiU  Baptist ;  also  nine  school  districts,  with  the 
same  number  of  schools.     Population,  895 ;  valuation,  $111,181. 

Auburn,  Androscoggin  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Androscoggin  river,  opposite  Lewiston.  The  settlement  of  the  town 
was  commenced  in  1786.  Samuel  Starbird,  Thomas  Bailey,  Samuel 
Emerson,  David  Libbey,  and  one  Small,  were  among  the  first  settlers, 
although  the  exact  date  of  their  arrival  is  unknown.  In  June,  1789, 
Benjamin  True,  Jabez,  Levi,  ajid  Daniel  Merrill,  from  Salisbury,  Mass., 
and  Jacob  Stevens,  from  New  Gloucester,  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town.  Subsequently,  the  tract  comprising  this  town,  Poland,  and 
Minot,  was  granted  by  Massachusetts  to  one  Baker,  and  was  thence 
called  Bakerstown.i  In  1795,  the  whole  tract  was  incorporated  in  one 
town,  named  Poland.  In  1802,  Poland  was  divided,  and  the  easterly 
portion  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Minot  In  1842,  Minot  was 
divided,  and  the  easterly  part  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Auburn, 
the  territory  comprising  which  was  originally  granted  by  Massachusetts 
to  John  Bridgham  and  others,  who  had  a  struggle  with  the  Pejepscot 
proprietors,  the  latter  claiming  that  their  Indian  grant  included  a  large 
portion  of  this  town.  The  matter  was  finally  settled  by  Massachusetts 
paying  the  Pejepscot  claimants  for  the  land.  Thus  the  settlers  seem 
to  have  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  John  Bridgham  and  others. 

Auburn,  like  many  other  towns,  has  its  Indian  legends.  A  story  is 
told  of  a  white  man,  who,  at  an  early  period,  settled  upon  an  island  in 
the  river,  above  the  falls,  towards  whom  the  Indians  entertained  a 
deadly  hatred ;  and  they  determined  to  kill  him.     For  this  purpose  a 

1  See  Poland. 


JIAINE TO\VX    OF    AUEUllX. 


37 


party  of  about  fifty  Indians  started  in  their  canoes  from  a  point  some 
distance  up  the  riven-,  in  the  dead  of  night,  guided,  as  they  supposed,  by 
the  light  that  the  lonely  white  man  kept  continually  burning  upon  the 
island.  But  by  some  means,  the  white  man's  suspicions  had  been 
awakened,  and  fearing  a  night  attack  by  them,  he  had  taken  the  precau- 
tion to  build  a  fire  on  a  hill  below  the  falls,  directly  in  range  of  his 
island,  and  to  put  out  his  own  fire  upon  the  island.  The  Indians,  lured 
on  by  this  light,  were  drawn  into  the  fatal  current  before  they  discov- 
ered their   mistake,  —  dashed  over  the  falls,  and  aU  of  them  perished.^ 


Auburn. 


Many  implements  of  Indian  manufacture  have  been  found  here,  such 
as  axes,  war-clubs,  and  ornaments.  Two  years  since,  Avhile  the  streets 
■were  being  graded,  some  ten  or  twelve  Indian  skeletons  were  exhumed, 
evidently  having  been  buried  according  to  their  usual  custom,  in  a  sit- 
ting posture,  with  their  wampum  and  war-clubs  around  them. 

The  surface  of  the  to\vn  is  generally  uneven,  but  without  mountains. 
The  soil  is  fertile,  especially  along  the  valleys  and  the  banks  of  the 
Androscoggin.  The  tcw^n  is  ^vatered  by  two  very  pleasant  ponds,  in 
the  easterly  and  central  parts,  and  the  Little  Androscoggin,  a  stream  of 
considerable  size,  which  forms  a  portion   of  tlie   southerly  and   easterly 

'  Another  version  of  this  story  represents  that  the  Indians  were  about  to  make  a  de- 
scent upon  tlie  settlement  at  Brunswick,  and  were  intercepted  by  this  island  hermit,  who 
by  some  means  had  gained  a  knowledge  of  their  intentions. 

VOL.  I.  4 


38 


HISTORY    AND    DESCUirTIOX    OF    XEW    EXGLAND. 


boundary,  and  is  a  tributary  of  tlio  larger  river  of  that  name.  The 
Androscoggin  and  Kennebec  raih'oad  passes  through  the  town.  There 
are  four  villages,  the  most  important  of  which  is  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  Androscoggin,  at  what  is  commonly  termed  Lewiston  Falls. 
Here  are  the  county  buildings,  constructed  in  1856-57,  of  brick,  with  a 
granite  basement,  at  a  cost  of  §100,000.  There  are  four  ]30st-oirices, 
one  at  each  of  the  villages;  sixteen  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools;  and  four  churches, — two  Universalist,  one  Baptist, 
and  one  Congregationalist. 

Auburn  is  not  so  much  an  agricultura 
Considerable  business  is  done  here  in  the  manufacture  of  house  furni- 
ture, but  the  boot  and  shoe  manufacture  constitutes  the  principal  busi- 
ness. There  are  five  saw-mills,  three  flour  mills,  one  peg  manufactory, 
t\vo  tanneries,  one  sash  and  blind  factory,  and  one  iron  foundery.  The 
town  has  one  bank,  with  a  capital  of  675,000.  Population  in  1850, 
2,840;  but  since  tliat  time  there  has  been  a  large  increase  of  business 
and  of  population,  so  that  at  the  present  time  there  cannot  be  less 
than  4,500  inhabitants.      Assessors'  valuation  for  1858,  $;f352,847. 


as  a   manufacturing  town. 


Augusta,  the  ca]ntal  of  the  state,  and  the  shire  town  of  Kennebec 
county,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Kennebec,  and  was  originally  a 


Tlio  Sbito  House. 


part  of  tlie  Kennebec  Patent  granted  to  the  Plymouth  colony  in  1639. 
It  \vas  then  occupied  by  the  Cushnoc  clan  of  Indians,  a  branch  of  the 
Canibas  tribe,  and  the  Abnaki  nation,  and  from  them  derived  its  early 


MAINE CITY    OF   AUGUSTA. 


39 


name  of  Cushnoc.  It  was  here  that  the  patentees  made  the  first  settle- 
ment within  the  limits  of  their  grant ;  and  it  seems  to  have  become  a 
prosperous  one  as  early  as  1654,  but  was  depopulated  upon  the  break- 
ing out  of  King  Philip's  war,  and  remained  desolate  many  years.  In 
1716,  a  stone  fort  was  built  here,  and  garrisoned  at  the  public  expense; 
but  the  place  was  again  abandoned  on  the  commencement  of  Love- 
well's  war,  in  1724,  and  but  little  eflbrt  toward  resettlement  was  made 
until  after  the  fall  of  Quebec  in  1760.  There  is  certainly  no  evidence 
of  such  effort  previous  to  the  year  1754,  during  which  Fort  Western 
was  built  by  the  Kennebec  proprietors,  under  the  auspices  of  Governor 
Shirley.  In  connection  with  this  fort  a  palisade  enclosure  -wras  made, 
fifty  feet  distant  from  the  walls  upon  all  sides,  in  each  of  the  four 
corners  of  Avhich  a  block-house  was  erected ;  but  all  traces  of  the  fort 


and  these  outposts  had  disappeared  many  years  since.  The  "  great 
house,"  as  it  was  usually  called,  still  standing  on  the  easterly  side  of  the 
river  about  a  mile  above  the  bridge,  which  was  built  by  James  Howard, 
the  first  and  only  commandant  at  Fort  Western,  has  been  erroneously 
supposed  by  some  to  have  been  that  fort.  This  house  w^as  for  a  short 
time,  in  the  autumn  of  1775,  the  head-quarters  of  Benedict  Arnold 
when  on  his  expedition  to  Quebec. 

Since  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  history  of  the  place  has 
been  progressive. 

Augusta  became  the  shire  town  of  the  county  of  Kennebec  in  1799, 
and  the  seat  of  government  in  1831.  The  first  bridge  across  the  river 
was  built  in  1797,  at  a  cost  of  $28,000.     It  decayed,  and  was  rebuilt  in 


40 


HISTOUY    AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 


1818.  The  second  bridge  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1827,  but  was  re- 
built tlic  same  year,  at  a  cost  of  $13,000.  The  post-oifice  was  estab- 
hshed  here  in  1794,  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  legislature  was  held 
in  January,  1832.  Augusta  was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1797,  and 
became  a  city  in  1849. 

The  principal  business  portion  of  the  town  is  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river.  The  scenery  on  the  east  side  is  romantic  and  pleasing.  The 
streets  are  shaded  by  trees,  and  the  numerous  beautiful  public  buildmgs, 
of  white  granite,  give  it  a  charming  appearance.  The  State  House,  of 
which  an  engraving  will  be  found  on  a  preceding  page,  is  an  elegant 
and  spacious  structure,  built  of  white  granite,  and  situated  on  an  emi- 
nence at  the  west  part  of  the  city.  It  contains  excellent  accommoda- 
tions for  all  state  purposes.  The  grounds  about  the  building  are  finely 
laid  out,  and  decorated  with  trees,  presenting  quite  a  tasty  ajjpearance. 
Immediately  in  front  of  this  building  is  the  common,  a  beautiful  and 
extensive  plat  of  land,  lying  between  the   State  House  and  the  Kenne- 


Insaue  Hospital, 

bee  river.  Directly  opposite  the  common,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river, 
is  the  United  States  Arsenal,  erected  at  a  cost  of  6100,000,  consisting 
of  several  fine  buildings,  on  beautiful  grounds,  a  view  of  which  is  given 
on  the  preceding  page.  The  buildings  are  constructed  principally  of 
stone,  and  present  a  very  fine  appearance.  The  grounds  are  extensive 
and  well  arranged,  and  surrounded  by  a  costly  iron  fence.  Ther(>  are  at 
present  about  two  thousand  stand  of  arms  deposited  here,  besides  can- 
non, and  various  nmnitions  of  war.  Immediately  below  the  arsenal, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  is  the  State  Insane  Hospital,  a  spacious 
granbe  building,  occupying  a  plat  of  elevated  ground  of  seventy  acres, 
a  view  of  which  is  here  presented.  It  is  an  honor  to  the  state  and  to 
humanity.      Its  situation  is  unrivalled  for  the  beauty  of    its  scenery.      It 


MAINE  —  CITY   OF   AUGUSTA.  41 

is  much  admired  for  its  external  architecture,  and  also  for  its  internal 
arrangements.  The  centre  building  and  wings  are  262  feet  long ;  the 
centre  building  being  eighty-two  feet  in  length,  forty-six  feet  wide,  four 
stories  high,  besides  the  basement  and  attic,  having  a  chapel  in  the  attic 
eighty  by  forty.  The  ^\^ngs  are  ninety  feet  long  in  front,  and  one  hun- 
dred in  the  rear,  thirty-eight  feet  wide,  and  three  stories  high,  divided 
into  126  rooms,  120  of  which  are  designed  for  patients,  with  halls  be- 
tween the  rooms  twelve  feet  wide,  running  the  entire  length  of  each 
wing,  and  communicating  with  the  dining-rooms  in  the  centre  building. 
The  buildings  which  formerly  occupied  the  site  of  the  edifice  just 
described  were  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  3d  of  December,  1850,  when 
twenty-seven  of  the  inmates  and  one  of  the  keepers  fell  victims  to 
the  devouring  element.  The  fire  originated  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  in  the  hot-air  chamber  in  one  south  wing,  and  spread  with 
great  rapidity,  destroying  every  thing  in  the  two  south  wings,  and  part 
of  the  main  building.  The  books  and  papers  belonging  to  the  hospital 
were  safely  removed,  and  a  part  of  the  furniture  in  a  damaged  state. 
The  reerection  of  the  buildings  was  immediately  commenced,  and  the 
work  was  completed  in  the  course  of  two  years.  This  institution  is 
under  the  superintendence  of  Dr.  Henry  M.  Harlow,  who  fills  his  ardu- 
ous situation  with  much  ability. 

There  are  excellent  public-houses  in  Augusta,  the  chief  of  which  are 
the  Augusta  House,  near  the  State  house,  and  the  Stanley  House. 
About  half  a  mile  above  the  village,  a  massive  dam,  with  locks,  has 
been  erected  across  the  Kennebec,  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  nav- 
igation of  the  river  above,  and  of  creating  a  water-power  of  great 
capacity.  The  length  of  this  dam,  exclusive  of  the  stone  abutments 
and  lock,  is  584  feet,  and  the  height  fifteen  feet  above  ordinary  high- 
water  mark,  forming  a  pond  of  the  average  depth  of  sixteen  feet,  and 
sixteen  and  a  half  miles  in  extent.  The  immense  body  of  water,  and 
the  great  and  unfailing  supply  thus  brought  into  use  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  are  almost  unsurpassed.  The  first  cost  of  this  great  work 
was  about  ^300,000.  This  water-power  is  already  used  to  a  very  con- 
siderable extent  in  propelling  various  kinds  of  machinery.  Several  saw- 
mills, a  large  flouring  establishment,  sash,  door,  and  blind  manufacto- 
ries, machine  shops,  and  a  cotton  factory  with  ten  thousand  spindles, 
are  in  successful  operation.  Augusta  presents  advantages  for  manufac- 
turing establishments  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any  in  New  England. 
The  chief  manufacture  is  lumber,  there  being  about  thirty  saws,  and 
one  gang  of  saws,  running  day  and  night.  The  lumber  is  principally 
•shipped,  though  large  quantities  are  used  in  some  of  the  manufacturing 
operations    above   enumerated.      There  are  an  extensive  iron  foundery, 

4* 


42  HISTOEY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

two  shovel  factories,  one  manufactory  of  asolians,  and  other  smaller 
manufactories.  Shipbuilding  has  recently  averaged  about  two  vessels 
a  year.  The  town  is  located  in  the  heart  of  a  large  and  important 
state,  rapidly  increasing  in  population  and  wealth,  surrounded  by  a 
fertile  country,  rich  in  every  necessary  agricultural  product,  and  stored 
with  granite,  clay,  lumber,  lime,  iron-ore,  and  every  sort  of  building 
material.  The  facilities  here  afforded  for  transportation  are  of  inesti- 
mable value  to  a  large  manufacturing  place.  Augusta  is  traversed  by 
the  Kennebec  and  Portland  railroad,  which  connects  with  the  Penob- 
scot and  Kennebec,  and  thus  has  easy  communication  with  Bangor,  as 
well  as  all  cities  to  the  westward,  while  equal  facilities  are  presented  by 
water,  —  Boston  being  but  eleven  hours  distant  by  steamer,  and  many 
other  places  being  quite  as  accessible. 

Augusta  contains  four  banks,  having  an  aggregate  capital  of  ^363,000 ; 
one  savings  institution;  ten  church  edifices,  namely,  two  Congrega- 
tional, one  Baptist,  two  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  one  Unitarian, 
one  Universalist,  one  Episcopal,  and  one  Roman  Catholic ;  a  female 
seminary ;  twenty-two  school  districts,  with  thirty -four  schools ;  and  one 
post-ofRce.     Population,  8,225 ;  valuation,  ^2,492,575. 

Aurora,  Hancock  county,  about  twenty  miles  east  of  Bangor,  was 
settled  between  1805  and  1810,  by  John  Gils,  and  Samuel,  Benjamin, 
and  David  Silsbee,  Samuel  Bonsey,  Richard  Beadle,  Moses  Ingals,  and 
John  Temple.  The  progress  of  its  settlement  has  been  slow.  The  chief 
inducement  to  settlers  has  been  the  lumber  business,  for  the  prosecution 
of  which  Aurora  presents  an  extensive  field.  Pine,  suitable  for  lumber, 
large  quantities  of  which  have  already  been  cut  off,  is  stiU  abundant. 

It  was  incorporated  a  plantation  in  1822,  and  a  town  in  1831.  The 
surface  is  rocky  and  broken,  and  is  watered  by  four  ponds,  three  of 
which  are  called  Middle  Branch  ponds  of  Union  river,  the  other  Gils's 
pond,  aU  of  which  have  their  outlet  in  Union  river. 

Aurora  has  one  post-office ;  three  school  districts,  wdth  four  schools. 
Population,  217 ;  valuation,  $33,672. 

Avon  is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  Franklin  county.  Settlements 
were  commenced  here  very  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  by  Captain  Joshua  Soule  and  Captain  Perkins  Allen.  They  were 
followed  soon  after  by  Moses  Dudley,  Ebenezer  Thompson,  Mark  Whit- 
ten,  Thomas  Humphrey,  Charles  Dwelley,  and  Samuel  and  Jesse  Ingi-a- 
ham. 

The  town  was  incorporated  in  1802.  The  south  and  west  parts  are 
somewhat  uneven,  and  not  wholly  settled.     The  southwestern  corner  is 


MAINE TOWN    OF   BALDWIN.  43 

near  the  summit  of  Mount  Blue.  There  is  one  village  in  the  easterly- 
part  of  the  town,  a  place  of  some  trade,  having  a  post-office.-  Sandy 
river  passes  through  the  town  in  nearly  a  southeast  direction.  There 
are  twelve  school  districts,  with  eighteen  schools.  Population,  778; 
valuation,  $80,677. 

Baileyville,  Washington  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
St.  Ciroix  river,  and  is  some  fifteen  miles  in  length,  by  four  miles  in 
width.  It  became  an  incorporated  towij  in  1828.  It  has  four  school 
districts,  four  schools,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  431 ;  valuation) 
$24,700. 

Baldwin,  Cumberland  county,  situated  on  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Sebago,  was  granted,  together  with  the  town  of  Sebago  that  joins  it, 
in  1774,  to  the  survivors  of  Captain  Flint  and  company,  of  Concord, 
Mass.,  to  whom  the  government  of  Massachusetts  had  granted,  about 
the  year  1735,  the  township  No.  3  east  of  the  Connecticut  river,  (now 
Walpole)  ;  but  which,  on  running  the  boundary  line  between  Massa- 
chusetts and  New  Hampshire,  was  found  to  be  in  the  latter  state ; 
consequently  Captain  Flint  and  his  company  lost  their  grant,  and  all 
the  labor  and  money  they  had  expended  in  settling  it.  They  had  occn- 
pied  it  from  1735  to  1751 ;  and  from  that  time  until  1774,  the  proprie- 
tors kept  no  records,  or,  at  least,  there  are  none  to  be  found.  It  is 
presumed  that  many  of  them  had  died,  and  others  had  become  dis- 
heartened ;  but,  on  the  petition  of  Samuel  Whittemore  and  Amos  Law- 
rence, the  grant  of  these  two  townships  was  made  to  the  survivors,  and 
they  were  required  to  lay  out  and  settle  them  on  the  usual  conditions, 
namely,  to  locate  thirty  families  here  within  six  years.  In  1780,  the 
conditions  remaining  unfulfilled,  it  became  necessary  for  them  to  obtain 
an  extension,  to  avoid  the  loss  of  their  second  guant ;  and  the  state  gave 
them  six  years  more.  They  were  barely  able  to  comply  with  the  terms 
of  the  grant  w^ithin  this  time,  for  in  1790  they  had  only  thirty  families, 
and  counted  close  at  that.  They  complained  of  a  great  amount  of  suf- 
fering, and  their  necessities  sometimes  produced  curious,  and  often  amus- 
ing, contrivances  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  times. 

Nothing  had  been  done  in  this  town  previously  to  1800  for  religious 
or  educational  purposes.  Religious  meetings  were  occasionally  held 
here,  but  were  not  frequent  nor  permanent  until  some  twenty-four  years 
later. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1802,  the  town  was  incorporated,  and  named  in 
memory  of  Loamrai  Baldwin,  one  of  the  early  settlers.  It  had  pre- 
viously been  called  Flintstown,  in  honor  of  Captain  Flint,  the  original 


44  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP    NEW   ENGLAND. 

grantee.  The  first  meeting  for  organization  of  the  town  was  held  on 
the  30th  of  August  following  the  act  of  incorporation. 

In  the  year  1824,  Rev.  Noah  Emerson  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church,  when  the  Methodists  formed  themselves  into  a 
society,  and  claimed  a  share  of  the  ministerial  fund.  A  suit  was  brought 
in  the  supreme  court,  but  resulted  adversely  to  the  claimants.  The 
pastoral  relation  of  Mr.  Emerson  continued  until  1850,  but  his  happi- 
ness and  success  were  somewhat  affected  by  this  unpleasant  contro- 
versy. Each  denomination  built  a  house  of  public  worship,  and  has 
sustained  preaching  most  of  the  time.  The  Methodists  have  recently 
built  a  new  and  tasteful  edifice  on  the  site  of  the  old  one. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  considerably  broken,  although  the  soil  is 
well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  grass  and  grain.  Considerable  attention 
has  been  paid  to  the  cultivation  of  fruit.  Baldwin  has  an  extensive 
water-power  for  manufacturing  purposes.  On  the  Saco  river  near  the 
north  line  of  the  town  are  the  Great  falls,  on  which  a  water-power 
company  have  commenced  extensive  operations,  the  value  of  which  will 
be  much  enhanced  on  the  building  of  the  railroad  which  has  been 
already  chartered  up  the  valley  of  the  Saco  river.  There  are  ten  school 
districts,  with  seventeen  schools,  and  one  post-ofRce,  in  town.  Popxila- 
tion,  1,100 ;  valuation,  ^156,238. 

Bangor,  Penobscot  county,  a  city  and  port  of  entry,  is  situated  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Penobscot  river,  about  thirty  miles  above  its  mouth. 
The  town  extends  on  the  river  six  miles,  and  contains  an  area  of  about 
twenty  thousand  acres.  Bangor  was  originally  known  as  Kenduskeag 
plantation.  The  first  attempt  at  settlement  was  made  by  Stephen 
Buzzell,  who,  with  his  family,  spent  the  winter  of  1769-70  here.  During 
the  ensuing  spring  and  summer  he  was  joined  by  a  few  others  ;  and,  in 
1772,  the  settlement  contained  twelve  families. 

The  earliest  records  of  any  public  proceedings  are  of  a  meeting  of  the 
inhabitants  in  1789,  at  which  a  vote  was  passed  to  build  a  place  of 
public  worship.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  February  25, 
1791,  at  which  time  the  settlement  contained  a  population  of  576  in- 
habitants. Rev.  Seth  Noble  was  the  representative  of  the  town,  who 
was  intrusted  with  the  duty  of  obtaining  its  incorporation.  He  was 
directed  by  the  inhabitants  to  have  the  town  called  Sunbury,  —  a  name 
which  was  deemed  appropriate  on  account  of  its  pleasant  situation,  — 
and  to  see  that  that  name  was  inserted  in  the  act.  Mr.  Noble,  however, 
had  a  great  partiality  for  that  old  psalm-tune,  Bangor ;  and,  when  the 
speaker  called  for  the  name  of  the  town,  recollecting,  probably,  his  tune 
better  than  the  instructions  of  his  townsmen,  Noble  answered,  Bangor, 
and  so  it  was  named. 


MAINE CITY    OF   BANGOR,  45 

In  1814,  Bangor  was  taken  possession  of  by  a  British  fleet,  imme- 
diately after  the  destruction  of  Hampden,  to  which  place  it  had  gone  in 
pursuit  of  the  American  corvette,  the  Adcmis?-  Considerable  property 
was  destroyed  by  this  fleet ;  and  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  was  only 
saved  by  the  inhabitants  binding  themselves  in  the  penal  sum  of 
^30,000  to  dehver  the  same  at  Castine  at  a  specified  time ;  but  peace 
being  declared  before  the  expiration  of  the  time,  no  enforcement  of  the 
bond  ever  took  place. 

In  the  fall  of  1833,  a  petition  for  a  city  charter  was  forwarded  to  the 
legislature.  An  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  the  following  winter, 
and  carried  into  effect  the  next  spring.  At  this  time,  and  for  a  few 
years  subsequent,  the  growth  of  the  city  was  very  rapid.  Shipbuilding 
was  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent ;  the  lumber  business  was  large 
and  lucrative  ;  and  many  other  branches  of  business  were  active  and 
prosperous.  The  rise  in  the  value  of  real  estate,  during  the  period  of 
speculation,  hastened  the  growth  of  Bangor  in  a  remarkable  degree ;  but 
the  revulsion  wMch  followed  was  disastrous  in  the  extreme.  All  busi- 
ness activity  w^as,  for  a  season,  checked  and  blasted  ;  while  the  business 
community  was  cramped  in  its  energies  to  such  a  degree,  that  it  did 
not  for  years  recover  from  the  shock.  The  act  of  Congress,  passed  for 
the  relief  of  those  who  had  become  so  sadly  involved  by  that  sudden 
reaction  in  business,  relieved  many  of  the  citizens  of  Bangor  from  vast 
liabilities,  w^hich  they  never  could  have  liquidated,  and  from  which,  oth- 
erwise, it  Avould  have  been  impossible  for  them  to  escape. 

The  theological  seminary  received  its  charter  from  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  in  1814.  It  was  originally  established  in  Hampden ;  but 
was  removed  thence  to  Bangor  in  1819,  where  it  is  now  permanently 
located.  Though  under  the  particular  charge  of  the  orthodox  Congre- 
gationahsts,  it  is  equally  open  to  other  sects ;  and  students  of  almost 
every  denomination  are  found  within  its  walls.  The  course  and  term 
of  study  are  similar  to  those  established  at  Andover  and  Princeton. 
There  are  three  professorships  fully  endowed;  and  it  is  expected  a 
fourth  "wnll  soon  be  added.  It  already  has  a  library  of  ten  thousand  vol- 
umes. The  number  of  students  for  the  past  twenty  years  has  been 
very  uniform,  rarely  rising  above  fifty  or  falling  below  forty. 

The  railroad  from  Bangor  to  Oldtown  was  opened  in  1836,  and 
being  at  that  time  connected  directly  Avith  the  wharf  on  Exchange 
street,  was  the  medium  of  transportation  for  large  quantities  of  lumber. 
The  completion  of  the  railroad  between  Bangor  and  Lincoln  will  be 
highly  advantageous  to  Bangor,  and  the  country  through  which  the 

^  See  Hampden. 


46  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

road  is  to  pass.  The  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  railroad,  from  Bangor  to 
Waterville,  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1855. 

In  1840,  the  population  of  Bangor  was  little  short  of  nine  thousand. 
Since  then,  it  has  nearly,  or  quite,  doubled.  The  principal  calamities 
which  have  been  of  quite  serious  consequence  to  the  city,  were  first, 
the  great  flood,  which  occurred  in  March,  1846,  submerging  the  whole 
lower  part  of  the  city,  and  rising  in  the  stores  on  West  Market  square 
to  the  height  of  over  seven  feet,  sweeping  away  the  Penobscot  bridge, 
w^hich  connects  the  city  with  Brewer,  as  'well  as  occasioning  damage 
at  various  points  on  the  river.  The  second  calamity  was  the  direful 
visitation  of  the  cholera  in  1849. 

The  location  of  Bangor  is  unusually  good  for  the  growth  of  a  city, 
and  its  business  advantages  are  immense.  Its  site  is  pleasant,  command- 
ing fine  views  of  the  rivers  and  the  adjoining  country.  The  buildings, 
both  public  and  private,  are  constructed  with  neatness  and  taste,  and 
some  in  a  style  of  superior  elegance.  There  are  several  handsome 
church  edifices  and  other  public  buildings ;  and  within  a  few  years  sev- 
eral new  and  elegant  blocks  of  stores  have  been  erected,  and  many 
splendid  and  convenient  private  residences.  The  new  market  building, 
completed  in  1856,  at  a  cost  of  $35,000,  is  built  on  piles  in  the  Ken- 
duskeag  river,  directly  opposite  the  custom-house  and  post-office.  It 
evinces  in  its  construction  much  architectural  taste.  The  hall  above 
will  seat  two  thousand  people,  and  it  is  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
the  state.     The  public  houses  are  excellent. 

Bangor  has  an  extensive  coasting  trade,  which  has  greatly  increased 
within  the  last  few  years.  It  has  also  a  large  southern  and  West  India 
trade.  In  1848,  it  became  a  port  of  entry.  The  river  at  Bangor  is 
sufficiently  deep  to  float  the  largest  vessels,  the  tide  rising,  on  an  aver- 
age, sixteen  feet.  Franlffort,  about  twelve  miles  below,  is  the  head  of 
winter  navigation. 

In  1849,  steamers  commenced  running  on  the  Upper  Penobscot.  The 
beautiful  and  picturesque  river  and  forest  scenery  in  that  region,  the 
pleasures  of  a  summer  trip  to  the  woods  and  mountains  of  the  interior, 
and  the  fresh  air  of  the  country,  draw  many  visitors  from  abroad  to  the 
vicinity  of  Bangor  during  the  warm  season.  A  voyage  up  the  Penob- 
scot, and  a  tramp  to  Katahdin,  make  a  most  healthful  and  pleasing  sum- 
mer excursion.  Travellers  visiting  Moosehead  lake,  and  the  ponds 
and  forests  in  its  vicinity,  on  hunting  or  fishing  excursions,  pass  through 
Bangor.  The  number  of  travellers  who  bend  their  steps  thitherward 
increases  each  year. 

Bangor  is  on  one  of  the  noblest  rivers  in  the  Northern  states  —  the 
product  of  an  almost  countless  number  of  tributary  streams.      The  city 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OP   BARING.  4,7 

is  seated  upon  both  sides  of  the  Kenduskeag  river,  and  is  the  mart  of 
one  of  the  most  extensive  and  one  of  the  richest  alluvial  basins  east  of 
the  Ohio  valley.  It  is  true,  that  this  section  of  the  country  is  in  a  high 
degree  of  latitude,  and  that  the  icy  chains  of  winter  are  felt  with  greater 
force  and  for  a  longer  period  than  in  more  southern  climes ;  but  this 
seeming  disadvantage  is  more  than  compensated  by  the  unrivalled  purity 
of  the  air  and  water — two  of  the  indispensable  requisites  of  health  and 
longevity.  There  is  probably  no  portion  of  the  country  where  the  great 
staples  of  wheat,  beef,  and  wool  can  be  produced  with  greater  facility, 
where  surplus  produce  can  find  a  market  at  less  expense,  or  where  the 
industrious  agriculturist  can  reap  a  surer  reward.  On  a  comparison  of 
the  present  population  of  this  immense  territory  of  which  Bangor  is  the 
great  centre,  extending  from  tide  water  to  Madawaska,  with  that  of 
older  settlements  of  a  less  fertile  soil,  of  less  navigable  facilities,  and  in 
nearly  as  high  a  degree  of  latitude,  the  mind  is  favorably  impressed  with 
the  flattering  prospects  of  the  valley  of  the  Penobscot,  and  of  Bangor, 
which  must  ever  possess  superior  advantages  as  a  mart  of  trade,  and  the 
depot  for  the  agricultural  productions  of  a  rich  and  thriving  country 
extending  many  miles  inland. 

Lumbering  forms  a  very  large  and  important  branch  of  business. 
The  amount 'of  lumber  surveyed  here,  up  to  the  close  of  the  year  1855, 
according  to  the  books  of  the  surveyor-general,  amounts  to  2,999,847,201 
feet.  The  agricultural  and  mineral  resources  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, though  extensive,  are  as  yet,  in  a  great  degree,  undeveloped. 

There  are  in  Bangor  fifty-nine  public  schools,  four  of  which  are  high 
schools ;  fourteen  churches,  —  four  Congregational,  two  Baptist,  one 
Free-w^iU  Baptist,  two  Methodist,  one  Universalist,  one  Episcopal,  two 
Roman  Catholic,  and  one  Swedenborgian ;  thirteen  banks,  with  an  ag- 
gregate capital  of  f  1,200,000 ;  two  institutions  for  savings ;  two  library 
associations,  one  possessing  1,640  volumes,  and  the  other  nearly  five 
thousand ;  eight  benevolent  societies ;  four  newspaper  establishments, 
two  of  which  issue  a  daily  paj^er ;  one  express  company,  besides  others 
conducted  by  individual  enterprise.  Two  lines  of  steamboats  navigate 
the  Penobscot,  one  betsveen  Bangor  and  Portland,  and  the  other  between 
Bangor  and  Boston.     Population,  14,432  ;  valuation,  $6,013,709. 

Baring,  Washington  county,  is  bounded  north  by  the  St  Croix  river, 
and  east  by  Calais.  Baring  was  incorporated  in  1825,  and  does  a  large 
and  extensive  business  in  lumbering.  The  railroad  from  Calais  to  Baring 
has  been  completed  some  years,  and  yields  a  fair  revenue  to  the  stock- 
holders. All  the  lumber  from  the  Baring  mills  is  taken  by  the  cars  to 
tide  water  at  Calais  —  there  being  four  or  five  trains  employed  in  the 


IUa^ui. 


48  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

service  each  day,  each  train  carrying  some  fifty  thousand  feet  of  lumber. 
The  conveniences  for  manufacturing  and  conveying  the  lumber  to  the 
wharves  are  very  complete  —  it  being  run  directly  from  the  mills  on  to 
the  cars,  where  it  is  not  disturbed  till  piled  on  the  wharves  ready  for 
shipment. 

Baring  has  one  post-office,  and  one  school  district,  with  nine  schools. 
The  inhabitants  are  industrious  and  prosperous,  and  are  principally 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business.     Population,  380  ;  valuation,  ^63,632. 

Barnard,  Piscataquis  county,  is  the  western  half  of  a  township  six 
miles  square,  of  which  Williamsburg  is  the  eastern  half.  It  lies  about 
ten  miles  northeast  from  Dover.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  1834  ; 
and  has  a  number  of  slate  quarries,  which  furnish  excellent  roofing 
material ;  four  school  districts,  having  an  aggregate  summer  attendance 
of  sixty-two  pupils.     Population,  181 ;  valuation,  $14,844. 

Bath,  a  city  and  port  of  entry,  is  the  capital  of  Sagadahoc  county, 
situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Kennebec,  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth. 
The  first  European  who  is  known  to  have  landed  in  Bath,  was  Captain 
George  Weymouth,  who  explored  this  part  of  the  coast  of  Maine  in  the 
summer  of  1605.^  He  sailed  up  the  Kennebec  river ;  and  wishing  to 
know  the  quality  of  the  soil  and  its  adaptation  to  husbandry,  took  his 
boat  and  a  part  of  the  crew,  and  landed.  He  says :  "  We  passed  over 
very  good  ground,  pleasant  and  fertile,  and  fit  for  pasture,  having  but 
little  wood,  and  that  oak,  like  that  standing  in  our  pastures  in  England, 
good  and  great,  fit  timber  for  any  use.  There  were  also  some  small 
birch,  hazel,  and  brake,  which  could  easily  be  cleared  away,  and  made 
good  arable  land." 

Such  was  his  expressed  opinion  of  this  place  when  on  his  voyage 
here,  preparatory  to  the  founding  of  the  colony,  which  was  attempted 
by  Popham  a  short  time  after,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  No  attempt, 
however,  was  made  to  settle  here  by  any  Europeans,  until  as  late  as 
1660,  when  a  clergyman  by  the  name  of  Robert  Gutch,  came  here,  and 
purchased  of  Eobin  Hood,  an  Indian  sachem,  the  territory  of  the  present 
city  and  town  of  Bath,  and  that  which  constitutes  West  Bath.  Robin 
Hood  was  the  original  and  acknowledged  proprietor,  and  his  deed  to 
Gutch  bears  date  May  29,  1660.  Gutch  came  from  Salem,  Mass.,  and 
resided  here  until  1679,  when  in  crossing  a  river  to  fulfil  an  appointment 
to  preach  on  the  Sabbath,  he  was  drowned. 

The  settlement  progressed  so  exceedingly  slow,  that,  for  upwards  of 

•  See  Address  by  John  McKeen,  Esq.,  Maine  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  v. 


MAINE CITY   OF   BATH-  49 

three  quarters  of  a  century,  only  a  sufficient  number  of  persons  had  col- 
lected here  to  form  a  parish.  A  petition  was  presented  about  this  time 
to  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  signed  by  John  Philbrook  and 
forty-six  others,  "  inhabitants  of  the  lands  on  Kennebec  river,  bounded 
southerly  by  Winnegance  river,  easterly  by  Kennebec  river,  westerly  by 
Stevens's  river,  and  northerly  by  Merry  Meeting  bay,  in  length  about 
nine  miles,  and  in  breadth  about  three, — which,  about  fourteen  years 
ago,  were  granted  by  the  Honorable  Court  to  Georgetown,  —  praying 
that  the  said  land  be  set  off  from  Georgetown  as  a  separate  parish." 
The  petition  was  granted  September  7,  1753,  after  which  the  territory 
set  off  was  known  as  the  second  parish  in  that  town ;  but  such  was  the 
poverty  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  parish,  that  they  were  called,  in  deris- 
ion, by  their  fellow  townsmen,  "  the  twenty-cow  parish ; "  probably  from 
that  number  of  cows  on  their  valuation  list.  From  the  rate-bill  of  1759, 
we  learn  that  there  were  sixty  ratable  polls  here. 

Captain  William  Swanton,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  French 
war,  and  had  served  in  the  reduction  of  Louisburg  in  1758,  took  up  his 
residence  here  in  1762.  He  was  a  shipbuilder,  industrious  and  skilful  in 
his  trade,  and  was  the  pioneer  in  that  branch  of  productive  industry  for 
which  Bath  is  now  so  justly  noted.  From  this  time  the  population  and 
business  of  the  place  steadily  increased.  On  the  17th  of  February,  1781, 
it  became  an  incorporated  town,  taking  its  name  from  Bath,  Rngland. 
The  town  was  favorably  situated  for  commercial  enterprise,  being 
located  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  extending  far  into  the  interior  of  a 
country  abounding  with  valuable  ship-timber,  much  sought  after  by  the 
maritime  powers  of  Europe.  On  the  conclusion  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  when  the  restrictive  measures,  that  had  been  imposed  upon 
American  trade  were  removed,  and  the  channels  of  commercial  enter- 
prise were  opened,  the  inhabitants  became  actively  and  profitably  en- 
gaged in  lumbering  and  sliipbuilding.  The  carrying  trade  from  the 
Southern  states  to  Europe  began  to  increase,  and  gave  to  the  shipping 
of  Bath  constant  employment,  which  yielded  a  sure  and  liberal  profit ; 
while  the  coastwise  transportation  gave  full  employment  to  vessels  of  a 
smaller  class,  many  of  which  were  built  here.  Its  commercial  prosperity 
was  checked  by  the  last  war  with  England,  but  on  the  close  of  the  war 
it  again  revived. 

In  1847,  Bath  received  a  city  charter,  and,  on  the  establishment  of 
Sagadahoc  county  in  1854,  it  became  the  county  seat.  The  compactly- 
built  portion  of  the  city  extends  about  three  miles  along  the  river,  and, 
on  an  average,  half  a  mile  back.  It  is  not  laid  out  with  any  great  regard 
to  regularity ;  but  has  some  very  beautiful  streets  and  many  tasteful  pri- 
vate residences.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  broken,  and  the  streets  are 
VOL.  I.  5 


50  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

made  to  correspond  to  its  irregularities.  The  leading  business  of  the 
town  is  shipbuilding,  and  the  avocations  connected  with  that  pursuit 
In  this  branch  of  industry  it  is  surpassed  only  by  the  cities  of  Boston, 
New  York,  and  Philadelphia.  During  the  year  ending  June  30,  1852, 
there  were  forty  ships,  five  brigs,  and  three  schooners  buUt  here,  hav- 
ing an  aggregate  of  24,339  tons ;  in  1853  the  amount  of  tonnage 
built  was  49,400 ;  in  1854  there  were  fifty-six  ships  built,  besides  thir- 
teen other  vessels,  amounting  in  all  to  58,454  tons.  Since  that  time, 
however,  there  has  been  a  great  falling  off  in  shipbuilding.  During  the 
year  1856,  there  were  only  four  large  ships  of  one  thousand  tons  each 
built  here. 

There  are  but  few  places  that  have  advantages  for  navigation  supe- 
rior to  Bath.  It  has  a  good  harbor,  with  a  sufficient  depth  of  water  for 
the  largest  ships,  and  is  usually  entirely  free  from  ice  during  the  whole 
year.  There  is  steamboat  communication  between  this  place  and  the 
towns  up  the  river  as  far  as  Waterville,  and  westerly  to  Portland  and 
Boston.  There  is  also  a  branch  railroad,  that  connects  with  the  Ken- 
nebec and  Portland  railroad  at  Brunswick. 

There  are  twelve  church-edifices  here,  belonging  to  the  several  religious 
denominations ;  five  banks,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  $750,000 ;  one 
savings  institution ;  three  school  districts,  and  eighteen  schools.  The 
schools  in  the  city  proper  are  on  the  graded  system.  They  are  well 
conducted,  and  are  an  honor,  not  only  to  the  city,  but  to  the  state.  There 
are  also  two  or  three  newspaper  establishments  in  the  city.  The  popu- 
lation in  1850  was  8,020,  since  which  there  has  probably  been  some 
diminution  from  extensive  emigration  westward.  Valuation  for  1858, 
$6,543,875. 

Beddington  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Washington  county,  and 
has  an  area  of  23,040  acres.  It  is  a  new  town,  and  but  little  has  yet 
been  done  in  clearing  up  and  settling  it.  It  was  incorporated  in  1833. 
The  town  is  watered  by  the  Narraguagus  and  Pleasant  rivers,  on  which 
are  some  good  miR-sites.  It  has  one  school  district,  with  forty  pupils. 
Population,  147  ;  valuation,  $21,028. 

Belfast,  a  city,  and  the  shire  town  of  Waldo  county,  lies  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  Passagassawaukeag,  at  the  head  of  Penobscot  bay, 
twelve  miles  westerly  from  the  mouth  of  Penobscot  river,  and  thirty 
miles  below  Bangor.  The  territory  comprising  Belfast  formed  a  part 
of  the  Muscongus  or  Waldo  patent,  and  was  purchased  by  the  first  set- 
tlers in  1769,  at  the  price  of  twenty  cents  per  acre.  It  was  permanently 
inhabited  the  following  year  by  a  company  from  Londonderry,   New 


Hi 


MAINE  —  CITY   OF   BELFAST.  51 

Hampshire,  who  were  the  immediate  descendants  of  Scotch-Irish  colo- 
nists, who  emigrated  from  the  city  of  the  same  name  in  Ireland,  in 
1718.  Other  accessions  to  the  settlement  soon  took  place,  and  in  1773 
the  population  numbered  two  hundred.  A  successful  application  to  be 
incorporated  as  a  town  was  made  that  year,  —  the  name  of  Belfast  being 
selected  at  the  request  of  one  of  the  inhabitants  who  was  a  native  of 
Belfast,  Ireland.  In  their  religious  tenets,  the  first  settlers  of  Belfast 
were  strict  Presbyterians.  When  the  Revolution  commenced,  they 
took  an  early  and  decided  stand  in  favor  of  independence,  and  refusing 
to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Great  Britain  after  the  occupation  of 
Castine  by  an  English  force  in  1779,  they  were  driven  from  their  new 
homes  and  did  not  return  to  them  until  peace  was  declared.  The 
municipal  organization  of  the  town  was  resumed  in  1786.  Belfast  was 
again  invested  by  the  British  during  the  war  of  1812. 

The  first  settlement  of  Belfast  was  made  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river,  but  the  more  favorable  position  of  the  opposite  shore  for  commu- 
nication with  the  interior  country,  diverted  business  to  the  location  now 
occupied  by  the  compact  part  of  the  city.  The  first  church  was  erected, 
in  1792,  and  Rev.  Ebenezer  Price,  the  first  minister,  was  settled  four 
years  after.  A  post-office  was  established  in  1797,  and  the  town  was 
made  a  port  of  entry  in  1818.  The  first  newspaper,  called  the  Han- 
cock'Gazette,  was  commenced  in  1820,  and  the  first  bank  was  incor- 
porated in  1832.  Belfast  was  made  the  shire  town  of  Waldo  county  in 
1828.  In  1845,  a  portion  of  the  town,  containing  about  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  was  set  off,  and  with  the  western  part  of  Prospect,  formed 
into  the  present  flourishing  town  of  Searsport.  A  city  charter  was 
granted  to  Belfast  in  1850,  and  accepted  in  1853.  The  first  mayor  was 
Hon.  Ralph  C.  Johnson. 

The  compact  part  of  Belfast  is  built  on  an  acclivity,  which  ascends 
gradually  from  the  water,  and  is  for  the  most  part  regularly  laid  out 
The  streets  are  wide,  and  many  of  them  are  ornamented  with  shade 
trees.  The  business  portion  of  the  place  is  mostly  built  of  brick. 
Among  the  public  buildings  are  the  court-house,  erected  in  1853,  the 
United  States  custom-house  and  post-oflice,  an  academy,  a  stone  jail, 
and  six  churches,  two  of  which  are  Congregational,  and  the  others  Bap- 
tist, Methodist,  Unitarian,  and  Universalist  There  are  sixteen  school 
districts  with  twenty-one  schools.  A  well-perfected  system  of  schools 
is  maintained,  at  an  annual  expense  of  $7,000.  Shipbuilding  and  fish- 
ing constitute  the  principal  business.  There  were  twenty-six  vessels  built 
in  1857,  with  a  combined  tonnage  of  9,897.  The  whole  amount  of  the 
shipping  owned  in  the  district  in  1857  was  73,475  tons,  being  exceeded 
by  that  of  only  eleven  other  ports  in  the   Union.     Manufacturing  is 


52  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ft 

carried  on  to  some  extent,  and  there  are  various  manufactories  of  paper, 
edge-tools,  and  iron-work.  There  are  tw^o  banks,  with  an  aggregate 
capital  of  $175,000,  and  also  an  insurance  company.  Three  weekly 
newspapers  are  published  at  Belfast.  Steamboats,  during  the  summer, 
daily  connect  Belfast  with  Portland,  Boston,  and  Bangor,  and  seven 
stage  lines  afford  constant  communication  with  the  neighboring  cities 
and  towns.  The  city  contains  a  population  of  over  six  thousand ;  valu- 
ation, $1,186,907. 

Belgrade,  towards  the  northwest  part  of  Kennebec  county,  was 
originally  owned  by  the  Plymouth  company,  from  whom  the  settlers  ob- 
tained their  titles.  The  settlement  of  the  town  was  commenced  in 
1774,  by  PhiJip  Snow,  from  New  Hampshire.  In  1796,  so  great  had 
been  the  increase  in  the  number  of  inhabitants,  that  Belgrade  was 
incorporated  as  a  town. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  and  much  of  it  covered  by  water.  There  is  a 
connected  chain  of  seven  lakes,  —  five  of  which  are  in  this  to-wn,  ^ 
reaching  over  into  Sidney  and  Waterville,  the  largest  of  which  covers 
an  area  of  tw^enty-five  square  miles.  These  lakes  are  interspersed  with 
several  islands,  one  of  which  is  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  and  is 
only  accessible  from  the  main  land  by  boat.  All  of  these  lalfcs  fall  into 
the  Kennebec  river,  about  two  miles  below  the  centre  of  Waterville. 

Agriculture  is  the  principal  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants,  though  there 
are  a  few  manufactories  ;  among  which  are  one  shovel  factory,  one  spool 
factory,  and  several  saw-mills  and  grist-mills. 

There  are  two  villages  in  this  town,  — ■  at  each  of  which  considerable 
business  is  transacted,  —  bearing  the  names  of  the  Mills  village,  and 
the  Depot  village.  There  are  three  church  edifices,  namely.  Baptist, 
Unitarian,  and  Friends' ;  three  post-offices  —  Belgrade,  Belgrade  Mills, 
and  North  Belgrade;  eighteen  school  districts,  with  nineteen  schools; 
and  an  academy,  which  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Population,  1,722  ; 
valuation,  $414,843. 

Belmont,  Waldo  county,  is  situated  six  miles  west  from  Belfast,  and 
originally  formed  a  part  of  the  Waldo  patent.  It  subsequently  fell  into 
the  possession  of  General  Knox,  who  sold  the  township  to  Benjamin  Joy 
and  Samuel  Parkman.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced  by  Daniel 
Doloff,  in  1790,  and  the  town  was  incorporated  February  5,  1814.  In 
1817,  a  post-office  was  established  here ;  and  in  1855  the  town  was 
divided,  the  northern  half  being  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Mor- 
rill. At  that  time  it  had  one  church,  —  Free-will  Baptist ;  one  grist- 
mill, six  saw-miUs,  two  stores,  and  five  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools.     Population,  750 ;  valuation,  about  $80,000. 


;.''ii 


11 


\ti  mi 


MAINE TOWN    OF    BENTON,    ETC.  53 

Benton,  Kennebec  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Kenne- 
bec river,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  and  is  about  twenty- 
five  miles  distant  from  Augusta.  It  was  called  Sebasticook  untU  June 
19,  1850,  when  it  received  its  present  name.  The  settlement  of  this 
town,  w^hich  originally  belonged  to  the  town  of  Clinton,  was  com- 
menced about  1775,  and  it  was  incorporated  in  1792.  Benton  is 
watered  by  the  Sebasticook  and  the  Kennebec  rivers,  along  the  banks 
of  which  there  are  some  very  fine  farms.  The  town  has  one  village, 
called  Sebasticook  Corner ;  one  post-office ;  and  ten  school  districts,  with 
ten  schools.     Population,  1,189  ;  valuation,  $155,992. 

Berwick,  York  county,  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Piscata- 
qua  river,  is  one  of  the  frontier  towns  of  western  'Maine,  and  originally 
formed  a  part  of  the  possessions  of  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges.  It  was 
called  by  the  Indians  Newicha-wannock,  signifying  "  Come  to  my  house, 
or  place,"  probably  derived  from  the  salutation  of  some  friendly  Indian. 
Settlements  -were  commenced  in  this  town  as  early  as  1624 ;  but  to 
what  extent,  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  Two  men  were  living 
here  in  1631,  w^hose  names  were  Chadbourne  and  Gibbins ;  and  Wil- 
liamson informs  us  that  there  were  others  here  about  the  same  time,  the 
names  of  whom  he  gives  as  Frost,  Heard,  Shapleigh,  Spencer,  Brough- 
ton,  Leader,  Plaisted,  and  Wincoll.  The  earliest  title  from  the 
Indians  on  record  is  a  deed,  which  was  obtained  by  Chadbourne,  in 
1643,  from  the  chief  of  the  Piscataquas.  From  this  time,  for  the 
period  of  upwards  of  thirty  years,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  slow  but 
steady  progress  in  the  settlement  of  the  town.  The  rigors  of  winter 
produced  here  the  same  privations  and  sufferings  as  were  experienced  in 
many  other  of  the  New  England  settlements,  and  not  unfrequently  in 
summer  w^as  there  a  great  scarcity  of  provisions.  But  these  sufferings 
were  of  small  moment  compared  with  the  Indian  troubles  that  followed. 

In  1675,  Berwick  was  pillaged  and  partially  destroyed  by  the  savages, 
while  on  their  march  for  the  destruction  of  the  more  populous  settle- 
ments on  the  coast.  It  was,  however,  soon  rebuilt,  and  had  niore  than 
recovered  its  losses,  when,  in  1689,  it  was  attacked  by  a  party  of  French 
and  Indians  from  Canada,  and  entirely  destroyed.  The  inhabitants 
defended  themselves  bravely ;  but,  the  assailants  having  every  advan- 
tage, they  were  forced  to  surrender  at  discretion,  —  thirty-four  having 
been  killed,  while  the  remainder — fifty-four — for  the  most  part  women 
and  children,  were  carried  into  captivity.^     In  1703,  the  settlement  had 

'  The  commander  of  this  expedition  was  M.  Artel,  the  same  leader  who  afterwards 
added  to  his  infamous  notoriety  by  the  destruction  of  Deerfield,  Mass.,  in  1 704,  when  he 
made  captives  of  Kev.  Mr.  Williams  and  others. 

5* 


54  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION^   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

scarcely  been  recommenced,  when  it  was  again  attacked  by  the  French 
and  their  savage  allies,  and  several  persons  were  killed  Even  yet,  the 
cup  of  bitterness  was  not  full;  for,  four  years  afterward,  two  of  the 
settlers  were  killed  while  returning  from  public  worship. 

The  repetition  from  year  to  year  of  these  desperate  adventures  of  the 
savages,  aided  and  abetted  by  their  French  allies,  was  sufficient  to 
blight  every  hope  that  might  be  entertained  of  the  permanent  settle- 
ment of  the  place ;  but  the  hardihood  and  determination  of  the  settlers 
eventually  overcame  these  discouraging  obstacles.  In  1713,  application 
having  been  made  to  the  General  Court,  the  settlement  was,  on  the  9th 
of  June  of  that  year,  incorporated  into  a  town  by  the  name  of  Berwick. 
The  area  of  the  town  at  that  time  was  quite  large,  embracing,  besides 
its  present  territory,  that  of  North  and  South  Berwick.  The  surface  of 
Berwick  is  generally  level,  and  the  soil  of  a  productive  character.  It  is 
watered  by  Little  river,  which  runs  through  the  town  in  a  westerly  direc- 
tion, falling  into  the  Salmon  Falls  river.  The  principal  occupation  of 
the  inhabitants  is  farming. 

There  are  three  churches  in  the  town,  —  a  Methodist,  a  Baptist,  and 
a  union  house ;  four  tanneries ;  one  pottery ;  eighteen  school  districts, 
with  thirty  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  2,121 ;  valuation, 
$219,101. 

Bethel,  Oxford  county,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Androscoggin 
river,  and  contains  an  area  of  25,920  acres.  It  was  originally  granted 
to  Josiah  Richardson,  of  Sudbury,  Massachusetts,  and  others,  for  services 
in  the  French  war.  It  was  settled  in  1773,  under  the  name  of  "  Sudbury 
Canada,"  and  became  an  incorporated  town,  under  its  present  name, 
June  10, 1796. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  undulating.  There  are  some  highly  pro- 
ductive farms  along  the  course  of  the  river.  The  Grand  Trunk  railway 
passes  through  the  town,  and  affords  the  most  ample  facilities  to  the 
inhabitants  for  the  transportation  of  their  produce  and  merchandise  to  a 
ready  market. 

The  academy  located  at  this  place  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
ranks  high  as  an  institution  of  learning.  Besides  this  there  are 
twenty-four  school  districts ;  three  churches,  two  of  which  are  Methodist, 
and  one  Congregational ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  2,253; 
valuation,  $266,498. 

BiDDEFORD,  York  county,  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Saco  river,  was  originally  granted  by  the  Plymouth  Council 
to  John  Oldham  and  Richard  Vines,  by  patent,  bearing  date  February 


MAINE CITY    OP    BIDDEFORD.  OO 

12,  1629,  (o.  s.),  and  described  as  "  that  tract  of  land  lying  on  the  south 
side  of  the  E-iver  Swanckadocke  (Saco),  containing  in  breadth,  by  the 
sea,  four  miles,  and  extending  eight  miles  up  into  the  main  land." 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1630,  Vines,  for,  or  in  conjunction  with,  Old- 
ham,^ took  legal  possession  of  the  land.  The  emigrants  who  came  over 
with  Vines  to  settle  on  his  land,  and  those  who  arrived  here  in  previous 
expeditions,  located  chiefly  near  the  sea,  on  the  spot  where  Vines  passed 
the  winter,  when  here  on  an  exploring  expedition  in  1616-17.^  Vines 
never  reaped  any  benefit  from  this  grant  of  land,  though  he  made  the 
most  commendable  exertions  to  settle  it  —  expending  large  sums  upon 
it,  all  which  proved  unavailing.  These  frequent  outlays  soon  became  a 
source  of  pecuniary  embarrassment  to  Vines ;  and,  in  consequence,  he 
was  compelled  to  sell  his  patent  to  Dr.  Robert  Child,  of  Nashaway  (now 
Lancaster,  Mass.),  after  which  he  removed  to  Barbadoes,  West  Indies, 
about  the  close  of  1645.  Dr.  Child,  not  being  particularly  pleased  with 
his  investment,  sold  to  William  Phillips,  of  Boston.  Phillips  paid  the 
doctor  £90  for  the  town  of  Biddeford,  and  took  his  deed  of  it,  bearing 
date  March  11,  1658-9.  Phillips,  notwithstanding  he  had  the  title  of 
Vines's  grant  from  the  Plymouth  Council,  as  well  as  the  deed  of  the 
doctor,  had  apprehensions  lest  his  title,  in  some  unexpected  way,  might 
be  questioned ;  and  soon  after  acquired  another  title  from  the  Indian 
sachem,  Mogg  Megone,  Avhose  character  is  so  graphically  portrayed  in 
one  of  Whittier's  poems.  From  Phillips  all  the  land  titles  in  Biddeford 
are  derived. 

This  town  has  had  to  contend  with  all  the  vicissitudes  incident  to  a 
frontier  settlement,  and  was  twice  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  The  suffer- 
ings of  the  settlers  were  great  in  each  of  these  Indian  wars.  During 
their  continuance,  a  garrison  was  erected  at  Winter  Harbor,  and  main- 
tained at  public  cost,  Avhich,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  was  dis- 
mantled, and  the  troops  were  removed. 

Biddeford  was  united  to  Saco  about  1660,  and  remained  a  part  of 
that  town,  until  1718,  when  it  became  a  distinct,  incorporated  town, 
receiving  its  name  from  a  town  in  England,  from  which  some  of  the 
settlers  emigrated. 

In  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  Biddeford  zealously  contributed  men 

1  It  seems  that  OlJliara  never  took  any  interest  in  the  patent ;  and  no  record  can  be 
found  of  his  having  been  at  any  time  within  its  limits.  lie  i-eslded  principally  at  Salem, 
then  called  Naumkeag. 

'  Several  cellars,  now  filled  up  and  overgrown  with  antiquated  shrubbery,  mark  out 
the  locality  of  this  ancient  settlement  Apple-trees,  rotten  with  age,  and  the  English 
chen-y,  survive  here  in  the  midst  of  oaks  and  sumachs.  It  is  now  a  deserted  spot,  and 
buried  in  the  most  perfect  solitude. 


56  HISTORY   AND   DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

and  money  for  its  prosecution ;  since  which,  its  record  has  been  one  of 
constant  growth.     In  1855,  the  town  became  a  city. 

The  surface  is  rather  broken ;  much  of  it  is  rocky  and  unproductive, 
though  here  and  there  are  some  good  farms.  The  territory  is  some  ten 
miles  in  length,  and  four  in  width ;  and  is  drained  by  Little  river  on  the 
southeast,  and  by  the  Saco  river  on  the  east.  There  are  quite  a  number 
of  granite  quarries  here,  which  furnish  excellent  building  material,  and 
are  worked  advantageously  and  profitably. 

Manufacturing  operations  are  large  in  Bfddeford.  There  are  two 
cotton  mills,  known  by  the  names  of  the  Pepperell  and  the  Laconia  hav- 
ing a  capital  of  one  million  dollars  each.  The  Pepperell  corporation 
went  into  operation  in  1850,  have  three  mills,  and  run  seventy  thousand 
spindles.  They  manufacture  the  various  kinds  of  cotton  goods,  varying 
from  thirty  up  to  one  hundred  inches  in  width,  turning  out,  on  an  aver- 
age, 1,200,000  yards  each  four  weeks,  and  employing  from  1,500  to 
1,600  operatives,  —  about  450  males  and  1,200  females.  The  pay-roll 
averages  twenty  thousand  dollars  per  month.  The  Laconia  company 
went  into  operation  in  1845,  and  has  three  mills,  runs  eleven  hundred 
looms,  fifty  thousand  spindles,  and  employs  one  thousand  operatives. 
The  monthly  pay-roll  averages  about  eighteen  thousand  dollars.  There 
is  also  a  large  machine-shop,  for  the  manufacture  of  cotton  machinery. 
There  are  five  saw-mills,  one  of  which  is  propelled  by  steam,  in  which 
considerable  business  is  done  in  the  manufacture  of  the  smaller  kinds 
of  lumber.  In  the  coarser  kinds  of  lumber  for  shipping,  there  is  not  so 
much  done  as  formerly.  In  the  way  of  shipbuilding,  Biddeford  does 
but  little.  There  are  ten  or  twelve  vessels  owned  here,  Avhich  carry  on 
a  profitable  trade  betAveen  Biddeford  and  other  Atlantic  ports.  A  por- 
tion of  the  female  population  is  profitably  employed  in  the  manufacture 
of  clothing  for  the  Boston  market.  There  are  three  brick-yards,  which 
have  been  and  still  are  doing  a  profitable  business,  —  all  the  brick  edi- 
fices in  the  city  being  built  from  the  production  of  these  yards. 

There  are  in  Biddeford  eight  church  edifices,  —  two  Congregational, 
two  Methodist,  one  Baptist,  two  Free-will  Baptist,  and  one  Roman 
Catholic.  The  town  is  divided  into  eleven  school  districts,  having 
sixteen  school-houses  and  twenty-one  schools.  The  schools  are  con- 
ducted on  the  graded  system.  There  are  two  banks,  —  the  Biddeford 
banlc,  with  a  capital  of  tAvo  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  the  City 
bank,  with  a  capital  of  fifty  thousand  dollars ;  one  savings  institution  ; 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  6,095 ;  valuation,  $4,821,908. 

BiXGiiAJi,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  cast  side  of  the  Kenne- 
bec river,  and  contains  an  area  of  23,040  acres.     The  first  settlement 


rl^jsi^ 


'  1 


ii     ii 


MAINE  —  TOWK   OF   BLANCHAED,   ETC.  57 

was  made  in  this  town  as  early  as  1784 ;  and,  in  1801,  it  was  surveyed 
by  Philip  BuUen.  It  was  incorporated  on  the  6th  of  February,  1812, 
under  its  present  name,  which  was  given  in  honor  of  William  Bingham, 
the  great  landed  proprietor  in  this  state.  There  are  two  saw-mills  and 
two  grist-mills  here;  three  churches,  —  one  Congregational,  one  Meth- 
odist, and  one  Free-will  Baptist ;  thirteen  school  districts,  with  seventeen 
schools ;  and  one  post-office.     Population,  752 ;  valuation,  $86,322. 

Blanchard,  in  the  westerly  part  of  Piscataquis  county,  is  distant  from 
Dover  twenty-two  miles.  It  embraces  an  area  of  six  mUes  square  ;  has 
one  considerable  elevation,  called  Russell's  mountain,  in  the  southeast- 
ern part ;  and  is  drained  by  the  head- waters  of  the  Piscataquis  river. 
Blanchard  has  one  Congregational  church,  one  school  district,  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  192;  valuation,  $17,130. 

Bloomfield,  Somerset  county,  lies  on  the  west  side  of  Kennebec  river, 
thirty-three  miles  north  from  Augusta.  It  contains  an  area  of  11,910 
acres,  only  three  hundred  acres  of  which  are  waste  land,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  acres  are  appropriated  to  highways.  This  town 
originally  belonged  to  Canaan,  and  its  early  history  is  blended  with  the 
history  of  that  town.  It  was  erected  into  a  separate  township  and 
incorporated  Februaiy  6,  1814.  It  has  a  fertile  soil,  and  produces  good 
crops.  Its  name  will  be  significant  so  long  as  recurring  seasons  shall 
adorn  its  hills  and  vales  with  the  livery  of  luxuriant  growth. 

Bloomfield  has  one  Congregational  church,  nine  school  districts,  with 
twelve  schools ;  one  academy,  with  forty  students ;  one  tannery ;  three 
grist-mills ;  two  saw-mills ;  one  bank  (the  Skowhegan),  with  a  capital 
of  $75,000 ;  and  one  post-office.     Population,  1,301 ;  valuation,  $256,690. 

Bltjehill  is  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  Hancock  county,  on 
Bluehill  bay.  The  settlement  of  the  town  was  commenced  April  7, 
1762,  by  Joseph  Wood  and  John  Roundy,  both  from  Beverly,  Mass?. 
They  landed  near  Fire  Falls,  so  called,  where  Bluehill  bay  communi- 
cates with  a  salt-water  pond.  Here  they  went  to  work  getting  out  staves, 
and  making  preparation  for  the  settlement  of  their  families,  which  they 
moved  hither  the  following  spring.  Four  or  five  years  after,  Mr.  Wood 
said  to  Mr.  Roundy,  "  I  hope  I  may  live  to  see  plowing  in  this  town 
yet."  To  which  Mr.  Roundy  repUed,  "  I  shall  not  wish  to  live  any 
longer  than  till  that  time."  This  reply  shows  how  discouraging  the 
prospect  before  them  then  appeared.  The  third  family  in  town  was 
formed  by  the  marriage  of  Colonel  Nathan  Parker,  from  Andover,  Mass., 
with  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  Captain  Wood.     Colonel  Parker  Avas  an 


58  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

officer  of  the  provincial  troops  at  the  siege  and  fall  of  Louisburg.  On 
his  return  he  was  driven  with  many  others  to  the  West  Indies,  where  a 
number  died  with  the  fever,  about  the  close  of  the  year  1761.  The 
family  of  Samuel  Foster,  from  Andover,  was  the  fourth.  They  made 
but  a  short  stay.  The  fifth  was  that  of  Colonel  Nicholas  Holt,  from 
the  same  town,  who  arrived  May  27,  1765. 

The  plantation  name  of  the  township  was  Newport.  In  1769,  it 
appears,  by  the  town  records,  that  the  settlers  had  some  place  which 
they  used  for  public  worship,  since,  during  the  previous  year,  they  voted 
to  raise  money,  "  for  to  hire  a  person  for  to  preach  the  gospel  to  us,  and 
for  to  pay  his  board."  And  at  the  same  meeting  a  vote  was  passed  to 
lay  out  a  road  to  the  Penobscot.  On  the  commencement  of  hostilities 
with  Great  Britain,  the  town  chose  a  committee  of  correspondence,  a 
committee  of  inspection,  and  a  committee  of  safety.  From  1779  to 
1784,  the  town  meetings  were  suspended.  In  1772,  October  7,  the 
Congregational  church  was  formed,  numbering  eight  male  and  eight 
female  members.     The  town  was  incorporated  January  30,  1789. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1803,  an  academy  was  incorporated,  and  was 
endowed  by  a  grant  of  the  western  half  of  township  No.  23,  Washing- 
ton county.  This  tract  the  trustees  of  the  corporation  sold  July  28, 
1806,  for  the  consideration  of  $6,2-52.  A  part  of  this  sum  has  been 
lost  to  the  academy,  by  the  failure  of  parties  to  whom  it  had  been  in- 
trusted. A  principal  now  remains  of  $5,064.58 ;  the  interest  of  which  is 
applied  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  institution.  This,  with  the  tuition 
fees,  supports  the  school  one  half  the  year.  The  average  number  of 
students  in  attendance  is  fifty. 

The  surface  is  varied.  The  only  elevation  of  note  is  Bluehill,  from 
which  the  town  takes  its  name.  This  is  a  majestic  hill  near  the  centre 
of  the  town,  rising  to  an  altitude  of  950  feet  above  high-water  mark. 
From  the  bay  there  is  a  gradual  ascent  for  about  a  mile,  thence  it  is 
quite  abrupt  to  the  top,  which  consists  of  a  huge  mass  of  curl-grained 
rocks.  In  the  early  settlement  of  the  town,  it  was  covered  with  trees, 
principally  evergreens,  which,  at  a  distance,  gave  it  a  very  dark'  blue 
tint ;  hence  its  name.  It  is  now  entirely  bald.  The  summit  affords  a 
delightful  view  of  the  village,  the  bay  —  interpersed  with  numerous 
islands  —  and  the  surrounding  country. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  there  is  a  valuable  granite  quarry,  from 
which,  in  1855,  the  sum  of  $20,000  was  realized.  There  are  also  about 
five  thousand  cords  of  wood  annually  shipped  from  this  port.  Ship 
building  is  carried  on  to  some  extent :  three  or  four  vessels  are  built 
every  year,  averaging  two  hundred  tons  each.  The  Revolutionary  sol- 
diers that  went  from  this  town  are  all  deceased.     Christopher  Osgood, 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   BOOTHBAY.  59 

son  of  Ezekiel  Osgood,  one  of  the  first  settlers,  was  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Nehemiah  Hinckley  served  through  the  war,  was  honor- 
ably discharged  at  West  Point,  when  he  returned  to  Bluehill,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Edith  Hinckley,  his  widow,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  "Wood,  the  first  settler,  was  born  August  3,  1766.  She 
is  still  living,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years,  and  in  the  full 
possession  and  enjoyment  of  her  physical  and  mental  energies.  Rev. 
Jonathan  Fisher  was  the  settled  minister  here  from  1796  to  1837,  and 
died  in  1847. 

The  town  has  one  village ;  two  religious  societies,  —  Baptist  and 
Congregational,  each  having  a  place  of  worship ;  three  pos1>offices,  — 
BluehiU,  Bluehill  Falls,  and  North  Bluehill ;  and  eighteen  school  dis- 
tricts.    Population,  1,939 ;  valuation,  $350,221. 

BooTHBAY,  Lincoln  county,  is  a  peninsula,  situated  between  the 
mouths  of  the  Sheepscot  and  Damariscotta  rivers,  and  is  what  was 
formerly  known  as  Cape  Newagen.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been  set- 
tled as  early  as  1630  ;  but  what  progress  was  made  at  that  time  is  now 
unknown.  Captain  Weymouth  —  when  on  his  voyage  here  in  1605  — 
entered  the  harbor  previously  to  ascending  the  Kennebec  river.  Per- 
mission to  settle  here  was  purchased  in  1666  by  Henry  Curtis,  of  the 
famous  sagamore,  Robin  Hood ;  but  the  Indians,  taking  offence  either  at 
the  terms  of  the  purchase  or  some  probable  encroachment,  destroyed  the 
settlement  in  1688.  It  lay  a  desolate  ^vaste  for  forty  years  afterwards, 
and  was  revived  in  1730,  by  Colonel  Dunbar,  who  gave  it  the  name  of 
Townshend,  which  it  bore  for  many  years. 

The  town  was  incorporated  on  the  3d  of  November,  1764,  retaining 
its  original  name  until  1842,  when  it  received  the  name  it  now  bears,  in 
memory  of  Old  Boothbay,  in  Lincoln  county,  England.  The  commer- 
cial advantages  of  this  town  are  equal  to  any  on  the  coast  of  Maine ; 
and  there  is  a  wide  scope  for  their  improvement.  The  harbor  has  four 
entrances ;  and  such  is  its  capacity  and  superior  location,  that  the  Eng- 
lish, prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  had  projected  the  establishment  of 
a  naval  depot  here,  —  all  the  arrangements  for  which  were  made,  —  but  it 
was  abandoned  solely  on  account  of  the  uncertain  chances  of  war.  The 
inhabitants  are  principally  engaged  in  the  foreign  and  coasting  trade, 
and  in  the  cod  and  mackerel  fisheries.  Shipbuilding  is  also  an  impor- 
tant branch  of  business,  and  employs  a  large  amount  of  capital :  about 
one  hundred  vessels,  of  various  sizes,  are  owned  in  town.  Boothbay 
has  one  village,  one  church  edifice  (Congregational),  seventeen  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  2,504 ;  valuation,  $239,067. 


60  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

BowDOiN  is  situated  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Sagadahoc  county,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  been  settled  some  years  previous  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary Avar.  It  was  incorporated  March  21,  1788,  and,  according  to 
Williamson,  contained  about  120  families.  Bowdoin  took  its  name 
from  the  family  of  Governor  Bowdoin.  It  stands  well  in  an  agricul- 
tural point  of  view ;  has  one  village,  with  a  capital  of  some  five  or  six 
thousand  dollars  in  manufactures  ;  three  church  edifices,  —  two  of 
which  are  Baptist,  and  one  Free-will  Baptist ;  eighteen  school  districts, 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  1,857  ;  valuation,  $247,813. 

BowDOiNHAM,  Sagadahoc  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  Ken- 
nebec river.  This  township  was  claimed  by  the  Plymouth  proprietors, 
who  conveyed  it,  with  other  lands  adjoining,  to  William  Bowdoin,  of 
Boston.  But  this  title  was  involved  in  a  dispute;  for  on  the  3d  of 
July,  1637,  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  granted  to  Sir  Richard  Edgecomb, 
of  Mount  Edgecomb,  England,  a  tract  of  eight  thousand  acres,  situated 
near  Merry  Meeting  bay,  then  called  the  "  Lake  of  New  Somerset." 
The  bounds  were  so  indefinite  as  to  make  the  place  of  location  ex- 
tremely uncertain,  and  neither  the  grantee  nor  his  heirs  paid  any  regard 
to  the  patent  till  after  Queen  Anne's  war.  In  1718,  John  Edgecomb, 
of  New  London,  appeared  for  the  heirs,  and  entered  a  minute  of  the 
grant  in  the  book  of  claims.  This  minute  seemed  to  be  a  description 
of  a  tract  equal  to  four  miles  square  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Kennebec 
river,  where  it  meets  Merry  Meeting  bay.^  In  1756,  the  claim  was 
revived  by  Lord  Edgecomb,  one  of  the  heirs,  who  intrusted  his  busi- 
ness to  Sir  William  Pepperrell,  of  Kittery.  The  latter  having  died  with- 
out settling  the  claim,  his  lordship  empowered  Nathaniel  Sparhawk  (Sir 
William's  son-in-law)  to  pursue  it.  Mr.  Bowdoin  brought  an  action 
to  establish  his  claim,  and  showed  title  from  the  Plymouth  proprietors, 
and  a  quitclaim  from  Abadagusset,  an  Indian  chief.  The  court  ruled 
that  this  should  prevail  against  the  obsolete  and  indefinite  grant -made 
by  Gorges,  and  Mr.  Bowdoin  won  the  case  ;  but  some  years  afterwards 
the  superior  court  ruled  that  this  town  did  not  belong  to  the  Plymouth 
proprietors,  and  the  north  line  of  the  town  was  fixed  as  the  southern 
boundary  of  their  patent 

The  settlement  of  the  town  was  commenced  soon  after  the  building 

a 

of  Fort  Richmond ;  but  its  progress  was  so  much  retarded  by  the  wars 
with  the  Indians,  and  the  disputes  about  the  title  to  the  land,  that  it  did 
not  become  an  incorporated  town  until  1762.  It  is  now  a  place  of  im- 
portance.    The   surface  is  level  and  the  soil  productive.      It  has   an 

>  Book  of  Claims,  p.  82. 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    BOWERBANK,   ETC.  61 

invested  capital,  in  trade  and  manufactures,  of  upAvards  of  |100,000,  and 
one  bank,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  The  Kennebec  and  Portland  rail- 
road passes  through  it.  Bowdoinham  has  one  village;  five  churches 
(two  Methodist,  a  Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  Universalist) ;  two 
post-offices,  —  Bowdoinham  and  East  Bowdoinham ;  and  seventeen 
school  districts,  with  nineteen  schools.  Population,  2,382 ;  valuation, 
$529,794. 

BowERBANK,  Piscataquis  county,  is  situated  north  from  Dover,  the 
town  of  Foxcroft  intervening.  It  covers  an  area  of  six  miles  square, 
and  was  incorporated  in  1839.  It  has  three  school  districts,  one  post- 
office,  and  one  church  (Free-will  Baptist).  Sebec  lake,  a  large  body  of 
water,  lies  mostly  in  this  town.     Population,  173 ;  valuation,  $17,376. 

Bradford,  Penobscot  county,  is  a  pleasant  agricultural  town,  situated 
about  twenty  miles  north  from  Bangor.  The  first  clearing  preparatory 
to  settling  was  made  in  the  summer  of  1803,  by  James  White  and 
Robert  Marshall,  who  came  from  Thomaston.  White  moved  his 
family  hither  the  following  year,  and  Marshall  moved  his  in  the  spring 
of  1805.  In  1804,  two  men,  by  the  names  of  Jennison  and  Rogers,  from 
Union,  settled  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  ;  and,  in  1806,  Wilson  and 
Hildreth  moved  hither  from  Thomaston.  This  was  the  commencement 
of  the  now  flourishing  town  of  Bradford.  It  was  organized  into  a 
plantation  in  1820,  —  at  vi^hich  time  it  contained  eleven  voters,  —  and 
was  incorporated  March  12,  1831.  Robert  Marshall,  the  pioneer  settler 
of  the  town,  is  still  living,  and  resides  on  the  same  farm,  and  near  the 
same  spot,  which  he  first  occupied,  fifty-three  years  ago.  He  is  now 
eighty  years  of  age.  A  number  of  the  descendants  of  Joseph  Wilson 
reside  in  town,  and  some  in  other  parts  of  the  county.  White,  Rogers, 
and  Hildreth  moved  away  many  years  since. 

The  surface  of  Bradford  is  mostly  smooth  and  unbroken,  gently 
undulating,  and  tolerably  free  from  stones.  There  are  no  lakes  or  ponds 
in  town,  and  but  very  little  waste  land.  Dead  stream  flows  through 
here  from  northwest  to  southeast,  and  falls  into  the  Pushaw  stream  in 
Alton.  There  are  a  number  of  good  mill-sites  on  this  stream,  some  of 
which  are  already  occupied  by  mills  of  different  kinds.  There  are  three 
villages  with  three  post-offices  in  town.  At  Bradford  Corner,  there  are 
two  neat  church  edifices,  one  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Congrega- 
tionalists,  and  the  other  jointly  by  the  Baptists  and  Free-will  Baptists. 
The  neat  town-house  stands  one  mile  east  of  the  Corner,  and  is  occu- 
pied half  the  time  as  a  place  of  worship  by  the  Universalist  society. 
The   Methodists  hold   their  meetings  at  East   Bradford  school-house. 

VOL.  I.  6 


62  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

There  is  one  high  school,  which  is  kept  one  or  two  quarters,  in  the  year, 
according  to  the  state  of  finances,  and  eleven  school  districts,  with 
t«renty-one  schools.  The  population  of  the  town  in  1856  was  esti- 
mated at  1,500,  and  the  valuation,  ^155,000. 

Bradley,  Penobscot  county,  lies  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Penobscot 
river.  The  first  settlers  of  this  town  came  from  different  parts  of  this 
state,  and  some  from  Massachusetts. 

The  town  was  incorporated  in  1834.  Its  surface  is  uneven  ;  but  there 
are  few  hills  of  any  great  height.  But  little  is  done  in  cultivating  the 
soil ;  and  this  will  not  seem  strange,  when  it  is  known  that  the  only 
land  suitable  for  cultivation  is  on  the  banks  of  the  Penobscot,  and  that 
even  this  is  of  indifferent  quality.  Pine  lumber  once  grew  here  in  large 
quantities ;  but  the  lumberman's  axe  and  the  fire-king  have  swept  most 
of  it  away. 

The  lumber  manufacture  is  the  only  branch  of  productive  industry 
carried  -on  here.  At  the  village,  there  are  fourteen  single  board  saw- 
niills,  three  gangs  of  saws,  four  clapboard  mills,  four  lath  mills,  and  three 
shingle  mills,  nearly  all  of  which  are  in  constant  operation  during  the 
summer  season.  Part  of  the  large  pond  on  Nichols  stream  is  in  this 
town.  The  Greatworks  and  the  Nichols  are  considerable  streams,  and 
both  supply  good  water-power,  which  is  improved  to  a  moderate  ex- 
tent.    The  Penobscot  river,  however,  furnishes  the  principal  water-po\ver. 

There  is  no  place  of  public  worship  in  town ;  —  the  inhabitants 
attend  church,  however,  at  Oldtown  and  Orono.  The  only  village  here 
is  called  Greatworks,  situated  at  the  falls  of  the  same  name,  on  the 
Penobscot  river,  two  miles  from  Oldtown  village.  A  post-office  is 
located  at  this  village.  The  town  is  divided  into  four  school  districts, 
with  five  schools,  which  are  kept  from  five  to  six  months  of  the  year. 
Besides  these  there  are  some  private  schools  in  town.  Population,  796 ; 
valuation  for  1858,  $93,525. 

Bremen,  Lincoln  county,  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county, 
and  originally  belonged  to  the  Pemaquid  patent.  William  Hilton,  of 
Plymouth,  Mass.,  was  the  first  settler,  having  moved  hither  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  in  the  year  1735. 
He  was  soon,  however,  driven  back  again  to  Plymouth  by  the  Indians ; 
but  on  the  pacification  of  the  Indian  troubles,  in  1745,  he  returned  to 
Bremen ;  and  being  an  heir,  by  marriage,  to  the   Brown  claim,i  took 

^  This  claim  originated  from  one  John  Brown,  wlio  settled  at  New  Harbor,  in  the 
town  of  Bristol,  in  1621,  and  who,  in  1625,  bought  of  the  Indian  sagamore,  Robin  Hood, 


MAINE TOWN    OF   BREWER.  63 

possession  of  a  lot  on  said  clainn  for  a  farm,  on  which  he  resided  until 
1754,  the  period  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Indian  war,  when  he  moved 
his  family  to  the  block-house  at  Muscongus  harbor,  a  distance  of  five 
miles  from  his  farm.  This  he  made  his  home,  continuing,  in  the  mean 
time,  his  labors  upon  his  claim.  Li  May,  1755,  while  he  and  his  three 
sons,  William,  Richard,  and  John,  were  landing  from  a  boat,  they  were 
fired  upon  by  the  Indians,  who  were  in  ambush,  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  William,  and  the  severe  wounding  of  the  father  and  Richard ; 
but  John,  the  youngest  son  (only  seventeen  years  of  age),  being  un- 
harmed, returned  the  fire  and  killed  one  of  the  Indians.  He  then 
assisted  his  father  and  elder  brother  into  the  boat,  and  returned  to  the 
block-house,  leaving  William  dead  upon  the  beach.  The  wound  the 
father  received  in  this  encounter  proved  mortal,  he  having  survived  but 
eight  days. 

At  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Bristol,  this  territory  was  included 
as  a  part  of  it,  and  remained  as  such  tiU  1828,  when  it  became  an  incor- 
porated town  under  its  present  name. 

The  town  has  an  uneven  surface.  It  is  watered  by  Muscongus  and 
McCurdy's  ponds,  and  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  Pemaquid  and  Biscay 
ponds.  The  occupations  of  the  inhabitants  are  farming  and  fishing. 
Commodore  Samuel  Tucker,  of  Revolutionary  memory,  was  a  native  of 
this  town,  and  lived  and  died  here. 

Bremen  has  one  village ;  one  church  edifice,  which  is  owned  by  the 
Congregationalists ;  one  post-office,  seven  school  districts,  with  the 
same  number  of  schools.  Population,  891 ;  valuation,  from  assessors' 
books  in  1858,  $106,411. 

Brewer,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Penobscot 
river,  extending  six  mUes  on  the  river,  and  being  about  three  miles 
wide.  Its  early  history  is  included  in  that  of  Orrington,  of  which  it 
formed  the  northern  part  until  February,  1812,  when  it  was  set  off  from 
that  town  and  incorporated  under  its  present  name,  in  honor  of  John 
Brewer,  one  of  its  first  settlers,  and  the  first  postmaster  of  the  town. 

The  surface  is  quite  even,  and  the  soil  a  clayey  loam,  which  is  con- 
sidered good  for  farming  purposes,  especially  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 
Brick-malting  is  a  prominent  business  here,  there  being  some  twelve  or 


for  fifty  skins,  a  tract  of  land  between  Broad  bay  and  Damarisootta  river,  extending 
twenty-five  miles  into  the  country.  This  tract  of  land  he  and  his  descendants  inhab- 
ited till  driven  away  by  the  Indians  ;  but,  though  not  allowed  to  occupy  it,  his  descend- 
ants claimed  the  land  until  1812,  when  the  matter  was  adjusted.  —  Commissioners'  Report, 
1811 ;  Annals  of  Warren,  p.  1 7. 


64  HISTOKY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

fifteen  yards  in  operation,  which  manufacture  about  twelve  millions 
annually.  These  bricks  sell  for  five  dollars  per  thousand,  delivered  at  the 
wharf:  most  of  them  are  shipped  to  Boston  and  its  vicinity.  There  is 
also  considerable  business  done  here  in  shipbuilding ;  the  average  for  the 
past  five  years  being  about  two  thousand  tons  annually.  The  vessels 
are  mostly  of  the  smaller  class,  consisting  of  brigs  and  schooners,  vary- 
ing from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  tons  burden.  A  num- 
ber of  saw-mUls  are  also  established  here,  some  of  which  are  propelled 
by  steam;  and  connected  with  them  are  several  shingle  and  lath 
machines. 

There  are  two  villages,  both  located  on  the  river,  about  two  miles 
apart.  The  upper  village  is  directly  opposite  the  city  of  Bangor,  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  a  toll-bridge.  There  is  a  post-office  at  each 
village.  There  are  three  church  edifices,  —  two  Congregational,  and 
one  Methodist;  and  three  school  districts,  with  twenty-six  schools. 
Population,  2,628 ;  valuation,  $383,261. 

Bkidgton,  is  situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  Cumberland  county. 
The  grant  of  this  town  was  made,  in  1761,  by  Massachusetts,  to  Ben- 
jamin Mullikin,  Moody  Bridges,  and  Thomas  Perley,  agents  for  the 
proprietors.  It  was  divided  into  eighty-six  shares.  Sixty-one  of  these 
rights  were  held  by  individual  proprietors ;  one  was  set  apart  for  the 
support  of  the  ministry ;  one  for  the  first  settled  minister ;  one  for  Har- 
vard College ;  one  for  the  support  of  schools ;  one  for  the  first  settler  in 
the  township ;  and  the  remaining  twenty  were  held  by  all  the  proprie- 
tors as  a  community.  These  lots  were  numbered  from  one  to  eighty- 
six  ;  and  each  claimant  received  his  number  by  lot  As  an  encourage- 
ment to  settlers,  the  proprietors  proposed  to  give  one  hundred  acres  of 
the  common  land,  lying  east  of  Long  pond,  to  each  settler  who  should 
have  twelve  acres  of  land  cleared,  a  house  built,  and  a  family  settled  in 
the  township,  by  the  year  1771. 

In  1767,  the  proprietors  named  their  township  Bridgton,  in  honor  of 
Moody  Bridges,  one  of  their  number.  Prior  to  this  time,  it  had  been 
known  by  the  name  of  Pondicherry.^ 

The  first  tract  of  land  was  granted  in  1768,  to  Captain  Benjamin  Kim- 
ball, from  Ipswich,  Mass.,  who  bound  himself  "  to  settle  in  the  township 
by  the  10th  of  June  of  that  year ;  to  build  a  convenient  house  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  proprietors  and  others,  by  the  10th  day  of  Septem- 
ber ;  to  keep  a  store  of  goods,  to  be  retailed  out  at  a  reasonable  advance  ; 

'  This  name  was  humorously  given  to  a  tract  of  country,  lying  between  Long  pond  and 
Pleasant  mountain,  on  account  of  its  numerous  ponds  and  abundance  of  wild  cherries. 


MAINE TOWN    OF   BEIDGTON.  65 

and  also  to  hold  himself  in  readiness,  with  a  convenient  boat  of  two  tons 
burden,  rigged  with  a  convenient  sail,  to  carry  passengers  and  freight 
from  Pierson  Town  to  the  head  of  Long  pond  and  back,  whenever 
called  upon  by  the  proprietors,  for  the  term  of  seven  years.  For  this 
service,  he  was  to  receive  six  shillings  per  day  for  himself,  five  shiUings 
per  day  for  an  assistant,  and  two  shillings  and  sixpence  for  his  boat."  ^ 
Kimball  kept  this  store  for  several  years,  and  carried  on  a  considerable 
trade  with  the  Indians. 

The  same  year  the  proprietors,  for  a  somewhat  similar  consideration, 
contracted  with  Jacob  Stevens  to  build  and  keep  in  repair  a  saw- 
mill and  a  corn-mill.  These  mills  were  the  first  erected  in  Bridgton, 
and  were  built  on  the  stream  now  known  as  Stevens's  brook. 

Owing  to  unforeseen  obstacles,  the  settlement  did  not  advance  as 
rapidly  as  anticipated ;  and  additional  inducements  were  held  out  to 
settlers.  On  the  night  of  the  2d  of  October,  1780,  the  dwelling-house 
of  Enoch  Perley  was  consumed  by  fire,  together  with  all  the  records  of 
the  proprietors.  Fortunately,  however,  the  field-notes  of  the  surveyor 
w^ho  laid  out  the  township,  and  the  tickets  by  which  the  lots  were 
drawn,  were  preserved.  From  these,  and  from  memory,  a  committee, 
appointed  for  the  purpose,  made  up  a  new  record,  and  procured  a  con- 
firmation thereof  by  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  in  1783. 

In  June,  1782,  a  committee  of  the  proprietors,  appointed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  inquiring  into  the  progress  made  by  the  settlers  in  clearing  land 
and  erecting  buildings,  reported  the  names  of  certain  persons  as  having 
merited  each  one  or  more  lots,  which  amounted  in  the  aggregate  to 
fourteen,  and  were  located  next  to  Long  pond.  These  lots  have  since 
been  designated  as  "  merited "  lots.  At  the  same  time,  arrangements 
were  made  for  building  a  public  saw-mih  on  the  stream  leading  from 
Woods  pond  to  Long  pond.  The  site  selected  was  the  same  that  is 
now  occupied  by  Mr.  Chaplin's  miU,  in  the  village  known  by  the  name 
of  Pinhook. 

For  several  years  the  progress  of  the  settlement  was  much  retarded 
by  the  Revorutionary  war.  The  inhabitants,  though  not  actually  mo- 
lested during  that  war,  w^ere  in  constant  apprehension  of  a  hostile  attack 
from  the  Indians.  Several  of  the  families  broke  up  and  removed  to 
Standish,  where  they  remained  till  the  danger  was  past.  At  one  time, 
in  consequence  of  information  received  that  the  Indians  had  attacked 
the  settlement  at  Bethel  (then  called  Sudbury  Canada),  and  killed  one 
man,  and  were  advancing   towards    Bridgton,  the    alarm   became    so 

'  These  conditions  are  embodied  in  the  deed  conveying  to  Captain  Kimball  the  sixty- 
first  right  of  land.     It  bears  date  April  6,  1 708. 

6* 


66  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

great  that  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  determined  on  evacuating  the 
place,  but  were  spared  the  necessity  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  enemy. 
From  the  close  of  the  war,  the  settlement  advanced  more  rapidly, 
and  in  1787,  the  population  numbered  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
persons. 

Bridgton  was  incorporated  as  a  town  February  7,  1794.  From  that 
time,  the  town  steadUy  increased  in  wealth  and  population,  till  1805, 
when  the  part  of  its  territory  lying  on  the  easterly  side  of  Long  pond, 
containing  about  8,500  acres,  was  set  off  to  form,  in  part,  the  new  town  of 
Harrison.  Again,  in  1834,  a  portion  of  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town, 
containing  about  2,500  acres,  was  set  off  to  form  a  part  of  the  new  town 
of  Naples.  In  1847,  the  inhabitants,  seeking  to  restore  Bridgton  as 
far  as  possible  to  its  former  dimensions,  acquired  by  annexation  upon 
the  west,  from  the  towns  of  Fryeburg  and  Denmark,  a  tract  of  territory 
containing  about  3,700  acres,  now  known  by  the  name  of  Texas.  The 
present  area  of  the  town  is  about  thirty  thousand  acres.  The  land  in  this 
region  is  very  productive.  There  are  some  excellent  and  well-cultivated 
farms  in  the  town  and  vicinity. 

There  are  twenty-two  school  districts,  and  twenty-one  public  schools, 
kept,  upon  an  average,  about  one  half  the  time,  and  an  academy,  estab- 
lished in  1848.  There  are  six  rehgious  societies,  aU  having  places  of 
pubUc  worship,  —  three  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  one  Free-will  Bap- 
tist, and  one  Universalist.  There  is  also  a  very  respectable  number  of 
Methodists,  but  they  have  no  organized  society. 

Bridgton  contains  nine  saw-mills,  six  grist-mills,  three  extensive  tan- 
neries, two  large  carriage  manufactories,  and  several  other  manufactur- 
ing establishments  of  importance ;  also,  one  post-olRce.  Population, 
2,710;  valuation,  $472,161. 

Brighton,  Somerset  county,  was  originally  a  part  of  Bingham's  Ken- 
nebec Purchase,  and  joins  the  town  of  Bingham  on  the  east.  It  is 
watered  by  a  branch  of  the  Kennebec  river,  and  was  incorporated  in 
1816.  The  town  has  one  small  village,  two  saw-miUs,  two  grist-mills, 
one  tannery,  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist),  one  post-office,  and 
eight  school  districts.     Population,  748 ;  valuation,  ®46,919. 

Bristol,  Lincoln  county,  is  situated  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
peninsula,  between  the  Damariscotta  and  Muscongus  rivers,  and  em- 
braces the  ancient  Pemaquid,  a  place  justly  celebrated  in  the  eady  his- 
tory of  New  England,  as  one  of  the  most  important  settlements  on  the 
coast.  It  is  at  present  particularly  interesting  from  the  fact  that  the 
monuments  of  its  early  history  are  still  remaining,  —  these  being  almost 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   BRISTOL.  67 

the  only  records  that  have  been  left  us.  Even  these,  the  destroying 
hand  of  time  has  so  changed  that  a  wide  field  is  open  to  speculative 
inquiry,  as  scarcely  any  thing  can  be  determined  with  certainty.  Bris- 
tol formed  a  large  part  of  the  Pemaquid  patent,  granted  by  the 
Plymouth  Council,  February  20,  1631,  to  Robert  Aldsworth  and  Gyles 
Elbridge,  two  merchants,  belonging  to  Bristol,  England.  The  patent 
covered  the  entire  peninsula,  from  the-  sources  of  -the  rivers  to  the  sesi, 
including  the  Damariscove  islands,  and  aU  others  within  twenty-seven 
miles  of  the  main  land.  The  grant  was  made  in  consideration  of  past 
public  services,  as  well  as  the  promise,  on  the  part  of  the  patentees,  to 
build  a  town  on  the  grant  as  soon  as  practicable. 

They  commenced  the  settlement  on  a  point  of  land,  made  by  the 
Pemaquid  river,  as  it  enters  the  harbor,  covering  an  area  of  twenty- 
seven  acres,  and  which,  at  that  time,  was  studded  with  heavy  forest 
trees.^  In  a  few  years,  residences,  shops,  and  trading-houses  w^ere  nu- 
merous enough  to  indicate  that  the  settlement  was  in  a  most  prosperous 
condition. 

In  1664,  Bristol  was  claimed  by  the  Duke  of  York,  as  being  within 
the  patent  he  held  from  the  crown,  of  New  York  and  Sagadahoc,  of 
which  Sir  Edmund  Andros  was  commissioned  governor.  This  gentle- 
man assumed  the  reins  of  government  in  October,  1674,^  and  continued 
governor  over  this  part  of  Maine  till  1682.^  He  transported  many 
Dutch  families  here ;  and  Gyles  says,*  that  he  built  a  city  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Pemaquid  river,  on  the  spot  represented  in  the  accompanying 
engraving,  and  named  it  Jamestown,  in  honor  of  the  duke.  The  gi-eat 
number  of  old  cellars  here,  in  a  tolerably  good  state  of  preservation,  and 
the  paved  streets,  now  covered  with  soil,  seem  to  corroborate  this  state- 
ment. Gyles  also  says,  that  Andros  built  a  fort  here,  which  he  named 
Fort  Charles,  and  garrisoned  with  a  "  considerable  number  of  soldiers." 
This,  Andros  was  of  opinion,  would  fully  secure  the  duke's  supremacy.^ 
Notwithstanding  the  arbitrary  policy  of  Andros,  and  the  imperious 
manner  in  which  he  administered  the  government,  —  by  which  he 
incurred  the  hatred  of  every  settler  in  Maine,  —  the  settlements  seem  to 
have  been  generally  prosperous.  In  1674,  Josselyn  says,  that  Pema- 
quid, Matinicus,  Monhegan,  Cape  Newagen,  [now  Boothbay,]  "where 
Captain  Smith  fished  for  whales,"  and  Muscongus,"now  all  filled  with 

'  Lar<TC  stumps  are  now  to  be  seen  at  low  tide,  which  show  what  this  ancient  forest 
was.  The  sea,  having  worn  away  the  shore  so  as  to  cover  their  stumps  at  flood-tide,  has 
thus  preserved  them  from  decay. 

"  Williamson,  vol.  I.,  p.  444-5.  '  Douglas,  vol.  i.,  p.  430. 

*  Trao-edies  of  the  Wilderness.  '  Belknap,  p.  158. 


68  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

dwelling-houses,  and  stages  for  fishermen,    had  plenty  of  cattle,  arable 
land,  and  marshes."  ^ 

In  1675,  the  war  of  King  Philip  broke  out  in  Massachusetts,  and  the 
eastern  Indians,  having  received  repeated  injuries  at  the  hands  of  the 
English,  joined  the  Massachusetts  braves  for  their  extermination.  By 
the  untiring  exertions,  however,  of  Abraham  Shurt,  a  very  influential 
citizen  of  Pemaquid,  who  well  understood  the  Indian  character,  the 
impending  doom,  that,  like  a  storm-cloud  in  the  heavens,  had  overhung 
with  its  sable  drapery  the  settlements  along  the  coast,  and  Pemaquid  in 
particular,  was  for  a  time  averted.  He  called  together  the  chiefs  ;  and, 
by  his  great  fairness  in  promising  them  a  just  remuneration  for  the  furs 
that  had  been  stolen  from  them,  and  assurances  against  any  future 
aggression,  their  hostile  feelings  were  allayed,  and  pledges  of  friendship 
exchanged.  But  the  good  faith  of  the  savages  was  suspected.  The 
traders  at  some  of  the  neighboring  stations  were  accused  of  selling 
them  arms  and  ammunition,  and  rumors  were  forthwith  put  in  circula- 
tion, that  an  extensive  conspiracy  was  forming  among  all  the  tribes  of 
the  province,  to  completely  wipe  out,  at  one  decisive  blow,  all  the  set- 
tlements upon  the  coast.  The  government  was  alarmed  at  these 
rumors,  and  warrants  were  issued,  to  "  seize  every  Indian  known  to  be 
a  man-slayer,  traitor,  or  conspirator."  ^  These  warrants  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  basest  of  men ;  the  same  ones,  in  fact,  who  had  originated 
and  put  in  circulation  the  rumors  concerning  the  designs  of  the  Indians. 
A  vessel  was  fitted  out  off  Pemaquid,  and  a  crew  organized,  for  the 
purpose  of  kidnapping  the  Indians.  The  intention  was,  by  specious 
pretexts,  to  inveigle  them  on  board  the  vessel,  and  then  to  transport 
them  to  foreign  ports,  to  be  sold  as  slaves.  Shurt,  having  informed 
himself  of  this  outrageous  proceeding,  remonstrated  with  those  who 
were  the  prime  movers  in  it;  but  to  no  purpose.  He  next  informed  the 
Lidians  of  the  plot,  and  warned  them  of  their  danger ;  but  it  was  so 
deeply  laid,  and  so  adroitly  managed,  that  he  was  unable  wholly  to 
thwart  the  enterprise.  Several  Indians  were  decoyed  on  board,  and 
dealt  with  as  their  betrayers  had  intended.  This  fact  becoming  fully 
known,  the  pent-up  rage  that  had  long  heaved  the  savage  bosom,  and 
which  had  only  been  smouldering  under  the  pacific  policy  of  Shurt, 
now  knew  no  bounds,  and  burst  forth  like  the  fiery  torrent  of  the  vol- 
cano. A  murderous  attack  was  at  once  made  upon  all  the  settlements 
and  trading  stations  along  the  coast,  and  they  were  destroyed  with  a 
vengeance  that  knew  no  limit.  Pemaquid,  the  centre  of  civilization  in 
the  wilderness,  — one  of  the  first-born  cities  in  the  New  World,  — was 

>  Josselyn's  Voyages,  p.  200-205.  (Harv.  CoU.  Lib.)    '  Williamson,  p.  531,  vol.  i. 


'Ill 


1. 

SI 


a 


I 


ii 


in 


.1, 1, 


MAINE — TOWN   OF   BRISTOL.  69 

now  to  meet  its  doom.  The  torch  was  appUed,  and  the  infant  city 
soon  enveloped  in  one  devouring  sheet  of  flame.  Tenants  ran  frantic 
from  their  burning  dwellings  to  seek  a  refuge  in  the  wilderness ;  but 
only,  in  many  cases,  to  have  their  heads  cleft  by  the  tomahawk.  Those 
who  escaped  did  so  only  because  their  fleetness  of  foot  carried  them 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  shower  of  balls  that  followed  them.  Some 
plunged  into  the  water  to  escape  the  vigilant  eye  of  the  savage ;  whilst 
others  made  their  way  to  the  adjacent  islands,  and  from  thence  to  Bos- 
ton and  other  places,  where  they  might  find  security. 

On  the  termination  of  this  war,  in  1678,  the  settlers  again  returned, 
and  began  to  clear  away  the  ruins  of  the  late  conflagration,  to  repair 
the  fort,  and  to  put  the  place  in  a  state  of  defence.  This  had  scarcely 
been  attained,  and  the  settlement  placed  again  on  a  favorable  footing, 
w^hen  a  revolution  broke  out  in  England.  William  and  Mary  ascended 
the  throne.  War  was  declared  against  France  ;  and,  as  a  natural  result, 
the  colonies  were  again  called  to  participate  in  the  struggle.  Pemaquid 
was  again  destroyed,  the  French  battering  down  the  fort,  and  taking  it 
by  assault.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  were  either  killed  or  taken  prison- 
ers, and  the  fields  and  habitations  that  adorned  both  sides  of  the  river 
were  again  reduced  to  a  melancholy  waste. 

In  1692,  three  years  after,  this  place  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English ; 
and  Sir  William  Phips,  the  first  governor  of  Massachusetts  under  the 
second  charter,  commenced  its  reconstruction,  by  erecting  a  new  stone 
fortification  on  the  point  of  land  between  the  house  of  Mr.  Partridge,  as 
seen  in  the  engraving,  and  the  large  rock  at  the  extremity  of  the  point 
This  fort  commanded  the  river  above  and  below,  and  its  strength  was 
supposed  to  be  amply  sufficient  for  the  defence  of  the  place.  This  sup- 
position, however,  proved  to  be  unfounded ;  for  the  French  recaptured 
it  in  1717-18,  though  they  occupied  it  but  a  short  time.  In  1724,  the 
fort  became  a  rendezvous  for  the  inhabitants  of  Pemaquid  and  the  sur- 
rounding settlements,  and  continued  as  such  during  Lovewell's  war.  In 
1729-30,  it  had  gone  considerably  to  decay,  and  was  repaired  by  Colo- 
nel Dunbar.i  During  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  fearing  it  might  be- 
come a  place  of  defence  for  the  enemy,  it  was  destroyed. 

'  In  1729-30,  Colonel  David  Dunbar,  a  reduced  and  indigent  colonel  in  the  army,  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  surveyor  of  the  king's  woods  in  America.  He  also,  by  the  aid  of 
persons  who  were  enemies  of  the  proprietors,  obtained  a  royal  order,  by  which  the  entire 
province  of  Sagadahoc  was  given  into  his  hands,  with  directions  to  settle,  superintend, 
and  govern  it  He  accordingly  took  up  his  residence  at  Pemaquid,  and  erected  a  com- 
modious dwelling-house,  which  he  surrounded  with  a  farm,  and  beautified  with  a  well- 
cultivated  and  tasteful  garden. —  (Commissioners'  Reporl,  ISll, -p.  15G.)  He  repaired 
the  fort  that  Phips  had  built,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  Fort  Frederick ;  again  laid  out  the 


70  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  town  did  not  take  any  part  in  distant  opera- 
tions in  the  last  war  with  England,  preferring  to  remain  at  home  and 
defend  their  own  settlement.  The  following  incidents  are  evidences  of 
the  manner  in  which  they  carried  out  their  intentions  :  — 

A  Spanish  brig  lay  in  the  harbor  of  Bristol,  having  smuggled  goods 
on  board  destined  for  that  port ;  and  on  the  afternoon  of  September  4, 
1813,  the  British  brig  Boxer  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Pemaquid  river, 
for  the  purpose,  it  is  supposed,  of  collecting  the  stipulated  salvage,  which 
the  Spaniard  had  not  heretofore  paid.  Before  she  had  accomplished 
her  object,  however,  the  American  brig  Enterprise,  which  had  been 
cruising  off  the  coast,  hove  in  sight ;  and  the  Boxer  determined  on  her 
capture.  Nailing  her  colors  to  her  mast,  she  bore  down  upon  the  En- 
terprise, and  engaged  her  between  Pemaquid  point  and  Monhegan 
island.  The  conflict  lasted  forty-eight  minutes,  during  which  the  Boxer 
was  terribly  cut  up.  The  shot  from  the  Enterprise  continued  to  riddle 
her,  until  a  gun  was  fired  to  leeward  by  the  Boxer,  —  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  her  submission  and  capture.  The  Enterprise  then  came  along 
side,  and  took  the  Boxer  as  her  prize  to  Portland. 

The  next  year,  on  the  29tli  of  June,  the  British  determined  on  being 
revenged  on  Bristol,  for  the  many  chastisements  they  had  received  at 
the  hands  of  her  inhabitants ;  and  despatched  the  frigate  Maidstone  to 
execute  what  had  long  been  threatened,  namely,  the  utter  demolition  of 
the  town.  The  Bristol  boys,  however,  were  prepared  to  receive  them, 
and  treat  them  to  a  collation  of  grape-shot.  The  Maidstone  anchored  in 
Fisherman's  Island  harbor,  and  sent  eight  barges  into  Pemaquid  harbor, 
containing  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  men.  They  were  met  by 
Captain  Sproul,  with  a  force  of  about  one  hundred  men.  The  engage- 
ment took  place  during  the  night,  —  a  dense  fog  enveloping  the  rival 
forces,  so  that  neither  the  barges  nor  men  could  be  seen,  save  by  the 
flashes  of  the  musketry.  Not  one  of  Captain  Sproul's  men  was  injured 
during  the  engagement,  which  was  about  an  hour  in  duration ;  nor  is  it 
known  that  the  British  suffered  any  loss.  They  did  not  attempt  to 
land,  but  pushed  for  New  Harbor,  about  seven  mUes  farther  east  by  sea, 

city,  which  had  been  burnt  in  1676,  and  added  to  the  conflicting  titles  that  already  ex- 
isted in  this  neighborhood,  by  regranting  the  lands,  with  but  little  regard  to  the  rights  of 
former  occupants.  Those  that  refused  to  repurchase  their  lands,  and  take  deeds  from 
him,  were  violently  ejected  ;  and  in  some  cases  their  houses  were  burnt,  and  they  them- 
selves threatened  with  imprisonment.  A  mammoth  petition  was  gotten  up  by  the  propri- 
etors of  various  grants  in  the  province,  and  others  interested,  and  laid  before  the  king ; 
and,  through  the  persevering  efforts  of  Levi  Waldo,  who  was  largely  interested  in  the 
Muscongus  patent,  and  the  colony  agent,  Dunbar  was  removed  from  authority.  — ■  Sulli- 
van's Hist,  of  Maine. 


MAINE  ■ 


•  TOWN    OF    BRISTOL. 


71 


though  only  one  mile  by  land.  Here  two  boys  were  stationed  on  guard, 
who,  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  barges,  fired  the  concerted  signal  gun, 
\vhen  Captain  Sproul,  with  his  command,  made  all  haste  to  the  rescue. 
William  Rodgers,  who  lived  near  this  spot,  seeing  the  enemy,  advised 
them  to  make  a  hasty  retreat,  or  one  hundred  of  the  Bristol  boys  would 
soon  be  upon  them.  They  ridiculed  his  counsel ;  and,  in  return  for  it, 
an  officer,  with  a  profane  oath,  ordered  the  bow  gun  to  be  discharged  at 
him,  which,  however,  did  no  injury.  Soon  after,  the  Yankees,  old  and 
young,  assembled  in  large  numbers,  eager  for  the  fight.  Lodging 
themselves  behind  the  rocks,  they  made  sad  havoc  among  the  English 
forces,  while  they  were  comparatively  secure  from  harm.  Soon  the 
foremost  barge  became  disabled,  and  was  replaced  by  another ;  but 
the  English,  finding  that  they  were  suffering  considerably,  while  their 
enemies  were  secure,  gave  up  the  contest  and  returned  to  the  ship. 
Not  one  of  the  Bristol  boys  was  hurt  during  the  engagement ;  ^vhile 
the  British  lost  many  in  killed  and  wounded,  though  the  exact  number 
is  not  knowm.  The  Maidstone  hovered  about  the  coast  a  few  weeks 
subsequent  to  this  engagement,  when  she  returned  to  England,  where 
the  captain  was  court-martialed  and  discharged  from  the  service  "  for 
making  an  attack  upon  Bristol  without  orders.  " 

There  are   some   interesting  relics   of  an   ancient  settlement  in  this 
town,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  above  the  site  of  Phips's  fort.      One 


Antiquitiea  id  Bristol. 


of  them  is  an  earthwork,  situated  on  a  high  bluff,  as  seen  in  the  engrav- 
ing, having  every  appearance  of  the  remains  of  a  fortification.  Mr. 
Williamson,  the  historian  of  Maine,  and  some  others,  pronounce  it  the 


72  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

remains  of  a  fort ;  but  offer  no  conjecture  as  to  when  it  was  erected,  or 
by  whom,  or  for  what  purpose.  Some  antiquaries,  who  think  they  have 
sufficient  proof  of  the  settlement  of  New  England  by  a  Scandinavian 
colony  prior  to  the  time  of  Columbus,  attribute  the  work  to  them. 
There  are  also  in  close  proximity  to  the  earthwork,  the  remains  of  a  tan- 
nery, —  now  a  bog  of  about  half  an  acre,  grown  up  with  rushes.  The 
vats  are  filled  up,  though  the  linings  are  still  preserved.  With  the  aid 
of  a  pole,  these  vats  can  be  felt  in  their  length  and  breadth.  The  more 
reasonable  solution  of  the  matter  is,  that  this  earthwork  was  constructed 
by  the  early  settlers  as  a  place  for  the  storage  of  provisions,  and  such 
other  property  as  they  might  possess ;  and  that  the  old  tannery  was 
built  at  or  about  the  same  time. 

The  inhabitants  of  Bristol  are  mainly  of  Scotch  descent,  with  a  mix- 
ture of  the  Scotch-Irish,  a  part  of  whom  settled  Londonderry,  N.  H. 
There  are  also  some  of  the  descendants  of  the  Dutch,  who  were  gar- 
risoned here  under  the  authority  of  Andros  ;  besides  a  sprinkling  of  the 
German  stock,  who  emigrated  under  the  patronage  of  Waldo,  and  set- 
tled the  town  of  Waldoboro'. 

The  territory  of  the  town  is  very  large,  and  the  surface  very  uneven. 
Granite  is  found  here  ;  but,  as  a  general  thing,  of  a  coarse  quality.  There 
are  several  ponds,  three  of  which  have  an  outlet,  called  Pemaquid  river, 
which  falls  into  the  harbor  of  that  name,  at  the  south  part  of  the  town. 

The  leading  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants  is  seafaring.  Something  has 
been  done  in  shipbuilding,  though  not  on  a  very  extensive  scale.  In 
the  year  1854-55,  four  ships,  one  brig,  and  one  schooner  were  con- 
structed here,  making  an  aggregate  of  3,425  tons.  At  the  present  writ- 
ing, the  business  has  fallen  off,  only  one  schooner  of  forty-five  tons 
having  been  built  in  1856.  In  the  way  of  manufacturing,  little  or  noth- 
ing is  done. 

There  are  four  so-called  villages,  namely,  Bristol  Mills,  Pemaquid 
Falls,  Round  Pond,  and  Walpole.  Post-offices  have  been  established 
at  Bristol,  Pemaquid,  and  Round  Pond.  There  are  seven  churches  in 
Bristol,  three  of  which  are  Methodist,  two  Congregational,  and  two 
union  meeting-houses;  and  nineteen  school  districts,  with  twenty 
schools.     Population,  2,931 ;  valuation,  $251,075. 

Brooklin  makes  one  of  the  extreme  southern  points  of  Hancock 
county,  and  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  town  of  Sedgwdck,  from  which 
it  was  incorporated  in  1849.  The  inhabitants  are  engaged  principally 
in  fishing  and  seafaring.  During  the  summer  season,  a  considerable 
business  is  carried  on  in  the  manufacture  of  porgy  oil.  From  five  hun- 
dred to  one  thousand  barrels  have  been  made"  annually,  worth  from 


MAIXr;  —  TOWN   OF    BllOOKS,   ETC.  73 

^15  to  $20  per  barrel.  The  flesh  of  the  fish,  after  the  oil  is  thus  pressed 
out,  is  found  to  be  very  serviceable  upon  the  soil  of  this  place,  which, 
like  many  of  the  sea-board  localities,  cannot  boast  of  its  productiveness. 
The  farms  on  which  it  has  been  used  are  rapidly  improving. 

Brooklin  has  good  harbors.  A  light-house  was  erected  in  1856,  on 
Fly's  ledges.  There  are  two  small  villages,  one  at  the  river,  near  Sedg- 
wick, the  other  at  the  corner,  near  Centre  Harbor ;  five  boot  and  shoe 
manufactories,  two  barrel  manufactories,  six  grocery  stores,  one  church 
edifice,  occupied  by  the  Baptists  and  Congregationalists ;  one  post-office  ; 
and  ten  school  districts,  with  nineteen  schools.  Population,  1,002;  val- 
uation, ^77,832. 

Brooks  is  situated  near  the  centre  of  Waldo  county,  and  was  first 
settled  in  1801,  by  three  brothers, — Joseph,  John,  and  Jonathan  Roberts. 
Soon  after,  Benjamin  Cilley,  accompanied  by  his  sons,  Benjamin,  Peter, 
and  Simon,  from  Buckfield,  in  the  county  of  Oxford,  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  the  town.  The  settlement  was  originally  called  Washington, 
which  it  retained  till  its  incorporation  in  1818,  when  it  received  the  name 
of  Brooks,  in  honor  of  Governor  Brooks  of  Massachusetts. 

Brooks  is  a  small,  hilly  town,  having  generally  a  good  soil,  with  some 
fine  farms.  Some  attention  is  paid  to  agriculture,  with  good  improve- 
ment. The  town  is  well  "watered.  Marsh  river,  which  takes  its  rise  here, 
and  empties  into  the  Penobscot  at  Frankfort,  has  water-power  suitable 
for  mills.  The  first  mills  were  built  by  Joseph  Roberts,  and  called 
Roberts's  mills.  In  the  south  part  of  the  town  is  Passagassawaukeag 
pond,  giving  rise  to  Passagassawaukeag  river,  which  runs  through 
Waldo  and  the  upper  part  of  Belfast,  and  empties  into  Penobscot  bay, 
affording  in  its  com-se  several  excellent  water  privileges.  At  the  outlet 
of  the  pond,  in  Brooks,  are  Ellis's  mills ;  and  in  the  southerly  part  of 
the  town  are  several  small  streams,  supplying  water-power  part  of  the 
year. 

Brooks  village  is  the  principal  place  of  business,  having  mills,  stores, 
and  a  post-office.  Some  business  is  done  at  Lane's,  two  miles  south  of 
the  village.  The  religious  societies  are  Congregational,  Free-will  Bap- 
tist, Methodist,  and  Friends'.  The  first  lawyer  was  Phineas  Ashmun, 
who  came  in  the  early  settlement  as  agent  for  Thorndike,  Sears, 
and  Prescott,  the  proprietors  of  land  in  Brooks,  Jackson,  and  Thorndike. 
He  was  the  first  postmaster,  holding  the  office  many  years,  and  died  at 
an  advanced  age.  The  first  physician  was  Jacob  Roberts.  The  set- 
tlers purchased  their  lands  of  the  proprietors,  Thorndike,  Sears,  and 
Prescott. 

The  inhabitants,  in  general,  are  temperate,  industrious,  well-informed, 

VOL.  I.  7 


74  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  independent  in  word  and  action.  Brooks  was  the  native  place  of 
Hon.  Woodbury  Davis,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court  of 
Maine.  No  town  of  its  size  in  the  county  has  done  more  for  the 
cause  of  freedom  and  of  temperance.  It  has  seven  school  districts  ;  and 
two  post-offices,  —  Brooks  and  South  Brooks.  Population,  1,021 ;  val- 
uation, ^102,343. 

Brooksville,  Hancock  county,  is  situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Penobscot  bay,  opposite  Islesborough ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
southeast  corner,  is  entirely  surrounded  by  water.  It  adjoins  Sedgwick, 
and  was  formed  from  parts  of  Castine,  Penobscot,  and  Sedgwick.  Its 
history  is  almost  entirely  embodied  in  the  articles  on  those  towns,  to 
which  the  reader  is  referred. 

The  town  was  incorporated  June  13,  1817.  The  surface  is  generally 
uneven,  abounding  in  granite,  of  which  there  are  several  valuable  quar- 
ries. The  principal  harbor  is  Buck's,  a  deep  and  safe  cove,  protected  by 
a  small  island  at  its  mouth.  There  are  in  town,  one  fulling-mill,  three 
grist-mills,  and  four  saw-mills ;  also  two  churches,  —  Methodist  and 
Congregationahst;  thirteen  school  districts ;  and  one  post-office.  Popu- 
lation, 1,333;  valuation,  $105,901. 

Bro-\vnfield,  Oxford  county,  adjoins  Fryeburg  on  the  north,  and  has 
Conway  and  Eaton,  in  New  Hampshire,  on  the  west.  It  was  first 
organized  as  a  plantation  in  1787,  and  incorporated  in  1802.  It  was 
originally  granted  by  Massachusetts,  in  three  several  grants,  to  Henry 
Young  Brown,  who  had  been  a  captain  in  the  French  war,  in  considera- 
tion, it  is  supposed,  of  services  rendered  in  that  momentous  struggle. 
He  was  to  settle  thirty-eight  families  therein  by  June  10,  1770 ;  and,  in 
three  years  from  that  time,  to  have  a  Protestant  minister  upon  the  terri- 
tory, —  as  a  consideration  in  part,  at  least,  for  his  grants.  The  first 
clearing  of  land  was  made  by  him,  in  May,  1765.  In  the  war  of  1812, 
when  the  population  of  the  town  was  less  than  nine  hundred,  twenty- 
two  persons  entered  the  army,  including  one  captain  and  three  lieuten- 
ants. Of  these,  four  died  in  the  service  by  sickness,  and  eighteen 
returned,  —  two  of  them  having  been  wounded.  The  first  settled 
minister  of  Brownfield  was  the  Rev.  Jacob  Rice,  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
College  in  1765,  who  was  ordained  in  1805.  The  first  schoolmaster 
was  "  Master  Simeon  Colby,"  canonized  by  seven  years'  successive  rule 
and  service  in  a  single  school  district  here. 

The  town  lies  seventy  miles  southwesterly  from  Augusta,  and  forty 
miles  northwesterly  from  Portland,  and  on  the  mail-stage  route  from 
Portland,  through  Fryeburg  and   Conway,  to  the  notch  of  the  White 


MAINE TOWN   OF   BROWNVILLE,   ETC.  70 

mountains.  It  is  situated  on  Saco  river,  and  is  intersected  by  the  Little 
Saco,  Shepherd's  river,  Burnt-meadow  and  Ten-mile  brooks.  Much  of 
the  soil  is  of  medium  quality.  Burnt-meadow  and  Frost  mountains,  the 
former  rising  about  two  thousand,  and  the  latter, about  fifteen  hundred 
feet,  are  within  the  town,  and  are  resorted  to  by  lovers  of  extensive  and 
charming  views  of  wild  and  rural  scenery. 

The  centre  village,  on  Shepherd's  river,  is  the  principal  place  of  trade 
and  business  in  the  town.  There  are  two  church  edifices,  one  belong- 
ing to  the  Congregationalists,  the  other  to  the  Free-will  Baptists  and 
Methodists ;  seventeen  school  districts,  three  grist-mills,  three  saw-mills, 
a  large  tannery,  various  small  mechanical  establishments,  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  1,320  ;  valuation,  $159,636. 

Brownville,  Piscataquis  county,  originally  No.  5,  range  8,  north  of 
the  Waldo  patent,  was  bargained,  by  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  for  the  sale  of  eastern  lands,  to 
Samuel  Fowler,  March  2,  1795,  for  the  sum  of  £2,963  14s.  Id.,  of  which 
sum  he  paid  £261.  In  the  month  of  June,  1803,  he,  in  company  with 
Benjamin  Marshall  and  four  others,  made  a  survey  of  the  town,  laying 
it  out  in  lots  one  mile  long  from  north  to  south,  and  half  a  mile  wide. 
In  1806,  the  town,  falling  again  into  the  possession  of  the  Common- 
wealth, was  deeded  by  Read  and  Smith,  agents  for  the  state,  to  Moses 
Brown  and  Josiah  HiUs,  of  Newburyport,  Mass.  During  the  summer 
of  that  year.  Hills  moved  his  family  hither,  and  built  a  mill  on  Ebeme 
river.  A  part  of  the  wooden  dam  then  built  is  still  in  existence.  Dr. 
Isaac  Wilkins  moved  hither  from  Solon  in  1808,  and  died  about  1820. 
His  son  George  kept  the  farm  after  his  death,  and  still  resides  upon  it. 
In  1810,  according  to  the  statement  of  James  Rankin,  there  Avere  but 
fifteen  families  here.  The  settlement  was  organized  into  a  plantation 
in  1819,  and  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1824. 

There  is  one  village  belonging  to  Brownville,  which  is  situated  in  the 
southwest  part  of  the  town ;  and  one  post-office ;  there  are  two  church 
edifices,  belonging  to  the  Congregationalists  and  Methodists  ;  and  nine 
school  districts,  with  sixteen  schools.  The  slate  quarries  in  this  town 
are  of  immense  value.  Two  of  them  are  now  worked,  and  give  em- 
ployment to  about  seventy  men,  most  of  whom  are  of  Welsh  origin. 
Population,  787  ;   valuation,  $78,987. 

BRxnsrswiCK  is  situated  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  Cumberland 
county.  The  first  settlement  within  the  limits  of  the  town  was  made 
by  Thomas  Purchas  in  1628,  under  a  supposed  patent  from  the  Plym- 
outh council ;  but,  finding  his  situation  so  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the 


76  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Indians,  that  he  was  constantly  liable  to  their  depredations,  he  sought 
the  protection  of  Massachusetts,  by  assigning  to  the  then  governor,  John 
Winthrop,  "  all  the  tract  at  Pejepscot,i  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
Androscoggin,  four  miles  towards  the  sea."  He  succeeded,  under  the 
protecting  arm  of  Massachusetts,  in  making  a  prosperous  settlement 
here,  but  on  the  breaking  out  of  King  Philip's  war  it  was  destroyed  by 
the  Indians.  Scarcely  had  it  arisen  from  its  ashes,  when  the  colony 
charter  of  Massachusetts  was  annulled  by  the  crown,  and  the  ties  which 
connected  the  inhabitants  of  Maine  with  Massachusetts  were  greatly 
weakened,  if  not  entirely  sundered.  Some  of  the  inhabitants,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  this  state  of  things,  conceived  the  idea  of  purchasing  this 
large  tract  of  land  of  the  natives  ;  and,  on  the  7th  of  July,  1684,  the 
whole  tract  that  had  been  taken  up  by  Purchas,  and  other  large  tracts, 
having  no  very  definite  limits,  were  sold  by  several  Indian  sagamores  to 
Richard  Wharton.  The  widow  and  heirs  of  Purchas  made  some 
reservations,  and  then  signed  a  quitclaim  of  the  whole  to  Wharton. 
This  is  a  brief  account  of  the  Pejepscot  Purchase ;  the  disputed  land 
claims  and  the  vexatious  lawsuits  that  grew  out  of  it,  were  the  most 
protracted  and  harassing  to  be  found  on  the  judicial  records  of  the 
state. 

In  1690,  the  Indians  made  another  incursion,  and  again  burned 
the  town ;  but  it  was  rebuilt  in  1713-14 ;  and,  to  secure  the  place 
against  further  pillage  and  destruction,  a  fort  was  erected  in  1715, 
near  ^vhere  the  village  now  stands,  called  Fort  George,  which,  however, 
proved  to  be  of  little  service  to  the  inhabitants,  as  in  Lovewell's  Avar, 
"which  occurred  in  1722,  the  town  was  again  laid  in  ashes.  It  was  re- 
settled a  third  time  in  1727,  and  on  the  24th  of  June,  1737,  was  incor- 
porated, taking  its  name  from  one  of  the  twelve  states  of  the  German 
Confederation.  It  is  now  one  of  the  most  important  towns  in  the  state. 
The  village  is  very  pleasantly  situated  on  a  plain  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Androscoggin.  The  Kennebec  and  Portland  Railroad  passes  through 
the  town,  a  branch  of  which  has  recently  been  extended  from  Bruns- 
wick to  Bath. 

Bowdoin  College,  a  view  of  which  is  here  given,  is  situated  on  an 
elevated  plain  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  village.  It  was  chartered  by 
the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  on  the  24th  of  June,  1794,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  was   endowed  with  five  townships  of  land ;  ^  and  went 

'  The  Indian  name,  signifying  where  "  angry  waters  oomc  gushing,"  referring,  prob- 
ably, to  the  falls  in  the  Androscoggin.  Others,  however,  give  as  its  meauin<j,  "  crooked, 
like  a  running  snake." 

'  These  townships  were  the  present  towns  of  Sebec,  Foxcroft,  Guilford,  Abbott,  and 
Dixmont. 


MAINE  ■ 


■  TOWN    OF    BCCKFIELD. 


Bowiioiu  CoIIe're. 


into  operation  in  1802,  receiving  the  name  it  now  bears  in  honor  of  a 
wealthy  and  distinguished  family  of  Massachusetts.  The  medical  de- 
partment was  established  in  1820.  The  college  has  a  library  of  thirty 
thousand  four  hundred  volumes,  and  an  anatomical  cabinet,  both  A\'hich 
are  annually  receiving  accessions. 

Brunswick  has  eight  church  edifices,  —  one  Congregational,  two  Bap- 
tist, two  Universalist,  one  Episcopal,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Free-will 
Baptist;  twenty-four  school  districts,  with  twenty-nine  schools;  three 
banks,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  $150,000;  and  ti.vo  post-offices, — 
Brunswick  and  Oak  Hill.  It  has  also  one  cotton  factory — the  Cabot 
Manufacturing  Company's  —  which  was  built  in  1838,  and  manufactures 
sheeting ;  two  box  factories,  one  sash  and  blind  factory,  six  shingle  ma- 
chines, seven  sa^v-mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  carding-mill,  tliree  machin- 
ists, one  marble-worker,  one  soap  and  candle  factory,  four  carriage  bitild- 
ers,  nine  stores,  and  two  public  houses.  Population,  4,977  ;  valuation, 
.^1,107,822. 


BuCKFlELD  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Oxford  counly.  The  first 
eflfort  at  settlement  within  the  limits  of  this  town  was  made  by  Benja- 
min Spattlding,  in  the  summer  of  1776.  The  ensuing  spring,  Thomas 
Allen  and  Abijah  Buck  moved  here  with  their  families ;  and  the  locality 
continuing  to  receive  accessions,  it  was  soon  pretty  thickly  settled.  In 
1788,  a  survey  of  the  tract  was  made,  which  was  found  to  comprise  an 
area  of  22,323  acres.  Soon  after,  it  was  purchased  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  at  the  rate  of  two  shillings  per  acre.  The 
deed  of  this  land  bears  date  November  13,  1788. 

7* 


78  HISTORl'   AXD    DESCRIPTIOX    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Buckfield  was  incorporated  March  16,  1793,  receiving  its  corporate 
name  in  honor  of  Abijah  Buck.  The  surface  of  the  town,  in  the  south- 
eastern part,  bordering  on  Paris,  is  quite  uneven;  on  the  margin  of  the 
streams  there  is  some  fine  alluvial  land,  which  is  capable  of  a  high  de- 
gree of  cultivation.  There  are  several  rich  beds  of  magnetic  iron  ore 
here,  from  which  the  very  best  wrought  iron  and  steel  can  be  made : 
limestone  is  also  found,  which  yields  lime  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the 
Rockland  quarries :  a  bed  of  yellow  ochre  has  also  been  opened. 
The  town  is  watered  by  Twenty-mile  river,  which  is  spanned  by  five 
bridges.  This  river  is  made  otherwise  useful  by  sufficient  water-power 
for  several  mills,  and  other  machinery.  The  village  is  located  near  the 
centre  of  the  town,  in  which  there  are  four  churches,  eight  stores, 
one  post-office,  an  academy,  and  thirteen  school  districts.  Population, 
1,657;  valuation,  $259,924. 

BucKsrORT,  Hancock  county,  lies  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Penobscot 
river,  eighteen  miles  below  Bangor.  It  was  one  of  the  six  townships 
originally  granted  by  William  and  Mary  to  David  Marsh,  of  Haverhill, 
Mass.,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  others,  citizens  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  Hampshire,  whose  title  thereto  was  confirmed  in  1764,  by  the 
general  court  of  Massachusetts. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1762,  Jonathan  Buck,  James  Duncan,  Richard 
Emerson,  William  Duncan,  and  William  Chamberlain,  the  surveyor, 
came  here  from  Haverhill,  Rlass.,  and  began  the  survey  of  the  town, 
upon  the  confirmation  of  the  grant.  Colonel  Buck  built  a  saw-mill  on 
Mill  river,  a  small  stream  passing  through  the  present  village;  also  a 
dwelling-house,  and  a  store.  The  next  year  Laughlin  McDonald  i  and 
his  son  Roderick,  came  here  from  Fort  Pownal,  and  took  up  two  lots  as 
settlers. 

In  1766-67,  Asahel  Harriman,  Jonathan  Frye,  Benjamin  Page,  Phin- 
eas  Ames,  Jonathan  Buck,  Jr.,  and  Ebenezer  Buck,  came  here  and  set- 
tled on  lots  agreeably  to  the  provisions  of  the  grant,  which  gave  to  each 
actual  settler  one  hundred  acres  of  land.  According  to  the  records  there 
were  but  twenty-one  families  here  in  1775. 

The  town  was  incorporated  in  1792,  and  called  Buckstown.  It  was 
first  represented  in  the  '  general  court  in  1804,  by  Jonathan  Buck. 
In  1817  the  name  was  changed  from  Buckstown  to  Bucksport,  because 
the  latter  syllable  was  significant  of  its  locality,  while  the  former  sylla- 
ble was  retained  in  honor  of  its  founder. 

The  surface  is  mieven,  but  not  mountainous,  and  beautifully  diversi- 

'  JIcDonald  ivas  originally  from  Greonot-k,  in  Scotland. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    BURLINGTON,    ETC.  79. 

fied  with  ponds  and  streams.  The  majestic  Penobscot,  as  it  moves  on 
to  the  ocean,  washes  its  western  and  southern  sides.  It  is  quite  thickly 
settled  for  miles  along  the  river,  yet  there  is  but  one  village  proper,  in 
which  most  of  the  trade  is  centred. 

The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is,  and  ever  has  been, 
shipbuilding,  in  which  the  most  of  their  capital  is  invested.  About  three 
thousand  tons  are  annually  set  afloat  here.  Some  thirty  sail,  each  of  one 
hundred  tons  and  upwards,  are  employed  in  the  fisheries  on  the  Grand 
Banks.  These  give  employment  to  more  than  three  hundred  men  and 
boys.  Besides  these  there  are  a  large  number  of  vessels  engaged  in  the 
coasting  and  foreign  trade. 

There  are  four  meeting-houses,  —  one  Congregationalist,  and  three 
Methodist ;  eighteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-two  schools ;  two 
seminaries,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Methodist ;  one  bank,  with 
a  capital  of  $75,000 ;  and  four  post-ofiices,  —  Bucksport,  North  Bucks- 
port,  Bucksport  Centre,  and  East  Bucksport.  Population,  3,381 ;  valu- 
ation, $626,338. 

Burlington,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  fifty-four  miles  northeast 
from  Bangor,  and  about  fifteen  miles  east  from  the  Penobscot,  and 
embraces  an  area  of  forty-eight  square  miles.  It  is  watered  by  several 
ponds,  which  form  the  principal  head  waters  of  the  Passadiimkeag 
river,  -which  flows  into  the  Penobscot.  It  was  incorporated  in  1832,  and 
has  one  church  (Congregationahst),  one  post-ofiice,  and  six  school  dis- 
tricts, with  ten  schools.     Population,  481 ;  valuation,  ^28,500. 

BuKNHAM  is  situated  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Waldo  county,  and 
was  settled  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  with  England.  The  surface 
of  the  town  is  generally  level,  but  somewhat  swampy.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  1824,  and  is,  as  yet,  but  sparsely  setfled.  There  is  one 
small  village,  but  no  church  edifice  or  public  institution  of  any  kind, 
excepting  the  district  schools,  of  which  there  are  eight,  in  the  same 
number  of  districts :  one  tannery,  two  saw-mills,  and  two  shingle 
machines  are  in  operation  here.  Burnham  has  the  usual  trade  of  coun- 
try towns.     Population,  784 ;  valuation,  ^100,000. 

Buxton,  York  county,  was  "  Number  One  "  of  the  seven  townships 
granted  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  in  1732,  to  individuals 
\\'ho  had  served  in  the  war  against  the  Narragansett  Indians.  In  1735, 
a  surveying  commission  was  appointed,  who  laid  out  123  lots  near  Sal- 
mon falls,  on  the  Saco  river.  In  1740,  the  first  effort  was  made  in  set- 
tling the  township,  by  five  families  who  moved  here  from  Massachu- 


80  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

setts;  but  owing  to  the  troubles  with  the  Indians  they  were  soon  obliged 
to  leave.  Nothing  further  was  done  towards  settling  the  township,  until 
the  fall  of  1750,  when  seven  persons  moved  in  with  their  families; 
they  were  William  Hanesck  from  -Londonderry,  Ireland,  John  Eldson 
and  Job  Roberts  from  Saco,  Samuel  Merrill,  Timothy  Haseltine,  Joshua 
Woodman,  and  John  Wilson  from  Massachusetts.  In  1760,  the  pro- 
prietors built  a  meeting-house,  and  three  years  after.  Rev.  Paul  Coffin,  a 
Congregational  clergyman  from  Newbury,  was  ordained,  and  remained 
here  as  pastor  for  sixty  years,  until  his  death  on  the  6th  of  June,  1821. 
In  July,  1772,  the  township  was  incorporated,  and  named  by  Mr.  Coffin 
from  Buxton,  England,  the  home  of  his  ancestors.  From  that  time,  the 
town  steadily  advanced,  without  any  serious  interruption. 

The  surface  is  generally  level,  and  the  soil  good  for  farming.  It  is 
watered  by  Saco  river,  and  Bonnie  Eagle,  Duck,  and  Lilly  ponds,  and 
one  or  two  others  of  smaller  size.  There  are  four  villages.  Salmon 
falls  village,  taking  its  name  from  the  falls  in  Saco  river,  on  which  it  is 
situated,  is  a  place  of  some  business.  The  fall  in  the  river  is  about 
eighty  feet  to  a  half  mile.  The  first  saw-mill  erected  in  this  town  was 
built  here  in  1770.  At  the  present  time,  three  saws  cut  about  two 
million  feet  of  boards  annually,  the  most  of  which  are  made  into  boxes 
and  headings,  for  the  West  India  trade.  In  the  early  settlement  of  the 
town,  salmon  were  caught  in  large  quantities  about  the  falls.  About 
one  mile  up  the  river  from  this  place  is  the  village  of  Bar  Mills,  so 
called  from  a  bar  of  rock,  which  extends  entirely  across  the  river.  The 
first  mills  at  this  place  were  erected  in  1795.  There  are  now  on  the 
Buxton  side  of  the  river,  five  saws  cutting  out  about  three  million  feet 
of  boards  annually ;  also  a  grist  and  plaster  mill,  a  planing-machine,  and 
shingle  and  lath  machines.  The  York  and  Cumberland  Railroad  passes 
near  this  village,  and  affords  good  facilities  for  the  transportation  of 
lumber  from  the  mills.  Four  and  a  half  miles  above  this  is  the  village 
of  West  Buxton,  or  Moderation  Mills,  —  as  it  is  sometimes  called, — 
which  has  a  woollen  factory,  and  a  sash,  blind,  and  door  factory.  About 
the  same  amount  of  lumber  is  manufactured  here  as  at  Bar  Mills.  Bux- 
ton Centre  Village  is  a  jjlace  of  some  business. 

There  are  eight  church  edifices,  —  two  Congregational,  two  Methodist, 
two  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Union  house ;  three  post- 
offices, —  Buxton,  Buxton  Centre,  and  West  Buxton;  and  seventeen 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population,  2,995 ; 
valuation,  ^424,397. 

Byron,  Oxford  county,  is  situated  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
county,  on  Swift  river.     The  town  was  incorporated  in  1833.     The  first 


MAIXE  —  CITY   OF   CALAIS.  81 

settlers  were  Samuel  Knapp  from  Massachusetts,  Jonas  Green  from 
"Wilton,  James  Bawn  from  Sydney,  John  Thomas  from  Norway,  J. 
Stockbridge  from  Turner,  Richard  Morrill,  and  Abraham  Reed.  The 
land  was  purchased  of  a  Mr.  Brown,  of  Newburyport,  Mass.  The  Indian 
name  of  this  town  was  SkiUertown. 

The  surface  of  Byron  is  very  uneven.  There  are  two  mountains 
known  by  the  names  of  "  Turk "  and  "  Broad."  Swift  river  runs 
through  its  entire  length,  and  there  is  also  a  pond  called  Garland  pond ; 
so  that  the  place  is  well  watered,  and  is  already  the  site  of  three  mills, 
for  which  there  is  ample  power.  The  principal  occupation  of  the  in- 
habitants is  agriculture.  Wheat  and  corn  are  grown  to  a  large  extent. 
Lumbering,  in  winter,  is  extensively  carried  on.  There  is  but  one  village 
in  the  town,  and  that  is  known  by  the  euphonious  name  of  "  Hop  City," 
at  which  the  only  post-office  is  located.  There  are  six  school  districts. 
Population,  296 ;  valuation,  §31,000. 

Calais,  a  port  of  entry,  and  embraced  in  the  Passamaquoddy  district, 
is  situated  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  Washington  county,  at  the  head 
of  the  tide  waters  of  the  St.  Croix.  It  contains  an  area  of  19,392  acres, 
and  was  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  June  27, 1789,  to  Water- 
man Thomas.  Having  an  advantageous  location  for  navigation,  and 
being  surrounded  by  dense  forests  of  valuable  pine  timber,  it  soon 
became  the  mart  for  the  lumber  business,  a  great  many  persons  being 
attracted  here  under  the  supposition  that  fortunes  could  be  made.  Ship 
timber  was  manufactured  among  the  other  varieties ;  and,  when  Napo- 
leon excluded  the  English  from  the  Baltic,  they  resorted  to  Calais  to 
obtain  the  supplies  necessary  for  their  ship-yards :  hence,  a  large  and 
lucrative  trade,  which  lasted  for  some  years,  was  carried  on  between  the 
inhabitants  of  this  town  and  the  British  timber-dealers.  In  1809,  Calais 
becaiue  an  incorporated  town ;  and,  being  the  centre  of  trade  for  a  large 
inland  district,  its  population  and  business  went  on  increasing  from  year 
to  year,  and  in  1850  it  received  a  city  charter. 

The  St.  CroLx  river  at  this  point  is  crossed  by  several  bridges,  exclu- 
sive of  the  railroad  bridge,  which  connects  the  city  with  the  town  of  St. 
Andrews.  A  railroad  has  been  completed  to  the  mills  in  Baring,  by 
which  the  large  amount  of  lumber  cut  there  is  transported  to  Calais, 
and  shipped  to  the  various  markets.  Another  company  has  extended  this 
road  as  far  as  I^ewey's  Island,  in  Princeton,  making  the  entire  length 
about  nineteen  miles.  The  telegraph  wires  between  Halifax  and  Bos- 
ton pass  through  this  town.  A  large  amount  of  shipping,  employed 
principally  in  the  coasting  trade,  is  owned  here ;  and,  at  one  time,  consid- 
erable was  done  in  shipbuilding;  but  latterly  the  business  has  suffered 


g2  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

a  great  decline.  Lumbering  has  ever  been  and  still  is  the  leading  pur- 
suit, and  as  a  consequence,  a  great  amount  of  capital  is  invested  in  the 
trade.  There  are  eight  single  saw-mills,  ten  gang  saw-mills,  eighteen 
lath-mills,  besides  clapboard  and  shingle  machines,  in  active  operation. 

Several  handsome  houses  of  public  worship  have  been  erected  in 
Calais,  as  also  an  academy,  and  a  few  private  and  select  schools.  The 
town  is  divided  into  eight  school  districts ;  has  one  bank,  with  a  capital 
of  1100,000 ;  two  newspapers  ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Calais,  Mill- 
town,  and  Red  Beach.     Population,  5,500;  valuation,  $1,172,053. 

Cambridge  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Somerset  county,  seventy 
mUes  from  Augusta,  and  is  the  half  of  a  six-mile-square  township,  Ripley 
being  the  other  half.  These  two  towns  are  divided  diagonally,  from 
northeast  to  southwest,  by  the  Maine  stream,  which  forms  one  of  the 
tributaries  of  the  Sebasticook  river.  Cambridge  was  ixicorporated  in 
1834,  and  hence  has  very  little  history  but  what  is  common  to  almost 
every  New  England  town.  The  surface  is  gently  undulating,  and  the 
soil  tolerably  good.  The  town  contains  one  village,  one  church  edifice, 
five  school  districts  with  five  schools,  one  or  two  stores,  a  public-house, 
two  grist-mills,  two  saw-mills,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  487 ; 
valuation,  $30,526. 

Camden  is  situated  in  the  south  part  of  Waldo  county,  on  the  west 
side  of  Penobscot  bay.  It  was  surveyed  in  the  year  1768,  by  David 
Fales,  at  which  time  not  a  tree  had  been  felled,  nor  a  building  erected 
in  the  whole  township.  The  surface  is  qmte  broken  and  mountainous, 
from  the  general  appearance  of  which,  the  Indians  called  it  Megun- 
ticook,  signifying,  "  great  swells  of  the  sea."  Within  three  or  four 
years  after  Fales  had  made  the  survey,  James  Richards  commenced  a 
settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  where  the  principal  village  now 
stands ;  and  Peter  Ott,  a  German,  commenced  one  at  what  is  now 
Rockport  village.  Others  soon  followed.  Some  attempts  at  farming 
were  made  by  these  settlers,  though  on  a  small  scale.  In  1779,  when 
Castine  was  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  Camden  became  the  only 
place  of  rendezvous  for  the  Americans,  a  small  force  of  whom  \\'ero 
encamped  here,  under  command  of  Major  George  Ulmer.  The  town 
was  incorporated  in  1791,  and  contains  an  area  of  26,880  acres. 

During  the  last  war  w^ith  England,  a  battery  ^vas  erected  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain,  back  of  the  village,  consisting  of  one  twelve  and  one 
eighteen  pounder.  This  appearance  of  the  ability  of  the  town  to  defend 
itself,  held  the  British  in  check,  and  they  dared  not  attack  it,  though 
they  might  have  taken  it  at  any  time  had  they  made  the  attempt,  there 


MAINE TOArX    OF    CANAAN.  83 

being  but  a  handful  of  soldiers,  and  no  gunners  that  could  manage  the 
battery.  The  command  at  the  time  devolved  upon  Colonel  Foot,  whose 
courage,  (although  no  opportunity  was  ever  aflbrded  the  Colonel  to  set 
his  valor  beyond  a  doubt,)  some  wicked  sceptics  have  even  dared  to 
question.  It  is  reported  that  when  he  was  expecting  an  attack  by  the 
British,  he  drew  up  his  force  to  meet  them,  and  with  all  the  majesty  of 
Napoleon  at  the  Pyramids,  delivered  them  a  speech.  Drawing  his 
sword  from  its  scabbard,  he  pointed  back  to  Megunticook  mountain,  on 
which  the  battery  was  erected,  and  exclaimed,  " '  Soldiers !  forty  ages 
behold  you.'  You  are  now  going  into  battle,  but  if  you  find  yourselves 
under  the  necessity  of  retreating,  you  will  find  me  up  in  Simon  Barrett's 
barn."  ^  Since  the  close  of  the  war,  there  have  been  no  incidents  in  the 
history  of  the  town  worthy  of  note. 

The  several  mountain  peaks  here,  especially  the  two  Megunticooks, 
bald  and  rugged,  one  rising  to  a  height  of  1,335  and  the  other  1,457 
feet,  present,  at  a  distance,  a  very  imposing  appearance.  There  are 
several  ponds,  partly  or  wholly  A\dthin  the  limits  of  the  town ;  namely, 
Canaan  pond.  Oyster  river  pond,  Tolman's  pond,  and  Chichawaukie 
pond. 

The  manufactories  here  are  principally  of  the  character  required  by  an 
agricultural  community;  such  as  saw-mills,  grist-mills,  carriage,  sash 
and  blind  manufactories,  and  blacksmiths'  shops.  There  are  excellent 
water  privileges,  which  will  at  some  time  be  valuable ;  six  ship-yards, 
launching  from  ten  to  twelve  vessels  annually ;  and  extensive  and  val- 
uable lime  quarries,  the  annual  revenue  of  which  is  large.  It  is  only 
surpassed,  in  this  branch  of  business,  by  the  adjoining  city  of  Rock- 
land. 

There  are  five  villages,  ^ —  Camden  Harbor,  Rockport,  Simonton  Cor- 
ner, Ingraham  Corner,  and  Rockville ;  four  post-offices,  —  Camden,  West 
Camden,  Rockport,  and  Rockville;  eleven  religious  societies,  ten  of 
which  have  houses  of  public  worship;  twenty  school  districts,  with 
forty-nine  schools,  besides  a  high  school,  supported  most  of  the  time. 
Population,  4,005 ;  valuation,  ^602,804. 

Canaan,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Kenne- 
bec river,  forty  miles  north  from  Augusta,  and  contains  an  area  of 
15,891  acres,  of  which  five  hundred  are  covered  vAth  water,  and  266 
with  highways.  The  plantation  name  was  "  Wesserunset."  The  sur- 
vey of  the  town  was  made  by  John  Jones,  in  1779,  and  it  was  incor- 
porated under  its  present  name,  June  18,  1788.     The  first  settlement 

'  The  barn  ii  question  was  in  llie  town  of  Hope. 


84  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

was  made  here  as  early  as  the  year  1770.  Bloomfield  and  Skowhegan 
were  formerly  included  within  the  limits  of  this  town. 

The  surface  is  somewhat  rough,  though  there  are  many  fertile  sec- 
tions.    The  soil  is  mainly  a  clayey  loam. 

There  are  six  churches  in  Canaan,  —  Congregational,  Methodist, 
Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  Christian  Baptist,  and  Universalist.  The 
town  is  divided  into  twelve  school  districts,  with  twenty-six  schools.  It 
has  one  post-ofEce.     Population,  1,696;  valuation,  ^216,623. 

Canton  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Oxford  county,  on  the 
Androscoggin  river,  and  was  originally  a  part  of  the  town  of  Jay.  The 
first  efforts  at  settlement  were  made  in  1790  or  1792,  —  William  Liver- 
more,  William  French,  Joseph  Coolidge,  and  Alexander  Shepherd,  being 
among  the  earliest  settlers.  They  were  soon  followed  by  others,  who, 
with  those  already  mentioned,  came  principally  from  Massachusetts. 
This  town,  prior  to  its  occupation  by  the  white  man,  was  inhabited  by 
the  Rockomeca  Indians,  probably  a  clan  of  the  Pequawket  tribe,  who 
had  their  residence  at  Fryeburg.  This  clan  was  entirely  exterminated 
by  the  ravages  of  the  smallpox,  during  the  French  war,  in  1757.  Imple- 
ments, supposed  to  have  been  used  by  the  natives,  have  been  found  in 
this  town,  several  of  which  are  now  in  possession  of  some  of  the  inhabi- 
tants :  an  Indian  burying-ground,  containing  many  of  the  bones  of  the 
deceased  warriors,  has  also  come  to  light. 

Canton  was  incorporated  in  1821.  The  surface  of  the  outskirts  of 
the  town  is  uneven,  while  the  centre  is  smooth  and  level.  It  is  not  sur- 
passed by  any  locality  in  the  state  for  agricultural  purposes.  At  Canton 
point,  called  by  the  Indians  who  resided  there,  Rockomeca  point,  is  a 
large  and  beautiful  tract  of  interval,  which  was,  in  Indian  times, 
planted  with  corn,  hills  of  Avhich  were  seen  by  the  first  settlers.  The 
Androscoggin  river  runs  through  the  town  circuitously,  its  banks  being 
lined  with  the  best  of  interval.  The  mountain  situated  north  of  the 
point  was  also  named  by  the  Indians  Rockomeca.  Whitney  pond,  in 
the  southerly  part  of  the  town,  received  its  name  from  Whitney,  a 
hunter,  who  was  wounded  by  the  savages  and  left  for  dead,  but  revived, 
and  crawled  to  a  camp,  where  he  toolc  refuge.  His  companions,  being 
in  pursuit  of  him,  discovered  what  they  supposed  to  be  an  Indian  in 
the  camp,  when  they  fired  upon  him  ;  and,  on  coming  up,  found  they 
had  killed  their  comrade. 

There  is  one  village  in  town,  containing  a  machine  shop,  for  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  implements,  a  tin-ware  factory,  and  an 
iron  foundery.  Two  church  edifices  have  been  erected  here,  one  of 
which  is  occupied  by  the  Universalists,  and  the  other  by  the  Baptists 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF    CAPE   ELIZABETH.  85 

and  Free-will  Baptists.  The  town  is  divided  into  ten  school  districts, 
with  nine  schools,  and  •  has  two  post-offices  —  Canton  and  Canton 
Mills.     Population,  1,233 ;  valuation  for  the  year  1857,  $165,000. 

Cape  Elizabeth,  Cumberland  county,  is  almost  a  peninsula,  and  is 
separated  from  Portland  by  Fore  river,  which  is  spanned  by  a  toll- 
bridge.  It  contains  an  area  of  12,881  acres,  and  together  with  Port- 
land and  Richmond  Island  originally  formed  a  part  of  the  old  town  of 
Falmouth. 

Richmond  Island,  the  southerly  part  of  the  town,  is  situated  about 
a  mile  from  the  mainland,  and  contedns  about  two  hundred  acres  of 
land.  The  first  European  settler  on  the  island  was  "Walter  BagnaU, 
who  came  here  in  1628,  and  occupied  the  island  without  any  title.  His 
sole  object  seems  to  have  been  to  drive  a  profitable  trade  with  the 
Indians,  by  every  means  within  his  reach.  He  lived  alone  upon  the 
island  undisturbed,  until,  by  his  cupidity,  he  drew  down  upon  him  the 
vengeance  of  the  natives,  who  put  an  end  to  his  life  on  the  3d  of 
October,  1631.  He  left  a  large  amount  of  property,  which  was  soon 
scattered  after  his  death.  Two  months  afterwards  (December  1,  1631), 
the  island  was  granted,  by  the  council  of  Plymouth,  to  Robert  Tre- 
lawny  and  Moses  Goodyear,  merchants  of  Plymouth,  England.  In 
1637,  Richard  Gibson,  an  Episcopal  minister,  was  settled  here ;  and,  if 
tradition  be  correct,  a  church  was  erected  about  the  same  time.  Gibson 
left  the  island  in  1640,  and  went  to  Portsmouth ;  from  thence,  in  1642, 
he  returned  to  England. 

This  island,  from  its  local  situation  on  the  highway  of  coasting  busi- 
ness, —  having  the  sea,  with  its  ample  stores  of  fish,  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  forest,  with  its  woods,  its  furs,  and  its  savage  tenants,  on  the 
other,  —  obtained  great  advantages,  and  met  with  a  rapid  growth.  It 
became  a  resort  for  fishermen,  and  considerable  foreign  commerce  was 
prosecuted.  Before  1648,  we  have  accounts  of  large  ships  arriving  at 
the  island  and  taking  out  cargoes  for  Europe.  In  1638,  a  ship  of  three 
hundred  tons  was  sent  here,  laden  with  wine,  and,  the  same  year,  Mr. 
Trelawny,  one  of  the  proprietors,  employed  sixty  men  in  the  fisheries. 
In  1639,  John  Winter,  the  agent  of  Trelawny,  sent  to  England,  in  the 
bark  Richmond,  six  thousand  pipe-staves.  The  subsequent  history  of 
this  island  has  not  sustained  the  promise  of  its  early  days.  After  the 
death  of  Winter,  —  who  had  been  a  prime  mover  in  its  active  opera- 
tions, —  about  the  year  1648,  its  commerce  declined,  its  population; 
diminished,  and,  after  the  first  Indian  war,  it  ceased  to  be  a  place  of  any 
business  or  importance.  The  island  is  now  a  single  farm,  devoted  to 
VOL.  I.  8 


86  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  production  of  potatoes,  and  there  is   but  one  solitary  house  in   a 
place  formerly  teeming  with  life  and  business.' 

Cape  Ehzabeth  was  incorporated  1764,  but  with  only  district  privi- 
leges. The  State  Reform  School,  established  in  1853,  for  juvenile 
offenders,  is  located  here.  The  building  is  capable  of  accommodating 
240  boys,  and  there  are  nearly  the  fuU  number  in  attendance.  They  are 
employed  in  fanning,  in  making  clothing,  and  various  mechanical  opera- 
tions. They  have  religious  instruction  in  the  Sabbath  school,  conducted 
by  volunteers  from  various  religious  societies  in  Portland,  and  by  preach- 
ing in  the  chapel  every  morning.  There  is  also  a  good  library.  Much 
improvement  has  been  made  by  the  boys,  and  most  of  them  manifest  a 
gratifying  desire  to  aid  in  the  duties  of  the  institution,  and  a  lively 
interest  in  its  prosperity  and  usefulness. 

There  are  three  churches  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Free- 
will Baptist;  eleven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  called  Cape 
Elizabeth  Depot.     Population,  2,082 ;  valuation,  ^256,287. 

Carmsl,  Penobscot,  county,  is  situated  twelve  miles  west  from  Ban- 
gor, and  comprises  an  area  of  23,040  acres.  It  was  purchased  of  the 
state  of  Massachusetts,  March  2,  1795,  by  Martin  Kinsley,  of  Hamp- 
den, and  settled  under  the  auspices  of  the  proprietor.  The  town  was 
incorporated  in  1811.  The  surface  is  level,  and  was  originally  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  pine,  a  large  portion  of  which  is  still  remaining. 
Carmel  is  watered  by  the  Soadabscoolc  and  the  Kenduskeag  streams, 
which  flow  in  opposite  directions,  and  come  so  near  together,  that,  dur- 
ing heavy  rains,  their  waters  commingle,  each  taking  a  portion  of  the 
surplus  of  the  other.  Along  the  margin  of  each  of  these  streams,  there 
are  some  tracts  of  fine  alluvial  land;  and  a  small  portion  of  the  town 
is  somewhat  swampy.  The  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Railroad  passes 
through  Carmel.  The  village  is  situated  near  the  centre,  and  is  a  very 
active  and  thriving  place  of  business.  The  town  contains  three 
churches  (Methodist,  Universalist,  and  Free-will  Baptist),  ten  school 
districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  tw^o  post-offices,  Car- 
mel and  North  Carmel.     Population,  1,225 ;  valuation,  $107,228. 

Carroll,  situated  at  the  easterly  extremity  of  Penobscot  county,  is  a 
very  good  farming  town.  The  surface  is  somewhat  hilly,  but  most  of 
the  soil  is  capable  of  cultivation.  The  first  settlements  were  made 
here  about  the  year  1831  or  1832.  It  is  watered  by  the  Mattagoodas 
stream,  which  flows  north  into  the  Mattawamkeag,  and  by  other  small 
streams,  that  flow  south  into  the  Schoodic  lakes.  Near  the  centre  of 
the  town  is  a  valuable  lime  quarry. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF    CARTHAGE,   ETC.  87 

As  yet  there  is  no  church  edifice,  but  there  are  six  school  districts, 
each  of  which  supports  a  school  during  the  summer  and  winter  term. 
There  is  also  one  post-office.     Population,  401 ;  valuation,  $21,229. 

Carthage,  Franklin  county,  formerly  No.  4,  Abbot's  Purchase,  lies 
south  of  Weld,  and  west  of  Wilton  and  Temple.  WiUiam  Bowley  and 
one  by  the  name  of  Winter  were  the  first  settlers,  the  former  of  whom 
built  what  are  called  Bowley's  mills,  on  Webb's  river.  The  town  was 
lotted  by  Solomon  Adams,  in  1803. 

Carthage  was  incorporated  in  1829.  It  is  drained  by  Webb's  river, 
which  runs  southerly.  The  eastern  part  is  broken  by  quite  a  range  of 
mountains,  variously  denominated  the  Bear,  Saddleback,  or  Blueberry. 
Formerly  it  had  extensive  forests  of  pine.  A  considerable  quantity  of 
the  land  is  fit  for  cultivation.  Dr.  Perkins,  of  Farmington,  is  now  the 
proprietor  of  the  unsold  lands.  Valuable  formations  of  limestone  are 
found  here. 

There  are  two  saw-mUls  and  a  grist-mill  here,  which  are  doing  a 
profitable  business.  Five  schools  have  been  established,  having  an 
aggregate  winter  attendance  of  117.  The  town  has  one  post-office. 
Population,  420 ;  valuation,  $42,142. 

Casco  is  situated  in  the  northerly  part  of  Cumberland  county,  having 
Otisfield  upon  the  northwest  and  Raymond  upon  the  southeast,  from 
the  latter  of  which  it  was  taken,  and  incorporated  in  1841.  It  previously 
comprised  nearly  one  half  the  territory  of  Raymond,  which  was  seven 
and  a  half  miles  square. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  and  the  soil  hard  and  rocky,  but  tolerably  pro- 
ductive. It  is  watered  by  Pequawket  river,  and  the  outlet  of  Great  and 
Little  Parker  ponds.  These  ponds  are  partly  in  Casco  and  partly  in 
Otisfield.  On  the  outlet  are  some  good  mill  sites.  Thomas's  pond 
is  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  the  outlet  of  which,  falling  into  lalie 
Sebago,  furnishes  some  good  mill  privileges. 

There  are  three  villages,  with  a  post-office  at  each,  bearing  the  names 
of  Casco,  South  Casco,  and  Webb's  Mills ;  four  saw-mills,  four  grist- 
mills, four  shingle  machines,  one  tannery,  one  carriage  factory,  three 
church  edifices, — one  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Friends' and  one  Union 
house ;  and  eleven  school  districts,  with  ten  schools.  Population,  1,046 ; 
valuation,  $152,314. 

Castine,  Hancock  county,  one  of  the  eariiest  settled  places  in  Maine, 
and  one  of  the  most  varied  and  interesting  in  its  historical  associations, 
extending,  as  they  do,  through  a  period  of  neariy  two  centuries,  is  sit- 


88  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

uated  on  the  peninsula  of  Marche-biguatus,  commonly  called  Bigaduce, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  Penobscot  bay,  seven  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
Penobscot  river.  Under  the  name  of  Pentagoet,  this  peninsula  became 
well  known  to  the  first  settlers  of  New  England ;  and,  as  early  as  1630, 
was  selected  by  the  Plymouth  company  for  a  trading  station.  The 
French,  and  afterwards  the  Dutch,  held  possession  of  the  place.  D' Aul- 
ney,  th?  French  governor  of  Acadie,  erected  a  fort  and  resided  here  for 
seven  years.  Subsequently,  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English ;  but, 
by  the  treaty  of  Breda,  it  was  ceded  to  the  French,  in  whose  control  it 
remained  for  nearly  a  century. 

Castine  perpetuates  the  name  of  the  Baron  de  St.  Castin,  a  French 
nobleman,  of  an  eccentric  disposition,  who  established  his  residence 
here  in  1667.  Forming  a  close  alliance  with  the  Indians  and  marrying 
the  daughter  of  Madockawando,  their  chief,  he  remained  among  them 
for  over  thirty  years.  His  influence  over  the  natives  was  so  powerful, 
that,  according  to  La  Hontan,  they  regarded  him  as  their  tutelar  god. 
To  his  exertions  may  be  traced  the  establishment  of  Catholicism  among 
them.  Castin  proved  a  dangerous  enemy  to  the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts, who  made  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  capture  him.  He  taught 
the  eastern  Indians  the  use  of  fire-arms,  and  he  cooperated  with  them 
in  their  frequent  attacks  upon  the  frontier  settlements.  After  living 
thirty  years  a  life  of  seclusion,  Castin  returned  to  France,  leaving  the 
possession  of  his  dominions  to  his  half-breed  son,  "  Castin  the  younger," 
who  was  a  man  of  some  education  and  intelligence.  The  Castin  family 
did  not  finally  abandon  the  peninsula  until  the  termination  of  the  French 
war  of  1744. 

Castine  became  permanently  settled  by  the  English  in  1760.  At  an 
early  period  of  the  Revolution,  the  first  settlers  evinced  their  patriotism 
by  taking  the  crew  of  a  British  vessel  prisoners,  and  sending  them  to 
General  Washington's  head-quarters  at  Cambridge.  Four  years  after 
this  event,  in  the  summer  of  1779,  the  plantation  was  invested  by  a 
British  force  of  650  men,  with  three  sloops  of  war.  The  English  govern- 
ment had  long  been  sensible  that  the  estabUshment  of  a  military  post 
here  would  be  of  essential  service  in  checking  the  ravages  of  privateers, 
as  well  as  in  securing  a  supply  of  timber  for  the  royal  navy.  Prepara- 
tions were  at  once  made  for  fortifying  the  place,  and  an  extensive  for- 
tress was  commenced  on  the  summit  of  the  peninsula.  Massachusetts 
determined  to  dislodge  the  invaders  from  her  territory,  and  in  a  few 
weeks,  the  largest  American  force  ever  fitted  out,  consisting  of  forty- 
three  vessels,  carrying  two  thousand  men,  and  mounting  340  guns, 
sailed  from  Boston  for  Penobscot.  At  the  time  of  their  arrival,  the  fort 
was  not  more  than  half  completed ;  but,  by  assiduous  labor,  the  British 


MAINE — TOWN   OF   CASTINE.  89 

commander  was  enabled  to  put  it  in  a  tolerable  condition  of  defence. 
He  had  taken  the  precaution  to  erect  batteries  at  every  point  of  the 
peninsula  regarded  accessible.  After  being  twice  repulsed,  our  forces  at 
last  effected  a  landing  on  the  northwestern  bank,  by  chmbing  a  precipice, 
with  a  loss  of  over  one  hundred  of  their  number.  The  British  sustained 
a  loss  of  thirty  in  the  conflict.  A  battery  was  erected  in  front  of  the 
enemy's  fort,  and  both  parties  maintained  a  cannonading  for  several 
days,  while  the  commanders  of  the  American  land  and  naval  forces 
were  wasting  the  time  in  discussing  the  expediency  of  carrying  the 
works  by  storm.  In  the  mean  time,  a  fleet  of  seven  British  ships 
arrived,  and  the  Americans  made  an  inglorious  retreat  up  the  Penobscot 
river.  All  their  vessels  and  military  stores  were  either  captured  or 
destroyed,  the  officers  and  men  escaping  with  difhculty  into  the  woods. 
This  expedition,  called  in  history  the  "  Penobscot  Expedition,"  stands 
upon  record  as  the  most  disastrous  issue  our  arras  have  ever  expe- 
rienced. The  commander  of  the  naval  forces  —  Saltonstall  —  was  cash- 
iered, for  the  incapacity  or  pusillanimity  to  which  so  disgraceful  a 
defeat  was  justly  attributed. 

Castine  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy  until  peace  was 
declared.  During  the  war  of  1812  it  was  again  occupied  by  the  British, 
who  repaired  and  strengthened  the  works  erected  in  the  Revolution. 
Four  thousand  troops  were  stationed  here  at  one  time.  No  attempt 
was  made  to  dislodge  them ;  and  the  town  continued  to  be  the  seat  of 
important  military  operations,  as  well  as  of  an  extensive  trade,  for 
nearly  a  year. 

No  place  in  Maine  has  passed  through  so  many  changes  as  this  an- 
cient town.  It  has  been  successively  possessed  by  the  Indians,  French, 
Dutch,  and  English.  During  nearly  the  whole  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, the  flag  of  France  floated  over  its  fort,  in  defiance  of  the  English, 
whose  attempts  to  gain  a  foothold  here  were  unavailing.  No  less  than 
five  naval  engagements  have  taken  place  on  the  bosom  of  its  harbor, 
the  English  having  twice  attacked  it,  and  the  Americans  once.  In  the 
language  of  Judge  Sullivan,  in  his  History  of  Maine,  "  It  has  never  been 
without  a  garrison  from  1630  to  1783,  and  has  always  been  dealt  with, 
by  the  nations  in  whose  possession  it  has  been,  as  a  place  of  great  im- 
portance." 

Castine  was  incorporated  in  1796,  and  then  became  the  shire  town  of 
Hancock  county,  the  county  buildings  being  situated  in  that  part'  of 
Penobscot  which  was  taken  to  form  Castine.  It  continued  to  be  the 
county  seat  until  1838,  when  the  courts  were  removed  to  EUsworth. 
After  the  Revolution  terminated,  Castine  became  rapidly  settled,  and  the 
number  of  its  inhabitants  sixty  years  ago  exceeded  that  at  the  present  day. 


90  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

For  a  long  time  it  was  the  most  important  mart  of  business  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Maine,  and  the  residence  of  many  distinguished  men. 
Bangor,  Belfast,  and  other  places  more  favorably  located,  afterwards 
diverted  the  trade  which  centred  here. 

The  most  prominent  points  of  historical  interest  which  the  old  penin- 
sula of  Bigaduce  affords,  are  the  ruins  of  Castin's  fort,  now  nearly  ob- 
literated ;  Fort  George,  erected  in  the  Revolution ;  a  fort  at  the  entrance 
of  the  harbor,  built  by  the  Americans  previous  to  the  last  war  ;  and  the 
remains  of  various  batteries,  which  are  of  Revolutionary  origin.  The 
whole  soil  of  the  peninsula  abounds  in  ancient  relics.  The  spade  fre- 
quently brings  to  light  articles  of  Indian  manufacture  ;  and  cannon  balls, 
shells,  and  other  evidences  of  war,  have  been  found  in  great  numbers. 
In  1840,  a  deposit  of  about  six  hundred  silver  coins,  mostly  French  and 
Spanish,  all  bearing  a  date  previous  to  1680,  was  exhumed  near  the 
bank  of  the  river,  a  few  miles  above  the  town.  Castine  is  becoming  a 
favorite  resort  during  the  heat  of  the  summer  months ;  and  with  its 
beautiful  and  expansive  scenery,  its  salubrious  breezes,  its  seclusion  and 
tranquillity,  and  its  historical  associations,  it  must  always  be  attractive 
to  the  antiquary  and  the  lover  of  nature. 

The  village  of  Castine  occupies  a  commanding  position  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  peninsula,  which  gradually  ascends  from  the  shore,  and 
on  its  summit  are  to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  the  old  English  fort.  The 
streets  are  wide  and  neat,  and  the  private  residences  are  indicative  of 

comfort  and  good  taste.     The  public  buildings  are,  three  churches, 

Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  a  custom-house ;  and  a 
town-hall,  formerly  the  court-house.  There  is  a  light-house  below  the 
town,  on  "  Dice's  Head."  Castine  is  the  wealthiest  town  in  Maine  in 
proportion  to  its  size,  and  is  the  seat  of  customs  for  the  Penobscot  dis- 
trict. A  large  number  of  vessels  are  owned  here,  and  several  ships  are 
built  annually.  The  tonnage  of  the  district,  for  the  year  ending  June, 
1855,  was  53,965  tons.  The  manufacture  of  cordage  and  of  iron  chains 
is  prosecuted  to  some  extent.  The  principal  business  of  the  inhabitants 
is  that  of  the  fisheries,  and  a  large  amount  of  capital  is  employed  in  it. 
An  insurance  company,  with  a  capital  of  $70,000,  is  established  here. 
A  steamboat  connects  Castine,  during  the  summer,  with  the  neighbor- 
ing towns. 

Castine  has  four  school  districts,  with  eight  schools ;  and  two  post- 
ofEces— Castine,  and  North  Castine.  Population,  1,260;  valuation 
$597,360.  ' 


Centkbville,   Washington  county,  adjoins  the  town  of  Machias  ^.. 
the  northeast  corner,  and  is  watered  by  Machias  river.      The  history  of 


on 


MAINE TOWSr    OF    CHARLESTON,    ETC.  91 

this  town  lies  somewhere  in  the  future.  It  was  incorporated  in  1842, 
and  was  formerly  known  as  plantation  No.  23,  east  division.  It  hels 
two  school  districts.     Population,  178 ;  valuation,  $22,801. 

Charleston,  which  is  one  of  the  northern  tier  of  towns  in  Penobscot 
county,  adjoins  Piscataquis  county,  and  is  twenty-five  miles  northwest 
from  Bangor.  The  town  -was  granted  July  14,  1802,  by  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  to  John  Lowell,  and  is  six  miles  square.  The 
settlement  w^as  commenced  as  early  as  1795,  by  Charles  Vaughan,  and 
the  tow^n  was  incorporated  February  16, 1811.  A  busy  little  village  has 
sprung  up  within  its  limits.  There  are  ten  school  districts,  with  the 
same  number  of  schools,  and  one  academy  ;  one  church  edifice,  and 
two  post-offices  —  Charleston  and  West  Charleston.  Population, 
1,283 ;  valuation,  $142,977. 

Charlotte  is  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county,  forty- 
one  miles  from  Machias,  and  was  incorporated  in  1825.  The  surface  is 
undulating,  —  the  town  is  fair  for  farming  purposes.  It  is  watered  by 
a  large  pond  in  the  central  part,  having  its  outlet  through  the  town  of 
Pembroke,  —  called  Pennamaquon  stream.  There  are  here  six  school 
districts,  with  nine  schools  ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  718  ;  val- 
uation, $45,405. 

Chelsea,  Kennebec  county,  is  a  small  town,  situated  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Kennebec  river,  and  joins  Augusta  on  the  south.  Prior  to  its 
incorporation  in  1850,  it  composed  a  part  of  the  town  of  Hallowell. 
There  are  several  very  good  farms  in  the  town ;  and  some  which  cannot 
be  commended  so  highly.  Yeaton  Corner,  situated  on  the  river,  is  the 
only  village  in  Chelsea.  The  town  is  watered  by  Worromontogus  river, 
which  falls  into  the  Kennebec.  It  has  nine  school  districts,  with  the 
same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post-office,  called  Togus  Spring. 
Population,  1,096 ;  valuation,  $146,869. 

Cherryfield,  Washington  county,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
Narra^uagus  river,  and  is  thirty  miles  from  Machias.  This  town  was 
originally  No.  11  of  what  were  known  as  the  "  Lottery  townships,"  and 
was  incorporated  February  9,  1816.  Cherryfield  is  a  thriving  town, 
lumbering  being  the  principal  business.  There  are  three  churches,  — 
a  Baptist,  Congregationalist,  and  Methodist;  twenty-two  saw-miUs, 
three  grist-mills,  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post-office,  called  Narra- 
guagus.     Population,  1,648  ;  valuation,  $199,992. 


92  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Chester,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Pe- 
nobscot river,  opposite  the  town  of  Lincohi.  It  has  but  recently  been 
settled;  but  the  soil  is  reported  to  be  of  a  fertile  character,  and  re- 
wards amply  the  labors  of  the  husbandman.  It  was  incorporated  in 
1834,  and  has  a  post-office  and  six  school  districts,  with  eight  schools. 
Population,  340 ;  valuation,  ®12,793. 

Chestbrville,  Franklin  county,  is  one  of  the  southerly  towns  of  the 
county,  and  is  about  eight  miles  long,  and  six  in  width  at  the  north  end. 
The  first  white  settler  entered  the  township  in  1782,  and  commenced 
the  settlement  in  the  south  part,  known  formerly  as  Wyman's  planta- 
tion, so  called  in  honor  of  its  pioneer,  Abraham  Wyman.  In  March, 
1783,  t\\'o  families  moved  in,  and  settled  near  the  central  part,  desig- 
nated soon  after  as  the  Chester  plantation.  Some  of  the  early  settlers 
came  from  Bath,  others  from  York,  and  a  few  from  New  Hampshire 
and  Massachusetts.  Rev.  Jotham  Sewell,  born  in  York,  who  travelled 
much  in  Maine  as  a  preacher,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers;  and  Wil- 
liam Bradbury,  who  was  treasurer  of  the  town  for  twenty-six  years, 
commenced  his  fortunes  here.  Among  the  hardships  and  trials  which 
these  two  pioneers  had  to  endure  was  that  of  going  to  Winthrop,  twenty 
miles,  to  mill,  drawing  their  grain  on  a  hand  sled.  Daniel  Wyman  was 
also  an  early  settler.  The  first  road  was  opened  through  the  place  in 
1780,  and  the  first  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  put  in  motion  in  1785. 

Chesterville  was  incorporated  February  20,  1802.  Much  of  the  land 
in  the  centre  of  the  town  is  flat  and  low.  The  hills,  which  are  mostly 
stony,  lie  at  each  end,  where  the  best  farms  are  located.  There  is  con- 
siderable meadow,  and  a  large  portion  of  swamp  and  bog  land  here. 
Moose  hill  lies  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town,  but  the  highest 
point  of  this  eminence  is  believed  to  be  in  East  Livermore.  A  spur  of 
the  Blabon  hiU  is  supposed  to  be  the  highest  land  within  the  town.  It 
is  composed  of  granite,  large  quantities  of  which  are  annually  quarried 
and  wrought  into  building  material.  Another  place,  called  the  "  Bluff," 
lies  northwest  of  Sand  point,  and  is  a  ledge  almost  perpendicular,  being 
about  a  hundred  feet  high  and  thirty  rods  long. 

Chesterville  is  watered  by  the  Little  Norridgewock  and  McGurdy's 
rivers,  and  by  another  stream,  which  enters  the  town  near  the  south- 
eastern extremity.  On  these  streams  are  some  good  miU  sites,  which 
have  been  improved.  There  are  also  a  few  ponds,  the  principal  of  which 
is  called  Parker's,  lying  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  which  has 
several  islands. 

Chesterville  has  three  villages, —  one  at  the  Centre  mills,  another 
at  Keith's  mills,  and  another  just  springing  up  near  Sandy  river,  opposite 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   CHINA.  93 

to  Farmington  Falls  village.  At  the  villages  and  a  few  other  places, 
boards,  shingles,  clapboards,  laths,  matches,  pails,  leather,  starch,  and 
ship-plank  are  manufactured.  Carding,  cloth-dressing,  and  axe -making 
are  carried  on  to  some  extent.  The  town  contains  two  union  meeting- 
houses, occupied  alternately  by  the  different  religious  denominations  ; 
eleven  school  districts,  with  twenty-one  schools ;  and  three  post-offices 
—  Chesterville,  North  Chesterville,  and  South  ChesterviUe.  Two  well- 
conducted  libraries  exist  here,  one  of  which  is  in  the  south  part  of  the 
town,  and  the  other  at  North  Chesterville  —  the  latter  possessing  more 
than  two  hundred  volumes.     Population,  1,142 ;  valuation,  ^140,612. 

China  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Kennebec  county,  on  the 
Sheepscot  river,  about  ten  miles  from  Augusta.  Its  first  settlement  was 
made  by  a  family  of  Clarlvs,  originally  from  Nantucket,  who,  while  on 
one  of  their  coasting  and  fishing  expeditions,  in  the  autumn  of  1773, 
ran  their  vessel  up  the  Kennebec  as  far  as  Cobbossee  (now  Gardiner), 
where  they  fell  in  with  one  John  Jones,  who  was  employed  by  the 
Plymouth  company  to  survey  this  township,  in  the  disposition  of  which 
every  alternate  lot  was  awarded  to  actual  settlers.  The  next  year 
(1774)  they  took  up  their  abode,  —  Jonathan  and  Edmund  Clark  on  the 
west  side  of  China  lake,  Ephraim  and  Andrew  Clark,  and  George  Fish, 
a  brother-in-law,  »upon  the  east  side.  Soon  after  James,  Judah,  and 
Ichabod  Chadwick,  and  Abner  Weeks,  from  Cape  Cod,  settled  in  the 
south  part  of  the  township.  In  1775,  Abram  Burrill  settled  three  miles 
easterly  from  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  Michael  Norton  at  Norton's 
Corner.     The  titles  were  obtained  from  the  Plymouth  company. 

The  township  was  called  Jones's  plantation  until  its  incorporation, 
February  8,  1796,  when  it  received  the  name  of  Harlem.  On  the  5th 
February,  1818,  the  northern  part  of  Harlem,  together  with  a  part  of 
the  towns  of  Fairfax  (now  Albion)  and  Winslow,  were  incorporated 
into  a  separate  town,  called  China,  and  about  the  year  1822  the  remain- 
ing part  of  Harlem  was  annexed  to  China. 

The  land  adjacent  to  the  lake  rises  from  its  gi-avel  beach  in  gradual 
slopes,  of  no  great  elevation.  In  some  places,  it  is  wooded  to  the 
water's  edge  ;  but,  for  the  most  part,  has  been  converted  into  pasturage 
and  tillage.  The  soil  is  excellent,  and  but  few  towns  surpass  this  in  an 
agricultural  aspect.  In  1837,  when  the  state  government  paid  a  bounty 
on  wheat,  China  headed  the  list  for  the  quantity  produced. 

China  lake,  a  beautiful  body  of  water,  intersects  the  town  diagonally, 
and  is  nearly  divided  by  a  promontory  into  two  ponds.  The  waters  are 
connected  by  a  small  passage  called  "  the  Narrows."  The  eastern 
body  of  the  lake  is  about  six  miles  long  by  one  mile  wide ;  the  western 


94  fflSTOEY   AND   DESCEIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

extends  into  Vassalboro',  a  distance  of  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
narrows,  and  thence  is  connected  by  the  Sebasticook  with  the  Ken- 
nebec.    The  lake  abounds  in  fish. 

The  western  branch  of  the  Sheepscot  river  passes  through  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town,  furnishing  several  good  mill  privileges.  There  are 
many  smaller  streams,  on  which  are  saw-mills  and  grist-mills.  The 
larger  portion  of  Three  Mile  pond  is  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town. 

There  are  four  villages.  China  village,  at  the  north  end  of  the  lake,  is 
much  the  largest,  and  contains  two  meeting-houses,  an  academy,  several 
stores  and  mechanics'  shops.  South  China,  beautifully  situated  at  the 
south  end  of  the  lake,  contains  a  meeting-house,  three  stores,  several 
mechanics'  shops,  a  manufactory  for  boots  and  shoes,  —  incorporated  in 
1855,  under  the  name  of  Mechanics'  Association,  —  a  hotel,  and  an  excel- 
lent public  library.  Two  other  meeting-houses  are  within  a  short  dis- 
tance. Weeks's  Mills,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  on  the  west 
branch  of  the  Sheepscot,  contains  a  meeting-house,  two  stores,  several 
mechanics'  shops,  saw-miUs  and  grist-mills,  and  a  tannery.  Branch  Mills, 
at  the  east  part  of  the  town,  in  the  valley  of  the  west  branch  of  the 
Sheepscot,  has  a  high  school,  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill,  several  manu- 
factories, and  two  stores. 

There  are  seven  churches :  the  Friends  have  three,  the  Baptists  two, 
and  the  Methodists  two.  There  are  three  post-offices,  —  China,  South 
China,  and  Weeks's  Mills ;  and  twenty  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools.  Population  in  1850,  2,769,  supposed  to  be  at 
present  aboat  3,000 ;  assessors'  valuation  for  1856,  $473,401. 

Clifton  is  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Penobscot  county, 
and  its  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1815,  — -  Benjamin 
Penney,  Eben  Davis,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Parks,  being  among 
the  first  settlers.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  1848,  under  the  name 
of  Maine ;  but,  the  inhabitants  not  feeling  pleased  with  it,  at  their 
request  it  was  soon  after  changed  by  the  legislature  to  Clifton.  The 
town  is  of  very  little  importance,  either  as  regards  agriculture  or  manu- 
factures. Its  surface  is  irregular,  and  the  soil  is  poor,  and  hard  to  cul- 
tivate. It  has  four  school  districts,  with  seven  schools.  Population,  306 ; 
valuation,  $19,305. 

Clinton  is  situated  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Kennebec  county,  and 
was  settled  about  the  year  1775.  It  was  soon  after  organized  into  a 
plantation  by  the  name  of  Hancock,  and  was  incorporated  as  a  town, 
February  28,  1795,  under  its  present  name.  The  surface  is  quite  level, 
and  the  soil  is  of  a  productive  character.     The  Sebasticook  river  passes 


MAINE — TOWN   OP   COLUMBIA,   ETC.  95 

through  the  town,  and  affords  water-power  for  some  manufactories.  It 
is  also  traversed  by  the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Raiboad.  Two  vil- 
lages have  grown  up  within  the  limits  of  Clinton,  —  known  as  Morrison 
Corner  and  Clinton  Village.  There  is  a  gore  of  land  containing  about 
three  thousand  acres  adjoining  the  town  upon  the  northeast,  which  has 
plantation  privileges.  It  is  called  Clinton  Gore,  —  is  traversed  by  the 
Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Railroad,  and,  it  is  thought,  will  soon  be  an- 
nexed to  this  or  one  of  the  adjoining  towns.  There  are  two  church 
edifices  in  Clinton — Congregational  and  Free-will  Baptist;  twelve 
school  districts,  and  two  post-offices,  —  Clinton  and  Pishon's  Ferry. 
Population,  1,743 ;  valuation,  ^188,606. 

Columbia,  situated  towards  the  southwestern  part  of  Washington 
county,  is  a  very  large  town,  comprising  between  forty  and  fifty 
thousand  acres,  and  was  settled  soon  after  the  Revolutionary  war.  It 
was  incorporated  February  8,  1796;  and  is  watered  by  Pleasant  river, 
upon  which  there  are  two  grist-mills,  several  saw-mills,  and  two  tan- 
neries. Lumbering  has  been  the  leading  business;  but  now  the  in- 
habitants are  beginning  to  devote  a  portion  of  their  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  The  town  has  one  village,  three  churches,  (Meth- 
odist, Congregational,  and  Baptist,)  nine  school  districts,  with  fourteen 
schools  ;  and  one  post-office.     Population,  1,140 ;  valuation,  $169,931. 

Concord,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Kennebec 
river,  opposite  the  town  of  Bingham,  and  is  twenty-five  miles  from 
Norridgewock.  The  history  of  this  town  is  as  yet  undeveloped.  Its 
boundaries  are  extensive,  but  the  soil  is  not  of  the  best  kind,  and  in 
fact  few  advantages  are  offered  for  the  encouragement  of  the  settler. 
It  was  incorporated  in  1821 ;  has  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist), 
twelve  school  districts,  with  fourteen  schools ;  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  550 ;  valuation,  $30,376. 

Cooper  is  an  unimportant  town  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington 
county,  and  is  but  partially  cleared  of  its  original  forests.  Settlements 
were  commenced  here  during  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  1822  it  became 
incorporated.  There  are  two  or  three  swells  of  land  that  by  proper 
.cultivation  would  make  tolerably  good  farms.  It  has  no  elements  of 
thrift,  nor  any  apparent  guaranty  for  any  thing  beyond  its  present  con- 
dition. A  small  church  was  organized  by  the  Congregationalists  in 
1826,  and  one  by  the  Baptists  in  1828.  There  are  six  school  districts, 
with  eleven  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  562 ;  valuation, 
$36,332. 


96  niSTOKT    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

CoRiNNA  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  PenobBcot  county,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  the  city  of  Bangor.  The  original  proprietor  was  Dr. 
John  Warren  of  Boston,  to  whom  the  land  was  sold,  by  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts,  June  30,  1804.  In  December,  1816,  it 
became  an  incorporated  town.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  the 
soil  yielding  good  average  crops.  Corinna  is  watered  by  a  stream, 
which  flows  through  the  central  part  of  the  town,  falling  into  Newport 
pond.  On  this  stream  there  are  four  saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill,  a 
carding  machine,  and  clothing  mill.  The  town  contains  three  churches 
(Methodist,  Congregationalist,  and  Free-will  Baptist),  fourteen  school 
districts,  an  academy,  and  three  post-offices — Corinna,  Corinna  Centre, 
and  West  Corinna.     Population,  1,550 ;  valuation,  §165,292. 

Corinth,  situated  in  the  central  part  of  the  southern  division  of 
Penobscot  county,  contains  an  area  of  23,040  acres.  The  town  was 
granted  by  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  John 
Peck,  December  9,  1794,  and  its  settlement  was  commenced  a  few 
years  after.  When  it  had  received  a  suflicient  number  of  inhabitants, 
it  was  organized  into  a  plantation,  with  the  name  of  Ohio ;  and,  on 
the  21st  of  June,  1811,  became  an  incorporated  town,  with  its  present 
name.  The  surface  is  quite  level.  The  inhabitants  are  nearly  all 
farmers,  and  their  fields,  buildings,  and  surroundings  generally,  indi- 
cate that  they  are  in  prosperous  circumstances.  East  Corinth  is  the 
principal  village,  and  stretches  along  for  some  two  miles  upon  a  level 
street.  The  principal  mechanical  operations  here  are  carriage  and 
sleigh  making.  There  are  five  shops  devoted  to  these  pursuits,  which 
manufacture  from  $15,000  to  §20,000  worth  annually,  —  thus  proving 
that  there  are  other  sources  of  wealth  in  Maine  besides  the  lumber 
business  and  miU  privileges. 

There  are  three  handsome  church  edifices,  which  are  generally  well 
filled ;  fikewise  an  academy,  which  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  havin: 
had,  in  the  winter  of  1856-7,  seventy  students.  During  the  fall  and 
spring  terms,  however,  there  is  a  much  larger  attendance.  There 
are  fifteen  school  districts,  with  thirty-one  schools,  and  three  post- 
offices —  Corinth,  East  Corinth,  and  South  Corinth.  Population,  1,600- 
valuation,  §199,964. 

Cornish  is  a  small  town  in  the  northern  part  of  York  county,  and 
is  a  part  of  the  original  tract  of  land,  purchased  in  1660,  of  Captain 
Sunday,  an  Indian  sagamore,  by  Francis  Small.  Settlements  were 
not  commenced  here  till  1776,  when  a  few  families  inoved  into  the 
southern  part  of  the  town,  and  called  it  Francisburgh  or  Francistown, 


o 


MAINE TOWN    OF    CORNVILLE,    ETC.  97 

from  the  Christian  name  of  the  proprietor.  It  was  incorporated  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1794,  and  contains  twelve  thousand  acres.  It  received  its 
name,  it  is  said,  on  account  of  the  large  crops  of  corn  produced  in  the 
town.  This  may  or  may  not  be  the  case ;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  the 
soil  is  very  productive,  not  only  in  corn,  but  in  other  kinds  of  grain.  It 
is  watered  by  the  Saco  river,  which  forms  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
town.  There  are  two  church  edifices  (Methodist  and  Congregational), 
twelve  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  1,144 ;  valuation,  ©198,622. 

CoRNViLLE,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  what  was  originally  the 
north  line  of  the  Plymouth  patent ;  and,  being  without  the  jurisdiction 
of  that  company,  was  sold  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  to 
Moses  Bernard  and  others,  receiving  the  name  of  Bernardstown.  The 
first  efforts  at  clearing  up  the  forests  were  made  about  the  year  1790 ; 
but  no  families  settled  here  until  1794.  The  town  was  incorporated 
February  24, 1798,  when  the  name  was  changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears. 
At  this  time,  a  strip  of  land,  one  mile  and  a  half  in  width,  was  taken 
from  the  Plymouth  patent  and  annexed  to  this  town,  increasing  its  area 
to  29,440  acres.  Cornville  has  a  good  soil  for  tillage,  and,  like  Cornish, 
although  quite  remote  from  it,  is  said  to  have  received  its  name  on 
account  of  the  large  crops  of  Indian  corn  produced  within  its  limits. 
The  town  is  watered  by  the  Wesserunset  stream,  a  branch  of  the  Ken- 
nebec. There  are  two  churches  in  town  —  Congregational  and  Free-will 
Baptist ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,260 ; 
valuation,  $219,526. 

Cranbeery  Isles,  Hancock  county,  including  the  islands  called  Great 
Cranberry,  Little  Cranberry,  Sutton's,  and  Baker's  islands,  are  situated 
from  three  to  six  miles  off  the  main  land  at  Mount  Desert,  of  which 
they  originally  formed  a  part;  and  thirty -five  miles  from  Ellsworth. 
They  were  incorporated  as  a  separate  town  March  16,  1830,  and  their 
history  must  be  chiefly  sought  in  connection  with  that  of  the  parent 
town. 

The  agricultural  features  of  these  islands  need  not  form  any  subject 
for  remark,  as  the  character  of  the  soil  certainly  constitutes  no  exception 
to  that  covering  most  of  the  outer  islands  on  the  coast.  The  occupa- 
tions of  the  inhabitants,  as  well  as  the  substantial  arrangements  of  their 
tables,  are  furnished  from  the  mute  briny  world. 

There  are  six  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  203  ; 
valuation,  ©38,659. 

VOL.  I.  9 


98  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

Crawtord,  Washington  county,  is  distant  thirty-five  miles  from  Ma- 
chias,  and,  until  its  incorporation  in  1828,  was  known  by  the  name  of 
Adams.  It  is  watered  by  two  large  ponds,  which  cover  nearly  one  fourth 
of  the  entire  area  of  the  town.  Crawford  has  little  to  recommend  it  to 
the  agriculturist,  and  may  be  ranked  among  the  poor  towns  of  the  state. 

It  has  two  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  324  ;  valuation,  $20,994. 

Cumberland,  Cumberland  county,  is  situated  on  Casco  bay,  six  miles 
from  Portland.  Gray  lies  partly  upon  its  north  and  west ;  Windham 
touches  it  upon  the  west ;  Falmouth  makes  its  southern  boundary,  and 
upon  the  east  and  north  lie  the  bay,  Yarmouth,  and  North  Yarmouth. 
Its  history  belongs  to  the  town  of  North  Yarmouth,  of  which  it  formed 
a  part,  until  1821,  when  it  was  incorporated  as  a  separate  town.  The 
surface  is  level,  and  back  from  the  sea-shore  there  is  some  very  good 
farming  land.  The  Grand  Trunk  Railway  and  the  Kennebec  and  Port- 
land Railroad  pass  through  the  eastern  part.  Cumberland  contains 
two  church  edifices  (Congregational  and  Methodist) ;  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts, with  eighteen  schools ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Cumberland, 
Cumberland  Centre,  and  West  Cumberland.  Population,  1,656 ;  val- 
uation, $326,815. 

Cumberland  County,  situated  on  Casco  bay,  was  organized  in  1760, 
by  the  same  act  that  defined  the  boundaries  of  York  county  (which  had 
previously  been  coextensive  with  the  province  of  Maine),  and  established 
Lincoln  county  upon  the  east.  The  line  running  between  Cumberland 
and  York  was  the  same  as  at  present,  —  on  the  easterly  sides  of  Saco, 
Buxton,  Limington,  and  Cornish,  as  far  as  to  Oxford  county.  It  then 
turned  and  ran  north  two  degrees  west  to  the  north  limits  of  the  prov- 
ince. The  northeasterly  line  of  this  county  was  then,  as  now,  the 
Androscoggin  river,  up  as  far  as  the  county  of  that  name.  Thence  it 
ran  in  the  same  course  with  the  westerly  line,  north  two  degrees  west  to 
Canada  ;  — so  that  the  territory  of  Cumberland  then  covered,  besides  its 
present  limits,  the  counties  of  Androscoggin  and  Franklin,  and  parts  of 
Oxford,  Kennebec,  and  Somerset,  as  now  organized  ;  also  all  the  islands 
in  Casco  bay.  Falmouth  was  made  and  continued  the  shire  town,  until 
the  incorporation  of  Portland  from  it  in  1786,  since  which  the  latter  has 
been  the  county  seat.      Cumberland  has  now  twenty-five  towns. 

The  United  States  circuit  court  for  the  district  of  Maine  holds  its 
terms  at  Portland,  commencing  on  the  23d  days  of  April  and  Septem- 
ber ;  and  the  United  States  district  court  holds  two  of  its  terms  here, 
commencing  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of  February  and  December. 


MAINE TOW:f    0?    CUSIIINO,    ETC.  99 

The  law  term  of  the  supreme  judicial  court  for  the  western  district 
commences  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  July.  The  jury  terms  of  this 
court,  for  civil  bu.siness,  commence  on  the  third  Tuesdays  of  January 
and  April,  and  the  second  Tuesday  of  October :  —  for  criminal  business, 
on  the  first  Tuesday  of  March,  and  the  last  Tuesdays  of  July  and  No- 
vember.    Population  of  the  county,  68,842;  valuation,  $16,777,054. 

Gushing,  Lincoln  county,  is  a  seaboard  town,  situated  on  the  west 
bank  of  St.  George's  river,  opposite  to  the  town  of  St.  George,  which 
composed  a  part  of  its  territory  until  1803 :  St.  George  was  the  planta- 
tion name  of  the  two  towns,  and  they  both  formed  a  part  of  the  Waldo 
patent.  They  were  settled  by  emigrants  from  Ireland,  brought  here  in 
1733  under  the  auspices  of  General  Waldo.  In  the  year  1753,  a  very 
strong  stone  fortress  was  built  in  this  town,  which  was  garrisoned  by  a 
company  of  provincial  troops  under  the  command  of  Major  Burton. 
Gushing  was  incorporated  January  28,  1789,  and  now  contains  8,600 
acres.  The  surface  is  very  rocky,  and  presents  but  a  poor  field  for  the 
operations  of  the  farmer.  The  town  contains  two  religious  societies, 
each  having  a  house  of  worship  (Baptist  and  Union) ;  six  school  districts, 
w^ith  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  807 ; 
valuation,  $90,688. 

GoTLER,  Washington  county,  is  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  thirty-five 
miles  east  of  Machias.  The  original  settlers  of  the  to\vn  were  Ephraim 
Andrews,  John  Davis,  Robert  Gates,  and  John  Maker,  who  came  from 
the  town  of  Machias  and  settled  here  about  the  year  1785,  depending, 
at  that  time,  for  a  subsistence,  on  farming  and  fishing.  In  1812,  the 
plantation  contained  thirty  families.  In  the  war  with  Great  Britain 
(1813),  an  American  cutter  lying  in  the  harbor  was  captured  by  the 
crew  of  a  British  armed  vessel,  and  some  of  the  inhabitants  were  plun- 
dered ;  not,  however,  without  some  resistance  on  their  part.  The  set- 
tlers obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  John  G.  Jones,  and  after  his 
death,  from  Joseph  Gutler,  of  Newburyport,  in  honor  of  whom  the 
town  was  named. 

Gutler  was  incorporated  in  1817.  The  surface  is  broken  by  hills  and 
ledges  of  rock,  between  which  are  some  valuable  meadows,  producing 
grass  of  a  good  quality.  The  scenery  is  very  delightful,  and  from  an 
elevation  of  land  called  the  ''  Look-out,"  a  fine  view  is  gained  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  with  its  countless  sails  moving  to  and  fro.  The  town 
is  watered  by  Little  river.  Gutler  harbor  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  state, 
being  protected  from  storms  by  high  land  on  each  side,  and  by  an 
island  at  the  mouth,  on  which  the  government  has  erected  a  light-house : 


100  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

it  is  also  of  sufficient  depth  for  vessels  of  the  largest  size  to  ride  at 
anchor,  and,  being  always  free  from  ice,  is  accessible  at  every  season  of 
the  year.  The  facilities  for  ship-building  are  great,  though  but  few  ves- 
sels have  been  built  here,  —  two  ships  and  eight  or  ten  schooners  being 
the  extent  of  the  business  in  this  line.  The  California,  a  packet-ship  of 
seven  hundred  tons,  and  a  small  schooner  of  thirty  tons,  launched  in  the 
spring  of  1857,  are  among  the  number. 

The  lumber  business  is  carried  on  to  some  extent,  there  being  an  in- 
corporated company,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Cutler  Mill-dam  Com- 
pany, and  several  private  individuals,  engaged  in  the  trade.  This  com- 
pany have  erected  a  new  mill  at  Schooner  brook,  comprising  one  saw 
for  long  lumber,  two  shingle  machines,  one  lath  machine,  and  a  box 
machine.  There  is  another  mill  at  the  head  of  Little  Machias  bay.  In 
1835,  a  wealthy  company  from  England  purchased  a  piece  of  land  in 
this  town,  called  the  Eastern  Head,  and  commenced  opening  a  mine, 
out  of  which  they  succeeded  in  extracting  some  valuable  ore,  including 
some  copper  and  gold  ;  but  the  enterprise  has  since  been  aban- 
doned. 

There  is  but  one  meeting-house  in  town,  which  is  occupied  alter- 
nately by  the  Methodists  and  Baptists.  Cutler  is  divided  into  seven 
school  districts,  with  ten  schools,  and  has  two  post-offices  —  Cutler  and 
North  Cutler.     Population,  820;  valuation  for  1857,  871,000. 

Damariscotta,  Lincoln  county,  is  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
Damariscotta  river,  opposite  the  town  of  Newcastle,  and  its  ship-build- 
ing interests  have  ever  been  large.  It  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
Pemaquid  Patent,  and  Avas  settled  about  1640,  by  men  who  left  Pem- 
aquid  in  search  of  new  and  easier  fields  of  enterprise.  The  land  titles 
were  involved  in  all  those  controversies  and  vexatious  lawsuits,  with 
which  the  Pemaquid  Patent  was  harassed.  During  the  Indian  w^ars, 
the  settlers  tasted  the  bitterness  of  warfare  with  the  savages,  having 
been  frequently  driven  off  or  massacred  by  them.  Damariscotta  w^as 
more  properly  an  outpost  of  Pemaquid,  rather  than  a  central  point, 
exercising  a  controlling  influence  on  the  surrounding  settlements. 

On  the  incorporation  of  Nobleboro',  the  territory  of  Damariscotta  was 
included  in,  and  formed  a  part  of,  that  town  ;  but,  in  1849,  in  compliance 
with  the  wish  of  its  inhabitants,  it  was  created  a  distinct  municipality. 
The  surface  is  xineven,  and  the  land  moderately  productive.  A  village 
has  sprung  up  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  frequently,  in  the  seasons 
of  lumbering  and  ship-building,  which  are  the  principal  occupations, 
presents  quite  a  lively  aspect. 

Damariscotta  has  two  public-houses,  seven  ship-builders,  two  caulk- 


MAINE TOWN    Or    DANVILLE,    ETC.  101 

ers  and  gravers,  three  sail-makers,  five  pail  factories,  three  carriage- 
builders,  one  grist-mill,  and  two  tanneries ;  it  has  also  three  churches  — 
Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Universal! st ;  six  school  districts,  with  seven 
schools ;  one  bank,  with  a  capital  of  ^oO,000 ;  and  one  post-office  — 
Damariscotta  Mills.      Population,  1,328 ;  valuation,  $377,242. 

Danville,  Androscoggin  county,  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of 
Androscoggin  river,  opposite  Lewiston,  and  was  originally  a  part  of 
the  Pejepscot  Purchase.  The  settlement  of  the  town  was  commenced 
in  1764,  and  it  was  incorporated  March  6,  1802,  under  the  name  of  Pe- 
jepscot, which  was  retained  untilFebruary  1,  1819,  when  it  was  changed 
by  act  of  the  legislature. 

The  surface  of  Danville  is  generally  even  and  tolerably  productive, 
and  it  is  watered  by  the  Androscoggin  river.  The  Grand  Trunk  Rail- 
way passes  through  one  corner  of  Danville,  and  forms  a  junction  with 
the  Androscoggin  and  Kennebec  Railroad.  The  town  contains  two 
public-houses,  three  saw-mills,  two  shingle  machines,  one  grist-mill,  one 
tannery,  one  pail  factory,  one  carriage  factory,  and  one  marble -worker: 
also  three  church  edifices  (Free-will  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Univer- 
sahst),  eleven  school  districts,  with  eight  schools,  and  two  post-offices  — 
Danville  and  West  Danville.     Population,  1,036  ;  valuation,  $392,715. 

Dayton,  York  county,  on  the  west  side  of  Saco  river,  which  divides 
it  from  Saco  and  Buxton,  was  set  off  from  HoUis  in  1854.  It  was  first 
settled  about  1753,  by  John  and  Andrew  Gordon,  of  Biddeford,  who 
were  driven  off  by  the  Indians,  but  afterward  returned.  Some  articles 
of  pewter  ware  have  been  ploughed  up  Vidthin  a  few  years,  supposed  to 
have  been  buried  by  them  before  being  driven  off.  Andrew  was  killed, 
by  the  fall  of  a  tree,  in  1804.  T/te  Landing,  originally  called  Russell  lot, 
was  settled  about  1760,  by  John  and  Edward  Smith.  John  Smith  of 
Biddeford  settled  near  the  block-house  about  1762,  was  lieutenant 
under  General  Pepperrell  in  the  expedition  against  Louisburg,  and 
served  also  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Zebulou  Gordon,  the  first  plan- 
tation clerk,  settled  in  1772.  Quite  a  number  settled  about  1787 ; 
others  about  1800.  Rev.  Simon  Lock  came  from  Barrington,  N.  H., 
in  1792,  settled  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  and  was  soon  installed 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Lyman,  continuing  such  till  his  death, 
September  6,  1831.  His  widow  died  November  2,  1854,  aged  102 
years,  ten  months,  and  nineteen  days.  Jesse  Lock,  a  son,  still  lives  in 
this  town.  He  represented  HoUis  in  the  Massachusetts  legislature 
from  1812  to  1816. 

A  block-house  for  holding  goods  and  trading  with  the  Indians,  built 

9* 


102  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

in  1729,  about  eighty  rods  below  the  falls,  was  garrisoned  with  ten  or 
fifteen  men  until  1759,  when  the  cannon  were  transferred  to  Castle 
William,  in  Boston  harbor.^  The  early  settlers  of  this  and  adjoining 
towns  used  this  as  a  place  of  refuge  from  the  Indians  in  times  of  alarm 
and  danger.  Dayton  furnished  seven  men  for  the  struggles  of  the 
Revolution,  one  of  whom  (Jacob  E-hoades)  is  still  living  here,  and  draws 
a  pension. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  undulating,  without  any  high  hills.  It  is 
interspersed  with  small  streams,  and  abounds  in  springs  of  pure  -water. 
The  Boiling  Spring,  so  called,  is  quite  a  curiosity.  It  is  two  or  three 
rods  in  diameter  and  seven  or  eight  feet  deep,  bottomed  on  quicksand. 
The  water  is  very  clear,  and  boils  up  sometimes  in  one  part,  sometimes 
in  another,  changing  fantastically  from  place  to  place  every  few  min- 
utes. The  soil  is  well  adapted  to  grazing,  to  the  grow^th  of  English 
grasses,  Indian  corn,  and  other  grains,  and  to  fruit-trees.  English  hay, 
oats,  potatoes,  apples,  as  well  as  neat-stock  and  the  products  of  the 
dairy,  are  sent  to  market.  Before  the  Revolution,  the  inhabitants  de- 
pended mostly  on  lumber,  which  they  bartered  for  corn. 

There  was  considerable  activity  in  business  here  until  within  twenty 
years.  The  valley  of  the  Saco  furnished  valuable  timber,  much  of 
which  was  manufactured  into  lumber  and  rafted  to  Saco  market,  or 
hauled  to  Portland.  Previous  to  the  Avar  of  1812,  some  four  or  five 
stores  -were  supported  at  Little  Falls  landing,  about  a  mile  above  the 
Biddeford  line.  At  Union  Falls  is  a  valuable  water-power.  In  1807 
or  1808,  a  dam  and  four  or  five  saw-mills  were  built  on  the  Dayton  side, 
and  were  operated  until  1837,  when  they  were  swept  away  by  a  freshet, 
and  have  never  been  rebuilt,  —  since  which  the  village  has  gone  back- 
ward. The  privilege  is  apparently  to  become  valuable  again,  having 
been  purchased  by  the  Saco  and  Biddeford  Water-Power  Company, 
which  in  1856  commenced  the  erection  of  a  stone  dam,  that  will 
cost  from  815,000  to  f  20,000. 

There  are,  however,  in  the  toAvn  two  saAV-mills,  tAvo  grist-mills,  one 
shingle  machine,  one  carding  machine,  and  one  edge-tool  manufactory. 

There  is  not  a  church  within  the  present  limits  of  the  place,  the 
Hollis  meeting-house  being  just  over  the  line.  Dayton  has  seven 
school  districts,  with  five  schools.  Population  in. 1854,  819;  valuation, 
8119,000. 

Deblois,  in  the  Avestern  part  of  Washington  county,  originally  com- 
prised a  portion  of  Bingham's  "South  Million-acre  Purchase,"  and 
for   many   years  was   held    in  trust   under  Bingham's   will,  —  Colonel 

'  Folsom's  Hist  Biddeford,  p.  222,  2-18. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    DEDHAM,    ETC.  103 

Black,  of  Ellsworth,  acting  as  agent  for  the  trustees.  Colonel  Black 
sold  this  deed  to  William  W.  Woodbury  and  Daniel  C.  Emery,  the 
stipulations  of  the  sale  being  that  the  deed  should  be  delivered  on  the 
payment  of  the  purchase-money.  While  it  was  held  in  this  form, 
Woodbury  and  Emery  conveyed  their  interest  to  the  City  Bank  of 
Portland,  which  corporation  was  already  a  tenant  in  common  of  thirty- 
three  sixty-fourths  of  said  tract,  as  also  of  other  townships  adjoining 
Beddington,  being  the  ungranted  lands  of  Cherryfield,  and  half  of  town- 
ship No.  22,  in  Hancock  county.  The  City  Bank  paid  the  balance  of 
the  purchase-money  due  by  Woodbury  and  Emery,  and  therefore  be- 
came proprietors  of  the  land,  which  they  subsequently  disposed  of  to 
William  Freeman,  Jr.,  of  Cherryfield.  The  town  was  incorporated  in 
1850,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Thomas  Amory  Deblois,  late 
president  of  the  City  Bank  of  Portland.  It  has  one  school  district, 
with  one  school;  and  one  post-ofFice.  Population,  126;  valuation  — 
no  return. 

Dedham  is  situated  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  Hancock  county. 
The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Nathan  Phillips,  about  the  year 
1810.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  town,  in  1837,  under  its  present  name, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Reuben  Gregg,  who  had  formerly  lived  in  Ded- 
ham, Mass. 

The  surface  of  Dedham  presents  nothing  but  rocks  piled  on  rocks 
immensely  high,  with  yawning  gulfs  between.  There  are  ten  mountain 
peaks  in  the  town,  and  about  the  same  number  of  ponds.  The  waters, 
with  the  exception  of  those  of  Fitz  pond,  all  find  their  outlet  in  Union 
river.  Fitz  pond  has  two  outlets,  one  in  Union  river,  the  other  in  East- 
ern river.  How  the  inhabitants  can  obtain  a  living  in  Dedham,  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive.  They  are  at  least  entitled  to  great  credit  for  the 
roads  they  have  built  over  this  sterile  country. 

There  is  but  one  village  in  Dedham,  located  in  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  which  contains  the  only  post-office.  The  tanning  business 
and  lumbering  are  carried  on  to  some  extent ;  and  a  flour  and  grist  mill 
has  just  been  completed.  There  is  one  church  edifice,  occupied  by  the 
Baptists.  The  town  is  divided  into  six  school  districts,  with  ten  schools. 
Population,  546 ;  valuation,  ^55,094. 

Deer  Isle,  Hancock  county,  comprises  in  its  municipality  three 
islands  on  the  eastern  side  of  Penobscot  bay,  called  Great  Deer  Isle, 
Little  Deer  Isle,  and  Isle  Au  Haut.  Little  Deer  Isle,  the  most  northerly 
of  the  group,  has  an  area  of  one  thousand  acres,  which  is  well  suited  for 
agriculture,  and  supports  a  considerable  number  of  inhabitants.     Great 


104  HISTOllY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Deer  Isle  is  about  ten  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  near  five 
miles  in  width,  the  northern  part  being  tolerably  level,  while  the  south 
is  rough.  Isle  Au  Haut  is  estimated  to  contain  about  3,500  acres ;  has 
generally  a  bold  shore,  and  possesses  one  or  two  good  harbors.  The 
combined  territory  of  these  three  islands  amounts  to  14,320  acres. 

This  town  receives  about  one  twelfth  part  of  all  the  fishing  bounty 
paid  by  the  United  States.  The  inhabitants  in  the  south  part  are 
almost  exclusively  engaged  in  fishing,  while  those  in  the  northern  part 
are  employed  in  the  coasting  trade.     Deer  Isle  contains  three  churches, 

—  two  Congregational,  and  one  Methodist;  an  academy;  thirty  school 
districts,  with  an  aggregate  of  1,480  pupils  ;  one  fulling-mill,  three  grist- 
mills, two  saw-mills,  one  brickmaker,  one  sash  and  blind  factory,  one 
shingle  machine,  one  tannery,  three  ship-builders,  and  four  post-offices 

—  Deer  Isle,  South  Deer  Isle,  Green's  Landing,  and  Oceanvillc.  Popu- 
lation, 3,037 ;  valuation,  ^^227,042. 

Denmark  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Oxford  county,  and  joins 
Fryeburg  on  the  southeast.  It  was  formed  from  a  grant  made  by  Massa- 
chusetts to  the  Fryeburg  Academy,  and  two  other  grants  made  by  that 
state  to  private  individuals,  together  with  a  strip  from  the  town  of  Brown- 
field.  Denmark  was  settled  in  178S-89.  Among  the  original  settlers 
were  Ezra  Stiles,  David  Porter,  Nathaniel  Symonds,  Thomas  Bragdon, 
Nathaniel  Mclntire,  Ephraim  Jewett,  William  Davis,  Parson  and  Thomas 
Pingree,  Elias  Berry,  and  Cyrus  Ingalls,  several  of  whom  came  from 
Andover,  Mass.  The  territory  comprising  this  town  was  included  in 
the    tract  formerly  known  under  the  Indian  name  of  Pequawket. 

Denmark  was  incorporated  February  20,  1807.  Its  surface  is  hilly 
and  very  stony.  The  principal  mountain  is  known  by  the  name  of 
Pleasant  mountain,  and  is  rather  peculiar  in  appearance,  being  about 
eight  or  ten  mUes  in  circumference  at  its  base,  and  tvA^o  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  while  it  is  entirely  unconnected  with  any  other 
elevation  of  land.  A  dwelling-house  has  been  erected  on  its  summit, 
which  is  very  much  frequented  by  pleasure-seekers  during  the  warm 
summer  months,  and  the  view  from  its  towering  height  is  said  to  be  not 
inferior  to  that  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Washington.  The  Saco 
river  bounds  Denmark  partly  on  the  Avest.  There  are  in  town  Beaver 
Granger,  and  Moose  brooks,  and  some  streams  of  less  note.  Moose 
brook  issues  from  the  pond  of  the  same  name,  and  is  the  largest  stream 
here,  having  at  its  head  a  most  excellent  water-power,  made  service- 
able in  propelling  the  machinery  contained  in  a  grist-mill,  two  sawr-mills 
a  cloth-dressing  mill,  a  carriage  factory,  a  shingle  and  planing  machine 
and  a  cabinet  shop.  At  this  spot  is  centred  the  principal  jjart  of  the 
jiopulation  of  Denmark. 


MAINE  —  TOWX   OF   I)E^'NYSVILLE,   ETC.  105 

The  lumber  business  was  formerly  considerable  ;  but  now  agricul- 
tural pursuits  occupy  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants.  Fruit  is  raised 
to  some  extent,  and  stock-raising  is  moderately  carried  on.  There  are 
two  church  edifices  here  —  Congregational  and  Universalist ;  fourteen 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  1,203 ;  valuation  for  1857,  ^184,749. 

Dennysville  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county, 
about  seventeen  miles  west  from  Eastport.  The  original  settlers  were 
mostly  from  Hingham,  Mass. ;  and  among  them  were  Theodore  Lin- 
coln, Theophilus  Wilder,  William  Kilby,  and  Solomon  Gushing.  The 
first  settlement  was  made  in  1786.  The  proprietors  of  this  township 
(which  for  many  years  included  the  territory  of  Pembroke,  and  also  that 
of  Perry,  adjoining),  were  Thomas  Russell,  Benjamin  Lincoln,  and 
John  Lowell,  who  purchased  it  from  the  state  of  Massachusetts ;  and 
from  them  the  settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands.  Dennysville  was 
incorporated  in  1818,  taking  its  name  from  the  river  which  bordered  it, 
called,  at  the  time  of  its  settlement,  Denny's  river,  from  an  Indian  called 
"  Denny,"  who  had  his  hunting-ground  in  this  neighborhood. 

The  surface,  like  that  in  most  of  the  towns. on  the  seaboard  in  Maine, 
is  broken  and  hilly.  There  are  no  lakes,  ponds,  or  considerable  streams. 
The  manufacture  of  lumber  —  boards,  shingles,  and  laths  ■ — is  the  prin- 
cipal occupation  of  the  inhabitants.  There  is  also  a  factory  for  the 
making  of  pails,  tubs,  and  churns,  and  a  tannery.  In  agriculture,  little 
is  done  beyond  raising  hay  and  stock.  Dennysville  has  one  church, 
occupied  by  the  Congregationalists ;  two  school  districts,  with  four 
schools ;  and  one  post-office.     Population,  458 ;  valuation,  ^99,853. 

Detroit,  situated  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Somerset  county,  thirty- 
nine  miles  from  Augusta,  was  incorporated  in  1838,  under  the  name  of 
Chandlerville,  which  it  retained  till  it  received  its  present  name,  in  1841. 
It  is  watered  by  the  two  branches  of  the  Sebasticook,  which  unite  here. 
The  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Railroad  passes  centrally  through  the 
town.  Detroit  has  one  saw-mill,  one  shingle  machine,  and  two  tan- 
neries;  five  school  districts,  with  eight  schools;  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  517 ;  valuation,  $50,685. 

Dexter,  Penobscot  county,  is  the  most  northwesterly  town  in  the 
county.  It  is  built  on  the  height  of  land  between  the  Kennebec  and 
Penobscot  rivers,  fifty-eight  miles  northeast  from  Aiigusta,  and  thirty 
miles  northwest  from  Bangor.  The  township  was  surveyed  in  1772; 
but  no  settlement  was  attempted  until  1801,  when  David  Smith  com- 
menced the  enterprise. 


106 


lUSTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 


The  first  family  which  moved  to  the  town  was  that  of  Ebenezer 
Small,  of  Gilmanton,  N.  H.  A  large  delegation  from  other  parts  of 
New  Hampshire  followed,  among  whom  were  Joseph  Tucker,  Seba 
French,  William  Mitchell,  Simeon  and  John  SafFord,  the  Shepleys,  the 
Smiths,  and  the  Maxwells.  Besides  these,  several  families  from  the 
western  part  of  the  state  emigrated  here.  In  1803,  the  bomidaries  of 
the  town  were  established  (a  plan  of  which  was  drawn  by  Simeon  Saf- 
ford),  and  it  was  partitioned  into  lots,  and  disposed  of  to  settlers.  The 
town  was  incorporated  in  1816,  and  received  its  present  name,  in  honor 
of  Hon.  Samuel  Dexter.      The  post-office  was  established  in  1818,  the 


mail  from  Bangor  to  Skowhegan  being  carried  once  a  week,  on  horse- 
back, by  Daniel  Hayden.  The  first  meeting-house  (Universalist)  was 
erected  in  1829. 

Dexter  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  New  England  town,  abounding  in 
hills,  vales,  and  ponds,  and  is  regarded  as  among  the  best  farming  towns 
in  the  county,  though  it  is  more  generally  known  for  its  excellent  water- 
power,  and  the  general  thrift  and  enterprise  of  its  inhabitants.  The  vil- 
lage lies  at  the  outlet  of  a  beautiful  pond  of  about  one  thousand  acres, 
fed  entirely  by  springs,  furnishing  a  safe  and  unfailing  water-power, 
never  affected  by  freshets  or  drought.  The  fall  in  this  pond  is  150  feet 
in  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  —  there  being  nine  improved  privileges  within 
this  distance,  turning  sixteen  large  wlieels,  which  propel  a  great  variety 
of  machinery. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OP    DEXTER.  107 

There  are  twenty  stores  in  town ;  also,  five  factories,  employing  225 
hands,  by  the  aid  of  which  there  are  annually  thrown  into  the  market 
820,000  yards  of  flannel,  15,000  pairs  of  blankets,  and  30,000  yards  of 
cassimeres  and  tweeds,  consuming  in  their  manufacture  420,000  pounds 
of  wool.  The  cost  for  labor  is  $50,000  per  annum;  and  for  stock, 
$250,000.  Besides  the  above,  there  are  also  in  active  operation  a  tan- 
nery, which  cures  annually  ten  thousand  hides ;  a  machine  shoj) ;  and 
an  establishment  largely  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  orange  and 
lemon  boxes,  which  are  made  by  a  new  and  peculiar  process,  capable  of 
turning  out  thirty  thousand  per  annum.  The  manufacture  of  cabinet 
furniture,  sashes,  blinds,  and  doors,  is  also  carried  on  extensively.  A 
grist-mill  was  erected  in  1854,  with  five  sets  of  stones,  to  which,  during 
the  drought  of  that  year,  grain  was  brought  a  distance  of  forty  miles ;  a 
fact  which  attests  both  the  value  of  the  privilege  and  the  excellence  of 
the  mill.  Besides  the  mechanical  establishments  already  enumerated, 
there  are  five  shingle  machines,  one  brick-yard,  one  carding  machine, 
two  pail  factories,  and  six  saw-mills. 

The  already  large  and  still  increasing  business  of  this  inland  town 
demands  better  facilities  for  transportation,  and  a  railroad  is  contem- 
plated to  Newport,  a  distance  of  thirteen  miles,  to  intersect  with  the 
railroad  from  Bangor  to  Augusta  and  Portland.  A  charter  has  been 
granted,  surveys  made,  and  the  road  will  doubtless  be  completed  at  an 
early  day. 

A  violent  tornado  passed  over  this  town  in  1848,  by  which  the  largest 
trees  were  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  the  strongest  buildings  completely 
crushed. 

There  are  two  printing-offices  in  Dexter;  and  ten  school  districts, 
each  having  excellent  school-houses;  and  here  the  remark  maybe  made, 
that,  in  any  state,  the  character  of  the  school-houses  furnishes  a  very 
correct  rule  by  which  to  judge  of  the  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  a 
town.  Where  comfortable,  well-arranged  school-houses  are  found, 
there  also  dwell  industrious,  thrifty,  intelligent,  and  virtuous  communi- 
ties. There  are  eighteen  schools,  with  nine  hundred  pupils,  and  a  school 
fund  yielding  ^2,000  annually :  and  four  churches — Universalist,  Bap- 
tist, Methodist,  and  Congregational.  Population,  1,948;  valuation, 
$267,561. 

DiXFlELD,  Oxford  county,  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  Andros- 
coggin river,  opposite  the  town  of  Peru,  and  was  granted  by  Massachu- 
setts to  Jonathan  Holman  and  others.  Ezra  Newton,  with  his  wife  and 
her  sister,  spent  the  winter  of  1793  in  this  town,  and  left  upon  return  of 
spring.     They  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  persons  who  made 


108  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

any  habitation  here.  John  Marble  came  with  a  yoke  of  oxen  in  the 
spring  of  1793  ;  but  no  permanent  settlement  was  made  until  1795,  when 
John  Marble,  Gardner  Brown,  Amos  Trask,  Levi  Newton,  David  Torrey, 
and  John  Gould  came,  accompanied  by  their  families.  The  settlers 
obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  Dr.  Elijah  Dix. 

The  town  was  incorporated  June  21,  1803.  The  surface  is  broken ; 
the  principal  elevations  being  Large  and  Small  Sugar-loaf,  and  Aunt 
Hipsy's  mountains.  It  is  drained  by  the  Androscoggin  river ;  and  con- 
tains no  lakes  or  ponds  of  note.  Agriculture  is  carried  on  quite  exten- 
sively, and  the  principal  articles  of  manufacture  are  woollen  goods. 
There  are  two  shingle  machines,  one  saw-mill,  one  grist-mill,  and  one 
carding  machine;  also,  three  church  edifices — one  of  which  is  occupied 
by  the  Universalists,  the  other  by  the  Congregationalists  and  Methodists, 
and  the  third  by  different  denominations ;  eleven  school  districts,  and 
two  villages,  —  Dixfield  and  East  Dixfield,  —  each  of  which  has  a  post- 
office.     Population,  1,180 ;  valuation,  $153,729. 

DiXMONT  is  the  southwest  corner  town  of  Penobscot  county,  and  was 
known  in  the  original  survey  as  No.  3,  range  one,  north  of  the  Waldo 
patent.  It  was  first  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  to  Bowdoin 
College,  from  the  trustees  of  which,  John  J.  Blaisdell  of  Parsonsfield 
purchased  three  thousand  acres,  at  one  dollar  per  acre  ;  but,  faiUng  to 
make  the  payment  at  the  stipulated  time,  the  purchase  reverted  to  the 
trustees  of  the  college,  from  whom  the  settlers  on  this  tract  obtained  the 
titles  to  their  lands.  The  remainder  of  the  township,  20,040  acres,  was 
purchased  by  Dr.  Elijah  Dix,^  of  Boston,  July  12,  1801,  for  the  consider- 
ation of  $21,431,  and  from  him,  and  the  mountain  in  the  southerly  part, 
the  town  takes  its  name. 

The  first  permanent  settlers  were  Friend  Drake,  Ehhu  Alden,  John 
Bassford,  Benjamin  Brown,  and  nine  others.  The  town  was  incor- 
porated in  1807,  during  which  year  a  malignant  fever  broke  out,  of 
which  many  of  the  settlers  died,  —  retarding  for  a  time  the  progress  of 
the  settlement.  During  the  last  war  with  England,  some  of  the  inhabi- 
tants were  drafted  into  the  army,  and  others  volunteered.  None  were 
killed,  however ;  but  several  received  severe  wounds,  among  whom  was 
Charles  Peabody,  now  living,  who  was  struck  in  the  ankle  by  a  cannon 
ball,  making  amputation  of  the  leg  necessary. 

The  surface  is  uneven  and  broken ;  but  most  of  the  soil  is  fit  for  cul- 


'  Dr.  DIx  never  had  a  permanent  residence  in  town,  but  made  occasional  visits  for  the 
purpose  of  business.  He  died  here,  while  on  a  visit,  May,  1809,  and  was  interred  in  the 
burial-cround  near  Dixmont  Corner. 


MAINE TOWN   OF   DOVER.  109 

tivation.  The  two  highest  elevations  are  known  as  Peaked  and  Harris 
mountains,  the  former  lying  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town,  and  the 
latter  in  the  southerly  part.  The  altitude  of  Harris  mountain  is  1,160 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  on  its  summit  is  an  observatory, 
erected  by  the  superintendent  of  the  United  States  coast  survey  (Profes- 
sor Bache)  in  1854.  Butman's  pond  is  the  only  natural  one  in  Dix- 
mont,  and  covers  an  area  of  about  forty  acres.  Butman's  streani,  the 
outlet  of  this  pond,  falls  into  a  pond  in  Plymouth.  Martin's  stream 
flows  through  the  northwest  part  of  the  town. 

Dixmont  contains  four  small  villages  —  Dixmont  Corner,  North  Dix- 
mont,  East  Dixmont,  and  Dixmont  Centre ;  three  houses  for  pubhc 
worship,  occupied  by  the  several  religious  denominations ;  twelve  school 
districts,  w^ith  twenty-one  schools ;  three  saw-mills,  three  shingle  ma- 
chines, two  flour  and  grist-mflls,  one  brickmaker,  one  edge-tool  maker, 
one  pail-maker,  and  one  tannery ;  as  also  four  post-offices  —  one  at  each 
of  the  villages.     Population,  1,605 ;  valuation,  $209,621. 

Dover  is  situated  at  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Piscataquis  county. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1801,  by  Eh  Towne  from  Pepperell, 
Mass.,  who  moved  his  family  here  in  June,  1802.  During  the  following 
eight  years,  Abel  Blood  and  Nathaniel  Chamberlaizi  from  Charlton, 
Mass.,  Eleazer,  Seth,  and  John  Spaulding,  and  Job  Parsons  from  Nor- 
ridgewock,  William  Huston  from  Anson,  "William  Mitchell  and  Joel 
Doore  from  Athens,  James  Rowe  from  WaterviUe,  and  Paul  Lambert 
from  Winthrop,  all  in  this  state,  came  here  and  settled  with  their  fami- 
lies. The  titles  to  the  land  were  derived  from  the  Vaughan  family,  who 
came  over  from  England,  and  purchased  the  township  of  the  state  of 
Massachusetts.  It  was  organized  into  a  plantation  in  1816,  and  incor- 
porated as  a  town  in  1822. 

The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  but  not  hilly.  There  are  no  moun- 
tains, lakes,  or  ponds.  The  Piscataquis  river  forms  the  northern  boun- 
dary, upon  "which  the  only  village  is  situated,  which  is  connected  by  a 
bridge  with  the  neighboring  village  and  town  of  Foxcroft ;  thus  pre- 
senting to  the  eye  of  a  stranger  but  one  village,  both  of  which,  for  beauty 
and  neatness,  are  surpassed  by  very  few  in  the  state. 

There  are  five  church  edifices  in  town,  (two  Baptist,  one  Free-will 
Baptist,  one  Universalist,  and  one  Methodist).  The  pulpits  of  all  these 
are  usually  supphed,  and  the  congregations  respectable  in  numbers.  It 
may  be  remarked  in  this  conziection,  that  the  Congregational  church 
stands  in  the  village  of  Foxcroft;  but  a  large  portion  of  the  members  of 
the  church  and  parish  reside  in  Dover.  There  are  five  post-offices  — 
Dover,  East  Dover,  South  Dover,  West  Dover,  and  Dover  South  MiUs. 

VOL.  I.  10 


110  HISTOUY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Most  of  the  people  are  engaged  in  agriculture.  There  are  four  saw- 
mills, and  machines  for  making  shingles  and  clapboards  ;  one  flour-mill, 
two  tanneries,  two  carriage  manufactories,  one  woollen  factory,  in  suc- 
cessful operation ;  and  the  usual  number  of  mechanical  trades.  The  Pis- 
cataquis Observer  is  printed  here.  There  are  seventeen  school  districts, 
with  eighteen  public  schools.  Dover  is  the  shire  town  of  the  county, 
and  contains  at  the  present  time  a  population  of  about  2,500 ;  valua- 
tion, $405,000. 

Dkesden,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Lincoln  county,  on  the  east- 
ern bank  of  Kennebec  river,  formerly  embraced  the  present  towns  of 
Alna,  Wiscasset,  and  Perkins.  The  territory  comprised  in  Dresden, 
Alna,  and  Wiscasset,  was  sold  by  the  Indians  to  Christopher  Lawson, 
on  the  10th  of  October,  1649,  and  Lawson  sold  the  same  to  Messrs. 
Lake  and  Clark.  Lake  resided  on  his  purchase  till  he  was  killed  by 
the  Indians.  It  was  afterwards  owned  by  Sir  Byby  Lake,  Edward 
Hutchinson,  and  others.  A  fort  was  erected  in  this  town  in  1754,  about 
a  mile  above  the  northern  end  of  Swan  island,  now^  the  town  of  Per- 
kins, and  called  Fort  Shirley,  in  compliment  to  Governor  Shirley,  the 
then  governor  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts.  Major  Samuel  Good- 
win commanded  Fort  Shirley  till  it  was  dismantled.  Pownalborough 
was  incorporated  February  13,  1760,  receiving  its  name  from  Governor 
Pownal,  who  succeeded  Governor  Shirley.  It  was  the  shire  town  of  the 
county  of  Lincoln  for  thirty-four  years. 

Dresden  was  settled  about  1750.  Three  brothers,  William,  Charles, 
and  Rowland  Gushing,  took  up  their  residence  here  in  1760,  and  were 
distinguished  men  in  the  service  of  the  county.  The  town  was  incor- 
porated June  25,  1794,  from  what  was  termed  the  west  precinct  of  Pow- 
nalborough, and  took  the  name  of  Dresden,  from  a  town  of  that  name 
in  Germany,  whence  some  of  the  inhabitants  had  emigrated  under 
the  auspices  of  General  Waldo.  Major  John  Polereczky,  a  Frenchman, 
and  a  distinguished  soldier  in  the  American  army  under  General 
Rochambeau,  took  up  his  residence  in  this  town  after  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  was  for  fifteen  years  town  clerk. 

The  surface  is  mostly  even,  and  is  watered  by  Eastern  river  and  the 
Kennebec.  Dresden  has  two  villages ;  three  church  edifices —  Congrega- 
tional, Episcopal,  and  Methodist ;  nine  school  districts  ;  three  post-offices 
—  Dresden,  Dresden  Mills,  and  South  Dresden :  also  two  saw-mills, 
two  grist-mills,  three  tanneries,  and  one  brickyard.  Population,  1,419  ; 
valuation,  $270,613. 

Durham  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Androscoggin  county,  on 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  EASTBROOK,   ETC.  Ill 

the  south  side  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  and  contains  an  area  of  about 
seventeen  thousand  acres.  This  town  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
Pejepscot  Purchase,  of  which  Colonel  Royall  of  Medford,  Mass.,  was  a 
large  proprietor,  and  from  him  it  was  called  Royallston,  until  its  incor- 
poration February  17,  1789.  William  Gerrish  was  the  first  settler. 
This  town  is  connected  with  that  of  Lisbon  by  a  bridge  crossing  the 
Androscoggin.  The  land  is  suitable  for  agriculture,  in  which  the  izahabi- 
tants  are  principally  engaged. 

Durham  contains  three  villages,  known  as  Southwest  Bend,  West 
Durham,  and  South  Durham,  at  each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office ;  six 
church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congregationalist,  Free-wiU  Baptist,  Uni- 
versaUst,  Quaker,  and  Union;  seventeen  school  districts,  with  thirty- 
three  schools  ;  three  grist-mUls,  two  saw-miUs,  three  shingle  miUs,  three 
clapboard  mills,  six  blacksmith's  shops,  thirty  shoe  shops,  and  five  stores. 
Population,  1,886 ;  valuation,  $376,358. 

Eastbrook,  Hancock  county,  is  situated  about  twenty  miles  north- 
east from  Ellsworth,  and  not  quite  so  far  from  the  head  of  tide-water  in 
Taunton  bay.  It  is  a  six-mile-square  township ;  was  incorporated  in 
1836  ;  has  two  ponds  of  considerable  size,  and  is  also  watered  by  a 
branch  of  Union  river.  It  has  two  saw-mills,  and  three  school  districts, 
with  eighty-two  children  between  the  ages  of  four  and  twenty-one 
years,  thirty-seven  of  whom  are  said  to  attend  school.  Population,  212 ; 
valuation,  $32,811. 

East  Livermore,  Androscoggin  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Androscoggin  river.  The  first  settlement,  in  what  is  now  called 
East  Livermore,  was  made  in  the  year  1786,  by  Abram  Weston,  for- 
merly of  Lincoln,  Mass.  Other  settlers  came  in  soon  after,  among 
whom  were  Elisha  Smith,  Thomas  Dascom,  and  Elijah  Mills.  Elijah 
Livermore,  from  whom  the  town  took  its  name,  and  Colonel  Fuller, 
w^ere  the  proprietors  of  the  soil,  and  from  them  the  first  settlers  obtained 
their  titles.  The  Indian  name  of  the  township  was  "  Rockomeca,"  sig- 
nifying ''  great  corn  land." 

East  Livermore  was  incorporated  in  1843,  having  been  set  off  from 
Livermore,  of  which  it  was  formerly  the  part  lying  east  of  the  Andros- 
coggin river.  The  southwesterly  part  of  the  town  is  generally  level, 
and  the  soil  sandy ;  but  the  northeasterly  part  is  more  uneven,  with 
quite  prominent  hills,  and  many  southern  slopes,  which  render  it  ex- 
cellent for  farming  purposes.  East  Livermore  has  become  somewhat 
celebrated  for  the  raising  of  fine  breeds  of  cattle ;  in  fact,  the  town  for 
several  years  has  received  the  first  premiums  at  the  fairs  for  its  splendid 


112  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NE\V   ENGLAND. 

teams,  which  are  of  the  Durham  breed.  Moose  hill  is  situated  in  the 
extreme  northeast  corner,  and  overlooks  the  whole  town:  southerly, 
and  at  its  foot,  is  a  small  pond,  bearing  the  same  name.  An  interval, 
some  half  a  mile  in  width,  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the  town,  on 
the  river,  extends  nearly  its  whole  length. 

East  Livermore  has  but  one  village,  situated  in  the  extreme  north- 
west corner,  at  the  falls  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  and  known  by  the 
name  of  Rockomeca  Falls.  This  village  has  some  six  or  eight  stores 
and  shops,  a  public-house  (known  by  the  name  of  the  Rockomeca 
house),  a  shingle  mill,  a  saw-mill,  a  grist-mill,  a  carriage  factory,  and 
a  shoe  manufactory,  employing  some  fifty  hands.  The  fall  of  water  on 
the  Androscoggin  river  at  this  village,  is  some  fifty  feet  to  the  half  mile. 
The  water-power  is  surpassed  at  very  few  places  in  New  England ; 
and  from  the  location  of  the  village,  being  the  terminus,  at  present,  of 
the  Androscoggin  Railroad,  it  bids  fair  some  day  to  be  a  large  manu- 
facturing place.  The  inhabitants  are  mostly  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  the  chief  products  being  wheat,  corn,  potatoes,  and  apples  in 
abundance. 

There  are  four  church  edifices  in  town  —  Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist, 
Methodist,  and  UniversaHst ;  eight  school  districts,  with  eight  schools ; 
and  three  post-offices  —  Livermore  Falls,  East  Livermore,  and  Strick- 
land's Ferry.     Population,  891 ;  valuation,  ^200,000. 

East  Machias,  Washington  county,  situated  on  both  sides  of  East 
Machias  river,  was  set  off  from  INIachias  and  incorporated  in  1836.  It 
is  watered  by  the  above-mentioned  river,  which  receives  the  waters  of  a 
large  pond  from  the  east,  and  then  falls  into  Machias  river  and  bay  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  town.  These  afford  water-power  suffi- 
cient to  drive  sixteen  saw-mills,  six  shingle  miUs,  and  several  lath  mills. 
East  Machias  is  a  flourishing  little  town,  and  does  annually  considera- 
ble business  in  lumbering  and  ship-building.  There  are  here  two  church 
edifices  (Congregational  and  Methodist),  two  school  districts,  and  fifteen 
schools ;  one  of  the  best  academies  in  the  state ;  and  one  post-office. 
There  are  also  three  grist-mills,  one  tannery,  six  ship-builders,  three  pail- 
makers,  three  edge-tool  makers,  and  one  carriage  maker.  Population, 
1,905 ;  valuation,  $313,894. 

Eastport,  Washington  county,  is  an  island  situated  in  Passaraaquoddy 
bay,  and  is  about  five  miles  long,  and  nearly  two  miles  in  its  greatest 
width.  It  originally  included  within  its  limits  a  few  islands  lying  con- 
tiguous to  it,  as  also  the  present  town  of  Lubec.  Settlements  were 
commenced  here  in  1780 ;  but  in  consequence  of  the  dispute  between 


JIAIXi: XO^\■N    OF   EASTPOIIT.  113 

England  and  the  United  States  regarding  the  boundary  line,  it  had  but 
a  slow  growth ;  after  the  settlement  of  the  dirjputed  question,  however, 
it  increased  much  more  rapidly.  Until  its  incorporation,  February  24, 
1798,  it  was  known  as  Moose  Island,  which  was  then  changed  to  the 
naine  it  now  bears,  in  consequence  of  its  being  the  most  eastern  port  in 
the  United  States. 

During  the  last  war  with  England,  to  prevent  the  town  from  being 
captured  by  the  English,  two  companies  of  militia  were  detached  from 
the  brigade  of  General  Blake,  then  stationed  upon  the  Penobscot  river, 
and  quartered  here,  under  the  command  of  Major  Philip  Ulmer.     These 
troops  were  relieved  within  a  year,  by  companies  belonging  to  the  regu- 
lar army,  under  command  of  Colonel  George  Ulmer,  who,  in  his  efforts 
to  prevent  smuggling  and  illicit  intercourse  with  the   enemy,  having 
given  offence  to  some  of  the  inhabitants,  was  dismissed  from  the  com- 
mand, and  Major  Perlcy  Putnam,  of  Salem,  appointed  in  his   place. 
On  the  5th  of  July,  1814,  a  small  British  expedition  was   secretly  de- 
spatched from  Halifax,  which  was  joined  by  a  fleet  from  Bermuda,  the 
whole  consisting  of  the  Ramillies,  a  seventy-four  gun  ship,  having  on 
board  Commodore  Sir  Thomas  Hardy ;  the  Martin,  sloop  of  war ;  the 
brig  Boxer ;  the  Bream ;    the  Terror,  a  bomb  ship ;  and  several  trans- 
ports, carrying  a  large  body  of  troops,  commanded  by  Colonel  Thomas 
Pilkington.    This  expedition  arrived  in  front  of  Eastport  on  the  11th  of 
July,  when  the   commodore  demanded  a  surrender  of  Fort  Sullivan, 
allo^ving  only  five  minutes  for  an  answer.     Major   Putnam,  at  first, 
refused ;  but,  through  the  importunate  persuasions  of  the  inhabitants,  he 
at  length  reluctantly  struck  his   flag,  —  the  terms  of  capitulation  being 
that  all  the  public  property  should  become  the  prize  of  the  British ;  but 
the  private  rights  and  interests  of  the  inhabitants  were  to  be  respected. 
Forthwith  upwards  of  one  thousand  men,  and  a  battalion  of  artillery, 
with  women  and   children,  were    set  on  shore  from  the  shipping  by 
means  of  barges ;  fifty  or  sixty  pieces  of  cannon  were  landed ;  posses- 
sion was  taken  of  the  fort,  and  the  British  flag  immediately  hoisted. 
The  captors  then  seized  upon  the  custom-house  property,  and  took 
§9,000  in  unfinished  treasury  notes,  which  they  by  the  boldest  threats 
and  artifices  endeavored  to  make  the  collector  sign ;  but  he  absolutely 
refused,  declaring  that  "  death  would  be  no  compulsion."     Prizes  were 
made  of  several  vessels ;  large  quantities  of  goods  were  seized  for  breach 
of   blockade ;    and  all   property  belonging  to  other  persons  than  the 
inhabitants  of  Eastport  was  declared  forfeited. 

After  a  while  a  trade  was  opened  by  the  British,  which  was  too 
strong  a  temptation  for  the  citizens  of  Maine  to  resist ;  and,  though  the 
general  government  used  every  effort  to  prevent  smuggling,  they  were 

10* 


114  HISTOEY   AND    DESCEIPTIOX    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

unable  wholly  to  suppress  it.  The  British  officers  having  declared  that 
they  had  no  design  to  carry  on  offensive  operations,  this  expedition 
being  only  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  possession  of  the  islands  in  Pas- 
samaquoddy  bay,  about  two  thirds  of  the  islanders  reluctantly  submitted 
to  the  requirement  of  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance,  while  the  other 
third  left  the  place  to  seek  some  spot  where  the  "  powers  that  be  "  were 
more  in  accordance  with  their  opinions.  The  enemy  then  declared  that 
they  had  possession  of  what  was  their  due  by  the  treaty  of  1783,  and 
immediately  proceeded  to  erect  batteries,  upon  which  they  mounted  the 
cannon  they  had  landed.  Having  appointed  a  deputy  collector  of  cus- 
toms, the  commodore  with  his  squadron  departed,  leaving  upon  the 
island  eight  hundred  troops,  who  remained  here  for  three  years  after  the 
conclusion  of  peace,  under  the  plea  that  the  island  was  included  in  the 
original  limits  of  New  Brunswick. 

In  1839,  the  principal  part  of  the  business  portion  of  the  place  -was 
destroyed  by  fire,  but  was  soon  rebuilt.  The  village  is  situated  on  the 
south  end  of  the  island,  and  contains  about  one  hundred  warehouses 
and  stores,  a  telegraph  station,  and  a  custom-house,  built  at  an  expense 
of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars.  Upon  a  hill  in  the  centre  of  the  town  is 
Fort  Sullivan,  usually  garrisoned  by  a  company  of  United  States  artil- 
lery. The  village  is  compactly  built ;  and  a  covered  bridge  connects  it 
w^ith  the  town  of  Perry,  while  a  ferry  communicates  with  Lubec.  The 
people  are  chiefly  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits, — many  vessels 
being  buUt  and  owned  here,  and  (he  fisheries  carried  on  to  a  considera- 
ble extent.  The  harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  spacious  on  the 
New  England  coast,  and  is  never  closed  by  ice.  Communication  is  had 
daily  by  steamers  with  the  Upper  St.  Croix,  St.  Andrew,  and  Calais, 
and  tri-weekly  with  Portland  and  Boston.  Some  trade  is  carried  on 
here  by  land,  but  the  greater  part  is  by  water.  The  town  has  one  dis- 
trict and  eight  schools,  conducted  on  an  excellent  system,  and  a  library 
of  1,700  volumes.  There  are  six  churches — Congregational,  Baptist, 
Methodist,  Episcopalian,  Christian,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  one  planin^ 
mill,  one  shingle  mill,  one  tannery,  one  grist-mill,  one  lath  manufactory, 
six  pail-makers,  one  carriage  builder,  one  door,  sash,  and  blind  factory, 
and  four  ship-builders;  also,  a  post-office.  Population,  4,125;  valua- 
tion, ^660,519. 

Eddington,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Penob- 
scot river,  and  has  an  area  of  nine  thousand  acres.  It  was  granted  on  the 
recommendation  of  Congress,  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
June  14,  1785,  to  Jonathan  Eddy  and  nineteen  others,  for  services  ren- 
dered during  the  Revolutionary  war.     The  settlement  of  the  town  was 


MAINE TOWN   OF   EDEN,   ETC.  115 

commenced  immediately  after  the  grant  was  made,  and  it  was  incor- 
porated February  22,  1811,  taking  its  corporate  name  from  the  original 
grantee,  Jonathan  Eddy. 

The  surface  of  Eddington  is  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  broken ;  but 
the  soil  is  good.  There  are  two  villages,  one  situated  on  the  Penobscot 
river,  and  the  other  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  town ;  two  churches 
—  Methodist  and  Universalist ;  seven  school  districts,  with  fourteen 
schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Eddington  and  East  Eddington ;  it 
has  also  one  saw-mill,  one  grist-mill,  three  shingle  mills,  two  pail- 
makers,  one  carding  machine,  and  one  carriage  builder.  Population, 
696 ;  valuation,  $101,283. 

Eden,  Hancock  county,  is  situated  on  the  northern  part  of  Mount 
Desert  island,  and  embraces  an  area  of  twenty-two  thousand  acres, 
about  one  thousand  of  which  are  covered  by  water.  Its  early  history 
belongs  to  the  town  of  Mount  Desert,  of  which  it  formed  a  part  until 
its  incorporation.  The  surface  and  soil  are  similar  to  those  of  Mount 
Desert.  The  leading  pursuits  of  the  inhabitants  are  navigation  and 
agriculture.  Eden  has  one  village,  four  religious  societies  (Baptist, 
Free-will  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Congregational),  three  of  which  have 
meeting-houses ;  fourteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-one  schools ;  and 
four  post-offices  —  Eden,  West  Eden,  Bar  Harbor,  and  Salisbury  Cove. 
It  has  also  two  saw-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  and  five  ship-builders. 
Population,  1,127 ;  valuation,  ^103,809,  although  the  present  actual 
value  is  estimated  as  high  as  $400,000. 

Edgeoomb,  Lincoln  county,  is  situated  on  the  peninsula  formed  by 
the  Sheepscot  and  Damariscotta  rivers,  and  joins  Boothbay  on  the 
north.  It  was  originally  settled  in  1744,  by  Samuel  Trask  and  others, 
who  took  up  their  lands  and  established  their  claims  by  possession,  in 
which  they  remained  undisturbed  for  the  period  of  ten  years,  when 
their  title  Avas  challenged  by  a  party  of  adventurers  from  Boston,  who 
pretended  to  have  a  deed  of  the  tract  from  the  Indian  sagamores. 
They  failed  to  establish  the  genuineness  of  their  deed,  and  were  obliged 
to  abandon  their  pretensions.  The  settlers  suffered  very  much  from 
the  attacks  of  the  Indians,  and  such  other  privations  as  were  incident  to 
life  in  a  new  country.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  1774.  Jeremis- 
quam  island,  and  another  lying  directly  east  of  it,  belonged  to  Edge- 
comb  until  they  were  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Westport,  in  1828. 
The  town  has  considerable  trade,  and  has  been  favorably  known  for  its 
ship-building.  There  are  two  churches  —  Congregational  and  Free- 
will Baptist ;   eight  school  districts,  with  fifteen  schools,  and  two  post- 


116  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

offices ;  also  one  saw-mill,  three  grist-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  two  ship- 
builders, four  brickmakers,  and  one  carding  machine.  Population, 
1,231 ;  valuation,  ^167,730. 

EciNBtJEGH,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Penobscot  river,  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Bangor.  It  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1835,  and  is  drained  by  several  small  streams.  The  town  is 
entirely  agricultural,  and  but  sparsely  settled.  It  has  one  church 
edifice  (Free-wiU  Baptist),  two  school  districts,  with  two  schools  ;  and 
one  post-office.     Population,  93  ;  valuation,  $11,307. 

Edmunds,  Washington  county,  formerly  plantation  No.  10,  was  se- 
lected in  preference  to  No.  5,  now  the  city  of  Calais,  by  Colonel  Aaron 
Hobart  of  Abington,  IMass.,  who  purchased  the  territory,  containing 
17,696  acres,  for  the  sum  of  £2,200,  from  the  state  of  Massachusetts, 
August  3,  1786  ;  and  Rufus  Putnam  of  Boston,  and  three  others,  were 
appointed  to  survey  the  same. 

The  first  settler  was  James  Neil,  an  Irish  deserter  from  the  British 
army,  who,  on  his  way  hither,  shot  and  killed  his  two  pursuers.  He 
built  a  log  house  in  1775,  where  he  continued  till  1793,  when  he  moved 
to  New  Brunswick.  The  next  settlement  was  in  1785,  by  John  Oliver 
and  his  mother,  (who  also  moved  to  New  Bruns^vick  in  1793,)  and  by 
Captain  Elijah  Ayers,  Jr.,  Samuel  Scott,  and  William  Hurley,  who 
moved  to  Nova  Scotia  about  the  time  the  others  did  to  New  Brunswick. 
Richard  Harper  and  family  lived  here  a  few  years,  and  then  moved  to 
No.  2.  Harper  went  to  sea,  ^vas  taken  by  the  French,  and  died  in  prison. 
In  1787,  Nathaniel  Hobart,  son  of  Aaron,  arrived,  engaged  in  the  mill  and 
lumber  business,  tarried  ten  years,  became  discontented,  sold  to  Phin- 
eas  Bruce,  an  eminent  lawyer  of  Machias,  and  moved  to  New  York. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  of  1784.  In  1788,  Benjamin 
Shaw  and  Daniel  Smith  settled.  In  1791,  Shaw's  house  and  barn  were 
burned  down,  and  he  moved  with  his  family  to  New  Brunswick. 
Smith  lived  here  twenty-five  years.  In  1792,  Isaac  Hobart,  son  of  the 
first  proprietor,  settled,  living  in  a  camp  while  his  house  and  mill  were 
being  built.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  he  purchased  the  wild  lands 
belonging  to  the  heirs,  and  became  owner  of  three  fourths  of  the  town- 
ship, now  in  possession  of  his  three  sons,  Aaron,  Isaac,  and  Benjamin. 
The  father  moved  in  1826  to  Eastport,  where  he  died  in  1847,  aged 
seventy-five.  From  1788  to  1800,  others  settled,  some  of  whom 
moved  away.  Among  others,  Samuel  Runnels  and  family  came  in 
1796.  He  had  been  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  deserves  special 
notice.     When  he  heard  of  the  "  Lexington  fight,"  he  started  immedi- 


MAINE TOWN   OF   ELLIOT.  117 

ately  from  Prospect,  where  he  then  lived,  and  arriving  at  head-quarters, 
enlisted  in  Colonel  Knowlton's  regiment,  and  served  through  the  whole 
war,  was  in  many  battles,  was  wounded  at  Long  Island,  was  with 
Washington  in  New  Jersey  at  the  crossing  of  the  Delaware ;  and  in 
the  battle  of  Trenton  killed  a  Hessian  captain  and  took  his  sword. 
He  received  a  pension  of  ten  dollars  per  month  for  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  this  town,  September  4,  1833,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two.  Aaron  Hobart,  first  proprietor,  died  in  1808,  previous  to 
which  the  settlers  obtained  their  titles  from  him,  but  have  since  acquired 
title  from  Isaac  Hobart. 

The  town  of  Edmunds  was  incorporated  in  1828.  The  surface  is 
uneven,  but  without  high  hills  or  deep  valleys.  The  place  was  selected 
for  its  valuable  wood  and  timber,  rather  than  its  agricultural  quahties ; 
yet  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  is  not  neglected.  The  raising  of  cattle, 
especially  cows  for  the  dairy,  receives  good  attention.  There  is  an 
abundance  of  water,  furnished  by  several  ponds  and  small  streams. 
Edmunds  has  one  church  edifice,  occupied  by  the  Methodists,  and 
six  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools.  The  manufac- 
tures consist  chiefly  of  all  kinds  of  lumber.  There  are  four  saw-miUs, 
four  lath  machines,  and  four  shingle  machines.  The  average  annual 
manufacture  of  lumber  is  estimated  at  1,200,000  feet  of  long  lumber, 
1,500,000  each  of  shingles  and  laths.  There  is  a  mill  for  carding  wool, 
which  has  been  in  operation  many  years.  In  1856,  a  factory  for  making 
pails  and  churns  was  erected.  There  is  a  ship  yard,  at  which  a  mod- 
erate business  is  done.     Population,  446 ;  valuation  for  1857,  ®63,427. 

Elliot,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  York  county,  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Piscataqua  river,  belonged  to  Kittery  until  March  1,  1810, 
when  it  was  erected  into  a  distinct  municipality.  WhUe  an  adjunct  of 
Kittery,  it  bore  the  name  of  Sturgeon  Creek,  and  was  called  the  north 
parish.  Walter  Neal,  the  agent  of  Mason  and  Gorges,  made  grants  of 
land  here  in  1632 ;  but  a  settlement  was  made  a  few  years  previous  to 
that  date. 

Elliot  is  small  in  territory,  but  is  very  thickly  settled.  The  surface 
is  level,  and  the  soil  w^ell  adapted  to  agriculture,  in  which  pursuit  the 
inhabitants  are  principally  engaged.  It  is  watered  by  the  Piscataqua 
river.  The  western  part  of  Elliot,  near  the  banks  of  the  river,  and 
vicinity,  are  adorned  with  handsome  cottages,  attached  to  which  are 
gardens,  blooming  with  flowers.  In  summer,  the  well-cultivated  farms 
teeming  with  luxuriant  vegetation ;  the  fine  orchards,  their  trees  laden 
with  fruit ;  and  the  beautiful  and  placid  Piscataqua,  its  waters  shaded 
by  the  foliage  of  the  trees  which  line  its  margin,  —  form  a  coup  d  'ceil 


118  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

not  often  seen.  Viewed  by  a  denizen  of  the  hot  and  close  atmos- 
phere of  a  city,  it  makes  him  yearn  to  have  a  habitation  in  a  spot  like 
this,  where  he  might  behold  Nature  in  all  her  loveliness,  and  quaff  the 
invigorating  country  air. 

A  small  pond,  lying  on  the  northeastern  part,  is  the  only  body  of 
water  in  town.  Additional  activity  is  given  to  the  place  by  the  Ports- 
mouth and  Portland  Railroad,  which  traverses  the  town  from  north  to 
south. 

Elliot  has  three  religious  societies  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and 
Wesleyan  Methodist ;  an  academy,  eight  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools;  and  two  post-offices  —  Elliot  and  Elliot  DepSt. 
It  has  also  two  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  two  shingle  machines, 
two  tanneries,  and  one  brickraaker.  Population,  1,803 ;  valuation, 
$320,658. 

Elliotsville  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Piscataquis  county, 
not  many  miles  from  Moosehead  lake.  The  first  settler  was  Samuel 
G.  Bodfish,  who  came  here  from  Kennebec  county  in  1826.  Two  years 
after,  Daniel  Briggs  and  John  Drake  from  Buckfield,  Joseph  Sawyer 
and  Ebenezer  Sawyer  from  Buxton,  William  Burnell  and  G.  F.  Burnell 
from  Portland,  settled  here,  and  began  to  make  their  "  clearings."  These 
were  the  only  settlers  in  town  until  about  1830.  The  north  half  Avas 
a  grant  to  the  heirs  of  William  Vaughan ;  and  four  thousand  acres  in 
the  southern  half  was  a  grant  to  Saco  free  bridge  corporation.  Some 
of  the  settlers  obtained  their  titles  from  E.  G.  Vaughan,  and  others  from 
Mr.  Bridge  of  Augusta.     The  town  was  incorporated  in  1835. 

The  surface  is  uneven  and  rather  broken.  There  are  two  elevations, 
called  Peaked  and  Barren  mountains.  It  is  watered  by  Wilson's  stream, 
which  runs  through  the  entire  length,  and  by  Ship-pond  stream,  which 
takes  its  name  from  Ship  pond,  of  which  it  is  the  outlet.  There  are 
also  several  smaller  ponds. 

While  there  are  some  of  almost  all  denominations  in  Elliotsville,  yet 
they  have  no  settled  minister  and  no  church  edifice.  There  are  three 
school  districts,  with  three  schools,  and  one  post-office ;  also  one 
shingle  machine  and  one  clapboard  machine.  Population,  200  ;  valu- 
ation, $10,884. 

Ellsworth,  the  shire  town  of  Hancoclc  county,  is  situated  on  both 
sides  of  Union  river,  at  the  head  of  ship  navigation,  about  four  miles 
from  the  entrance  of  the  river  into  the  sea.  Its  plantation  name  was 
New  Bowdoin,  and  the  first  settlements  were  made  in  1763.  Colonel 
Meletiah   Jordan,    Benjamin   Joy,    Colonel   Jones,    George    Lord,    and 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  ELLSWORTH. 


119 


Nathaniel  and  Major  John  Jellison,  who  came  from  the  western  part  of 
the  state  and  from  Massachusetts,  were  among  the  first  who  took  uj) 
their  abode  within  the  Hmits  of  Ellsworth.  Notwithstanding  its  favor- 
able location  for  ship-building  and  navigation,  its  progress  was  slow, 
and  it  was  not  incorporated  till  February  26,  1800. 

Ellsworth  has  acquired  considerable  notoriety  on  account  of  the 
troubles  with  the  Roman  Catholic  inhabitants,  which  took  place  in  the 
year  1854.  The  difficulties  commenced  in  consequence  of  a  Catholic 
boy  in  one  of  the  public  schools  declining  to  read  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, which  was    followed  by  a  refusal  on  the  part  of  the   Catholic 


EIL  worth. 


children  generally  to  go  through  that  exercise.  Many  of  them  also, 
though  not  compelled  to  read  the  book  themselves,  were  very  disorderly 
while  others  were  doing  so  ;  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  which,  the  most 
uniTily  ones  were  expelled.  This  was  followed  by  the  prosecution  of 
the  school  committee,  instigated  by  the  Catholic  priest  (Mr.  Bapst),  and 
a  -withdrawal  of  all  the  children  from  the  public  schools.  Thi^  case 
went  to  the  supreme  court,  and  the  action  of  the  committee  was  sus- 
tained, while  the  town  defrayed  the  expenses  of  the  defence.  The  citi- 
zens, in  consequence  of  the  determined  efforts  of  the  Romanists  to  ob- 
tain the  control  of  their  common  school  system,  were  soon  embroiled 
in  a  religious  controversy  of  a  most  violent  character,  which  was  mag- 
nified  into   an  undeserved    importance    by    being  mixed   up   with   the 


120  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

issues  of  party  politics.  Several  persons  were  attacked,  knocked  down, 
and  stoned  by  the  Papists ;  and  the  citizens,  in  retaliation,  took  sum- 
mary vengeance  upon  them.  Subsequently,  Mr.  Bapst  the  priest  was 
seized  by  some  of  the  Protestants,  tarred  and  feathered,  ridden  upon  a 
rail,  forced  to  leave  town,  and  threatened  with  the  penalty  of  death  if 
he  ever  returned.  These  stringent  proceediiigs  with  the  priest  awed 
the  Romanists  into  good  behavior,  and  thus  ended  the  difficulty.  In 
May,  1856,  however,  their  chapel  was  burned  down  by  an  incendiary  ; 
but  from  the  fact  of  its  being  insured  for  much  more  than  its  real  cost, 
and  that  every  thing  valuable  which  it  contained  had  been  previously 
removed,  a  strong  suspicion  was  entertained  that  its  destruction  was 
planned  to  obtain  the  insurance.  It  may  be  as  well  to  state,  that  those 
who  were  instrumental  in  the  ill  advised  proceedings  towards  the  priest 
were  arrested  and  brought  before  the  grand  jury,  but  no  bill  was  found. 
Since  these  proceedings,  the  disaffected  class  have  emigrated  from  the 
town  largely,  till  scarce  half  their  original  number  now  remain. 

Ellsworth  is  an  uncommonly  large  town,  containing  an  area  of  be- 
tween sixty  and  seventy  thousand  acres.  The  surface  is  considerably 
broken,  particularly  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  well  watered 
by  two  large  ponds,  and  by  Union  river  and  its  tributaries.  The  leading 
pursuits  of  the  inhabitants  are  lumbering,  ship-building,  coasting,  and 
agriculture.  The  mechanical  or  manufacturing  establishments  consist 
of  nine  saw-mills,  tAvo  grist-mills,  nine  lath  machines,  one  shingle  ma- 
chine, one  machine  shop,  one  tannery,  one  carding  machine,  one  pottery, 
eight  brick-yards ;  and  thirteen  ship-building,  five  pail,  two  edge-tool, 
one  carriage,  and  eight  box  making  establishments,  in  all  of  which  there 
is  an  invested  capital  of  upwards  of  ^2,000,000.  There  are  two 
banks,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  ^175,000.  Ellsworth  supports 
one  weekly  newspaper,  as  well  as  five  religious  societies  —  Baptist, 
Methodist,  Congregational,  Universalist,  and  Catholic ;  the  Baptist  and 
Congregational  having  houses  of  public  worship.  A  high  school  has 
been  established ;  besides  which  there  are  nineteen  school  districts,  with 
twenty-three  schools.  The  inhabitants  are  accommodated  by  four  post- 
offices  ^ —  Ellsworth,  Ellsworth  Falls,  North  Ellsworth,  and  West  Ells- 
worth.    Population,  4,009;  valuation,  6675,945. 

Embden,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Kennebec 
river,  about  forty  miles  north  from  Augusta.  The  first  settlements  in 
this  town  were  commenced  on  the  river  in  1779  by  Amos  Patrid^e, 
George  Mitchell,  and  William  Hamblin.  Samuel  Hutchins  and  a  Mr. 
Young  located  on  Seven  Alile  brook  in  1782.  They  were  followed,  in 
1788,  by  Captain  John  Gray  from  Wiscasset,  and  in  1790  by  Thomas 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   ENFIELD.  121 

McFaden  from  Georgetown,  Joseph  Cleaveland,  with  his  sons  Jona- 
than and  Luther,  and  Edward  Savage.  John  Chamberlain,  and  his 
sons  Jeremiah  and  Stephen,  settled  here  about  the  same  time.  Cham- 
berlain the  elder  was  the  son  of  the  John  Chamberlain,  that  shot 
Paugus,  the  Indian  chief.'^ 

The  town  was  incorporated  June  22,  1804,  and  organized  on  the  16th 
of  August  following ;  Thomas  McFaden,  one  of  the  first  settlers,  being 
chosen  clerk.  He  died  in  1846,  at  the  advanced  age  of  one  hundred  ■ 
years  and  twenty  days.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  hiUy,  and  is  well 
watered  by  a  number  of  ponds  and  streams  ;  among  which  are  the 
Great  Hancock  pond,  covering  1,538  acres ;  the  Small  Hancock  pond, 
325  acres;  and  Tahi  pond,  133  acres,  besides  several  smaller  ones.  The 
Kennebec  river,  -which  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town,  is  here 
dotted  with  about  twenty  islands,  some  of  which  are  large  enough  for 
cultivation.  Colby's  Island  contains  about  sixty  acres ;  McFaden's, 
thirty-five  acres ;  Ayer's  Island,  settled  by  Moses  Ayer  in  1790,  con- 
tains ninety-seven  acres,  and  lies  nearly  opposite  the  centre  of  the  town. 
It  belongs  to  the  town  of  Solon.  Seven  Mile  brook  crosses  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  town,  and  is  skirted  on  both  sides  by  rich  intervals. 
The  Hancock,  Tahi,  and  Martin  streams  afford  some  valuable  mill 
sites  ;  which  are  occupied,  however,  by  only  two  saw-mUls.  The  rehg- 
ious  denominations  are  Baptist,  Methodist,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  Uni- 
versalist,  which  are  nearly  equal  in  numbers.  There  are  thirteen  school 
districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools;  and  three  post-offices  — 
called  Embden,  West  Embden,  and  Embden  Centre.  Population,  971 ; 
valuation,  $130,073. 

Enfield,  Penobscot  county,  is  a  small  town  situated  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Penobscot,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Piscataquis.  It  was 
incorporated  in  1835,  and  contains  an  area  of  fifteen  thousand  acres. 
The  original  settlers  came  partly  from  Buckfield,  and  partly  from 
Bangor. 

Cold  Stream  pond,  five  miles  long  and  two  miles  wide,  forms  most 
of  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  town.  It  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water,  fed 
mostly  by  springs,  and  well  supplied  with  the  finny  tribe.  On  the 
completion  of  the  Milford  and  Lincoln  Railroad,  the  vicinity  of  this 
pond  will  doubtless  become  a  fashionable  place  of  resort  for  people 
from  the  city  during  the  summer  months,  there  being  ample  facilities  for 
boating,  fishing,  and  gunning.     Cold  stream  is  the  outlet,  and  falls  into 

'  See  Fryeburg. 
VOL.  I.  11 


122  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  Passadumkeag,  about  two  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Penob- 
scot 

The  surface  of  the  western  half  of  the  town  is  quite  level.  The  soil 
is  a  clayey  loam,  and  requires  considerable  dressing  to  make  it  produc- 
tive. The  eastern  part  is  rather  broken,  but  the  soil  is  strong  and  pro- 
duces good  crops.  In  the  northeast  part  there  are  some  fine  granite 
ledges,  which  will  ultimately  be  valuable  for  building  material.  Enfield 
has  excellent  water  privileges  ;  and  two  saw-miils,  one  carding  machine, 
and  one  shingle  machine,  are  already  in  operation.  This  would  be  a 
safe  location  for  large  manufacturing  establishments,  freshets  and 
drought  being  unknown. 

There  are  five  school  districts,  with  seven  schools,  in  each  of  which 
one  or  two  terms  of  school  are  taught  during  the  year.  There  is  no 
church  edifice,  but  religious  meetings  are  held  by  Baptists  and  Metho- 
dists, and  sometimes  by  other  denominations,  in  private  dweUings. 
There  are  two  villages,  namely,  Enfield  and  West  Enfield,  the  former 
of  which  is  the  principal,  situated  at  the  outlet  of  Cold  Stream  pond,  in 
the  southeast  part  of  the  town.  A  post-office  has  been  established  at 
each  of  these  villages.     Population,  396 ;  valuation,  $27,163. 

Etna  is  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  Penobscot  county,  and  -was 
settled  in  the  year  1807,  —  Dr.  Benjamin  Friend,  Phineas  Friend,  James 
Harding,  Dennis  and  Reuben  Dennett,  and  Bela,  Asa,  and  Calvin  Syl- 
vester being  among  the  early  settlers.  General  John  Crosby  of  Hamp- 
den owned  the  township  at  this  time,  and  it  was  known  by  the  name 
of  Crosbytown.  It  was  incorporated  in  1820.  The  surface  is  rather 
broken,  but  the  soil  is  good,  and  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  grass 
and  gi-ain.  It  is  watered  by  the  Kinsley  and  Soadabscook  streams. 
The  inhabitants  are,  for  the  most  part,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
Etna  contains  one  church  edifice  (Baptist),  and  has  two  villages,  —  one 
at  the  railroad  station,  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  the  other  in 
the  centre  of  the  town.  There  are  eight  school  districts,  with  eight 
schools ;  one  saw-mill,  one  shingle  mill,  and  two  post-offices  —  Etna, 
and  Etna  Centre.    Population,  802  ;  valuation  for  1857,  about  $100,000. 

ExETEE,  Penobscot  county,  was  granted  to  Marblehead  academy,  by 
Massachusetts,  in  1793,  and  in  the  same  year  the  exterior  Lines  of  the 
town  were  run  by  Ephraim  Ballard  and  Samuel  Weston.  The  town- 
ship was  lotted  in  1800  by  Moses  Hodsdon,  of  Kenduskeag.  The  first 
"chopping"  was  done  June  6, 1800,  by  Lemuel  Tozier  and  John  Durgin, 
at  Hill's  Corner ;  and  the  first  settlement  was  made  in  1801  by  Lemuel 
Tozier,    who   was   immediately  followed  by   Reuben    Seavey,  Joseph 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  FAIRFIELD,   ETC.  123 

Pease,  and  Josiah  Barker.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  1811,  and 
Mr.  Pease  was  upon  the  first  board  of  selectmen.  He  died  July  2, 1857, 
aged  seventy-two.  Mr.  Barker  yet  survives.  Among  the  early  proprietors 
were  Benjamin  Jay  and  William  Turner,  of  Boston ;  for  whom  Dr. 
John  Blaisdell  acted  as  agent.  Hence,  prior  to  its  incorporation,  the 
place  was  called  "  Blaisdell  Town."  The  first  school  was  taught  in 
1804  by  Ann  Stevens,  who  is  still  living.  The  first  representative  was 
Winthrop  Chapman,  who  is  still  a  prominent  citizen. 

The  surface  is  uneven.  The  land  is  excellent  for  farming  purposes, 
and  the  inhabitants,  as  a  consequence,  devote  much  of  their  attention 
to  this  branch  of  industry.  The  principal  stream  is  the  Kenduskeag,  on 
which  are  five  saw^-mills,  two  shingle-mills,  two  grist-mills,  and  a  carding 
and  clothing  mill.  The  first  mills  were  built  by  Levi  Stevens,  in  1813, 
where  now  stand  the  Cutler  miUs. 

There  are  five  villages  in  Exeter  —  Exeter  Corner,  Canney's  Corner, 
Hill's  Corner,  Exeter  Mills,  and  Cutler's  Mills.  There  are  four  post- 
offices, —  called  Exeter,  Exeter  Mills,  East  Exeter,  and  South  Exeter; 
thirteen  public  schools,  one  high  school,  and  four  church  edifices  — 
Congregational,  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Free-will  Baptist.  Population, 
1,853 ;  valuation,  $242,197. 

Fairfield,  Somerset  county,  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Kennebec 
river,  twenty-six  miles  north  from  Augusta,  was  first  settled  as  early  as 
1774.  Fairfield  is  a  large  town,  embracing  forty-two  square  miles,  and 
was  incorporated  June  18,  1788.  Its  scenery  is  very  beautiful,  which 
fact,  in  all  probability,  gave  rise  to  its  name.  It  possesses  a  very  pro- 
ductive soil,  and  is  watered  by  Marston  stream,  wliich  falls  into  the 
Kennebec  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 

The  principal  village  is  called  Kendall's  mills,  situated  on  the  Ken- 
nebec, in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  three  miles  distant  from 
Waterville.  There  is  an  excellent  water-power  here,  on  which  are 
located  several  saw-mills,  and  machines  for  cutting  clapboards,  laths, 
and  shingles.  The  town  contains  five  church  edifices  —  three  Meth- 
odist, one  Universalist,  and  one  Friends' ;  twenty  school  districts,  with 
sixteen  schools ;  twenty-eight  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  two  tanneries, 
four  shingle  mills,  two  carriage  builders,  one  door,  sash,  and  bfind  maker, 
and  six  post-offices  —  Kendall's  Mills,  Fairfield,  Fairfield  Corner,  North 
Fairfield,  Somerset  Mills,  and  Larone.  Population,  2,452;  valuation, 
8418,074. 

Falmouth,  Cumberland  county,  is  a  seaport  town  on  Casco  bay,  and 
originally  embraced  the  present  towns  of  Cape  Elizabeth  and  West- 


124  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

brook,  and  the  city  of  Portland,  having  an  area  of  eighty  square  miles, 
including  all  the  islands  upon  its  coast.  Its  history  is  given  in  the 
article  on  Portland.  It  was  incorporated  in  1718,  taking  its  name  from 
a  seaport  town  in  England.  It  is  watered  by  the  Presumpscot  river,  and 
traversed  by  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  and  the  Kennebec  and  Portland 
Railroad.  Considerable  is  done  in  the  fisheries  in  Casco  bay,  and 
sometimes  a  few  ships  are  built.  Brick -making  also  forms  a  branch  of 
industry.  Falmouth  contains  one  village,  called  Piscataqua ;  three  church 
edifices  —  two  Congregational,  and  one  Baptist;  thirteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  an  academy,  known  as  the 
Oak  Grove  Seminary ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Falmouth  and  West  Fal- 
mouth. It  has  one  saw-mLU,  one  grist-mill,  one  tannery,  three  brick- 
makers,  and  three  ship-builders.     Population,  2,147  ;  valuation,  $401,273. 

Farmingdale,  Kennebec  county,  was  formed  from  parts  of  the  towns 
of  Gardiner,  Hallo  well,  and  West  Gardiner,  and  incorporated  in  1852. 
The  land  was  cleared  with  the  intention  of  settlement  in  1787,  by 
James  and  Henry  McCausland,  from  Cape  Elizabeth,  who  obtained 
their  titles  from  Sylvester  Gardiner.  Farmingdale  has  an  uneven  sur- 
face, and  is  watered  by  Jenning's  pond.  Cold  stream,  and  the  Kennebec, 
• —  the  latter  forming  its  eastern  boundary.  There  are  six  ship-builders 
in  town,  who  are  engaged  to  some  extent  in  the  business,  having  an 
invested  capital  of  about  half  a  million  of  dollars.  Farmingdale  has 
three  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  about  800 ; 
valuation  for  1858,  $373,545. 

Farmington,  the  shire  town  of  Franklin  county,  is  situated  in  that 
part  of  Maine  known  as  the  Sandy  river  valley,'  thirty  miles  from 
Augusta,  and  about  seventy  miles  from  Portland.  The  first  exploration 
of  this  town,  with  a  view  to  settlement,  was  made  by  Stephen  Titcomb, 
Robert  Gower,  James  Henry,  Robert  Alexander,  and  James  McDonald, 
in  the  summer  of  1776,  the  party  being  guided  by  Thomas  Wilson,  who 
had  previously  explored  the  country  as  a  hunter.  This  company,  who 
were  from  Topsham,  in  this  state,  ascended  the  Kennebec,  as  far  as 
Hallowell,  in  canoes,  and  from  thence  travelled  by  land,  over  a  bad 
road,  until  they  reached  their  destination.  When  they  arrived  at  Farm- 
ington  Falls,  they  found  two  Indian  camps,  and  discovered  that  a  con- 
siderable tract  of  land,  extending  from  the  upper  part  of  the  present  site 
of  the  village  down  the  river  to  the  edge  of  New  Sharon,  had  been 
cleared.  They  proceeded  up  the  river  about  a  mile  from  the  falls,  where 
they  concluded  to  locate  ;  and,  having  fixed  upon  the  spot,  made  a  chain 
from  basswood  bark,  with  which  they  measured  off'  the  land  into  farms ; 


MAINE  - 


TOWN    OP    FARMINGTON. 


125 


having  defined  the  boundaries  of  which,  they  returned  to  Topsham,  to 
obtain  their  tools,  and  a  stock  of  provisions.  In  two  weeks  they  were 
again  at  the  scene  of  the  proposed  new  settlement,  and  commenced 
assiduously  their  labors  in  the  clearing  of  their  respective  lots.  From 
this  period  till  1781,  this  company,  with  others,  continued  to  make 
improvements  in  different  parts  of  the  town.  About  this  time  the  first 
families  moved  in,  some  coming  from  Massachusetts  and  others  from 
New  Hampshire  ;  all  of  whom  were  compelled  to  endure  those  incon- 
veniences incidental  to  the  majority  of  the  settlements  in  New  England. 
Farmington  was  incorporated  February  1,  1794,  and  is  drained  by 
Sandy  river  and  its  tributaries.  Small  streams  and  springs  everywhere 
abound,  affording  water  to  every  farm  and  family  in  town.  The  soil  is 
generally  good  and  fertile,  especially  in  the  intervals  and  uplands  adjacent 
to  them ;  though  some  of  the  high  lands,  particularly  those  in  the  north- 
west section,  are  somewhat  rocky,  and  a  little  difficult  to  cultivate. 
The  superior  quality  of  these  lands  for  grazing,  however,  well  recom- 
penses the  labors  of  the  husbandman.  Apple  and  other  fruit-trees  are 
cultivated  with  success,  and  many  orchards  are  springing  up.  Lime- 
stone has  been  discovered  in  many  places  ;  but  it  is  of  a  poor  quality, 
and  unfit  for  mechanical  purposes. 


^sP^ 


■.^^^^^•^^^'r&m^^^ 


Farmington,  from  Iluntt-iV  IliU. 


Farmington  has  three  villages,  —  the  Centre,  the  Falls,  and  the  Upper 

I  is  tl 
11* 


Village,  —  the  former  of  which  is  the  principal  one,  containing  nearly  one 


126  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

hundred  dwelling-houses,  twenty  stores,  and  several  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments. In  this  village  are  located  an  academy,  a  bank  (with  a  capi- 
tal of  $75,000),  a  court-house,  jail,  and  a  fire-proof  building  for  the 
county  offices.  There  are  six  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Meth- 
odist, Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  two  Union  houses;  twenty-seven 
school  districts,  with  twenty-six  public  schools ;  several  private  schools ; 
and  two  post-offices  —  Farmington  and  Farmington  Falls.  Popula- 
tion, 2,725 ;  valuation  for  1858,  $684,957. 

Fayette,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Kennebec  county,  was 
originally  called  Sterling  plantation.  A  part  of  the  town  was  granted 
to  Robert  Page  and  associates,  by  Massachusetts,  and  it  was  settled 
soon  after  the  Revolutionary  war.  Fayette  was  incorporated  February 
28,  1794.  The  surface  is  somewhat  hilly,  —  the  principal  elevations 
being  Oak  and  Berry  hills,  which  lie  in  the  southern  part.  There  are 
several  ponds  and  streams,  skirted  with  some  fine  meadow  land.  The 
inhabitants  are  engaged  to  a  considerable  extent  in  raising  stock. 
The  manufacturing  interests  consist  of  one  wood  turning  shop,  estab- 
lishments for  making  scythe-snaths,  rakes,  oars,  leather,  pails,  edge-tools, 
and  carriages ;  three  saw-mills,  two  shingle  machines,  and  one  grist- 
mill. Fayette  has  two  church  edifices  (Baptist  and  Union),  eleven 
school  districts  and  parts  of  three  others,  with  ten  schools ;  two  vil- 
lages, and  two  post-offices,  called  Fayette  and  North  Fayette.  Popula- 
tion, 1,085 ;  valuation,  $194,777. 

FoxCROFT,  Piscataquis  county,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Piscata- 
quis river,  opposite  the  town  of  Dover,  was  one  of  the  five  townships 
conveyed  by  Massachusetts,  in  1796,  to  Bowdoin  College.  The  first 
efforts  at  settlement  were  made  by  Nathaniel  and  Samuel  Chamberlain 
in  1805,  and  the  town  was  incorporated  February  29,  1812,  taking  its 
corporate  name  from  Joseph  E.  Foxcroft,  who  was  one  of  the  principal 
proprietors  under  the  auspices  of  the  college.  It  is  watered  on  the  north 
by  Sebec  lake,  and  on  the  south  by  Piscataquis  river.  The  soil  is  well 
adapted  to  agricultural  purposes.  There  is  a  village,  situated  on  the 
river,  where  there  is  an  academy,  and  a  post-office.  There  are  four 
religious  societies  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  and 
Universalist,  the  two  former  of  which  have  church,  edifices  ;  and  eleven 
school  districts,  with  six  schools.  Manufacturing  is  carried  on  by  two 
saw-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  one  carding  machine,  one  carriage  builder 
one  chair  manufacturer,  one  tannery,  one  fork  maker,  two  pail-makers 
one  machinist,  and  one  sash,  door,  and  blind  maker.  Population,  1,045  • 
valuation,  $142,707. 


MAINE TOWN    Of'  FRANKFORT.  127 

Frankfort,  the  northern  frontier  town  of  Waldo  county,  is  situated 
on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot  river,  at  the  head  of  winter  navigation. 
As  early  as  1 760,  there  were  settlers  about  Fort  point  and  Sandy  point, 
some  of  whom  had  been  soldiers,  and  had  assisted  in  building  the  fort 
now  in  the  town  of  Prospect.  They  named  their  plantation  Frankfort. 
The  north  hne  of  what  was  then  called  Frankfort  is  the  south  line  of 
the  present  town,  at  that  time  called  Marsh  Bay.  In  1789,  a  town  was 
incorporated,  embracing  what  was  then  Frankfort,  with  some  additions, 
which  was,  in  1793,  divided  into  three  towns,  —  Prospect,  the  longest 
settled,  retaining  the  old  records,  but  not  the  name. 

A  petition  from  the  settlers  on  the  Waldo  Patent  having  been  pre- 
sented to  the  legislature  in  the  year  1800,  commissioners  were  appointed 
by  that  body  to  decide  upon  the  terms  by  which  the  settlers  should  hold 
titles  to  their  lands.  The  Frankfort  settlers  were  ruled  out,  because,  in 
the  resolve,  the  lands  to  which  they  laid  claim  were  represented  as 
belonging  to  General  Knox,  though,  in  reality,  of  the  land  known  as  the 
"  Ten  Proprietors'  Tract,"  which  included  Frankfort,  he  owned  only  a 
part.  This  loss  of  the  titles  to  their  lands  proved  a  great  misfortune  to 
the  settlers  of  Frankfort ;  because,  by  the  resolve  above  alluded  to,  the 
land  was  disposed  of  at  one  dollar  an  acre ;  while  in  1806,  when  Knox 
sold  out  to  Thorndike  and  Company,  two  dollars  per  acre  were  demanded. 
Even  this  would  not  have  been  so  much  felt  had  not  embargo,  non- 
intercourse,  and  war  soon  followed ;  which,  with  interest  accumulating, 
made  the  circumstances  of  the  case  doubly  trying. 

The  war  of  1812  proved  disastrous  to  Frankfort.  Through  mere 
distress,  many  enlisted  in  the  army  and  never  returned.  One  of  her 
citizens  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Hampden,  and  two  were  wounded. 
Privateering  nearly  destroyed  the  coasting  trade,  and  rendered  lumber, 
and  even  vessels,  almost  valueless.  A  brig,  laden  with  lumber,  belong- 
ing to  James  Little,  was  taken  from  his  wharf  and  made  a  prize  of, 
during  the  war. 

On  the  return  of  the  British  fleet  from  Bangor  in  1814,  they  anchored 
off  Frankfort,  where  they  remained  some  days.  Under  a  threat  of 
bombardment,  they  demanded  provisions.  The  selectmen  of  the  town 
agreed  with  George  Halliburton  to  supply  a  yoke  of  oxen,  which  he  did, 
on  the  supposition  that  the  town  would  pay  him  therefor.  When,  how- 
ever, Plalliburton  called  for  his  money,  payment  was  refused.  He  sued 
the  corporation,  and  the  supreme  court  ruled  that  selectmen  could  not 
force  a  town  to  pay  for  provisions  thus  furnished. 

Before  the  British  ascended  the  river  for  the  purpose  of  capturing 
the  Adams  at  Hampden,  there  had  been  stored  on  the  McGlathry 
wharf,  a  prize  cargo  of  cocoa,  which  it  was  thought  prudent  to  haul  into 


128  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  country  for  safety.  "While  this  was  being  done,  however,  a  tender, 
with  a  lieutenant  and  fourteen  men,  came  from  one  of  the  British  men- 
of-war,  and  commenced  taking  the  cocoa  on  board.  Lieutenant  Morse, 
having  escaped  with  a  small  American  force  from  Machias,  and  hearing 
of  this  circumstance,  came  suddenly  upon  the  British  and  took  them 
prisoners.  Discharging  the  cocoa  that  had  been  taken  on  board,  he  fired 
the  tender  and  set  her  adrift. 

The  surface  of  this  town  is  broken  and  rough.  There  are  several  fine 
quarries  of  granite,  immense  quantities  of  which  are  annually  w^rought 
and  shipped  to  the  various  ports  of  the  United  States.  Ship-building  is 
one  of  the  prominent  branches  of  industry.  John  Kempton,  of  Oak  point, 
built  the  first  vessel  in  Frankfort ;  and  during  the  past  ten  years  there 
has  been  an  average  of  six  vessels  per  annum,  varying  from  ten  to  1,600 
tons  burden.  A  short  distance  from  the  river,  there  are  some  well- 
cultivated  and  productive  farms  ;  potatoes,  English  grain,  and  hay,  being 
the  staple  commodities.  The  town  is  drained  by  Marsh  river,  which 
enters  on  the  west,  and  falls  into  the  Penobscot.  On  the  southeast  of 
this  stream  several  saw^-mills,  grist-mills,  and  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard 
machines  are  in  active  operation.  Joshua  Treat,  the  ancestor  of  the 
present  generation  of  Treats,  erected  the  first  miU. 

Mount  Waldo  and  Mosquito  mountain  are  situated  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  apart.  The  former  was  for  a  long 
time  known  as  Mount  Misery,  so  named  on  account  of  two  lads,  who 
were  overtaken  by  a  violent  snow-storm,  perishing  near  it.  In  1815,  a 
party  of  excursionists  ascended  the  mountain,  and  the  question  arising 
as  to  its  name,  it  was  decided  to  call  it  Waldo,  which  was'  given  in  due 
form.  Mosquito  mountain  is  an  immense  pile  of  granite,  having  be- 
tween it  and  the  river  a  large  marsh,  containing  several  pools  of  stag- 
nant water,  where  mosquitos  are  bred  in  myriads :  hence  the  name  of 
the  mountain.  Those  who  have  never  visited  this  spot  can  scarcely 
form  a  'conception  of  the  immense  swarms  of  mosquitos  that  are  here 
encountered. 

Frankfort  has  three  villages,  of  which  FranU-fort,  at  the  head  of  winter 
navigation,  is  the  principal.  The  others  are  known  as  EUingwood  Cor- 
ner, and  Frankfort  Mills ;  the  latter  being  a  thriving  little  place,  set  like 
a  gem  among  the  mountains.  It  has  also  two  hundred  miles  of  roads, 
a  high  school,  and  six  churches,  two  of  which  are  Methodist,  two  Con- 
gregational, one  Baptist,  and  one  Catholic.  Post-offices  have  been 
established  at  Frankfort,  Frankfort  Mills,  EUingwood  Corner,  and  North 
Frankfort.  Manufacturing  operations  arc  carried  on  by  seven  saw-mills, 
four  shingle  mills,  three  grist-mills,  one  tannery,  one  carding  machine, 
five  ship-builders,  three  pail-makers,  one  carriage  builder,  and  two  brick- 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   FRANKLIN,   ETC.  129 

makers.    There  are  twenty-four  school  districts,  with  twenty-six  schools. 
Population,  4,233 ;  valuation,  $608,242. 

Franklin  is  situated  in  the  middle  division  of  Hancock  county,  at 
the  head  of  Taunton  bay,  and  was  incorporated  in  1825.  It  is  well 
watered  by  ponds,  on  the  streams  leading  from  which  are  some  good 
mill-sites.  The  soil  is  good,  but  little  is  done  in  an  agricultural  point  of 
view,  —  the  principal  kinds  of  business  being  lumbering  and  ship-build- 
ing. The  town  contains  eleven  school  districts,  with  fourteen  schools ;  a 
few  miUs,  a  machinist,  one  tannery,  three  ship-buUders,  one  brickmaker, 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  736  ;  valuation,  $78,461. 

Franklin  County  has  Somerset  on  the  east,  Oxford  on  the  west,  and 
extends  from  Androscoggin  and  Kennebec  upon  the  south  to  Can- 
ada East  upon  the  north.  The  act  establishing  this  county  -was 
passed  March  20,  1838,  by  which  it  was  made  to  embrace  seventeen 
towns  and  twenty-nine  townships  and  parts  of  townships,  enumerated 
in  the  following  order :  —  "  New  Sharon,  Chesterville,  Wilton,  Temple, 
and  Farmington,  in  the  county  of  Kennebec ;  and  Jay,  Carthage,  Weld, 
Berlin,  Madrid,  townships  numbered  six,  letter  B.,  and  D.  in  the  county 
of  Oxford;  thence  extending  northerly  from  the  northwest  corner  of 
letter  D.  on  the  line  betwixt  townships  numbered  three  and  four,  through 
the  several  range  of  townships  to  Canada  line,  so  as  to  include  three 
tiers  of  townships  west  of  the  west  line  of  the  Bingham  Purchase  in  said 
county  of  Oxford ;  and  Industry,  New  Vineyard,  Strong,  Avon,  Phillips, 
Freeman,  Salem,  Kingfield,  townships  numbered  four  in  the  first  range 
west  of  Kingfield,  three  and  four  in  the  second  range,  and  the  south 
half  of  township  numbered  four  in  the  third  range  of  the  Bingham 
Purchase  in  the  county  of  Somerset."  The  county  comprises  an  area  of 
sixteen  hundred  square  miles,  and  is  not  yet  more  than  half  settled,  the 
northern  and  northeastern  part  being  principally  a  dense  wilderness. 
The  surface,  as  a  whole,  is  mountainous,  although  there  are  no  continu- 
ous ranges.  Mount  Blue,  in  the  southern  part,  has  an  elevation  of 
2,804  feet,  the  eastern  peak  of  Mount  Abraham,  in  the  eastern  part, 
3,387  feet,  and  Saddleback,  in  the  centre  of  the  county,  about  four 
thousand  feet,  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  towns  in  the  southern 
part  are  generally  fertile,  particularly  those  situated  upon  Sandy  river. 

Farmington  is  the  capital.  The  county  is  embraced  in  the  western 
judicial  district  of  Maine,  the  law  terms  of  which  are  held  at  Portland. 
The  jury  terms  of  this  court,  for  both  civil  and  criminal  business,  are 
held  at  Farmington,  on  the  third  Tuesdays  of  April  and  October.  Pop- 
ulation in  1850,  20,027,  showing  a  loss  of  774  since  the  census  of  1840, 


130  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Franklin  county  being  the  only  one  that  has  suffered  a  decrease  since 
the  last  decennial  period  ;  valuation,  $2,700,662. 

Freedom  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Waldo  county,  and  be- 
longed to  the  Plymouth  patent.  The  first  opening  was  made  here  in 
1794,  by  Stephen  Smith,  of  the  town  of  Nobleborough,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  who  arrived  on  the  20th  of  November  of  that  year,  and,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  brothers  Joshua  and  John,  and  one  James  Nad- 
docks,  erected  a  small  log-house  a  short  distance  south  of  the  burying- 
ground  in  South  Freedom.  After  completing  this  rude'  habitation,  and 
clearing  a  small  portion  of  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  they  departed 
for  the  winter.  But  in  the  May  following,  Mr.  Smith  with  his  family, 
consisting  of  a  wife  and  seven  children,  returned  and  took  up  their 
abode  in  the  log-house.  The  next  June,  John  Smith,  known  afterwards 
as  Father  Nehemiah,  arrived  in  Freedom ;  and  he  was  followed  at  sub- 
sequent periods  by  Rev.  Aaron  Gould,  Isaac  Worthing,  and  James  and 
Joshua  Smith.  Jason  Wood,  Frost  Gerry,  Gideon  Robinson,  Colonel 
Brown,  Benjamin  Comings,  Bradstreet  Wiggins,  William  Sibley,  and 
Rev.  Reuben  Keen  are  among  a  few  of  the  prominent  names,  in  addi- 
tion to  those  already  mentioned,  associated  with  the  early  history  of  the 
town.     Many  of  the  settlers  came  from  New  Hampshire. 

The  plantation  name  of  Freedom  was  first  Smithstown ;  afterwards 
Beaver  Hill.  In  1813  it  was  incorporated  under  its  present  name.  The 
southern  portion  of  the  town  was  the  first  settled,  though  not  naturally 
more  favored  in  soil  and  mill  privileges  than  other  sections ;  and  here 
was  erected  the  first  school-house,  the  teacher  being  Benjamin  White, 
subsequently  member  of  congress.  Freedom  ranks,  in  an  agricul- 
tural point,  as  an  average  town.  Sheepscot  river  serves  as  a  partial 
boundary  on  its  southerly  side,  and  Sandy  river  passes  through  the  vil- 
lage on  its  way  to  the  waters  of  the  Kennebec  —  furnishing  within  one 
mUe  some  of  the  best  sites  for  mills  and  tanneries  in  the  country,  which 
have  been  improved  in  several  places.  Besides  this  stream,  there  are 
two  ponds,  known  as  Duck  and  Sandy  ponds. 

The  only  business  locality  here  has  recently  sprung  up,  from  a  com- 
paratively thick  and  gloomy  forest,  to  one  of  the  most  thriving  inland 
villages  in  the  country.  For  much  of  its  growth  and  prosperity  it  is 
indebted  to  the  efforts  of  WiUiam  Buxton,  an  accomplished  English- 
man, who  was  the  first  settler  in  this  quarter  of  the  town.  There  is 
but  one  church  edifice,  which  is  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Congrega- 
tionalists  and  Baptists.  There  are  ten  school  districts,  with  nine  schools, 
and  an  academy,  which  was  incorporated  February  18,  1836.  The 
manufactures  consist  of  leather,  lumber,  and  flour.     Two  post-offices 


MAINE TOWN    OF    FREEMAN,    ETC.  131 

have  been  established,  one  at  Freedom,  and  the  other  at  South  Free- 
dom. Freedom  contains  one  saw-mill,  two  grist-mills,  one  shingle  mill, 
one  tannery,  two  pail-makers,  and  three  carriage  builders.  Population, 
948 ;  valuation,  $146,537. 

Freeman,  Franklin  county,  joins  Strong  on  the  north,  and  is  the  west- 
erly of  the  two  townships  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  to  the 
sufferers  of  Falmouth  (now  Portland),  in  the  burning  of  the  town  by 
the  British,  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  It  was  surveyed  and  settled, 
under  the  agency  of  Reuben  Hill,  about  1797.  William  Brackly, 
David  Hooper,  Alexander  Fasset,  Samuel  Weymouth,  and  Messrs.  Bur- 
bank,  Morton,  and  Borton  were  some  of  the  first  settlers. 

The  town  was  incorporated  March  4,  1803,  and  takes  its  name  from 
Samuel  Freeman,  late  of  Portland,  who  was  one  of  the  principal  owners 
at  the  time  of  the  settlement.  Freeman  derives  little  advantage  from 
■\vater-power,  but  has  a  productive  soil,  though  rather  hard  to  cultivate. 
The  northerly  part,  or  what  is  called  Freeman  Ridge,  is  said  to  be  the 
best  for  tillage. 

Freeman  has  nine  school  districts,  with  nine  schools,  but  no  church 
edifice.  It  has  one  post-office.  It  has  also  three  saw-mills,  one  ma- 
chine shop,  two  shingle  mills,  one  carriage  builder,  one  chair  manufac- 
turer, one  door,  sash,  and  blind  maker,  one  edge-tool  maker,  one  paU- 
maker,  one  ship-builder,  and  one  tannery.  Population,  762 ;  valuation, 
$76,677. 

Freeport  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Cumberland  county,  on  the 
sea-shore,  and  originally  belonged  to  North  Yarmouth.  It  lies  between 
Cousins  river  on  the  southwest,  and  Prout's  Gore  on  the  northeast,  and 
was  called  Harrasacket  settlement,  from  the  name  of  the  river  that  runs 
through  it.  There  were  settlers  on  this  grant  as  early  as  1750,  but  their 
names  we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain.  It  was  incorporated  as  a 
town  February  14,  1789,  (receiving  its  present  name  probably  from  the 
openness  of  its  harbor,)  and  at  this  time  included  within  its  limits  the 
present  town  of  Pownal.  The  principal  occupations  of  the  people  are 
ship-building  and  farming. 

Freeport  has  four  villages,  five  church  edifices  ( Congregationalist, 
Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  Universalist,  and  a  Union  house),  seventeen 
school  districts,  with  thirty-four  schools;  and  two  post-offices,  called 
Freeport  and  Oak  Hill.  Manufacturing  operations  are  carried  on  by  two 
saw-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  nine  ship-builders,  one  grist-miU,  three  pail- 
makers,  one  carriage  builder,  and  two  brickmakers.  The  Kennebec  and 
Portland  Railroad  passes  through  the  central  part.  Population,  2,629 ; 
valuation,  $563,146. 


132  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Friendship  is  a  frontier  town,  situated  toward  the  southeast  part  of 
Lincohi  county,  between  Waldoboro'  and  Meduncook  rivers.  It  was 
originally  included  in  the  Waldo  Patent,  and  contains  about  eight  thou- 
sand acres  of  main  land,  besides  two  islands  lying  in  close  proximity 
to  it,  one  of  which  is  nearly  three  miles  long,  and  bears  the  name  of 
Friendship  Long  island;  the  other  being  less  than  half  as  large,  and 
called  Moses  island.  The  inhabitants  hold  the  titles  to  their  lands  by 
deeds  from  General  Waldo.  The  Indian  name  of  the  town  was  "  INIe- 
duncook,"  and  signifies  "  Sandy  harbor,"  but  why  it  should  have  been 
so  called  is  beyond  conjecture,  for  the  shore  of  the  town  is  rockbound ; 
and,  in  some  places,  there  are  high,  bold  bluffs,  where  ships  may  safely 
lie  at  anchor  in  twenty  feet  of  water. 

Settlements  were  commenced  in  the  year  1750.  In  the  southern 
part,  a  garrison  was  erected  on  an  island,  called  from  this  circumstance 
Garrison  island,  which  at  low  water  is  connected  with  the  main  land. 
James  Bradford  was  one  of  the  first  persons  here.  He  and  his  comrades 
settled  on  this  island  and  its  immediate  vicinity,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
find  protection  in  the  fort  on  the  approach  of  the  Indians.  The  out- 
break of  the  French  and  Indian  war  in  1755  so  imperilled  the  existence 
of  this  peaceful  settlement,  that  it  was  deemed  politic,  not  only  to 
strengthen  the  garrison,  but  to  recommend  all  the  families  in  the  settle- 
ment to  take  up  their  residence  therein.  They  all  complied  with  the 
suggestion  except  Bradford,  who  was  repeatedly  urged  to  move  his 
family  in  with  the  rest;  but  he  steadily  refused,  saying,  that  "  he  did  not 
think  it  necessary,  as  his  house  was  in  full  view  of  the  garrison,  \vhich 
he  could  easily  reach  on  the  approach  of  the  Indians." 

One  morning,  however,  while  Mr.  Bradford  was  engaged  in  pounding 
corn,  a  party  of  Indians  were  seen,  from  the  garrison,  approachin'g  the 
house.  The  alarm-gun  was  fired ;  but  the  concussion  of  pestle  and 
mortar  was  so  loud  that  the  gun  was  not  heard  by  Mr.  Bradford  nor  by 
any  of  his  family ;  neither  were  the  savages  perceived  by  any  of  them 
until  the  moment  they  entered  the  house.  The  savages  instantly  dis- 
patched Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradford  with  their  tomahawks.  A  daughter,  of 
some  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  who  had  sought  a  momentary 
concealment  under  the  bed,  sprang  from  her  hiding-place,  and  caught 
the  infant  as  it  fell  unharmed  from  her  mother's  arms,  with  which  she 
fled  through  the  open  door  to  the  garrison.  The  Indians  pursued,  and, 
not  being  able  to  overtake  her,  one  of  them  threw  a  tomahawk,  which 
inflicted  a  deep  and  fearful  wound  in  her  side  ;  but  the  heroic  girl,  clasp- 
ing the  babe  still  more  firmly  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  holding 
her  side,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  garrison.  She  recovered  from  the 
wound,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Vermont,  where  she  became  the 


MAINE  —  TOWN  OF  FRYEBURG.  133 

mother  of  a  large  family.  Her  t^^^o  young  brothers  were  taken  by  the 
savages  to  Canada,  where  they  remained,  the  one  seven  and  the  other 
fourteen  years,  after  which  they  made  their  escape.^ 

Friendship  was  incorporated  in  1807.  The  surface  is  very  rough  and 
ledgy ;  covering  which  is  but  a  thin  layer  of  sand  and  alluvium.  Ship- 
building is  prosecuted  to  some  extent,  —  averaging  about  one  vessel  of 
one  hundred  tons  per  year.  The  town  has  one  church  —  Methodist; 
two  ship-builders,  two  grist-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  three  saw-miUs ;  six 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools  ;  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  691 ;  valuation,  $70,107. 

Fetebtirg,  in  the  southern  part  of  Oxford  county,  on  the  line  separat- 
ing Maine  from  New  Hampshire,  was  granted  in  1762,  to  General  Joseph 
Frye,  an  officer  in  the  king's  army,  in  consideration  of  his  gaUant  deeds 
on  the  frontier.^  Nathaniel  Smith  made  the  first  settlement  in  that 
year,  on  the  west  line  of  the  town,  —  the  same  site  on  which  the  Indians 
built  their  village.  Among  other  early  settlers  were  Moses  Ames,  John 
Evans,  David  Evans,  Samuel  Osgood,  David  Page,  Nathaniel  Merrill, 
Caleb  Swan,  Joseph,  Simon,  Richard,  and  Nathaniel  Frye,  and  Joseph 
Frye,  Jr.,  who  came  principally  from  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  Andover,  Mass. 
To  reach  here,  they  had  to  penetrate  an  unbroken  wilderness  for  sixty  or 
seventy  miles.  Their  nearest  white  neighbors  for  a  long  time  were  at 
Saco ;  and  Sandford,  some  sixty  miles  distant,  was  their  place  of  resort 
for  articles  of  necessity.  The  only  mode  of  conveyance  was  on  horses, 
and  their  guides  were  the  marked  trees  of  the  forest.  The  settlers 
obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  General  Joseph  Frye,  the  original 
grantee. 

Fryeburg  is  celebrated  for  a  memorable  battle,  fought  between  Cap- 
tain John  Lovewell  and  his  followers  and  the  Pequawket  Indians. 
Captain  Lovewell  and  his  men,  having  made  several  successful  expedi- 
tions prior  to  this  last,  which  we  are  about  to  notice,  left  Dunstable 
April  16,  1725.  The  expedition  consisted  of  forty-six  men,  who,  from 
the  adjoining  towns,  had  volunteered  for  the  arduous  and  perilous 
undertaking.  After  a  long  and  tedious  march,  in  which  they  were 
deprived  of  the  services  of  three  men  by  sickness,  and  others  who  were 

'  This  family  were  descendants  of  Governor  Bradford,  of  Massachusetts. 

"  General  Frye  had  been  at  Fort  William  Henry,  and  escaped,  with  the  gallant  Monro, 
the  fearful  carnage  which  cast  such  a  stain  upon  the  honor  of  Montcalm.  He  was  an 
officer  in  command  of  a  compan}',  and,  it  has  been  faintly  hinted,  opposed  the  surrender 
of  tlio  fort.  On  his  return,  he  was  presented  with  an  elegant  silver-mounted  sword  and 
tankard. 

VOL.  I.  12 


134  HISTORY  AND    DESCEIPTION   OF   KEW   ENGLAND. 

left  to  care  for  them,  their  number  being  thus  reduced  to  thirty-four, 
they  reached  Saco  pond  on  Thursday,  May  6,  1725,  and,  having  en- 
camped on  the  westerly  side,  prepared  themselves  for  an  encounter. 
Hesitating  what  course  to  pursue,  but  conscious  of  the  proximity  of  the 
Indians,  they  remained  here  till  Saturday  morning.  Having  breakfasted, 
they  assembled  for  their  accustomed  morning  devotion,  which  had 
scarcely  been  commenced  by  the  chaplain,  when  a  gun  was  fired,  and 
they  espied  an  Indian  on  a  point  of  land  projecting  into  the  pond  on 
the  opposite  side.  A  hurried  consultation  was  held,  and  they  concluded 
tliat  the  design  of  the  Indian's  firing,  and  of  discovering  himself,  was 
to  draw  them  that  way ;  but  that  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  was  at 
the  north  of  the  pond.  They  soon  took  up  their  march,  which  lay  along 
the  margin  of  the  pond,  and  near  the  northwestern  shore  they  crossed 
the  Indians'  "  carrying  place,"  a  path  which  led  from  the  pond  to  their 
settlement.  At  the  northeast  end  of  the  pond,  on  a  slightly  elevated 
plain,  they  divested  themselves  of  their  packs,  and  commenced  a  more 
cautious  march.  They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance,  when  they  dis- 
covered an  Indian,  who  had  been  out  hunting ;  and  all  immediately 
"squatted."  He  came  unsuspectingly  toward  them,  and,  when  near 
enough,  several  guns  were  fired  at  him ;  but  they  all  missed  their  mark. 
Seeing  certain  death,  the  Indian  resolved  to  defend  himself  manfully ; 
and  the  action  was  as  speedy  as  the  thought.  He  fired  at  the  English, 
and  Lovewell  and  another  were  wounded,  —  the  captain  mortally. 
Another  gun  was  fired,  and  the  Indian  fell  dead.  From  this  point, 
LoveweU's  party  returned  to  their  packs. 

Paugus,  the  captain  of  the  Indians,  had  arrived  with  his  warriors 
that  morning,  at  their  landing-place  on  the  shores  of  the  pond ;  and 
scarcely  had  Lovewell  crossed  the  "  carrying  place,"  in  search  of  his  foe, 
when  the  wily  sachem,  pursuing  the  weU-beaten  path  to  his  village, 
discovered  and  counted  the  packs,  and  thus  ascertained  the  number  of 
white  men.  They  instantly  sprang  into  ambush,  and  were  scarcely  con- 
cealed in  the  bralces,  when  LovewelP  and  his  men  came  up  and  com- 
menced searching  for  their  packs.  Springing  from  the  thicket  with  a 
horrid  yell,  the  savages  fired  their  guns  directly  over  the  heads  of  the 
whites,  and  ran  towards  them  with  ropes,  demanding  if  they  would  have 
quarter.  "  Only  at  the  muzzle  of  your  guns,"  replied  the  intrepid  Love- 
well and  his  men,  and  the  fight  commenced.  Seizing  the  advantage, 
the  little  party  of  whites  rushed  towards  the  Indians,  firing,  as  they 
pressed  on,  and,  Jvilling  many,  drove  them  several  rods.  The  Indians 
soon  rallied,  however,  and,  maddened  by  the   unexpected   resistance, 

'  Lovewell,  though  mortally  wounded,  still  led  his  men,  but  fell  before  the  retreat 


MAINE TOWN   OF   FRYEBtJKG.  135 

rushed  furiously  on,  killing  LoveweU  and  eight  others,  and  wounding 
three  by  their  first  fire.  The  English,  thus  in  number  reduced,  and  see- 
ing the  Indians  about  to  surround  them,  commenced  a  retreat,  which 
was  made  in  good  order,  bravely  contesting  each  inch  of  ground  as  they 
went.  They  were  soon  brought  to  a  stand  by  a  large  brook  on  their 
right,  a  ridge  of  rocks  on  their  left,  and  a  pond  in  the  rear. 

Here  the  fight  continued  furious  and  obstinate  till  the  going  down  of 
the  sun,  and  till  but  nine  of  the  English  remained  uninjured.  Wawa, 
out  of  about  eighty  Indians,  could  lead  but  twenty  uninjured  from  the 
field ;  and,  though  they  had  the  advantage  at  sunset,  they  fled,  leaving 
the  dead  unburied.  Paugus,^  the  brave  chief,  had  been  slain,  and  thirty- 
nine  of  his  bold  followers  had  been  killed  and  wounded.  About  mid- 
night, it  being  certain  the  Indians  would  not  renew  the  contest,  the 
shattered  remnant  of  the  little  party  assembled  themselves  together  to 
examine  into  their  situation.  To  remain  in  the  very  centre  of  an  ene- 
my's country,  maddened  by  the  loss  of  their  brave  chief,  and  destitute 
of  all  food,  was  impossible ;  but  to  return  they  must  leave  not  only  their 
dead  unburied,  but  their  wounded  companions  unprotected,  to  die  by 
the  torture  of  the  savages.  Farrar,  one  of  the  wounded,  expired  during 
their  consultation ;  and  two  of  the  number  wounded  —  Lieutenant  Rob- 
bins  and  private  Usher  —  urged  and  commanded  their  companions  to 
return,  and  leave  them  to  their  fate.  As  the  moon  was  rising,  they  bade 
adieu  to  their  companions,  and,  taking  a  last  look  at  the  scene  of  their 
dreadful  encounter,  commenced  their  memorable  return.  They  had 
gone  but  a  mile  and  a  half  when  four  of  the  men  —  Farwell,  Davis, 
Frye,  and  Jones  —  declared  themselves  unable  to  go  on ;  and,  like  the 
brave  fellows  they  had  already  left,  they  were  unwilling  to  detain  the 
company,  and  desired  them  to  proceed.  Their  number  being  now  re- 
duced to  sixteen,  they  divided  into  three  parties,  fearing  to  make  too 
large  a  track,  by  which  the  Indians  might  pursue  them.  One  of  these 
parties  reached  the  fort  at  Ossipee,  but  found  it  deserted.     "  The  only 

'  Paugus  was  killed  in  single  combat  by  one  Chamberlain,  of  Groton.  Wearied  by 
the  protracted  contest,  both  had  come  to  opposite  sides  of  the  brook  to  quench  their 
thirst  and  wash  their  guns,  which  had  become  foul  by  frequent  firing.  Their  guns  could 
almost  touch,  so  narrow  was  the  space  between  them.  As  they  washed  their  guns,  con- 
versin"  familiarly  with  each  other.  Chamberlain  assured  Paugus  that  he  should  kill  him, 
and  Paugus  returned  the  threat,  bidding  him  defiance.  Carefully  drying  their  guns, 
they  commenced  loading  at  the  same  time.  Their  movements  exactly  corresponded,  and 
the  balls  of  both  were  heard  as  they  were  sent  home  by  the  rods  at  the  same  instant. 
The  gun  of  Chamberlain  primed  itself,  and  that  of  Paugus  did  not  Striking  the  breach 
upon  the  ground  it  primed,  and  raising  it  with  deliberate  aim  he  fired,  and  Paugus  fell 
dead  upon  tlie  bank.  As  he  fell,  the  well-aimed  ball  from  his  rifle  passed  through  the 
thick  locks  on  the  top  of  Chamberlain's  head,  but  left  hkn  unwounded. 


136  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

coward  among  their  number  fled  in  the  beginning  of  the  battle,  and  ran 
directly  to  the  fort,  where  he  gave  the  men  such  a  frightful  account  of 
what  had  happened,  that  they  all  fled,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way 
home."  The  main  party  of  eleven,  leaving  the  Ossipee  fort,  continued 
on,  and  reached  Dunstable  May  13th,  in  the  night.  Those  who  were  left 
behind  during  the  march,  with  the  exception  of  two,  —  Lieutenant  Far- 
weU  and  Mr.  Frye,  —  after  enduring  the  greatest  privations  which  the 
imagination  can  conceive,  succeeded  in  reaching  places  of  safety,  and 
recovered  from  their  wounds.  Thus  mournfully  terminated  this  expedi- 
tion. Trees,  perforated  by  the  balls,  may  be  seen  on  the  shore  of  the 
pond  to  this  day ;  and  the  older  citizens  of  Fryeburg  relate  to  the  vis- 
itor the  bloody  engagement  of  early  Pequawket  with  all  the  ardor  of 
youth.  *■ 

Fryeburg  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians  ;  and,  for  many  years 
after  the  dispersion  of  the  Pequawket  tribe,  solitary  members  continued 
to  linger  around  their  old  home.  Old  Philip,  Tom  Hegon,  and  Swar- 
son  are  familiar  names  with  the  old  people  yet.  Many  of  them  entered 
into  the  service  of  the  Americans  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  ren- 
dered good  service,  for  which  they  received  suitable  testimonials  from 
the  government. 

Fryeburg  was  incorporated  in  1776,  and  was  in  early  times  the  prin- 
cipal, and,  in  fact,  the  only  village,  of  the  White  mountains.  It  was,  for 
long  years,  the  centre  of  attraction  and  trade.  Its  favorable  situation  in 
respect  to  the  seaboard  towns,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  the  village 
grew,  gave  it  great  prominence  in  its  early  days.  Every  neighborhood 
and  settlement  sent  its  representatives  weekly  to  the  village  to  trade,  and 
its  one  long  street  was  then  a  scene  of  bustle  and  activity.  Unlike  most 
of  our  villages,  it  sprung  up,  in  a  comparatively  few  years,  to  its  full  size. 
It  stands  on  a  broad,  level  plain,  slightly  elevated  above  the  intervals  of 
the  Saco,  which  encloses  it  in  one  of  its  huge  folds.  The  only  eleva- 
tions of  note  are  Mount  Tom  and  Stark's  hill,  the  former  near  the  cen- 
tre of  the  town,  and  the  latter  at  the  head  of  the  village. 

There  are  six  ponds,  namely.  Bog  pond,  Kezar  pond,  Charles  pond, 
Kimball  pond.  Pleasant  pond,  and  the  far-famed  LoveweU's  pond.  The 
Saco  is  the  only  stream.  Fryeburg  is  a  good  farming  town,  and  con- 
tains two  villages,  one  at  the  south  part,  the  other  at  the  north ;  three 
church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  three 
post-ofiices  —  Fryeburg,  North  Fryeburg,  and  East  Fryeburg ;  four 
tanneries,  three  saw-miUs,  one  grist-mill,  one  foundery  with  steam- 
power,  one  pail  factory,  one  wheel  factory,  a  tin-shop,  two  brickmakers, 
two  carriage  builders,  and  two  blacksmith's  shops.  In  the  south  village, 
there  is  a  fine  and  commodious  brick  building,  in  which  the  Fryeburg 


MAINE CITY    OF    GAKDINEU.  137 

academy  is  in  successful  operation ;  ^  besides  sixteen  school  districts, 
and  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population,  1,523;  valuation  for 
1858,  $506,883. 

Gardiner,  Kennebec  county,  was  originally  a  part  of  Pittston,  from 
which  it  was  separated  in  1803.  The  original  name  was  Cobbossee 
Contee,  which  was  changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears  out  of  respect  to  the 
Grardiner  family,  who  were  the  owners  of  the  soil,  at  the  time  of  incor- 
poration, w^hen  there  were  104  tax-paying  residents,  and  four  non-resi- 
dent tax-payers.  The  town  meetings  were  held  in  the  old  Episcopal 
meeting-house,  or  "church  house,"  as  it  was  then  called.  The  only 
buildings  then  in  existence,  and  which  are  still  standing,  were  the  old 
post-office,  the  Plaisted  house,  the  Jewett  house,  and  the  cottage  now  or 
lately  occupied  by  S.  L.  Plummer.  The  first  settlers  were  from  Fal- 
mouth, England,  from  ^vhich  they  sailed  in  the  fall  of  1760.  Their 
names  were  Mr.  Thomes,  Benjamin  Fitch,  Jacob  Loud,  Ezra  Davis, 
James  and  Henry  McCausland,  and  William  Philbrook.  They  ran 
their  vessels  into  a  creek,  formed  by  the  mouth  of  the  river,  which 
was  then  navigable  some  distance  up,  where  their  craft  lay  all  winter. 
Fishing  and  trading  seem  to  have  been  the  chief  occupations  untU 
1794.  About  1751,  settlers  began  to  flock  in  to  what  was  then  called 
the  Kennebec  Purchase.  As  late  as  1775,  the  only  mill  on  the  pur- 
chase was  in  this  settlement;  and  the  settlers  of  old  Norridgewock 
and  Canaan  were  obliged  to  bring  their  corn  here  in  their  canoes. 
In  the  year  1787,  there  were  about  twenty  houses,  a  grist-mill,  a  double 
saw-mill,  and  one  or  two  stores  in  the  vicinity  of  Cobbossee  pond,  and 
on  both  sides  of  the  stream  leading  therefrom.  The  roads  to  the  prin- 
cipal towns  were  not  as  commodious  as  they  are  now ;  but  they  were 
as  good  as  could  be  expected  in  such  times. 

In  1786,  Major  Seth  Gay  built  the  first  wharf,  and  General  Dearborn 
established  the  ferry.  At  that  time,  shad,  herring,  salmon,  and  sturgeon 
were  taken  in  abundance  in  Cobbossee  pond.  The  first  farm  was 
cleared  by  Ebenezer  Byram  and  Seth  Gay,  on  the  road  at  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  near  Warromontogus  stream,  soon  after  which  others,  on 
Beech  hill,  were  cleared.  There  were  then  large  quantities  of  white 
and  red  oak  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  much  of  which  was  cut  and 
sent  to  England ;  also  fine  spruce,  pine,  and  ash,  from  which  oars  were 
made,  and  sent  to  Boston.  The  shores  of  all  the  ponds  and  streams 
were  well  wooded,  and  lumber  was  constantly  being  sent  to  the  new 
mill  (as  it  weis  called)  to  be  manufactured  for  the  Boston  market 

'  One  of  the  early  preceptors  of  this  academy  was  the  late  Hon.  Daniel  Webster. 

12* 


138  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

In  1799,  the  population  of  Gardiner  was  eight  hundred,  150  of  whom 
were  at  Bowman's  point,  then  a  part  of  Hallowell ;  and  there  were  not 
over  twenty  houses  from  Gardiner  to  Stage  island,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  The  first  steamer  on  the  Kennebec  river  was  the  "  Waterville," 
which  commenced  running  in  1826.  It  was  not  till  1834  that  even 
stage  travelling  was  a  permanent  thing.  In  1827,  the  attempt  to  estab- 
lish an  hourly  was  made,  but  proved  a  failure.  In  1829,  the  steam-ferry 
was  chartered.  In  1851,  the  first  train  of  cars  entered  Gardiner.  In  1820, 
the  old  church  was  purchased  for  a  town-house,  and  permission  given 
for  all  denominations  of  Christians  to  use  it  for  worship  whenever  they 
•  wished.  It  was  burned  on  the  night  of  July  4, 1833,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  been  a  sacrifice  to  rum.  In  1822,  the  lyceum  was  established 
by  R.  H.  Gardiner,  and  Professor  Hale  installed  as  principal.  The 
institution  continued  to  languish  till  1848,  when  it  was  organized  as  an 
academy.     In  1851,  a  public  high  school  was  opened  in  the  building. 

Gardiner  city  was  chartered  in  1849.  It  is  situated  at  the  head  of 
summer  navigation  on  the  Kennebec.  The  common  is  situated  in  the 
pleasantest  part  of  the  city,  about  125  feet  above  the  river.  It  contains 
about  five  acres,  on  the  summit  of  Church  hill,  from  which  the  view 
stretches  over  a  wide  and  pleasant  country.  The  land  was  given  by 
R.  H.  Gardiner.  The  physiognomy  of  the  city  is  certainly  striking.  It 
has  a  rough,  day-laboring  look,  which  inspires  the  stranger  at  once  with 
a  feeling  of  security  and  attachment.  The  soil  is  mostly  a  clayey  loam ; 
the  rocks  are  granite.  The  surface  is  undulating,  and  the  water  soft. 
It  contains  10,448  acres. 

There  are  ten  places  of  public  worship  —  two  Baptist,  one  each  Con- 
gregational, Episcopal,  Free-will  Baptist,  Universalist,  Roman  Catholic, 
Swedenborgian,  Methodist,  and  Christian ;  eight  school  districts,  with 
fifteen  schools;  two  post-offices,  Gardiner  and  West  Gardiner;  three 
banks  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  ^250,000 ;  two  bookstores,  a  print- 
ing-office, a  paper-mill,  a  woollen  factory,  six  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills, 
three  tanneries,  tw^o  hotels,  and  all  the  manufactures  and  accommoda- 
tions usually  found  in  such  a  place.  During  the  season  of  navigation, 
Gardiner  is  the  busiest  place  on  the  Kennebec.  Population,  6,486 ; 
valuation,  $2,098,000. 

Garland  is  situated  among  the  northern  tier  of  towns  in  Penobscot 
county.  Its  exterior  lines  were  run  in  1792,  by  Ephraim  Ballard  and 
Samuel  Weston.  In  1796,  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed  a 
resolve,  granting  to  the  trustees  of  Williams  College  two  townships  of 
land,  to  be  assigned  from  any  unappropriated  lands  belonging  to  that 
commonwealth  in  the  district  of  Maine.  Garland  was  one  of  the  town- 
ships selected  under  the  provisions  of  this  resolve;  and  in  1798,  the 


MAINE TOWN    OF    GARLAND.  139 

trustees  of  Williams  College  conveyed  it  to  Levi  Lincoln,  Seth  Has- 
tings, Samuel  Sanger,  Samuel  Sanger,  Jr.,  Calvin  Sanger,  and  Ellas 
Grout  The  township  took  the  name  of  Lincoln,  from  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors. 

In  the  year  1800,  Moses  Hodsdon,  assisted  by  Daniel  Wilkins,  David 
A.  Gove,  and  a  Mr.  Shores,  ran  the  lines  between  the  lots.  The  first 
two  lots  selected  in  the  township  with  reference  to  settlement  were 
those  of  Mr.  Gove  and  Mr.  Wheeler.  In  1802,  openings  were  made  by 
sixteen  or  eighteen  individuals,  from  the  western  part  of  Maine  and 
from  New  Hampshire,  nearly  all  of  whom  afterwards  became  settlers. 
On  the  22d  of  June,  1802,  Joseph  Garland,  of  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  arrived 
with  his  wife  and  three  children,  being  the  first  family  here.  This 
circumstance  afterwards  gave  the  name  to  the  township.  In  1805, 
twelve  families  had  taken  up  a  permanent  residence.  In  the  autumn 
of  1802,  a  saw-mill  was  built  by  the  proprietors ;  and,  in  1803,  several 
frame  buildings  were  erected.  The  first  school  was  opened  by  William 
Mitchell,  in  1806,  in  the  house  of  Joseph  Garland.  In  1811,  the  town- 
ship was  incorporated,  there  being  at  that  time  about  fifty  legal  voters 
within  its  limits. 

Garland  is  six  miles  square,  the  southern  part,  embracing  more 
than  one  half  of  the  whole  area,  being  quite  level,  not  very  stony,  and 
a  good  farming  section.  The  northern  part  is  traversed  from  east  to 
west  by  a  very  high  range  of  hills,  which  is  intersected  near  the  east 
line  of  the  town  by  a  deep  ravine,  known  as  the  "  Notch,"  apparently 
designed  by  nature  as  the  point  of  egress  for  the  people  of  Piscataquis 
county.  A  county  road  has  been  located,  to  run  through  the  Notch ; 
and  the  practicability  of  building  a  railroad  through  it  from  Bangor  to 
the  flourishing  villages  of  Foxcroft  and  Dover,  with  a  branch  to  the  iron 
and  slate  localities  of  the  Piscataquis  region,  has  been  discussed  by  the 
citizens.  Numerous  smaU  streams  originate  at  the  summit  of  the  range 
of  hills,  some  running  towards  the  Penobscot,  and  others  finding  their 
way  into  the  Kennebec.  The  Kenduskeag  runs  from  a  small  pond,  lying 
partly  in  Dexter  and  partly  in  Garland.  It  takes  a  southeasterly  course 
through  the  latter  town,  and  makes  itself  useful  on  its  way  by  driving 
one  grist-miU,  four  shingle  mills,  five  saw-mills,  and  other  machinery. 

The  people  are,  for  the  most  part,  engaged  in  fanning.  The  several 
mills  cut  out  considerable  quantities  of  the  coarser  kinds  of  lumber,  and 
the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  is  prosecuted  to  some  extent. 
There  are  two  churches  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  nine  school 
districts,  with  eleven  schools ;  a  high  school,  established  in  1848,  and 
well  sustained ;  and  two  post-offices,  one  at  Garland  and  the  other  at 
West  Garland,  which  are  the  only  villages  in  town.  Population,  1,247 ; 
valuation,  $132,004. 


140  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Georgetown,  Sagadahoc  county,  originally  embraced  several  islands 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec  river,  and  included  the  present  towns  of 
Phipsburg,  Bath,  and  Woolwich ;  but  it  has  been  shorn  of  its  territory 
from  time  to  time,  until  it  has  become  reduced  to  a  single  island,  for- 
merly known  as  Parker's  island,  which  was  purchased  of  the  natives,  in 
1650,  by  one  John  Parker,  who  was  the  first  occupant  after  1668.  Yet 
it  is  thought  by  some,  a  small  detachment  of  Popham's  colony  com- 
menced a  settlement  on  it.  The  occupancy  of  this  island  has  continued 
under  Parker's  title  from  the  time  of  his  purchase  to  the  present  day, 
(excepting  during  the  intervals  occasioned  by  the  Indian  wars),  and 
some  of  Parker's  posterity  are  now  proprietors  of  a  part  of  the  land,  on 
which  they  live.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  in  1716,  while 
it  embraced  its  greatest  extent  of  territory. 

About  one  half  of  the  town  is  tolerable  farming  land,  well  adapted  to 
grazing.  The  inhabitants  are  principally  employed  in  coasting  and 
fishing,  though  raising  stock,  and  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese, 
receive  attention.  The  town  has  three  villages,  Robin  Hood's  Cove,  the 
principal  one,  Riggs's  Cove,  and  Harmon's  Harbor ;  two  church  edifices 
—  Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  nine  school  districts,  and  two  post- 
offices.  Some  business  is  done  by  two  saw-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  one 
grist-mill,  one  pail-maker,  and  one  ship-builder.  Population,  1,121 ; 
valuation,  $155,390. 

GiLEAD  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Oxford  county,  on  the 
boundary  line  between  Maine  and  New  Hampshire.  Its  settlement 
was  commenced  about  the  year  1780.  In  1781,  Williamson  says  there 
were  but  two  families  here  ;  and  on  the  4th  of  August  of  that  year,  both 
of  the  men  were  killed  by  the  Indians.  A  few  years  afterwards,  several 
families  moved  in  from  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire.  Acces- 
sions were  made  from  year  to  year,  and  on  the  23d  of  June,  1805,  it 
was  incorporated,  taking  its  name  from  a  large  Balm  of  Gilead  tree, 
still  standing  near  the  centre  of  the  town. 

During  the  terrible  storm  of  1826,  —  memorable  on  account  of  the 
destruction  of  the  Willey  family,  —  slides  took  place  on  many  of  the 
mountains  around  this  town.  From  Picked  hill,  thousands  of  tons  of 
earth  and  rocks,  with  trees,  came  rushing  down,  destroying  every  thino- 
that  lay  in  their  course.  The  darkness  was  intense,  and  the  vivid  light- 
nings and  long  streams  of  fire  (caused  by  the  concussion  of  the  rocks 
which  covered  the  sides  of  the  mountains,)  only  served  to  increase  the 
wildness  and  sublimity  of  the  scene.  The  deluge  of  rain,  the  peals  of 
thunder,  and,  above  all,  the  deafening  roar  of  the  descending  slides, 
were  truly  terrific,  and  the  valley  rocked  as  though  shaken  by  an  earth- 


MAINE TOWN   OP   GLENBURN,   ETC.  141 

quake.  No  lives  were  lost ;  but  the  frightful  scene,  though  brief,  had 
more  terror  crowded  into  it  than  occurs  in  an  ordinary  lifetime. 

The  surface  of  Gilead  is  mountainous,  and  considerable  portions  are 
covered  with  forests,  which,  till  very  recently,  were  much  infested  with 
bears,  especially  during  the  summer  months.^  The  earlier  annals  of 
the  town  are  full  of  the  thrilling  adventures  which  the  inhabitants  en- 
countered in  hunting  these  animals. 

Gilead  is  drained  by  the  Androscoggin,  which  runs  through  its  entire 
length  from  east  to  west,  on  the  borders  of  which  is  some  of  the  best 
land  in  this  region.  Wild  river,  an  impetuous  mountain  stream,  here 
falls  into  the  Androscoggin.  Gilead  is  so  situated  as  to  escape  almost 
entirely  the  frosts  of  autumn.  The  valley  is  walled  in  on  two  sides  by 
high  ranges  of  mountains,  shaggy  and  rude,  between  which  there  is  a 
continual  current  of  air,  which  preserves  from  the  frosts  the  crops  in  the 
valley  and  on  the  slopes.  The  Grand  Trunk  Railway  passes  through 
this  town  into  New  Hampshire.  There  are  two  churches  here  (Con- 
gregational and  Methodist),  six  school  districts,  with  eleven  schools, 
and  one  post-office.  Three  grist-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  and  one  brick- 
yard, are  among  the  mechanical  establishments.  Population,  359 ; 
valuation,  $47,622. 

Glenburn,  Penobscot  county,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Bangor,  was 
called  Button  until  1837,  when  it  became  an  incorporated  town,  and 
received  its  present  name.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  and  the  town 
is  watered  by  Kenduskeag  river  and  Pushaw  pond,  the  latter  forming 
its  eastern  boundary.  Glenburn  is  more  than  an  average  farming  town 
for  this  section  of  country,  and  the  people  seem  to  be  proud  of  their 
occupation  —  agriculture.  There  is  no  water-power  in  town,  and  this 
may  account  in  a  measure  for  the  number  of  fine  farms  and  pros- 
perous farmers.  There  are  two  saw-mills  and  two  shingle  mills  on 
the  banks  of  the  Pushaw  pond ;  but  they  do  little  more  than  supply  the 
necessary  building  material  required  by  the  inhabitants.  The  town 
has  one  church  edifice  —  Congregational ;  two  post-offices  —  Glenburn 
and  West  Glenburn ;  and  seven  school  districts,  with  the  same  number 
of  schools.     Population,  905 ;  valuation,  $86,821. 

GoRHAM,  in  the  southern  part  of  Cumberland  county,  adjoining  Port- 
land,  was    No.  7    of  the    seven   townships    granted   by   the    state   of 

'  In  tlie  fall  of  1804,  it  required  all  the  vigilance  and  courage  of  the  inhabitants  to 
preserve  their  cattle  and  hogs  from  these  ferocious  denizens  of  the  forest.  The  infuri- 
ated beasts  would  rush  almost  into  the  houses  of  the  settlers,  and  young  hogs  were  caught 
up  and  carried  off'  before  the  very  eyes  of  their  owners. 


142  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Massachusetts  to  eight  hundred  and  forty  men,  who  were  engaged  in 
the  Narraganset  war.  The  settlement  was  commenced,  soon  after  the 
grant  was  made,  by  John  Phinney  and  Messrs.  Bryant,  Cloutman, 
Read,  McClellan  and  others.  They  early  took  the  precaution  to  de- 
fend themselves  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians  by  the  erection  of  block- 
houses ;  but  these  did  not  fully  secure  the  inhabitants.  An  attack  was 
made  by  a  party  of  Indians  on  the  19th  of  April,  1746,  when  Bryant 
was  killed  in  his  field,  his  house  assailed,  five  of  his  children  killed  and 
scalped,  and  the  mother  taken  captive,  carried  to  Canada,  and  sold. 
Other  incursions  were  made  from  time  to  time,  sufficient  to  keep  up  a 
constant  state  of  apprehension  and  alarm,  and  at  one  time  there  -were 
two  men,  by  the  name  of  Peale,  killed. 

In  1762  the  town  was  surveyed,  and,  two  years  after,  it  was  incor- 
porated. From  that  time  its  growth  has  not  been  retarded  by  the 
reverses  which  many  of  the  other  towns  of  New  England  have  suffered, 
and  it  now  maintains  a  position  of  substantial  independence.  The 
town  is  pleasantly  located,  and  has  a  soil  of  a  superior  quality.  There 
are  four  villages,  most  of  which  are  places  of  considerable  business. 
Gorham  is  watered  by  Presumpscot  river,  and  is  traversed  by  the  York 
and  Cumberland  Railroad.  There  are  six  churches  —  three  Free- 
will Baptist,  two  Methodist,  and  one  Congregational ;  eighteen  school 
districts,  an  academy,  a  female  seminary,  a  carpet  factory,  a  tannery, 
a  gunpowder  mill,  several  saw  and  grist-mills,  and  two  post-offices  — 
Gorham  and  West  Gorham.     Population,  3,088 ;  valuation,  ^684,732. 

GouLDSBORODGH,  the  most  easterly  town  of  Hancock  county,  lies  be- 
tween Frenchman's  bay  and  Gouldsborough  harbor.  It  covers  a  large, 
broken  surface  of  some  thirty  thousand  acres,  and  has  an  extensive  sea- 
coast,  with  numerous  islands  and  harbors.  At  least  one  third  of  the 
town  is  unfit  for  cultivation.  It  was  originally  granted  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  Massachusetts  to  Nathan  Jones,  Francis  Straw,  and  Robert 
Gould  of  Boston,  who  settled  it  with  lumbermen  from  Portland,  Saco, 
and  other  places  in  that  vicinity.  It  was  incorporated  February  16, 
1789,  receiving  its  corporate  name  in  honor  of  Robert  Gould,  one  of  the 
original  proprietors.  General  David  Cobb,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  was 
for  many  years  a  resident  of  this  town.  There  is  one  Baptist  church 
here ;  there^  are  also  three  saw-mills,  three  grist-miUs,  two  tanneries,  six- 
teen school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Gouldsborough  and  West  Gouldsborough.  Population,  1,400 ; 
valuation,  .$125,931. 

Grafton,  in  the  northwest  part  of  Oxford  county,  was  first  settled  in 


MAINE TOWN    OP    GRAY.  143 

1830  by  William  Reed,  Jesse  Smith,  Abraham  R.  York,  Stephen 
Emery,  and  James  Brown,  the  four  latter  having  obtained  their  titles 
from  the  first-named  settler.  The  northerly  portion  of  the  town  is 
abundantly  timbered  with  pine  and  spruce,  while  the  southerly  portion 
is  very  mountainous  and  broken,  —  there  being  only  one  pass,  or  notch, 
through  which  a  road  could  be  opened.  The  soU,  however,  is  fertile. 
A  plantation  was  organized  in  1840,  which  was  called  Holmes  until 
1852,  when  it  was  incorporated  as  a  town  by  its  present  name.  The 
most  noticeable  streams  are  Cambridge,  flowing  north  into  the  Umba- 
gog  lake,  and  Bear  river,  flowing  south  to  the  Androscoggin,  on  each  of 
which  is  a  saw-mill.  Lumbering  and  farming  constitute  the  occupa- 
tions of  the  inhabitants.  There  are  two  small  ponds,  which  are  abun- 
dantly supplied  with  trout ;  and  Speckled  and  Saddleback  mountains 
are  the  principal  eminences.  Grafton  has  three  school  districts,  and 
one  post-oflice.     Population,  200  ;  valuation,  $25,000. 

Gray  is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  Cumberland  county,  and  was 
originally  owned  by  inhabitants  of  Boston,  to  whom  it  was  granted 
December  3,  1735,  upon  petition  to  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts, 
representing  that  they  had  large  families,  and  were  in  straitened  circum- 
stances. Several  years  intervened  before  a  settlement  of  the  township 
could  be  effected ;  but  in  the  mean  time  there  were  frequent  meetings  of 
the  proprietors  in  Boston,  generally  held  at  the  Sun  Tavern,  and  some- 
times at  the  British  Coffee-house.  One  of  the  first  settlers  —  probably 
the  first — was  Moses  Twitchell,  who  came  from  Westboro',  Mass. 
Jabez  Matthews  and  William  Webster  followed  soon  after ;  and  in  the 
course  of  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  several  other  families  moved  in.  In 
1756,  the  proprietors  made  a  report  of  the  progress  of  the  settlement  to 
the  legislature,  in  which  they  state  that  they  had  laid  out  sixty-three 
lots  of  sixty  acres  each  for  settling  lots,  had  built  a  meeting-house, 
erected  thirty-six  dwelling-houses,  and  cleared  a  part  of  the  lands,  as 
required  by  the  conditions  of  the  grant ;  but  that  they  had  been  put  to 
great  expense  and  suffering. 

The  settlers  were  in  constant  fear  of  hostile  Indians,  who  at  one  time 
came  upon  the  settlement  in  great  numbers,  destroyed  the  cattle,  burnt 
the  meeting-house  and  all  the  dwelling-houses,  and  obliged  the  settlers 
to  flee  to  places  of  safety.  After  peace  was  concluded  with  the  Indians, 
some  of  the  inhabitants  returned,  and  erected  a  new  meeting-house,  as 
well  as  a  block-house,  fifty  feet  long  and  twenty-five  feet  wide,  around 
which  they  erected  a  garrison,  one  hundred  feet  long  and  seventy-five 
feet  wide,  which  was  supplied  with  military  stores.    Soon  after,  a  rumor 


144  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  war  with  France  terrified  the  settlers,  and  they  fled  the  second  time ; 
but  the  fort  was  not  altogether  forsaken,  and,  gradually,  families  obtained 
sufficient  confidence  to  venture  to  take  up  a  permanent  abode  here.  At 
first  the  township  was  without  a  name,  being  known  only  as  a  proprie- 
tory lying  on  the  back  of  North  Yarmouth,  in  the  county  of  York. 
About  the  year  1756,  it  began  to  be  called  New  Boston.  In  1778,  by 
act  of  legislature,  it  was  incorporated  and  called  Gray,  as  it  is  supposed, 
in  honor  of  Thomas  Gray,  one  of  the  proprietors.  The  town  furnished 
men  and  supplies  for  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  Moses  TwitcheU,  the 
first  settler,  died  in  the  public  service  in  Canada.  The  last  war  with 
England  called  many  from  this  town  to  the  defence  of  their  country. 

The  principal  business  is  farming,  although  lumbering  w^as  formerly 
carried  on  to  a  large  extent.  The  land  is  good  for  tillage,  much  of  it 
being  a  clayey  or  sandy  loam.  The  village  called  Gray  Corner  is  sit- 
uated near  the  centre  of  the  town,  upon  an  elevated  plain,  surrounded 
by  hiUs.  There  are  five  religious  societies  —  Congregational,  Free-will 
Baptist,  Protestant  Methodist,  Episcopal  Methodist,  and  Universalist ; 
as  well  as  six  stores,  one  public-house,  two  factories,  two  saw-mills,  a 
new  steam  mill ;  a  bank,  capital,  $50,000 ;  an  academy,  chartered  but 
not  in  operation ;  a  railroad,  chartered  but  not  built ;  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts, with  718  scholars ;  and  two  post-offices,  Gray  and  North  Gray. 
Population,  1,788  ;  valuation  for  1856,  $240,000. 

Greenbush,  Penobscot  county,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Penobscot, 
opposite  Argyle,  is  twenty-three  miles  from  Bangor.  It  was  incorporated 
in  1834.  The  surface  is  somewhat  varied,  though  the  soil  is  on  the  aver- 
age of  a  fertile  character.  It  is  drained  by  Olamon  and  other  affluents 
of  the  Penobscot  river.  The  village  is  a  pleasant  and  thriving  place. 
The  town  contains  seven  school  districts  and  one  post-office.  Popula- 
tion, 457 ;  valuation,  $22,096. 

Greene,  Androscoggin  county,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  the  Andros- 
coggin river,  five  miles  above  the  falls  at  Lewiston,  and  six  miles  north- 
east of  Auburn.  It  extends  on  the  river  six  miles  to  Leeds  line,  is  con- 
nected with  Turner  by  a  bridge,  and  is  bisected  by  the  Androscoggin 
and  Kennebec  Railroad.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the 
year  1775,  when  it  was  called  Littlesborough.  The  settlers  obtained 
their  titles  from  the  Pejepscot  proprietors.  Among  the  first  inhabitants 
were  Benjamin  Merrill,  Joseph  Herrick,  and  Luther  Robbins,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  the  first  representative  to  the  Massachusetts  legislature 
after  the  incorporation  of  the  town  in  1788,  in  which  office  he  continued. 


MAINE TOWN   OF    GREENFIELD,   ETC.  145 

with  one  or  two    intervals,  until  the  separation  of  Maine  from  Massa- 
chusetts in  1820. 

Greene  has  but  little  water-power,  and  only  three  small  ponds,  the 
principal  of  which  is  the  Sabattis  pond,  three  miles  long  and  one 
wide,  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  town.  The  land  is  somewhat  uneven, 
but  the  soil  is  quite  productive.  There  are  two  villages,  Greene  and 
Greene  Corner,  with  a  post-office  at  each ;  two  church  edifices,  one 
occupied  by  the  Baptists,  the  other  by  the  Universalists  and  Free-will 
Baptists  alternately.  Greene  has  two  shingle  mills,  two  saw-mills,  one 
grist-mill,  one  tannery,  three  carriage  builders,  and  three  pail-makers; 
and  thirteen  school  districts,  with  tv\renty-three  schools.  Population, 
1,348 ;  valuation  in  1858,  ^259,553. 

Gkeenfield,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Penobscot  county,  about  twenty 
miles  northeast  from  Bangor,  was  first  settled  in  1812  by  Jeremiah 
tord,  Samuel  Wheeler,  and  William  Costagin  from  Salem,  Mass.,  Peter 
Witham  from  Thomaston,  and  Miles  Stone  from  Easton,  Me.  They 
obtained  their  titles  froin  William  Bingham  or  his  heirs,  through  John 
Black,  the  agent.  The  town  was  incorporated  in  1831 ;  its  surface  is 
uneven,  and  it  is  watered  by  the  Olamon  and  Sunkhaze  streams,  —  the 
former  running  through  nearly  its  entire  length.  Agriculture  receives 
but  little  attention  beyond  the  common  wants  of  the  inhabitants ; 
the  lumbering  business,  however,  is  carried  on  to  some  extent  in  the 
manufacture  of  shingles  and  clapboards.  There  are  one  saw-mill,  two 
shingle  mills,  and  one  clapboard  mill  here ;  as  also  one  post-office  at 
Winslow  Mills ;  and  five  school  districts,  with  seven  schools.  Popula- 
tion, 305 ;  valuation,  ^45,000. 

Greenville,  Piscataquis  county,  is  situated  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Moosehead  lake,  thirty  miles  from  Dover.  It  was  incorporated  in  1836, 
and,  from  its  recent  origin,  has  but  little  of  note  to  commend  it  to  the 
researches  of  the  historian.  The  surface  is  hilly  ;  but  the  soil  is  of  the 
most  fertile  character,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  thrifty  and  industrious  popu- 
lation, Greenville  will  eventually  take  its  rank  among  the  best  sections 
of  country  in  the  state.  From  the  variety  of  its  scenery  and  its  location 
on  the  margin  of  the  beautiful  Moosehead,  it  has  become,  within  the 
past  few  years,  a  place  of  summer  resort.  A  view  of  the  lake  is  here 
given,  with  the  little  steamer,  which  plies  regularly  between  Greenville 
and  Mount  Kineo,  in  the  foreground.  Wilson  pond  lies  within  the 
limits  of  the  town,  by  which  with  a  few  streams  it  is  drained.  The 
industry  of  the  inhabitants  is  chiefly  devoted  to  agriculture.  There  is  a 
small  village  or   settlement  on  the   lake,  which  is    rapidly  increasing. 

VOL.  I.  13 


146 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


There  arc  several  mills  in  Greenville,  three  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  326  ;  valuation,  !ii!36,150. 


View  at  GreenTille,  on  Moosehead  Lake. 


Greenwood  is  sitviatcd  nearly  in  the  centre  of  Oxford  county.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  1802,  by  William  Yates  from  INIinot,  who 
was  followed  the  next  year  by  Thomas  Furlong  from  Danville,  and 
Timothy  Patcli  from  Westbrook.  Several  others  came  in  1S04 ;  and  in 
1805  there  Avere  thirteen  famihes.      The  town  was  incorporated  in  181G. 

The  surface  is  very  broken.  It  is  watered  by  nine  ponds,  three  of 
which  fall  into  the  Great  Androscoggin  river  at  Bethel;  the  other  six 
form  the  head  waters  of  the  Little  Androscoggin.  xVgriculture  is  the 
leading  pursuit.  Considerable  attention  is  paid  to  fruit-growing,  with 
good  returns,  some  of  the  orchards  produci)ig  two  hundred  barrels 
of  apples  in  a  year.  One  good  mill  privilege  is  already  occupied. 
There  arc^  two  villages  —  Greenwood,  and  Locke's  Mills,  with  a  ]iost- 
office  at  each  ;  and  twelve  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of 
schools.  There  is  but  one  church  edifice,  which  is  occujaied  by  the 
Methodists.  There  are  four  saw-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  one  grist-mill, 
and  one  jiail-factory.     Pojiulation,  1,118;  valuation,  659,861. 

Guilford  in  the  southern  part,  of  Piscataquis  count}%  ^vas  settled  in 
1806,  by  Robert  Low,  Jr.,  Robert  Herring,  Jr.,  and  John  and  Nathaniel 
Bennett,  —  all  from  New  Gloucester.  The  townsliip  was  conveyed  by 
Massachusetts  to   Bowdohi    College   in   1794;   and  by  that  college  to 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF   HALLO  WELL.  147 

Robert  Low.  It  was  called  Lowtown  until  1816,  when  it  was  incor- 
porated under  its  present  name.  The  northern  part  is  uneven  and 
broken,  but  the  south  part  has  some  very  productive  farms.  The  town 
is  watered  by  Brainerd  and  Salmon  stream  ponds,  and  by  Salmon 
stream  and  Piscataquis  river,  which  flow  southerly  through  it.  Agricul- 
ture is  the  leading  pursuit.  There  is  only  one  village,  in  which  are  two 
church  edifices,  one  occupied  by  Baptists,  and  the  other  by  Methodists 
and  Universalists.  There  are  two  post-offices,  Guilford  and  Centre 
Guilford ;  and  nine  school  districts,  with  fifteen  schools ;  also  two  saw- 
mills, four  shingle  mills,  one  tannery,  one  grist-mill,  one  chair  factory, 
one  carriage  builder,  one  brickmaker,  and  two  paU-makers.  Popula- 
tion, 834 ;  valuation,  |94,714. 

Hallo'WELL,  Kennebec  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Kennebec  river,  and  was  a  part  of  the  Plymouth  Kennebec  Patent.  The 
first  permanent  settlement  after  the  devastating  Indian  wars  that  swept 
the  region  of  which  this  was  a  part,  was  made  within  a  few  years  after 
the  erection  of  Fort  Western  in  1754,  at  a  place  called  "the  Hook," 
where  the  village  now  is.  Inhabitants  or  resident  traders  were  here  at 
least  a  century  earlier.  The  original  lots,  a  part  of  which  are  in  the 
present  Hallowell,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Kennebec,  were  four,  each  a 
mile  Avide,  extending  from  the  river  to  Winthrop  pond.  Two  were 
granted  in  1760  to  Dr.  Gardner,  one  to  Mr.  Pitts,  and  one  to  Mr.  Hal- 
lowell, two  of  them  Plymouth  proprietors.  The  town  was  incorporated 
April  26,  1771,  having  a  territory  of  nearly  sixty  thousand  acres,  extend- 
ing upon  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  embracing,  besides  its  own  present 
limited  territory,  what  is  now  comprised  in  Augusta,  Chelsea,  Farming- 
dale,  and  a  part  of  Manchester.  On  the  20th  of  February,  1797,  the 
northerly  part  of  it  was  cut  off  and  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Har- 
rington, which,  however,  at  the  next  session  of  the  legislature,  on  the 
9th  of  June  following,  was  changed  to  Augusta. 

About  the  year  1793,  Charles  Vaughan,  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Bos- 
ton, whose  family  were  among  the  proprietors  of  the  Kennebec  Pur- 
chase, and  who  with  them  owned  all  the  lands  comprising  the  present 
village  of  Hallowell,  —  so  called  after  his  maternal  grandfather,  —  took 
a  strong  interest  in  promoting  the  settlement  of  this  section,  and  spared 
no  expense  to  develop  its  resources.  He  designed  Hallowell  to  be  the 
great  town  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Kennebec,  and  built  a  dis- 
tillery and  a  large  brewery,  capable  of  making  more  malt  liquor  than 
was  then  consumed  in  the  whole  of  New  England.  He  also  erected  a 
very  large  and  expensive  flour  mill,  furnished  with  the  best  machinery 
then  in  use;  and  built  wharves,  stores,  and  houses  necessary  for  these 


148  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

branches  of  business.  But  as  these  establishments  were  all  greatly  in 
advance  of  the  times,  and  consequently  unprofitable,  they  gradually 
went  to  decay,  and  were  abandoned. 

In  1850,  Hallowell  lost  all  of  its  territory  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
by  the  incorporation  of  Chelsea ;  and  so  much  upon  the  west  side  as 
was  taken  to  form  Manchester :  and  again,  in  1852,  Farmingdale  was 
taken  from  it,  leaving  it  the  smallest  municipality  in  the  county.  Hal- 
lowell received  a  city  charter  August  29,  1850,  and  was  divided  into 
four  wards. 

The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven,  but  the  soil  suitable  for  agricul- 
ture, which  engages  considerable  attention.  The  city  contains  five 
church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  Baptist,  Unitarian,  and 
Universallst ;  three  school  districts,  with  ten  schools ;  one  academy, 
supported  by  private  individuals,  and  one  post-office.  It  has  also  three 
ship  yards,  one  steam  saw-mill,  two  tanneries,  two  machine  shops,  a 
linseed  oil  factory,  three  carriage  shops,  four  pail-making  establish- 
ments, and  two  brick-yards.  There  are  three  banks,  with  an  aggre- 
gate capital  of  $275,000.  The  population  in  1850  was  4,769,  since 
which  the  incorporation  of  Chelsea,  Manchester,  and  Farmingdale,  has 
probably  reduced  it  to  about  2,400 ;  it  has  not  suffered  a  proportionate 
reduction  in  valuation,  which,  in  1858,  was  $1,225,510. 

Hampden  is  the  southeastern  frontier  town  of  Penobscot  county,  sit- 
uated on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot  river,  between  Frankfort  and  Ban- 
gor, and  contains  an  area  of  23,040  acres.  Benjamin  "Wheeler,  the  first 
settler,  came  from  Durham,  New  Hampshire,  about  the  year  1767,  and 
"  pitched  his  tent "  at  what  was  known  as  the  "  Basin,"  at  the  moutli  of 
the  Soadabscook  stream.  Wheeler,  being  a  carpenter  by  trade,  soon 
erected  mills,  and  from  him  the  place  took  the  name  of  Wheelersbo- 
rough.  For  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years  after  the  arrival  of  Wheeler 
the  progress  of  the  settlement  was  very  slow  ;  and,  being  disturbed  by 
the  English  after  their  occupation  of  Bigaduce  (now  Castine),  in  1779 
the  settlers  retired  through  the  woods  to  Kennebec,  and  from  thence  to 
Woolwich  and  Falmouth  (now  Portland).  Returning  in  1783,  they  re- 
sumed the  settlement ;  and,  in  1796,  the  township  was  surveyed  and 
lotted  by  Ephraim  Ballard,  every  inhabitant  receiving  a  lot  of  one  hun- 
dred acres.  If  he  were  a  settler  before  January,  1784,  he  paid  six  dol- 
lars ;  but  if  afterwards,  and  before  January,  1794,  he  paid  fifty  dollars. 
The  residue  of  the  town  was  assigned  by  the  government  to  General 
Knox,  to  make  up  for  a  deficiency  in  the  Waldo  Patent.  After  the  con- 
clusion of  peace,  large  accessions  arrived  from  Cape  Cod,  and  the  town 
was  incorporated  January,  1794,  though  it  appears  from  the  records  that 


MAINE TOWN    OF    HAMPDEN.  149 

it  acted  in  a  municipal  capacity  as  early  as  1784.  Its  corporate  name 
was  adopted  in  memory  of  the  famous  Englishman,  John  Hampden. 

General  John  Crosby  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  He  came  from 
"Woolwich  about  1775,  and  commenced  as  a  farmer  on  the  estate  now 
occupied  by  Ivory  Frost.  He  afterwards  entered  largely  into  commercial 
business,  and  carried  on  an  extensive  trade  both  with  Europe  and  the 
East  Indies.  He  died  May  25,  1843,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six. 
Another  prominent  man  among  the  early  settlers  was  General  Gabriel 
Johonot,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  a  brave  and  distinguished  officer  in  the 
American  army  during  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  friend  and  corre- 
spondent of  General  Washington ;  and,  during  a  long  and  active  life, 
exerted  a  great  influence  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  Hon.  Martin  Kins- 
ley, General  Jedediah  Herrick,  Enoch  Brown,  and  John  Godfrey  were 
early  and  prominent  citizens  of  the  town.  Hon.  Hannibal  Hamlin,  now^ 
a  senator  in  congress  from  this  state,  settled  here  as  a  lawyer  about  1832. 

During  the  last  war  with  England,  Hampden  suffered  probably  the 
most  of  any  town  in  the  state.  The  United  States  corvette,  the  Adams, 
of  twenty-four  guns.  Captain  Charles  Morris,  homeward  bound  from  a 
cruise,  arrived  off"  Penobscot  bay  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  1814,  at 
which  time  there  was  a  large  British  fleet  in  the  vicinity,  under  com- 
mand of  Rear  Admiral  Griffith.  On  entering  the  bay,  the  Adams  struck 
a  sunken  rock,  causing  her  to  leak  badly.  Captain  Morris  proceeded  up 
the  river  to  repair,  and  arrived  at  Hampden  during  the  last  week  of  the 
month,  and  commenced  dismantling  his  ship.  The  British  admiral, 
learning  the  situation  of  the  Adams,  determined  to  take  her ;  and  imme- 
diately despatched  two  sloops  of  war,  one  brig,  and  several  transports, 
with  seven  hundred  regulars,  under  command  of  Colonel  Henry  John, 
of  the  60th  regiment.  Captain  Morris  made  every  preparation  for  de- 
fending his  ship ;  landed  her  guns,  and  erected  two  batteries,  one  on  the 
wharf,  and  another  on  a  hill  two  hundred  yards  below  the  wharf.  The 
militia  had  collected  to  the  number  of  six  hundred,  under  command  of 
General  Blalce,  of  Brewer,  who  took  up  a  position  on  the  ridge,  Avhere 
the  house  of  James  A.  Swett  now  stands,  for  the  purpose  of  opposing 
the  advance  of  the  enemy  on  the  main  road,  they  having  landed  at  Bald 
Hill  cove.  General  Blake  had  taken  no  precaution  to  have  breast- 
works thrown  up  for  the  protection  of  his  troops,  and  had  failed  to 
make  any  arrangements  by  which  a  successful  resistance  might  have 
been  made ;  nor  did  he  even  do  so  much  as  post  sergeants  in  the  rear 
of  his  line  to  prevent  the  troops  from  retreating.  At  daylight,  on  the 
morning  of  September  3,  the  British  forces  were  in  motion  on  the  road 
from  Frankfort;  and  when  within  three  hundred  yards  of  General 
Blake's  position  opened  their  fire,  and  advanced  with  fixed  bayonets  in 

13* 


150  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

"  double  quick  time."  His  force,  being  outflanked,  immediately  gave 
way,  and  made  a  precipitate  retreat.  The  British  troops  pressed  on  to 
Captain  Morris's  batteries;  and  as  the  men  had  no  protection  in  the 
rear,  they  were  driven  from  their  guns  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

Captain  Morris  blew  up  his  ship,  and  with  his  men  retreated  to  Ban- 
gor, thence  to  Portland.  The  English  commander  was  greatly  pro- 
voked at  losing  his  prize ;  and,  for  three  days,  he  permitted  the  sailors, 
marines,  and  land-force,  full  hberty  on  shore.  They  committed  the 
most  wanton  excesses  in  the  plunder  of  the  citizens  and  the  destruction 
of  property.  The  furniture  in  nearly  all  of  the  houses  in  the  village 
was  entirely  destroyed,  and  the  cattle  and  hogs  belonging  to  the  farmers 
were  killed.  Even  the  sanctuary  of  the  Most  High  did  not  escape  their 
sacrilegious  hands.  They  entered  the  meeting-house,  tore  the  Bible  and 
psalm-book  in  pieces,  and  cut  down  the  altar  and  pews  with  their  cut- 
lasses. 

This  proved  a  heavy  blow  to  the  inhabitants  of  Hampden.  Many 
who  had  been  independent  were  rendered  almost  destitute  by  this 
calamity.  But  this  was  not  all.  When  the  English  force  left,  they  took 
about  eighty  of  the  citizens  to  Castine,  as  prisoners  of  war.  They 
were  released  in  a  short  time,  on  the  promise  of  the  selectmen  of  the 
town  to  pay  one  thousand  dollars  as  a  ransom.  Peace  being  concluded 
soon  after,  the  ransom  was  never  paid.  The  inhabitants,  by  their  indus- 
trious habits,  in  a  few  years  recovered  from  the  losses  they  thus  sus- 
tained, and  have  since  continued  prosperous  and  thriving. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  somewhat  rolling,  but  well  adapted  for 
agricultural  purposes.  The  principal  stream,  and  the  only  one  of  any 
note,  is  the  Soadabscook,  running  through  the  town  from  west  to  east, 
and  affording  water-power  for  fifteen  saw-mills,  three  paper-mills,  and 
two  grist-mills.  Hampden  has  one  cloth-dressing  mill,  three  shingle 
mills,  two  ship-builders,  three  bricl^makers,  and  two  carriage  builders. 
There  are  three  natural  ponds,  situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  the 
town,  named  Great,  Little,  and  George ;  two  villages,  both  situated  on 
the  river  road,  about  one  mile  apart,  known  as  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Corners ;  four  post-offices,  one  of  which  is  at  Hampden,  one  at  Hamp- 
den Corner,  one  at  West  Hampden,  and  one  at  East  Hampden.  The 
first  meeting-house  was  built  by  the  town  in  1796,  and  for  thirty  years 
was  the  only  place  of  worship.  It  is  now  standing,  and  in  good  repair, 
and  for  the  last  twenty  years  has  been  used  as  a  town-house.  There 
are  now  six  church  organizations  and  six  church  edifices,  namely,  two 
Methodist,  two  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Universalist ;  also, 
fifteen  stores,  eighteen  school  districts,  with  twenty  schools,  and  an  acad- 
emy, which  was  incorporated  in  1803,  and  has  ever  since  been  in  suc- 
cessful operation.     Population,  3,195 ;  valuation,  $423,441. 


MAINE TOWN    OF   HANCOCK,    ETC.  151 

Hancock,  in  the  southern  part  of  Hancock  county,  having  Taunton 
bay  on  the  east,  and  Skilling  bay  on  the  west,  is  about  thirty  miles 
southeast  from  Bangor.  The  first  settlers  were  Philip  and  S.  Hodgkins, 
who  came  from  Georgetown,  in  this  state,  in  1766.  A.  G.  Crabtree, 
Oliver  "Wooster,  Thomas  Googing,  Thomas  and  James  McFarland,  and 
Reuben  and  Moses  Abbott  soon  followed.  These  settlers  belonged  to 
Maine  and  Massachusetts,  and  were  accompanied  by  their  families. 
Thomas  Moon,  Francis  Grant,  William  Gatcomb,  James  Smith,  John 
Cook,  and  Richard  Clark,  with  their  families,  were  also  among  the  early 
settlers.  The  inhabitants  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Hancock  was  incorporated  in  1828,  the  greater  part  of  it  having  been 
set  off  from  the  town  of  Sullivan.  Tracts  were  also  annexed  to  it 
from  No.  3  township,  and  from  Trenton.  The  surface  is  generally 
even  ;  but  the  agricultural  advantages  which  it  possesses  are  not  im- 
proved to  any  great  extent.  There  are  two  streams  having  sufficient 
water-power  for  mills,  one  of  which  is  known  by  the  name  of  Kilkenny, 
and  the  other  by  that  of  Egypt,  on  which  are  one  grist-mill,  four  shingle 
mills,  and  four  lath-mills.  Besides  the  mills  already  noticed,  there  is 
one  propelled  by  steam,  manufacturing  all  the  varieties  of  lumber,  and 
having  a  grist-mill  connected  with  it.  Near  the  centre  of  the  town  is  a 
small  village,  in  which  there  are  two  meeting-houses  —  Baptist  and 
Free-will  Baptist.  The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is  sea- 
faring. There  is  a  considerable  number  of  vessels  owned  here.  Han- 
cock contains  a  boot  and  shoe  manufactory,  two  stores,  eight  school 
districts,  and  two  post-offices  -—  Hancock  and  North  Hancock.  Popula- 
tion, 960 ;  valuation,  $128,822. 

Hancock  County  is  one  of  the  seaboard  counties  of  eastern  Maine, 
and  lies  mainly  between  44°  10'  and  45°  20'  north  latitude,  having 
Washington  county  upon  the  east,  and  Penobscot  bay  and  county  upon 
the  west.  No  county  has  undergone  more  changes  in  territorial  limits; 
notwithstanding  which,  by  reference  to  the  map,  it  will  be  seen  that 
neither  this  nor  Penobscot  county  has  yet  attained  a  natural  shape. 
Hancock  and  Washington  were  the  fourth  and  fifth  counties  in  the  then 
province  of  Maine,  the  act  estabhshing  them  being  passed  June  25, 1789. 
The  easterly  hne  of  this  county,  separating  it  from  Washington,  from 
the  ocean  as  far  up  as  townships  Thirty-three  and  Thirty-four,  was  then 
the  same  as  at  present;  but  the  westerly  line  ran  on  the  westerly  side 
of  Penobscot  bay  through  a  part  of  what  is  now  Waldo  county,  north- 
easterly to  the  north  Hne  of  the  Waldo  Patent,  thence  northerly  to  the 


152  HISTOEY   AND    DESCKIPTIOX    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

highlands.^  A  portion  of  it  -was  taken,  in  1816,  to  form  Penobscot 
county,  and,  in  1827,  to  form  Waldo  county.  The  west  and  north  lines 
of  Hancock  are  still  as  awkward  as  possible,  having  no  regard  to  the 
Penobscot  river,  (which  is  the  natural  division  of  the  counties,)  further 
up  than  the  north  line  of  Bucksport,  then  turning  east  as  far  as  Maria- 
ville,  then  north  as  far  as  Lowell  in  Penobscot,  and  again  east  to  Wash- 
ington county,  yielding  to  Penobscot  quite  a  number  of  towns  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river.  The  territory  of  Hancock  is,  however,  sufficiently 
large,  being  about  one  hundred  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  including 
bays  and  islands,  and  forty  in  width.  It  has  twenty-eight  incorporated 
towns,  nineteen  inland  plantations,  and  nineteen  island  plantations. 
The  Union  river  and  bay  divide  it  into  nearly  equal  parts,  called  Eastern 
and  Western  Hancock.  It  is  distinguished  for  the  number  and  magni- 
tude of  its  islands,  its  capacious  bays,  roadsteads,  and  harbors,  its  rivers, 
lakes,  and  ponds,  and  its  bold  and  magnificent  scenery.  Its  commercial 
interests  and  relations  abroad  are  extensive  and  important.  Agriculture 
is  the  leading  pursuit  in  the  interior,  but  along  the  rivers  and  upon  the 
coast  the  principal  business  is  lumbering,  fishing,  ship-building,  and 
coasting. 

Penobscot  became  the  shire  town  in  1789,  bat  this  distinction  enured 
to  Castine  upon  its  incorporation  from  a  part  of  Penobscot  in  1796. 
On  the  17th  of  February,  1837,  Ellsworth  became  the  shire  town. 

This  county  belongs  to  the  eastern  judicial  district,  the  law  terms  of 
which  are  held  at  Bangor.  The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial 
court,  for  both  civil  and  criminal  business,  are  held  at  Ellsworth,  on  the 
fourth  Tuesdays  of  April  and  October.  Population,  34,372;  valuation, 
$4,621,567. 

Hanover,  in  the  western  part  of  Oxfoi-d  county,  was  incorporated  in 
the  year  1843,  being  taken  from  that  part  of  Bethel  lying  upon  the 
northerly  side  of  the  Androscoggin  river.  It  is  a  small  town,  beautifully 
situated,  and  is  about  eight  miles  from  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway.  It 
comprises  some  of  the  best  interval  farms  in  the  county.  Hanover  was 
called  by  the  Indians,  Sudbury-Canada,  and  was  first  settled  by  Na- 
thaniel Segar  from  Newton,  Mass.,  in  the  spring  of  1774.     He  returned 

'  "  The  proclamation  of  17C3,  and  commissions  to  governors,"  —  the  "  Quebec  bill  " 
passed  in  1774, —the  "  definitive  treaty  of  peace,"  of  Septembers,  1783,  — and  the  act 
of  1791,  dividing  Canada  into  the  Upper  and  Lower  provinces,  all  speak  of"  the  highlands, 
which  divide  the  rivei-s  emptying  themselves  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  from  those  which  fall 
into  the  Atlantic  ocean."  The  term  is,  therefore,  here  appUed  to  the  northern  limits  of 
Maine. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  HARMONY,   ETC.  153 

in  the  autumn  to  Newton,  and  remained  in  the  United  States  service 
most  of  the  time  until  1780,  when  he  again  came  to  Bethel,  and  com- 
menced clearing  a  farm,  on  which  he  worked  until  the  3d  of  August, 
1781,  when  he  was  taken  and  held  captive  by  the  Indians  for  sixteen 
months.  After  his  captivity  he  returned  to  Bethel,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  Jonathan  Bean,  from  Standish,  settled  here 
in  1780,  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Abner  Brown ;  and 
Jesse  Duston  from  Haverhill,  Mass.,  settled  here  soon  after,  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Adam  Willis ;  Moses  and  Stephen  Bartlett  from  New- 
ton, Mass.,  were  also  among  the  first  settlers.  Phineas  Howard,  from 
Temple,  N.  H.,  purchased  the  land  comprised  in  this  town  from  Massa- 
chusetts, about  the  year  1792,  and  from  him  it  was  called  Howard's 
Gore,  until  the  time  of  its  incorporation. 

The  surface  is  broken  and  uneven,  and  is  watered  by  Howard's  pond, 
lying  about  a  mile  from  Androscoggin  river.  This  pond  is  noted  for  its 
abundance  of  speckled  trout.  The  stream  that  flows  from  it  into  the 
Androscoggin  river  furnishes  water-power  for  two  wheelwright  shops, 
one  furniture  shop,  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-mill,  one  threshing  machine, 
one  shingle  machine,  and  one  woollen  factory.  The  majority  of  the 
people  are  devoted  to  agriculture.  A  village  is  situated  near  the  An- 
droscoggin river,  in  which  is  a  Methodist  meeting-house  and  a  post- 
office.  There  are  four  school  districts,  with  seven  schools.  Population, 
266 ;  valuation,  ^38,212. 

Harmony,  Somerset  county,  is  a  six  mile  square  township,  and  was 
originally  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  to  the  trustees  of  HaUo- 
well  academy,  of  whom  it  was  purchased  by  Charles  Vaughan.  It  was 
settled  in  1796,  and  was  then  known  as  Vaughanstown,  which  name 
was  changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears  June  15,  1804,  the  time  of  its 
incorporation. 

Harmony  has  a  tolerably  productive  soil,  in  the  cultivation  of  which 
the  inhabitants  are  principally  engaged ;  and  has  one  village,  situated 
in  the  central  part ;  a  saw-mill,  a  grist-mill,  two  shingle  mills,  a  carding 
machine,  and  a  carriage  builder;  ten  school  districts,  with  sixteen 
schools  ;  one  Methodist  and  one  Baptist  church ;  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  1,107 ;  valuation,  $130,286. 

Harpswell,  Cumberland  county,  directly  south  of  Brunswick,  for- 
merly called  Merryconeag  peninsula,  comprises  within  its  limits  Eras- 
cohegan,  BaUey's,  Haskell's,  Orr's,  and  House  islands,  beside  several 
smaller  ones.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  commenced  in  1720, 
and  the  town  ^vas  incorporated  in  January,  1758. 


154  HISTORY   AND   DESCEIPTIOX    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  soil  is  tolerably  good,  consisting  in  part  of  gravel,  clay,  and  brown 
mould,  which,  by  a  proper  mixture,  produces  good  crops.  Something  is 
done  annually  in  ship-building ;  and  the  fisheries  are  a  source  of  con- 
\iiderable  profit.  The  inhabitants  are  all  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
the  town  being  without  a  pauper.  There  are  five  church  edifices  on  the 
Neck,  one  on  Erascohegan  island,  and  one  on  Bailey's  island;  and 
fifteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-four  schools.  Population,  1,534; 
valuation,  $314,941. 

Hakeington,  Washington  county,  at  the  head  of  Narraguagus  bay, 
was  No.  5  of  the  six  second-class  townships  east  of  Union  river,  granted 
by  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  in  1762,  to  an  association  of 
petitioners.  The  settlement  was  commenced  a  few  years  after  the 
grant  was  made,  and  it  was  incorporated  as  a  town,  June  17,  1796, 
when  it  contained  a  population  of  177.  There  are  several  mill  priv- 
ileges here,  some  excellent  harbors,  and  one  small  village.  The  surface 
is  level,  but  the  land  is  good  for  nothing  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view. 
Harrington  has  considerable  navigation  and  trade  for  a  town  of  its  size, 
and  much  business  is  done  in  lumber.  There  are  two  religious  soci- 
eties —  Baptist  and  Episcopal  Methodist,  both  of  which  have  church 
edifices ;  ten  school  districts,  with  nine  schools ;  and  two  post-offices. 
Also,  two  saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  a  tannery,  a  grist-mill,  two  lath 
manufactories,  two  brickmakers,  and  eighteen  ship-builders.  Popula- 
tion, 963 ;  valuation,  109,318. 

Harrison  is  situated  in  the  northwest  of  Cumberland  county,  and 
was  formed  from  parts  of  the  towns  of  Otisfield  and  Bridgton.  It  was 
incorporated  March  8,  1805,  and  derived  its  name  from  Harrison  Gray 
Otis,  of  Boston,  who  owned  a  large  quantity  of  land  in  it.  Harrison  is 
small  as  to  territory,  but  it  compares  well  with  other  towns  as  regards 
its  agricultural  products.  It  has  two  villages  —  Harrison  and  Bolster's 
Mills ;  its  mechanical  establishments  consist  of  one  saw-mill,  two  grist- 
mills, one  tannery,  one  foundery,  two  machine  shops,  one  carriage  fac- 
tory, and  one  wire  factory,  the  latter  employing  about  fifteen  hands. 
The  trade  comprises  produce,  lumber,  and  stock.  The  Cumberland  and 
Oxford  canal  affords  excellent  facihties  during  the  summer  season,  for 
transportation  to  Portland.  There  are  five  church  edifices  —  Congre- 
gational, Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  two  Methodist ;  thirteen  scl^ool 
districts,  with  twenty-four  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population 
1,416 :  valuation,  $253,625.  ' 

Hartford,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Oxford  county,  was   settled   soon 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  HAKTLAND,   ETC.  155 

after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  incorporated  in  1798.  It 
is  watered  by  numerous  ponds  and  small  streams,  and  has  some  very 
good  farming  land.  Hartford  has  one  village,  called  Hartford  Centre  ; 
one  church  edifice,  occupied  by  all  denominations ;  sixteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  twenty-six  schools ;  and  one  post-office ;  also  one  saw-mill, 
one  grist-mill,  tw^o  shingle  mills,  and  a  tannery.  Population,  1,293 ; 
valuation,  ^175,000. 

Hartland,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Somerset  county,  was  formerly 
called  Warren's  Town,  No.  3.  It  was  first  settled  about  the  year  1800,  by 
William  Moor,  a  native  of  GofFstown,  N.  H.,  who  came  to  what  is  now 
Hartland  village,  and  built  mills.  About  the  same  time,  James  Fuller, 
Simeon  Starbird,  Daniel  Ham,  Eben  Ordlin,  Joseph  Bowley,  Uzziah 
Withee,  and  Benjamin  Church,  with  a  few  others,  came  from  different 
tow^ns  in  New  Hampshire,  and  made  a  permanent  settlement.  Their 
descendants  are  now  among  the  most  wealthy  and  influential  citizens. 
Dr.  John  Warren,  of  Boston,  was  the  original  proprietor  of  the  town- 
ship ;  and  from  him  the  settlers  derived  their  titles.  Hartland  was 
organized  as  a  plantation  in  1811,  and  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1820. 

The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  with  a  soil  of  more  than  common 
fertility,  considering  its  rocky  nature.  Agriculture  receives  fair  atten- 
tion, encouraged  by  the  East  Somerset  Agricultural  Society,  which 
holds  its  annual  exhibitions  at  Hartland.  Moose  pond,  partly  in  this 
town,  is  about  seven  miles  in  length  and  six  in  breadth,  furnishing  a 
constant  supply  of  water  for  the  mills  and  mechanical  establishments 
situated  at  its  outlet  Here  is  located  the  neat  and  flourishing  village 
of  Hartland,  the  only  one  in  town.  The  Baptist  meeting-house  is  the 
only  church  edifice.  The  St.  Albans  Academy  is  a  flomishing  institu- 
tion ;  besides  which  there  are  ten  school  districts,  with  eleven  schools. 
The  only  post-office  is  known  by  the  name  of  Hartland. 

An  extensive  tannery,  in  full  operation,  adds  much  to  the  thrift  and 
prosperity  of  the  village.  The  nearest  railroad  station  is  at  Pittsfield, 
on  the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Railroad,  seven  miles  distant.  Manu- 
factures are  receiving  greater  attention  than  formerly,  although  the 
very  excellent  water-power  still  invites  a  much  further  investment  of 
capital.  The  village  was  formerly  and  extensively  known  as  St.  Albans 
till  1846,  when  it  was  set  off  from  the  latter  town  by  an  act  of  the  leg- 
islature.    Population,  960 ;  valuation,  $83,166. 

Hebron,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Oxford  county,  about  thirty-five 
miles  southwest  of  Augusta,  was  granted  by  Massachusetts,  on  the  8th 
day  of  March,  1777,  to  Alexander  Shepard,  Jr.,  of  Newton,  Mass.     This 


156  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

grant  was  three,  or,  perhaps,  four  miles  square,  and  comprehended  that 
portion  of  territory  adjacent  to  Buckfield.  It  was  distinguished  by  the 
name  of  Bog  Brook  by  the  early  settlers ;  and  by  them  it  has  been  rep- 
resented to  have  been  made  in  consideration  of  the  chart  of  a  coast 
survey  of  Maine,  which,  they  say,  was  the  work  of  an  Englishman,  who 
employed  Shepard  to  assist  him  in  the  undertaking.  The  survey  hav- 
ing been  completed  at  the  time  when  the  people  of  the  colony  began  to 
look  fiercely  toward  the  mother  country  and  to  pay  all  her  demands  in 
a  currency  that  was  not  quite  so  acceptable  as  cash,  the  Englishman 
abruptly  quitted  America,  and  his  chart,  or  a  copy  of  it,  was  left  with 
Shepard.  This  chart  was  purchased  of  Shepard  by  the  state  govern- 
ment, and  the  grant  made  in  payment  therefor.  Subsequently,  Shepard 
extended  his  claim  over  all  the  isolated  tract,  of  which  the  above  grant 
was  only  a  part,  and  which  covered  more  than  thirty-six  thousand  acres. 
No  information  is  given  as  to  the  authority  on  which  he  founded  his 
extended  claim;  but  it  seems  that  government  recognized  it,  except  as 
to  some  small  portions. 

In  the  year  1778,  Captain  Daniel  Buckman,  with  his  family,  moved 
here  :  they  were  probably  the  first  family  on  the  grant.  John  Green- 
wood, Asa  Bearce,  and  Abner  Curtis  came  in  soon  after :  they 
remained  but  a  few  years,  and  returned  to  Massachusetts.  In  1780 
and  1781,  a  large  number  of  persons  arrived  from  that  state,  and  com- 
menced permanent  settlements.  Among  the  names  of  these  ■were 
Barrows,  Bumpas,  Benson,  Cushman,  Weston,  Keen,  Richmond,  and 
Thayer,  some  of  whom  had  large  families.  The  settlement  now  as- 
sumed an  animated  appearance,  —  dense  columns  of  smoke  curling 
upward  from  clearings  in  all  directions.  Many  of  the  settlers  were 
fresh  from  the  battle  fields  of  the  Revolution ;  and  it  was  well  that  they 
had  thus  become  inured  to  hardships,  and  were  ready  to  compete  with 
difficulties,  for  ere  comfort  could  be  secured,  stern  obstacles  stared  them 
in  the  face. 

The  original  name  was  Shepardsfield,  which  was  retained  until  the 
6th  of  March,  1792,  when  the  town  was  incorporated  under  its  present 
name.  From  its  shape, — extending  something  like  fifteen  miles,  from 
Norway  to  Turner, — the  voters  experienced  some  inconvenience  in 
assembling  at  a  given  spot ;  and,  to  remedy  the  difficulty,  the  town  was 
divided,  about  January,  1829,  —  the  southwesterly  part  being  called  Ox- 
ford ;  the  northeasterly  part  retaining  the  name  of  Hebron.  The  surface 
of  Hebron  is  generally  hilly.  In  the  north  part  is  Streaked  mountain, 
extending  partly  into  Paris  and  partly  into  Buckfield.  It  is  a  large  and 
rather  smooth  elevation,  rising  to  the  height  of  about  sixteen  hundred 
feet  above  the  field  below,  which  is  rather  high  land.     It  is  composed 


MAINE TOWN   OF  HERMON.  157 

principally  of  solid  rock,  which,  with  the  little  shrubbery  growing  on  its 
surface,  gives  it  the  appearance  from  which  it  derives  its  name.  This 
mountain  is  surrounded  by  a  number  of  others,  which,  though  not  so 
high,  yet  make  a  prominent  feature  in  the  adjacent  landscape.  Some 
of  them  are  immediately  connected  with  Streaked  mountain,  and,  in 
some  places,  are  rough,  rocky,  and  precipitous ;  but  on  their  declivities 
are  some  good  farms. 

Hebron  is  well  watered  by  ponds  and  small  streams,  the  three  prin- 
cipal of  w^hich  are  Bog  brook,  the  Middle  branch,  and  Matthew's  pond, 
on  which  there  is  considerable  interval.  Some  of  the  land  is  hard  and 
rocky,  while  other  portions  are  free  from  stones  and  easy  to  cultivate. 
Every  article  common  to  this  latitude  can  be  grown  here ;  and  there 
are  advantages  for  orcharding  possessed  by  few  other  towns.  The  peo- 
ple generally  obtain  their  livelihood  by  agriculture,  and  the  most  of  them 
are  industrious  and  prosperous. 

Among  the  early  settlers  who  have  acted  an  important  part  in  the 
affairs  of  Hebron  may  be  mentioned  Deacon  William  Barrows ;  who, 
besides  being  forward  in  every  other  effort  that  would  promote  the  pub- 
lic good,  was  mainly  instrumental  in  the  founding  of  Hebron  academy, 
which  was  incorporated  February  10,  1804,  and  is  a  flourishing  and  use- 
ful institution.  Hebron  is  noted  for  being  the  birthplace  of  the  late 
Governor,  Albion  K.  Parris. 

There  are  two  meeting-houses  in  Hebron  —  Baptist  and  Free-will 
Baptist ;  eight  school  districts,  with  nine  schools ;  one  saw-mUl,  a 
shingle  mill,  a  pail  factory,  a  blacksmith's  shop,  a  shoemaker's  shop,  and 
two  post-offices  —  Hebron  and  East  Hebron.  Population,  839  ;  valua- 
tion, $113,854. 

Hermon,  Penobscot  county,  joins  Bangor  on  the  west,  and  is  one  of 
the  four  towns  assigned  to  General  Knox  by  the  state  to  make  up  the 
deficiency  of  eighty-three  thousand  acres  in  the  Waldo  Patent.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  about  1790,  by  JuUus  Hewes,  William  Pat- 
ten, Colhns  Howes,  Jotham  Mason,  and  a  few  others,  nearly  all  of  whom 
came  from  New  Hampshire.  Immigration  at  first  was  very  small ;  and 
when  the  town  was  incorporated,  in  1814,  there  were  not  over  twenty 
families  in  it.  Hermon  is  now  nearly  all  cleared  up,  and  has  a  produc- 
tive soil.  The  surface  is  rolUng,  but  not  hilly  or  broken.  The  fields  are 
well  fenced,  and  yield  luxuriant  crops.  There  are  a  few  families  in  the 
northern  part  of  idle,  dissolute  habits,  who  have  given  to  strangers  a 
false  impression  of  the  character  of  the  people.  Hermon  is  watered  by 
the  Kenduskeag  and  the  Soadabscook  rivers,  neither  of  which  has 
any  mill  privileges.     It  has  one  small  village  ;  three  post-offices  —  Her- 

VOL.  I.  14 


158  HISTORY   AND    DESCErPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

mon,  North  Hermon,  and  Hermon  Pond ;  one  church  edifice  —  Univer- 
salist ;  and  fourteen  school  districts,  with  twelve  schools.  Population, 
1,374 ;  assessors'  valuation  for  1858,  about  $183,000. 

Hiram,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Oxford  county,  lies  on  both 
sides  of  the  Saco  river.  Benjamin  Ingalls,  John  Watson,  Thomas 
Veazie,  John  Bucknell,  Benjamin  Burbank,  and  one  Foster,  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers,  having  arrived  here  about  the  year  1788.  They 
were  followed  the  next  year  by  many  others ;  and  from  this  time  the 
town  was  rapidly  settled  by  emigrants,  principally  from  this  state,  New^ 
Hampshire,  and  Massachusetts.  Among  the  distinguished  men  who 
have  been  residents  in  this  town,  was  General  Peleg  Wadsworth,  an 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  who  was  born  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  in 
1748.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Hiram  in  1790,  from  a  commit- 
tee appointed  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  and  commenced 
clearing  a  farm  on  the  land  for  his  oldest  son,  Charles  L.  Wadsworth, 
in  1792  or  1794. 

Hiram  was  incorporated  in  1807.  It  is  rather  uneven  at  the  centre, 
but  on  the  Saco  and  Ossipee  rivers  (the  latter  of  which  divides  the 
town  from  Cornish)  are  some  fine  tracts  of  interval ;  and,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Ossipee,  are  some  tracts  of  pitch-pine  plain.  The  most 
noted  mountains  are  called  Bill  Morrill  (named  from  an  old  hunter)  and 
Mount  Misery.  Saco  river  runs  through  a  part  of  the  town,  and  turn- 
ing divides  it  from  Baldwin.  Ten  Mile  brook,  Cleman's,  Spectacle, 
Image,  Hancock,  and  Bryant's  ponds,  furnish  excellent  water-power  for 
mills  and  other  machinery. 

There  are  two  small  villages,  one  on  the  west  side  of  Saco  river,  at 
the  bridge,  where  are  a  few  dwelling-houses,  a  store,  a  tavern,  harness- 
maker's  shop,  blacksmith's  shop,  town-house,  and  school-house.  Upon 
a  small  stream,  not  far  from  the  bridge,  is  a  grist-mill,  with  two  runs  of 
stones;  and,  underneath,  machinery  for  sawing  shingles,  clapboards, 
staves,  and  heading ;  also,  a  cooper  shop.  The  other  village  is  half  a 
mile  easterly  from  the  bridge.  The  town  contains  one  meeting-house, 
owned  by  the  Methodists  and  Free-will  Baptists,  but  occasionally  occu- 
pied by  other  denominations ;  five  saw-miUs,  two  grist-mills,  tw^o  stores, 
one  carding  and  fulling-mill,  several  shingle  machines,  and  two  black- 
smith's shops.  A  number  of  cooper  shops  are  in  operation,  and  sev- 
eral, shoemakers'  shops,  in  which  shoes  are  manufactured  for  Lynn, 
Mass.,  and  other  places.  A  large  amount  of  sale-work,  so  called,  is 
made  by  the  women  of  this  town  for  the  clothing  merchants  of  Boston. 
There  are  fifteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-five  schools,  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  1,210 ;  valuation,  $143,761. 


MAINE — TOWN   OF   HODGDON,   ETC.  159 

HoDGDON,  Aroostook  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  178  niiles,  and 
from  Houlton  five  miles.  John  Dural,  James  Daggett,  James  U.  Par- 
ker, Joseph  Kendall,  Jabez  Bradbury,  Thomas  Lander,  Charles  Tryon, 
Rufus  Wiggin,  James  Ham,  Joseph  Gerow,  Joseph  E.  Jackins,  and 
Daniel  Smith  were  among  the  first  settlers.  They  obtained  the  titles  to 
their  lands  from  John  Hodgdon,  the  proprietor. 

Hodgdon  was  incorporated  in  1833.  The  surface  is  smooth,  there 
being  but  one  hill,  which  is  called  Westford  Hill.  It  is  watered  by  a 
stream  called  Meduxnekeag.  Hodgdon  is  formed  of  two  half  town- 
ships —  the  north  half  being  the  Groton  Academy  grant,  and  the  south 
half,  the  Westfield  Ac.ademy  grant.  It  has  three  saw-mills,  one  grist- 
mill, two  clapboard  machines,  and  several  shingle  and  lath  machines. 
The  first  saw-miU  and  the  first  grist-mill  were  built  in  1828-9,  by  Jabez 
Bradbury. 

There  are  four  churches  —  one  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  and  two  Free- 
will Baptist ;  also,  one  post-office,  and  eight  school  districts,  with  four- 
teen schools,  having  an  aggregate  attendance  of  480  scholars.  Popula- 
tion, 862  ;  assessors'  valuation  for  1857,  $65,659. 

HoLDEN,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Penobscot 
river,  opposite  Bangor,  the  town  of  Brewer  intervening.  It  was  incor- 
porated from  Brew^er  in  1850.  The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven ;  but 
there  are  some  fine  and  productive  farms.  The  town  contains  one 
Congregational  church ;  eight  school  districts,  with  eight  schools ;  four 
saw-miUs,  two  of  which  are  run  the  whole  year,  and  two  but  two 
months  of  that  period;  and  two  post-offices — Holden  and  East  Holden. 
Population,  about  600 ;  valuation,  $119,943. 

HOLLIS,  York  county,  was  a  part  of  the  tract  of  land  purchased  by 
Small  and  Shapleigh  of  the  Indian  sagamore.  Captain  Sunday.^  A 
truck-house  was  erected  here  at  an  early  date,  and  stood  about  ten 
miles  above  Saco  Lower  Falls.  The  plantation  name  of  the  town  was 
Little  Falls,  which  was  changed  on  its  incorporation,  February  27, 
1798,  to  PhiUipsburg,  and  subsequently  to  the  one  it  now  bears.  The 
surface  is  moderately  uneven.  Water  is  supphed  by  Kelliok  pond  and 
Saco  river,  the  latter  of  which  forms  the  eastern  boundary.  The  inhab- 
itants are  engaged  for  the  most  part  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  vil- 
lages are  three  in  number  —  Hollis  Centre,  Moderation  Bar  Mills,  and 
Salmon  Falls.  The  two  latter  are  on  the  Saco  river,  or  rather  are 
divided  by  it,  being  partly  in  Buxton.     They  are  both  manufacturing 

1  See  Parsonsfield. 


160  mSTOKT  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

villages  of  some  note,  and  send  much  lumber  to  market.  The  church 
edifices  are  Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist.  There  are  fifteen  school 
districts,  with  twenty-three  schools ;  two  post-offices  —  Hollis  and  HoUis 
Centre ;  seven  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  nine  shingle  mills,  two  car- 
riage builders,  two  pail-makers,  and  one  brickmaker.  Population, 
2,683 ;  valuation,  $247,894. 

Hope,  Waldo  county,  on  St.  George's  river,  twenty  miles  southerly 
from  Belfast,  began  to  be  settled  about  1782.  It  was  a  tract  of  land 
bought  by  Charles  Barrett,  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  who  sold  to  the  set- 
tlers;  and  was  called  Barrettstown.  Some  of  the  early  inhabitants 
were  Reuben  and  Simon  Barrett,  Reuben  Saffbrd,  Enoch  and  Walter 
Philbrick,  Samuel  and  Daniel  Bartlett,  William  Howett,  Sampson  and 
Stephen  Sweetland,  Micah  Hobb,  and  Fergus  McLain,  who  came  from 
different  towns  in  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts. 

The  town  was  incorporated  under  its  present  name,  in  1804.  In 
1843,  two  and  a  half  miles  of  its  territory,  on  the  north  side,  "was  an- 
nexed to  Appleton,  divesting  Hope  of  St.  George's  river,  and  two  vil- 
lages of  some  importance.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  soil,  a  rich 
loam,  is  of  an  excellent  quahty,  and  the  agricultural  facilities  are  of  the 
best  character.  There  are  three  mountains  —  Mount  Hatchet  in  the 
centre,  and  two  others  in  the  northern  part,  of  the  town.  Hope  is 
watered  by  a  lake  lying  in  the  western  section,  two  and  a  half  miles 
long  by  one  and  a  half  wide,  at  the  outlet  of  which  are  several  mills ; 
and  by  t\^'o  ponds.  There  are  three  meeting-houses  —  Baptist,  Meth- 
odist, and  Universalist ;  seven  school  districts,  with  fourteen  schools; 
and  two  post-offices  —  Hope  and  South  Hope ;  also,  two  saw-miUs,  one 
grist-mill,  one  shingle  mill,  one  edge-tool  factory,  and  one  pail  factory. 
Population,  1,108 ;  valuation  for  1858,  $219,943. 

HouLTON,  the  shire  town  of  Aroostook  county,  was  settled  by  two 
families,  named  Houlton  and  Putnam,  from  Massachusetts,  about  the 
year  1807.  The  nearest  settlements  to  them  at  this  date  were  Bangor 
and  Calais,  the  former  distant  one  hundred  and  twenty,  and  the  latter 
ninety,  miles.  Houlton  was  incorporated  in  1831,  taking  its  name  from 
one  of  the  two  first  settlers.  The  surface  is  composed  of  large  swells, 
which  yield  wheat,  hay,  and  potatoes  in  abundance.  A  branch  of  the 
St.  John  river  furnishes  ample  supphes  of  water.  In  the  year  1830,  a 
military  station  was  established  here  by  the  United  States  government ; 
but,  war  breaking  out  with  Mexico,  the  troops  were  removed  in  1847, 
since  which  the  barracks  and  buildings  erected  for  their  accommodation 
have  remained  unoccupied,  and  are  fast  going  to  decay.      The  village  is 


MAINE TOWN    OF   HOWLAND,   ETC.  161 

a  flourishing  one,  and  contains  the  county  buildings.  Houlton  has  two 
church  edifices  —  Methodist  and  Congregational ;  and  two  religious 
societies  without  edifices  —  Baptist  and  Roman  Catholic ;  nine  school 
districts,  with  eight  schools  ;  an  academy,  and  one  post-office ;  also  three 
saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  two  tanneries,  a  carding  machine,  a  chair 
factory,  a  machine  shop,  two  carriage  builders,  and  one  brickmaker. 
Population,  1,453  ;  valuation,  $141,599. 

Rowland,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Penobscot  river,  forty  miles  above  Bangor.  ,  It  was  incorporated  in 
1826 ;  and  is  drained  by  the  Piscataquis  river  and  its  tributaries, 
the  Penobscot  forming  its  eastern  boundary.  The  surface  is  varied 
with  rich  intervals  on  the  margins  of  the  rivers,  the  banks  of  which 
are  low  and  very  beautiful.  The  town  has  one  village,  several  saw- 
mills, one  church  edifice  (Methodist),  five  school  districts,  and  two 
post-offices  —  Rowland  and  North  Rowland.  Population,  214  ;  valu- 
ation, $24,114. 

Rddson,  Penobscot  county,  was  originally  purchased  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts,  by  William  Sullivan,  of  Boston.  Its  set- 
tlement was  commenced  in  1800  by  Luke  Wilder,  David  Pierce,  Ware- 
ham  Briggs,  Tristram  Warner,  and  was  gradually  continued  by  others. 
In  1824,  it  was  organized  into  a  plantation  under  the  name  of  Jackson  ; 
and  in  1825,  it  became  an  incorporated  town,  with  the  name  of  Kirk- 
land,  which  it  retained  until  changed  in  1854.  The  land  is  stony  and 
hard,  notwithstanding  which  there  is  grass  enough  for  raising  neat 
stock.  The  inhabitants,  for  the  most  part,  are  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business.  There  is  one  village,  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  the  Lit- 
tle Pushaw  stream,  containing  two  saw-mills,  two  shingle  and  clapboard 
mills,  one  furniture  manufactory,  two  cooper  shops ;  and  a  post-office ; 
a  Free-will  Baptist  church,  and  seven  school  districts,  with  seven  schools. 
Population,  717 ;  valuation,  $41,296. 

Industry,  Franklin  county,  formed  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
Plymouth  Patent  or  Kennebec  Purchase,  is  bounded  on  the  west  by 
Farmington  and  New  Sharon,  and  north  by  New  Vineyard,  a  part  of 
which  has  been  set  off  to  Industry.  The  first  settlements  were  made 
by  James  and  John  Thompson,  Zoe  Withe,  Thomas  Johnson,  and 
William  Allen,  about  1793  or  1794.  Benjamin  Cottle,  Daniel  Luce, 
Peter  Daggett,  Jabez  Norton,  Peter  West,  James  Winslow,  John  Gow- 
ner,  and  Lemuel  Howes  were  also  early  settlers.  The  lands  were  first 
taken  up  as  each  individual  chose  to  select,  and  held  by  possession, 

14' 


162  HISTOEY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

being  afterwards  purchased  of  those  claiming  proprietorship  under  the 
original  grant. 

Industry  Avas  incorporated  June  20,  1803.  The  soil  is  very  produc- 
tive. The  Bull-Horse  or  Clear- Water  pond,  situated  in  the  northwest 
corner,  affords  an  excellent  stream  of  water,  on  which  are  a  first-rate 
grist-mill,  saw-mill,  tannery,  and  starch  factory,  which,  with  a  store  and 
a  number  of  mechanics'  shops,  form  a  place  of  considerable  business, 
near  the  outlet  of  the  pond.  In  the  northeast  part  is  a  village  known 
as  West's  MOls,  having  a  fulling-mill,  carding-machine,  and  a  number 
of  stores  and  shops.  There  are  six  church  edifices  —  two  Methodist, 
Baptist,  Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  a  Union  house ;  fourteen 
school  districts,  with  thirteen  schools;  and  two  post-offices — Industry 
and  West's  Mills.     Population,  1,041 ;  valuation,  f  147,545. 

ISLANDPOUT,  belonging  to  Hancock  county,  is  pretty  well  out  to  sea, 
and  is  defined  by  the  act  incorporating  it,  February  11,  1857,  as  "  the 
plantation  of  Long  Island,  lying  south  from  Mount  Desert  some  eight 
miles,  and  east  from  Isle  Haut  some  twelve  miles."  It  is  a  little  spot 
of  five  hundred  acres,  not  more  than  half  of  which  is  cleared  of  wood. 
The  first  settler  was  one  Barks,  who  came  some  time  previous  to  the 
year  1820.  Others  settled  before  1823,  among  whom  were  William 
Rich,  Thomas  Rice,  William  Pomeroy,  Joseph  Remick,  Franklin  Spof- 
ford,  John  Perkins,  Amos,  Jacob,  and  Ezra  B.  Lunt.  The  settlers  hold 
their  titles  by  occupancy,  no  claimant  by  purchase  having  found  the 
place  sufficiently  valuable  to  attempt  to  oust  them.  The  principal 
occupations  of  the  inhabitants  are  fishing,  and  coasting  in  a  small  way, 
—  shipping  paving-stones  to  Boston,  and  kiln-wood  to  Rockland,  coming 
under  the  latter  head.  A  school-house,  which  has  also  been  used  a  part 
of  the  time  as  a  chapel,  was  erected  four  or  five  years  since,  by  contri- 
butions of  people  in  Massachusetts,  at  a  cost  of  about  three  hundred 
dollars.  A  Baptist  church  was  formed  some  years  since,  but  its  organ- 
ization has  not  been  kept  up.  There  are  some  twenty-five  families  on 
the  island,  making  a  population  of  152. 

ISLESBORO',  Waldo  county,  lying  near  the  centre  of  Penobscot  bay, 
consists  of  several  small  islands,  the  principal  of  which  is  Long  Island. 
It  is  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  three  miles  in  its  greatest  width,  — 
a  singular  feature  being,  that  in  the  middle  it  does  not  exceed  three 
rods. 

One  of  the  first  settlers  on  Long  Island  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Gilkey.  He  had  scarcely  made  any  efforts  at  improvement,  when  the 
Revolutionary  war  broke  out,  and  he  was  impressed  into  the  British 


MAINE  —  ISLE   OF   SHOALS,   ETC.  163 

service;  his  wife  and  two  young  children  being  left  destitute  on  the 
island,  to  gain  a  subsistence  as  best  they  could.  After  the  close  of  the 
war,  other  families  moved  in,  and  in  1789  it  became  an  incorporated 
town,  and  is  now  quite  thickly  settled. 

Sea-going  is  the  principal  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants ;  and  as  a  spec- 
imen of  what  is  done  in  this  line,  it  may  be  mentioned,  that  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  vessels  sailed  from  Islesboro'  in  1855,  many  of 
which  were  owned  in  town,  while  all  the  masters  were  residents  there. 
Islesboro'  has  eight  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ; 
four  meeting-houses,  one  of  which  is  used  principally  for  a  town-house ; 
and  two  post-offices,  one  at  Islesboro'  and  the  other  at  North  Islesboro'. 
Population,  984 ;  valuation,  $95,104. 

Isles  of  Shoals  is  a  name  appUed  to  a  cluster  of  eight  islands,  situated 
nine  miles  from  Portsmouth  (N.  H.)  light-house,  a  part  of  which  belong 
to  York  county.  Me.,  and  a  part  to  New  Hampshire.  The  largest  con- 
tains three  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  the  smallest  but  one  acre. 
They  were  discovered  by  the  celebrated  John  Smith  in  1614,  and  named 
by  him  Smith's  Isles.  They  are  little  else  than  a  bed  of  rocks  raising 
their  unsightly  heads  above  the  water,  covered  for  the  most  part  with  a 
thin  soil ;  and  but  for  their  advantageous  situation  for  carrying  on  the 
fisheries,  would  probably  never  have  been  inhabited.  For  more  than  a 
century  previous  to  the  Revolution  they  were  very  populous,  containing 
at  times  six  hundred  inhabitants,  having  a  court-house  upon  one  island, 
and  a  meeting-house  upon  another.  From  three  to  four  thousand 
quintals  of  fish  were  annually  caught  and  cured  here,  and  seven  or  eight 
schooners,  besides  numerous  boats,  were  employed  in  the  fisheries. 
Only  faint  traces,  however,  of  its  ancient  business  and  population  now 
exist.  William  Pepperrell  and  a  Mr.  Gibbons  from  Topsham,  England, 
were  among  the  first  settlers.  The  former  was  an  ancestor  of  the  cele- 
brated Sir  William  Pepperrell,  of  Kittery.     Population,  29. 

Jackson,  in  the  northern  part  of  Waldo  county,  about  fourteen  miles 
from  the  city  of  Belfast,  is  five  and  a  half  miles  in  length  from  north  to 
south,  and  five  miles  wide  from  east  to  west.  The  first  settlement  was 
made  in  1798,  by  Benjamin  Gates,  of  Gorham,  from  whom  Gates  hill 
takes  its  name.  Joel  Rich  arrived  the  next  year,  and  settled  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Rich  Hill,  where  tw^o  of  his  sons  now  live.  Nicholas 
Hamlin,  Benjamin  SkUhngs,  John  Gates,  George,  Elisha,  and  Ebenezer 
Morton,  and  Nathaniel  Knight,  most  of  them  from  Gorham,  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers. 

Jackson  was  organized  into  a  plantation  in  1812,  and  incorporated  as 


164  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

a  town  in  1818.  General  Henry  Knox  was  the  original  proprietor 
under  the  Waldo  Patent.  He  sold  a  few  lots  to  settlers,  and  afterwards 
disposed  of  the  whole  tract  to  Israel  Thorndike,  David  Sears,  and  Wil- 
liam Prescott.  Thorndike,  although  residing  in  Boston,  had  a  taste  for 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  cleared  up  and  cultivated  a  large  farm,  Avhich 
he  stocked  with  numbers  of  cattle,  horses,  sheep,  and  poultry.  He  set 
out  an  orchard  with  five  hundred  apple  trees,  and  planted  a  large 
garden.  This  place,  still  known  as  the  Great  Farm,  has  passed  into 
the  hands  of  persons  who  have  not  felt  disposed  to  cultivate  it 
so  extensively  as  formerly,  and,  as  a  consequence,  it  has  fallen  into 
decay. 

The  surface  is  very  much  broken.  There  is  but  one  .stream,  called 
the  Great  Farm  brook,  formed  by  other  brooks,  which  take  their  rise  in 
the  northwesterly  part,  and  unite  near  the  Great  Farm.  The  Cono-re- 
gationalists  own  and  occupy  the  only  church  edifice.  There  are  eight 
school  districts,  with  eight  schools,  and  one  post-office ;  also,  four  saw- 
mills, two  shingle  mills,  one  carding  machine,  a  pail  factory,  one  ma- 
chine shop,  and  one  carriage  builder.  Population,  833 ;  valuation 
©176,379. 

Jay,  in  the  southern  part  of  Franklin  county,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Androscoggin  river,  was  formerly  known  as  Phips's  Canada,  and  was 
granted  to  Captain  Josiah  Phips  and  sixty-three  others,  for  services  in 
the  French  war  of  1755.  It  was  incorporated  in  1795,  and  named  for 
Hon.  John  Jay,  the  eminent  patriot  and  statesman.  It  was  a  lar^-e 
township,  embracing  twenty-seven  thousand  two  hundred  acres,  about 
one  third  of  wliich,  lying  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  was  incorporated 
as  Canton,  in  1821. 

The  conditions  of  the  original  grant  were,  that  it  was  to  be  divided 
into  rights  of  four  hundred  acres  each  ;  one  to  be  reserved  for  Harvard 
College,  one  for  the  first  settled  minister,  one  for  the  use  of  the  ministry, 
and  one  for  the  use  of  schools.  It  was  early  surveyed,  and  divided  into 
lots  of  one  hundred  acres  each.  A  setthng  committee  was  appointed 
by  the  associates,  who  subsequently  purchased  the  whole,  and  so  man- 
aged the  business  that  the  original  owners  received  Uttle  or  no  benefit 
from  the  grant.  Actual  settlements  were  not  commenced  till  after  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Simon  Coolidge,  Oliver  Fuller,  Samuel  Eusti^, 
Scarborough  Parker,  Moses  Crafts,  Isaac  West,  Thomas  Fuller,  Joseph 
Hyde,  Nathaniel  Jackson,  Samuel  Jackson,  William  Godding,  and 
Wilham  Atkinson  were  some  of  the  first  settlers. 

In  the  village,  on  what  is  called  Jay  hill,  where  James  Starr  settled  at 
early  as  1802,  are  two  stores,  a  tavern,  and  a  meeting-house.     Near  Jay 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   JEFFEKSON,   ETC.  165 

hill  is  a  toU-bridge  across  the  Androscoggin,  a  first-rate  grist-mill,  and  a 
saw-mill.  A  small  village,  known  as  Bean's  Corner,  has  sprung  up  in 
the  northeast  section,  where  a  number  of  the  sons  of  the  late  Mr.  Bean, 
of  Readfield,  settled  at  an  early  day.  Jay  has  derived  little  benefit  from 
water-power  or  floating  capital,  but  was  settled  by,  and  possesses,  a 
population  of  industrious,  independent  yeomanry.  There  are  three 
meeting-houses  in  all.  At  first  the  people  had  only  occasional  preach- 
ing ;  but  a  Baptist  church  was  formed  in  1799,  which  became  large  and 
flourishing.  A  considerable  Methodist  society  is  in  existence,  who  have 
stated  preaching.  There  are  also  two  small  Free-wUl  Baptist  churches ; 
nineteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-two  schools ;  and  two  post-offices 
—  Jay  and  North  Jay.     Population,  1,733;  valuation,  $220,551. 

Jefferson,  Lincoln  county,  at  the  head  of  Damariscotta  river,  distant 
from  Augusta  twenty-four  miles,  numbers  among  its  first  settlers  John 
Weeks,  Ezra  Parker,  Jonathan  Fish,  Jonathan  Eames,  Jonathan  Lins- 
cott,  Joseph  Jones,  and  Thomas  Kennedy,  most  of  whom  brought  their 
families  with  them.  Jefferson,  as  also  Whitefield,  was  formerly  included 
in  the  territory  originally  known  as  BaUstown,  so  named  in  honor  of  its 
first  settler,  John  Ball.  That  portion  now  included  in  Jefferson  was 
settled  a  few  years  before  the  Revolutionary  war.i  Many  of  the  first 
settlers  came  from  Woolwich  and  Boothbay ;  they  obtained  the  titles  to 
their  lands  from  Massachusetts. 

Jefferson  w^as  incorporated  in  1807.  The  surface  is  uneven  and  hiUy. 
Besides  the  Damariscotta,  there  are  two  other  ponds,  known  as  Dyer 
and  Pleasant,  the  streams  emptying  into  and  draining  which  furnish 
some  very  good  mill  privileges.  About  half  a  dozen  saw-mills  are  in 
operation,  as  well  as  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  shingles,  staves, 
and  other  articles.  About  the  head  of  the  Damariscotta  pond,  there  are 
several  considerable  clusters  of  houses,  and  some  very  pleasant  scenery. 
Farming  is  the  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants.  There  are  two 
Baptist  churches;  fifteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-seven  schools; 
and  two  post-offices  —  Jefferson  and  West  Jefferson.  Population,  2,225 ; 
valuation  for  1858,  $275,262. 

JONESBOROUGH,  Washington  county,  lies  at  the  head  of  Englishman's 
bay,  and  joins  Machias  on  the  west  It  contained  under  the  grant 
to  John  C.  Jones  and  others,  January  1,  1789,  an  area  of  48,160  acres, 

'  John,  son  of  Thomas  Kennedy,  who  -was  born  in  1774,  and  came  here  with  his 
parents  from  Newcastle,  in  1778,  is  still  living.  Weeks,  Parker,  Eames,  and  Jones  were 
then  here.  John  Jones  and  a  Mr.  Richardson,  who  had  been  here  earlier,  returned  and 
took  up  a  permanent  abode  soon  after  Kennedy. 


166  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

which'  included  "  Buck's  Harbor,"  and  "  Little  Kennebec,"  the  former 
now  belonging  to  Machiasport,  and  the  latter  to  Machias ;  also  the 
whole  of  what  now  constitutes  the  town  of  Jonesport.  Judah  Chandler, 
who  arrived  here  about  1763-4,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  settler. 
Chandler  was  accompanied  by  two  men  named  Bucknam,  but  it  is  not 
known  whether  they  ever  took  up  a  permanent  residence.  He  built  his 
hoase  and  miU  in  1764,  on  the  side  of  the  hUl  between  the  house  of 
Joshua  Whitney  and  the  present  mdls.  This  mill  was  subsequently 
rebuilt  by  Captain  Ephraim  Whitney ;  and  more  lately,  the  present  sub- 
stantial mill  was  erected  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  by  his  son, 
Porter  Whitney,  —  a  grandson  of  one  of  the  first  settlers,  Joel  Whitney, 
who  came  from  Falmouth  (now  Portland)  about  1767.  Captain  Whit- 
ney was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  legislature  tw^o  years,  of  the 
convention  to  form  a  constitution  for  Maine,  in  1820,  represented  his 
district  in  the  new  state,  and  filled  several  offices  of  honor  and  trust  for 
his  town.  Captain  Samuel  Watts,  from  Falmouth,  settled  in  1769,  and 
Josiah  Weston  in  1772.  The  latter  married  Hannah,  the  daughter  of 
Captain  Watts,  in  1774.  The  history  of  this  noble  woman,  who  -was 
conspicuously  connected  with  the  capture  of  the  British  schooner  Mar- 
garetta  at  Machias,  in  the  month  of  May,  1775,  is  intimately  connected  with 
that  of  Jonesborough.  She  lived  to  her  ninety-seventh  year,  having 
died  in  1855. 

Previous  to  its  incorporation,  this  town  was  called  Chandler's  River, 
and  was  one  of  the  best  timbered  sections  in  the  state ;  but  that  policy 
which  too  often  has  made  a  disposition  of  the  forests  afterwards  to  be 
regretted,  prevailed  here,  and  thus  cut  off,  in  a  great  measure,  one  of  the 
sources  of  wealth.  In  1785,  the  first  ship  was  sailed  up  the  river  by 
Captain  Locke,  for  purposes  of  trade.  Corporate  privileges  were  con- 
ferred on  Jonesborough,  March  4,  1809 ;  the  name  was  given  in  honor 
of  the  proprietor.  The  first  town  meeting  was  held  on  the  27th  of 
March,  in  that  year. 

There  have  been  built  at  different  periods  a  grist-mill  and  lath  mills. 
On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  some  three  miles  below  the  settlement,  the 
"  tide  mills "  were  erected ;  a  miU  at  Englishman's  river ;  and  one  at 
Beaver  brook,  in  the  Farnsworth  district.  The  first  meeting-house  was 
built  in  1841.  There  are  two  religious  societies,  one  Baptist,  one  Con- 
gregationalist ;  six  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ; 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  466  ;  valuation,  $45,754. 

KENDDSKEAfi,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  Kenduskeag  river, 
eleven  and  a  half  miles  northwest  from  Bangor.  Its  history  is  contained 
an  the  articles  on  Levant  and  Glenburn,  from  each  of  which  a  portion 


MAINE  —  KENNEBEC   COUNTY.  167  ■ 

was  taken,  and  incorporated  under  its  present  name,  February  20,  1852. 
Five  of  its  original  settlers  are  now  residents  of  Kenduskeag,  namely, 
three  sons  of  Major  Hodson,  a  son  of  PecaUis  Clark,  and  Lemuel  H. 
Hasey.     All  the  others  are  deceased  or  have  removed. 

The  surface  is  very  even,  and  easily  cultivated.  Agriculture  is  re- 
garded with  increasing  interest,  and  yields  an  ample  return  for  the  labor 
bestowed.  There  is  a  good  water-power  on  the  Kenduskeag,  which 
is  chiefly  employed  in  manufacturing  large  quantities  of  lumber,  while 
in  other  sections  considerable  is  done  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes,  iron 
castings,  and  other  articles.  There  are  five  school  districts,  with  six 
schools  ;  two  church  edifices,  one  owned  by  the  Congregationalists  and 
Baptists  (occupied  alternately  by  each),  and  the  other  by  the  Universal- 
ists ;  one  village,  formerly  known  as  Levant ;  and  one  post-office.  Pop- 
ulation in  1850,  839 ;  valuation,  from  the  assessors'  books  for  1858, 
$137,565. 

Kennebec  County,  situated  quite  centi-ally  in  the  state,  almost  equally 
divided  by  the  river  from  which  it  was  named,  was  the  sixth  county 
organized,  the  act  establishing  it  having  been  passed  February  20,  1799. 
Its  present  limits  are  very  small  as  compared  with  its  origined  territory, 
which  embraced  the  whole  northern  (much  the  larger)  portion  of  Lin- 
coln county,  to  Canada.  The  southerly  line  ran  nearly  the  same  as  at 
present,  on  the  south  sides  of  Harlem  (now  China),  and  Pittston,  thence 
to  Purgatory  stream,  at  its  junction  with  Cobbossee  Contee  stream, 
along  the  south  side  of  Monmouth  and  of  Greene,  now  in  Androscog- 
gin county,  to  the  Androscoggin  river.  Cumberland  county  then  ran 
to  the  northern  line  of  the  state  upon  the  west,  and  Hancock  upon  the 
east.  Somerset  county,  erected  in  1809,  cut  off  more  than  four  fifths  of 
this  original  territory;  Waldo  county,  established  in  1827,  took  four 
towns  upon  its  east ;  Franklin  county,  in  1838,  took  five  towns  upon 
the  northwest ;  and  Androscoggin,  in  1854,  four  towns  upon  the  west, 
—  so  that  the  county  is  now  in  extent  but  a  shadow  of  its  former  self. 
It  comprises  within  its  limits  nearly  all  that  tract  of  land  granted  to 
the  Plymouth  colony,  January  16,  1629 ;  and  has  twenty-seven  towns 
and  two  plantations.  Its  agricultural  capabilities  are  second  to  those 
of  no  county  in  the  state,  it  being  well  watered  by  the  Kennebec  and 
its  tributaries,  as  well  as  by  numerous  large  ponds,  possessing  also  a 
fine  rolling  surface  and  a  rich  soil ;  and  the  many  well-cultivated  and 
beautiful  farms  in  the  county  prove  that  these  natural  advantages  have 
not  been  undervalued.  The  facilities  for  communication,  by  steamboat 
and  railroad,  are  unsurpassed  in  the  state.  It  is  traversed  by  the  Ken- 
nebec and  Portland,  the  Androscoggin  and  Kennebec,  and  the  Penobscot 
and  Kennebec  Railroads. 


168  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Augusta  has  been  the  shire  town  from  the  beginning,  and  is  the  seat 
of  the  middle  district  of  the  supreme  judicial  court,  which  holds  a  law 
term  here,  commencing  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  June.  This  district 
embraces  the  counties  of  Lincoln,  Kennebec,  Somerset,  and  Sagadahoc. 
The  jury  terms  of  this  court  for  civil  and  criminal  business  commence 
on  the  first  Tuesday  of  March,  third  Tuesday  of  August,  and  fourth 
Tuesday  of  November.     Population,  58,018  ;  valuation,  $12,145,888. 

Kennebec  Purchase.  Some  notice  of  this  valuable  territory,  and  of 
the  company  that  managed  it,  seems  important  here,  for  the  reason,  that 
to  the  earnest  efforts  made  by  that  company  for  a  long  series  of  years 
to  procure  the  settlement  of  this  region  may  be  attributed,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  superior  development  of  wealth,  population,  and  general 
resources,  in  the  numerous  towns  on  either  side  of  the  river. 

This  tract  was  granted  in  1629,  by  the  council  established  at  Devon, 
in  England,  to  Governor  Bradford  and  his  associates,  of  the  Plymouth 
colony,  and  was  described  as  "  lying  in  and  between  and  extending 
itself  from  the  utmost  limits  of  the  Cobbossee  Contee,  which  adjoineth 
to  the  river  Kennebec,  towards  the  Western  ocean,  and  a  place  called 
the  falls  of  Nequamldlce,!  and  a  space  of  fifteen  miles  on  each  side  of 
the  Kennebec." 

Under  this  grant,  the  Plymouth  company  claimed  the  mouth  of  the 
Kennebec,  it  being  valuable  for  trade  and  its  fisheries,  the  revenue  to  be 
derived  from  which  seems  to  have  been  the  sole  object  of  the  company's 
desire.  In  1640,  Bradford  and  his  associates  surrendered  this  grant  to 
all  the  freemen  of  the  colony  of  New  Plymouth.  In  1648,  and  again  in 
1653,  the  colony  obtained  Indian  deeds  of  the  land  extending  from 
Cushnoc,  now  Augusta,  to  the  Wesserunset  (a  stream  falling  into  the 
Kennebec  a  little  below  Norridgewock),  where  the  northern  limits  of  the 
patent  were  finally  fixed.  They  built  three  forts,  and  sent  magistrates  ; 
but,  being  an  infant  colony  themselves  and  at  so  great  a  distance,  they 
were  unable  to  protect  the  colony  here,  and  to  continue  the  trade,  which 
was  regarded  as  a  monopoly,  and  consequently  became  unpopular.  For 
a  number  of  years,  from  1640  to  1661,  they  resorted  to  leases,  which  also 
became  troublesome ;  and,  at  the  last-named  date,  they  sold  out  their 
entire  interest  for  £400  to  Antipas  Boies,  Edward  Tyng,  Thomas 
Brattle,  and  John  Winslow,  together  with  all  additions  that  had  been 
made  to  it  by  Indian  grants.  These  persons  and  their  heirs  held  the 
patent  for  nearly  a  century,  without  any.  efl[icient  attempt  at  settlement, 
regarding  it,  like  their  predecessors,  as  valuable  only  for  fishing,  and 

'  The  exact  location  of  these  falls  is  somewhat  uncertain  ;  on  an  old  map  of  the  Kenne- 
bec in  possession  of  the  Maine  Historical  Society,  they  are  stated  to  be  about  sixteen 
miles  above  Cobbossee  Contee  stream,  which  would  be  near  North  Sidney. 


MAINE KENNEBEC    PURCHASE.  169 

trading  with  the  natives.  In  September,  1749,  a  Tneeting  of  the  pro- 
prietors was  called,  and  new  proprietors  were  admitted ;  and  in  1753, 
the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  having  passed  a  general  act  permitting 
proprietors  of  common  and  undivided  lands  to  assume  a  corporate 
character,  a  corporation  was  formed  by  the  name  of  "  the  Proprietors  of 
the  Kennebec  Purchase  from  the  late  colony  of  New  Plymouth,"  which 
continued  to  be  their  legal  title,  though  commonly  called  the  Plymouth 
company.  At  this  time,  their  claims  were  quite  extensive  under  the 
purchase,  reaching  from  Casco  bay  to  Pemaquid,  and  from  the  ocean  to 
Carritunk  falls.  Four  other  claims  gave  them  much  trouble  —  those  of 
Clark  and  Lake,  the  Wiscasset  company,  the  Pejepscot  company,  and 
the  Pemaquid  proprietors.  After  sundry  lawsuits  and  references,  run- 
ning over  a  period  of  ten  years  to  1763,  these  claims  were  compromised, 
releases  were  given,  and  the  boundaries  of  the  patent  were  included 
within  lines  which  ran  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  from  the  north  line 
of  the  present  town  of  Woolwich  (the  southern  boundary),  northerly, 
half-way  between  the  Kennebec  and  Sheepscot  rivers ;  and  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  within  a  line  fifteen  miles  distant  from  every  part  of  the 
river.  The  patent,  as  thus  established,  extended  from  Merry-Meeting 
bay  to  Norridgewock,  and  about  thirty-one  miles  in  width,  with  the 
Kennebec  in  the  centre,  including  also  Bath  and  Phipsburg  below  the 
line.  The  meetings  of  the  Plymouth  company  continued  regularly  from 
1749  to  1816,  —  a  period  of  sixty-seven  years,  • —  when  affairs  were  wound 
up,  during  the  first  twenty-five  of  which  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to 
induce  settlements  within  their  grant.  Very  hberal  terms  were  proposed 
in  the  form  of  free  grants  of  considerable  tracts  to  each  family,  besides 
provisions  for  a  certain  time,  with  the  condition  only  that  five  acres 
should  be  cleared  and  a  small  house  built  Avithin  three  years.  Some 
settlements  were  made  upon  these  terms.  Still  larger  tracts  of  whole 
townships  were  granted,  on  condition  that  one  hundred  persons  should 
settle  within  three  years.  The  proprietors  had,  for  many  years,  as 
their  chief  manager  of  affairs,  a  man  of  great  energy  and  liberality  — 
Doctor  Sylvester  Gardiner.  Within  eleven  years  after  he  assumed  the 
control  of  the  company's  concerns,  £5,000  had  been  assessed  on  the 
shares  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  patent,  besides  which,  Doctor  Gar- 
diner expended  large  sums  from  his  private  fortune.  He  built  a  large 
sloop,  which  was  kept  constantly  running  from  Boston  to  the  Kennebec 
in  summer,  and  in  winter  to  the  Sheepscot;  he  erected  houses  and  mills 
at  Eastern  river,  (now  Dresden  village) ;  and  two  saw-mills,  a  grist-mill, 
fulling-mill,  a  wharf,  stores,  and  many  houses  at  Gardinerston  (now 
Gardiner) ;  cleared  farms  and  built  houses  at  the  Chops,  Lynde's  Island, 
Swan  Island,  Pittston,  and  Winslow,  and  was  at  great  expense  in  bring- 
VOL.  I.  15 


170  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

ing  settlers  and  furnishing  them  supplies.  His  exertions  gave  great 
stimulus  to  the  settlements,  and  for  many  years  his  grist-mill  (the  only 
one  in  that  region)  was  patronized  by  settlers  coming  thirty  miles  with 
their  meal  bags  upon  their  backs,  or  in  canoes  by  the  river.  A  court- 
house was  erected  by  the  company  at  Pownalborough  ;  and  forts  were 
built  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers.  In  fact,  almost  every  facility 
was  extended  to  settlers,  short  of  a  complete  surrender  of  all  right  and 
title  in  the  lands  covered  by  the  patent. 

But  in  spite  of  unremitting  efforts,  claims  were  entered  upon  slowly, 
nearly  every  one  who  received  a  large  grant  as  an  inducement  to  bring 
in  settlers  failing  to  comply  with  the  conditions.  In  the  earlier  history 
of  the  company,  the  obstacles  which  stared  them  more  fully  in  the  face, 
was  the  unwillingness  of  settlers  to  subject  themselves  to  the  dangers 
apprehended  from  savages,  who  had  been  rendered  fiercer  by  the  ill- 
treatment  received  from  early  settlers  and  mere  adventurers  ;  ^  and  a 
further  reluctance  on  their  part  to  enter  and  clear  dense  forests.  After 
the  Revolution,  the  Indians  were  no  longer  a  bugbear,  but  as  many 
members  of  the  company  had  been  loyalists,  who  had  forever  quit  the 
new  republic,  without  any  assignment  of  their  interests,  suspicions 
were,  to  a  considerable  extent,  excited  as  to  the  validity  of  any  title 
deed  from  the  company.  Still  further  difficulties  were  encountered  from 
mere  squatters,  who  acknowledged  no  allegiance  to  the  company,  and 
refused  to  pay  any  thing  for  their  lands.  As  early  as  1796,  these  set- 
tlers in  Ballstown  (now  Jefferson)  had  become  sufficiently  numerous  to 
act  in  a  body,  and  prevent  individuals  from  agreeing  to  any  measure  not 
approved  by  the  majority.  They  at  first  advanced  the  doctrine  (which 
was  subsequently  decided  untenable  by  the  highest  tribunal),  that  this 
corporation,  under  the  general  law  estabhshing  landed  corporations, 
could  only  sell  land  when  necessary  to  raise  money  to  jDay  debts.  As 
the  company  temporized  with  them,  they  became  more  resolute,  and 
refused  to  allow  any  survey  unless  they  could  previously  know  what 
was  to  be  the  price  of  their  lands  ;  and  when  the  company  began  to 
enforce  their  rights,  still  more  serious  consequences  ensued.  In  1809, 
Paul  Chadwick,  while  engaged  in  a  survey,  was  waylaid  and  murdered 
by  an  armed  party,  who  shot  at  him  from  the  woods.  The  party,  with 
a  single  exception,  were  taken  and  lodged  in  jail ;  an  armed  force  was 
raised  to  rescue  them ;  the  militia  were  ordered  out  to  preserve  order 
and  defend  the  prison.  At  the  trial,  against  the  strongest  evidence,  the 
prisoners  were  acquitted.  The  result,  however, —  as  the  squatters  per- 
ceived they  had  only  heaped  expense  upon  themselves,  and  the  com- 

'.  The  conduct  of  Popliam  and  his  colony  niay  be  particularly  cited.     See  ante,  p.  12. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   KENNEBXJNK.  171 

pany  were  alarmed  at  the  slender  prospect  of  enforcing  their  rights,  — 
tended  to  promote  a  compromise.  Previously  to  this,  in  1802,  steps  had 
been  taken  in  this  direction,  by  the  appointment,  upon  petition  to  the 
general  court,  of  commissioners  for  the  mutual  adjustment  of  differences; 
and,  as  a  basis  of  action  for  the  commissioners,  the  settlers  were  to  be 
divided  into  three  classes  ;  —  those  who  had  gone  on  to  their  land  pre- 
viously to  the  Revolution,  when  the  company  offered  lots  to  all  who 
would  enter  and  improve  them ;  those  who  went  on  during  the  war ; 
and  those  who  had  taken  up  lots  subsequently.  The  price  was  to  be 
lowest  to  those  in  the  first  class,  and  highest  to  those  in  the  last.  The 
state  agreed  to  pay  half  the  expenses.  The  terms  were  satisfactory  to 
all  but  the  Jefferson  settlers.  They,  however,  submitted,  upon  a  further 
modification  of  terms  by  the  legislature,  by  which  they  were  to  relin- 
quish all  claim,  and  receive  deeds  of  their  lots,  upon  payment  of  five 
dollars  in  each  case,  as  a  fee ;  and  the  original  claimants  were  to  receive 
an  equivalent  in  the  unlocated  lands  of  the  state.  Three  disinterested 
persons,  not  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts  nor  Maine,  were  to  be  com- 
missioners, and  execute  the  will  of  the  state.  Jeremiah  Smith,  who  had 
been  chief  justice  and  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  William  H.  "Wood- 
ward of  the  same  state,  and  Judge  HoweU  of  Rhode  Island,  were  ap- 
pointed to  this  office.  This  commission  settled  the  last  great  contro- 
versy in  Maine  respecting  land  titles. 

Such  w^ere  the  hindrances  to  rapid  settlement,  growing  partly  out  of 
extraneous  circumstances,  but  chiefly,  it  must  be  admitted,  through  an 
inherent  prejudice  against  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  great  landed  cor- 
porations, —  hence,  supposed  to  be  made  up  of  the  opulent,  —  to  appor- 
tion out  "  God's  heritage  "  to  those  who  claim  partnership  alone  with 
nature,  in  giving  to  the  soil  whatever  it  has  of  wealth  or  utility.  The 
Plymouth  Company,  having  done  aU  that  seemed  honorably  to  be  re- 
quired of  them,  in  1816,  divided  among  the  proprietors  those  lands  that 
were  susceptible  of  convenient  division,  and  disposed  of  the  remainder 
at  auction,  in  Boston. 

Kennebunk,  York  county,  is  a  seaboard  town  and  port  of  entry,  sit- 
uated twenty-five  miles  south  of  Portland.  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  was 
the  orio-inal  proprietor,  and  in  1643  granted  it  to  Lieutenant  John  San- 
ders. Goodman  Sanders,  son  of  John,  took  possession  of  the  grant, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  built  the  first  house.  Previous  to  the  year 
1653,  when  the  town  was  incorporated,  Goodman  Burke  had  a  house 
upon  the  sea-shore,  a  few  rods  from  the  mouth  of  Kennebunk  river. 
This  house  and  those  of  Sanders  and  one  Stover  Batsom  were  proba- 
bly built  for  the  accommodation  of  travellers  passing  from  the  settle- 


172  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ments  of  Piscataqua  and  York  to  those  begun  at  the  eastward.  After 
1653  there  seems  to  have  been  little  addition  made  to  the  settlement  for 
many  years. 

In  1679,  the  falls  and  water  privilege  on  Mousam  river  were  granted 
to  Jonathan  Corwin  and  Eleazer  Hawthorne,  from  Scotland,  who 
brought  with  them  several  mechanics.  They  erected  a  saw-mill,  grist- 
mill, blacksmith  shop,  and  dwelling-house,  and  soon  opened  a  fine  busi- 
ness with  Boston,  by  the  shipment  of  lumber  to  that  city.  In  this, 
however,  they  were,  in  1688,  disturbed  by  the  Indians,  who  burned  the 
mills  —  when  these  men  moved  to  the  west.  The  house  seems  afterward 
to  have  been  occupied  only  by  the  mechanics  employed  by  them.  The 
grants  of  land  previously  made,  were,  in  consequence  of  the  implacable 
enmity  of  the  Indians,  not  regarded  as  of  any  value.  In  1703,  the  war 
again  broke  out ;  its  devastation  extended  to  all  the  settlements  from 
Casco  to  the  Piscataqua.     This  war  lasted  till  1713. 

The  first  house  erected  after  the  close  of  the  war  was  that  of  Wil- 
liam Larrabee.  In  1714,  John  Look  built  a  house  just  below  Larrabee, 
on  a  point  of  land  since  known  as  "  Butland's  ship-yard ;  "  and  in  1715 
one  was  built  by  Thomas  Wormwood,  a  few  rods  from  Look's,  and  in 
front  of  the  one  which  is  or  "was  occupied  by  Joseph  Gooch,  both  which 
were  used  as  garrisons.  Though  it  was  now  a  time  of  peace,  yet  such 
was  the  distrust  felt  towards  the  Indians,  that  those  Avho  were  disposed 
to  settle  in  the  province  chose  rather  to  locate  near  the  gaiTison  towns. 
Hence  these  four  houses  w^ere  the  only  ones  built  up  to  1720.  In  1721, 
John  Webber,  Richard  Boothbay,  and  Samuel  Sawyer  built  houses,  and 
these  were  the  only  additions  made  until  after  the  LoveweU  war  in 
1722.  This  war  lasted  three  years,  and  was  conducted  N\'ith  great 
asperity  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  Sawyer  was  killed  in  this  out- 
break, as  were  also  WiUiam  Wormwood,  Ebenezer  Lewis,  and  John 
Felt.  The  three  last  were  surprised  by  a  party  under  Wawa  while 
rafting  timber  on  the  Gooch  creek.  The  account  of  this  was  given  by 
Wawa  himself,  after  the  close  of  the  war.i  About  1735,  a  lar^e  fortifi- 
cation was  erected  on  Mousam  river,  called  Fort  Larrabee,  in  honor  of 
Stephen  Larrabee,  son   of  William,  before  spoken  of.     This    o-arrison 

'  Hutchinson  relates  this  as  occurring  "  at  a  saw-mill  on  Kennebec  river."  The  same 
perverted  account  has  been  copied  into  other  histories  of  the  Indian  wars.  Hutchinson 
was  simply  misinformed.  Tom  Wawa,  referred  to  here,  was  the  king  of  one  of  the  tribes 
of  Indians  who  frequented  this  neighborhood,  and  lived  on  Great  hill.  He  was  a  distin- 
guished wanior,  and  a  leader  in  most  of  the  depredations  committed  on  the  inhabitants 
of  this  part  of  the  then  county  of  York.  Though  in  most  cases  driven  by  a  savage 
spirit  to  acts  of  the  most  relentless  cruelty,  yet  occasionally  he  was  known  to  manifest 
more  of  the  feelings  of  civilized  man  than  any  of  his  companions. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    KENNEBUNK.  173 

remained  until  1762,  when  it  was  torn  down.  "Within  its  walls  the 
whole  of  the  people  were  collected  in  time  of  danger,  thinking  them- 
selves secure  from  any  attack  the  savages  might  make.  The  fort  occu- 
pied more  than  an  acre  of  ground.^ 

In  1745,  the  war  with  the  Indians  was  again  renewed,  and  continued 
for  years.  The  settlements  at  this  period  were  so  extensive  that  the 
Indians  became  more  cautious.  Attempts  were  made  once  or  twice 
to  surprise  the  settlers  at  the  village  of  Sergeant  Larrabee.  On  one  of 
these  occasions  they  would  probably  all  have  been  murdered  but  for  the 
fidelity  and  vigilance  of  a  dog  belonging  to  Larrabee,  which,  by  repeat- 
edly barking,  gave  warning  of  the  approaching  danger,  and  thus  afforded 
them  opportunity  for  escape.  After  the  close  of  this  war,  fears  having 
subsided,  the  settlement  made  steady  progress.  Lands  were  cleared, 
buildings  erected,  and  improvements  made,  in  almost  every  direction. 
What  is  now  the  principal  village  was  then  one  unbroken  wilderness, 
with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  houses ;  while  the  western  side  of 
the  river  was  destitute  of  any  habitation,  save  a  camp,  which  was 
erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  hands  employed  at  the  saw-miU, 
which  was  subsequently  destroyed  by  a  freshet,  said  to  have  been  the 
most  destructive  ever  known  here. 

The  inhabitants  took  quite  an  active  part  in  the  Louisburg  expedi- 
tion. Some  of  them,  also  served  in  the  army  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
George  in  the  year  1756-7,  and  also  with  General  Abercrombie  in  the 
rash  attack  on  Ticonderoga.  About  the  year  1759,  the  French  war 
closed,  and  the  joy  of  the  people  was  unbounded. 

In  1760,  the  settlement  was  extended  considerably.  To  give  the 
reader  some  idea  of  the  value  of  real  estate  about  this  time,  a  two  story 
tenement  was  rented  for  one  dollar  a  year,  the  parties  having  the  privi- 
lege of  taking  as  much  wood  from  the  land  adjoining  as  was  necessary 
for  their  consumption  during  that  time ;  and  land  on  the  western  side  of 
the  river  was  sold  at  the  rate  of  an  acre  of  ground  for  a  yard  of  calico. 
In  the  year  1760,  the  village,  which  had  been  built  on  the  banks  of  the 

'  Sero-eant  Larrabee,  wlio  defended  this  fort  with  great  bravery,  is  said  to  have  been 
ever  on  the  watch  for  his  foes.  The  Indians  thought  to  take  the  fort  by  stealth  on  a  cer- 
tain dark  night,  and  accordingly  Wawa  secreted  himself  and  a  few  chosen  men  under  a 
cart  which  liad  been  left  a  few  rods  from  the  wall,  intending  to  scale  the  walls  when  the 
garrison  were  asleep ;  but  Larrabee,  in  his  watchful  care,  noticed  something  rather  strange 
in  the  look  of  the  cart,  and  tried  the  effect  of  a  heavy  charge  of  buckshot,  aimed  just 
below  the  body  of  the  cart,  when  the  scene  changed  suddenly,  and  retreating  footsteps 
were  hoard.  In  the  morning,  blood  was  found  there;  and  Wawa,  after  the  war,  con- 
fessed to  have  been  wounded  by  the  shot  of  Larrabee  at  that  time.  He  also  said  that  it 
was  owino-  to  Larrabee's  strict  watch  that  the  garrison  was  saved. 

15* 


174  IIISTOKY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

river,  ceased  to  exist.  Most  of  the  houses  were  torn  down  ;  the  inhab- 
itants deeming  the  present  site  of  the  town  the  more  desirable  loca- 
tion. 

In  the  year  1774,  a  factory  for  iron-works  was  erected  on  what  is  now 
the  island,  a  short  distance  below  the  lower  dam.  The  iron  ore  was 
brought,  some  from  Saco,  some  from  Maryland  ridge,  and  some  from 
the  land  on  the  western  side  of  the  main  road  leading  from  Wells.  A 
similar  factory  was  built  about  the  same  time  at  the  western  end  of  the 
present  lower  dam.  A  grist-mill  was  also  erected  the  same  year,  near 
the  middle  of  the  dam  at  the  lower  iron-works.  Three  salt  factories 
were  also  erected,  which  were  worked  five  or  six  years,  yielding  a  hand- 
some profit  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  the  commodity.  Stores 
and  dwellings  continued  to  be  erected  with  a  persevering  spirit,  so  that 
in  1784  the  settlement  presented  quite  a  flourishing  and  business-like 
appearance. 

The  travelling,  in  the  early  times,  was  entirely  on  the  seaboard.  But 
the  water,  in  consequence  of  the  rising  of  the  tide  at  the  mouth  of 
Kennebunk  river,  was  of  so  great  a  depth  that  travellers  were  unable  to 
pass  it.  As  the  communication  betw^een  the  different  parts  of  the  prov- 
ince began  to  increase,  it  became  necessary  that  this  evil  should  be 
remedied.  Accordingly,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1714,  a  ferry  was 
here  established  by  order  of  court.  John  Reynolds  was  appointed  the 
first  ferryman.  The  tolls  which  he  was  authorized  to  receive  were: 
"  For  a  man  and  horse,  sixpence ;  for  a  single  man,  two  pence."  ^ 

As  early  as  1755,  ship-building  was  a  prominent  branch  of  industry ; 
in  fact,  to  this  Kennebunk  owes  her  population  and  wealth.  The  first 
vessel  was  built  in  1755,  by  John  Bourne,  of  Wells ;  and  from  this  time 
forward,  the  business  progressed  rapidly.  Most  of  the  vessels  were  then 
built  on  the  Mousam  river,  a  fact  which,  to  some,  may  seem  rather  inex- 
phcable,  on  account  of  the  present  shallowness  of  that  stream.  This, 
however,  will  be  explained  by  subsequent  facts.  A  few  years  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  it  was  deemed  highly  probable  that  the 
quantity  of  shipping  would  increase,  and,  accordingly,  it  was  considered 
important  that  the  facilities  for  the  passage  of  vessels  up  and  down  the 


carnages. 


■  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  was  no  toll  fixed  for  the  transportation  of  . 
This  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that,  at  this  time,  and  till  many  years  aftcrwards,°no 
carriages  of  any  description  were  used.  The  first  chaise  seen  here  was  that  of  Judge 
Paine,  in  1 755.  Everybody  in  the  neighborhood  went  to  see  the  great  curiosity.  It  is°a 
little  remarkable  that  previous  to  the  year  1770  no  sleigh  had  ever  been  used  or  seen,  in 
Kennebunk.  Mr.  Little,  the  minister  of  the  parish,  contrived  something  which  was 
intended  to  answer  the  purpose ;  but  no  adequate  description  can  be  furnished  of  its 
appearance. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    KENNEBUNK.  175 

river  should  be  augmented.  It  was  supposed  that  the  long  arm  of  the 
river,  next  to  its  mouth,  might  be  advantageously  cut  off,  and  an  outlet 
made  to  the  sea,  which  would  considerably  shorten  the  distance  from 
the  bend,  and  possibly  at  the  same  time  give  them  a  greater  depth.  A 
corporation  was  formed,  and  many  gentlemen  from  the  neighboring 
towns  embarked  in  the  enterprise  ;  but,  after  considerable  labor  and  ex- 
pense, the  plan  failed,  and  the  river  was  left  in  a  far  worse  condition 
than  before.  These  difficulties  soon  put  an  end  to  ship-building  in  the 
Mousam  river.  Fishing  was  also  carried  on  to  some  extent,  and  till  as 
late  as  the  year  1760,  salmon,  bass,  and  shad  were  very  abundant  in  the 
Mousam  river.  Even  at  the  present  day,  shad  may  be  caught  in  the 
stream.  Until  about  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
herds  of  deer  were  found  in  the  neighborhood,  and  moose  also  were 
seen  in  considerable  numbers. 

Among  the  men  who  used  their  utmost  endeavors  for  the  permanent 
settlement  of  Kennebunk  were  Joseph  Storer,  Stephen  Larrabee,  John 
Mitchell,  Nathaniel  Kimball,  Richard  Kimball,  William  Rutland, — 
who  was  a  second  Larrabee  in  fearlessness,  —  Ichabod  Cousins,  Rev. 
Daniel  Little,  and  many  others.  Much  might  be  written  about  the 
usefulness  of  these  pioneers,  but  space  will  not  permit.  Kennebunk 
took  quite  a  prominent  part  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  for  liberty. 
In  fact,  says  a  reliable  writer,  "  There  was  not  an  able-bodied  man  in 
town  who  did  not  have  something  to  do  in  the  struggle."  Many  of 
them  were  employed  in  the  Penobscot  expedition. 

The  surface  of  Kennebunk  is  generally  level,  and  is  suitable  for  the 
purposes  of  agriculture.  There  are  two  rivers  —  one  called  the  Kenne- 
bunk, in  the  eastern  part,  on  which  most  of  the  ship-building  is  done. 
A  lock,  costing  about  ®6,000,  has  been  constructed  on  this  river,  whereby 
vessels  of  any  burden  can  be  built  and  safely  carried  down  from  the 
Landing  village.  The  other  river  is  the  Mousam,  a  new  outlet  to  which 
was  made  a  few  years  ago  at  the  sea,  whereby  vessels  drawing  eight  or 
nine  feet  of  water  can  now  enter  with  safety.  Ship-building  and  a  sea- 
faring life  are  the  main  occupations  of  the  inhabitants.  A  merchant 
marine  of  over  fifty  ships  is  owned  in  Kennebunk,  and  there  are  many 
vessels  built  annually.  There  is  a  large  number  of  fine  residences  and 
stores ;  and,  in  proportion  to  population,  Kennebunk  is  second  to  none 
in  the  state  for  wealth.  The  principal  places  of  business  are  called  the 
Village,  the  Landing,  and  the  Port.  The  Unitarians,  Congregational- 
ists,  Methodists,  and  Christians  have  each  a  house  of  public  worship, 
and  the  Baptists  have  two.  Twelve  school  districts,  with  fourteen  pub- 
lic schools,  afford  ample  facilities  for  the  education  of  youth ;  and  the 


176  HISTORY    AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF   XEW   ENGLAND. 

Ocean  bank  (with  a  capital  of  ©100,000),  the  Atlas  Marine  Insurance 
Company,  and  the  Kennebunk  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  are 
institutions  which  are  held  in  estimation.  There  are  four  or  five 
saw-mills  and  a  yarn  factory,  doing  some  business.  The  only  post- 
office  is  at  Kennebunk  viUage.  Population  in  1857,  about  3,300  ;  valu- 
ation for  1858,  $1,155,296. 

Kennebxjnkport,  York  county,  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Little  river, 
which  separates  it  from  Biddeford,  and  was  formerly  known  by  the 
name  of  Cape  Porpoise.  It  must  have  been  settled  about  the  summer 
of  1619.  If  not  then,  the  exact  date  is  not  known.  After  its  discovery 
by  Gosnold,  in  1602,  it  was  probably  visited  every  summer  by  fisher- 
men and  traders,  who  built  small  huts  for  their  summer  residence, 
usually  returning  to  Europe  in  the  winter.  Folsom  says,  "  the  settle- 
ment on  Cape  Porpoise  was  probably  made  about  the  same  time  as 
that  at  Winter  Harbor.  It  presented  many  advantages  for  fishermen, 
many  of  whom  made  it  a  place  of  resort,  and  perhaps  of  abode,  as 
early,  probably,  as  any  other  point  of  the  coast." 

The  Plymouth  Company,  February  12,  1629,  granted  a  patent  to 
John  Oldham  and  Richard  Vines,  of  a  tract  of  land  four  miles  in  breadth, 
on  the  sea-shore,  extending  eight  miles  into  the  country,  on  the  west 
side  of  Saco  river.  Vines  took  legal  possession  on  the  25th  of  June, 
and  several  families  that  came  over  with  him  settled  near  Little  river, 
within  the  limits  of  this  town.  This,  probably,  was  the  first  permanent 
settlement,  it  being  a  matter  of  uncertainty  whether  persons  ever  spent 
the  winter  here  previous  to  that  time.  This  grant  of  land  to  Vines  was 
entirely  independent  of  the  settleraient  known  as  the  "  Cape  Porpoise 
Plantation,''  and  had  no  connection  with  that  at  Little  river.  That  this 
was  the  spot  where  the  first  settlement  was  made  is  rendered  more  cer- 
tain from  the  fact  that  the  inhabitants  could  here  defend  themselves 
from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians,  or  more  readily  escape,  than  they  could 
on  the  main  land.  There  was  no  part  of  America  to  which  there  were 
so  many  conflicting  claims,  grounded  on  different  grants  from  European 
powers,  as  to  that  portion  in  which  Cape  Porpoise  is  included.  No  less 
than  six  grants  were  made  to  different  parties  by  various  crowned 
heads  of  Europe. 

In  1653,  Cape  Porpoise  was  brought  under  the  control  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  incorporated ;  yet,  on  account  of  its  limited  wealth  and 
population,  it  was  deemed  little  more  than  an  adjunct  of  Saco.  By  an 
agreement  made  with  the  inhabitants.  President  Danforth  —  whose 
government  of  Maine  concluded  June  18,  1684  —  was  to  give  them  a 


MAINE — TOWN   OF   KENNEBUNKPORT.  177 

deed  of  the  town,  which  deed  was  executed  on  the  26th  day  of  June 
of  that  year.i 

During  the  government  of  Andros,  and  when  on  his  visit  to  Maine,  he 
ordered  the  inhabitants  of  Cape  Porpoise  to  put  their  roads  in  a  better 
state  of  repair,  which,  as  usual,  were  neglected.  Although  the  Province, 
up  to  1685,  had  generally  increased  in  population  and  wealth.  Cape 
Porpoise  remained  in  a  poor  condition.  Four  mills  constituted  the 
whole  of  its  business  ;  and  although  it  had  sustained  the  appearance  of 
being  a  separate  municipality,  by  choosing  officers  and  keeping  a  record, 
it  was  now  only  spoken  of  as  a  parish.  In  May,  1688,  Andros  destroyed 
even  the  appearance  of  its  independent  existence,  by  placing  it  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  Saco,  which  guardianship,  at  most,  lasted  but  a  few 
months. 

During  the  war  entered  into  by  Governor  Andros  against  the  eastern 
Indians,  Cape  Porpoise  suffered  much  from  their  attacks ;  and,  for  more 
security,  a  company  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Puddington 
was  stationed  at  the  fort  on  Stage  island.  After  Governor  Andros's 
return  to  Massachusetts  in  1690,  his  troops  all  deserted,  and  the  Indians 
began  to  appear  in  greater  numbers.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Cape  with- 
drew to  the  fort  for  protection,  while  those  who  resided  between  the 
Cape  and  Kennebunk  river  went  to  Wells.  The  fort  was  soon  besieged 
by  the  Indians ;  and  as  the  point  of  the  island,  on  which  it  was  built, 
was  surrounded  by  deep  water  at  all  times,  and  the  Indians  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  narrow  neck  of  land  which  leads  to  the  main  part,  the 
whites  were  therefore  completely  prevented  from  escape,  having  only  a 
poor  boat  wherewith  to  make  their  retreat.  After  sustaining  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians  for  some  time,  they  became  fearful  of  being  surrounded, 
and  withdrew  to  the  southern  part  of  the  island,  which,  being  narrow, 
left  them  exposed  only  on  one  side. 

They  remained  for  some  time  thus  at  the  mercy  of  their  savage  ene- 
mies, almost  destitute  of  provisions,  and  with  no  expectation  of  aid  or 
relief  from  their  critical  situation,  when  Nicholas  Morey,  who  was  lame, 
offered  to  take  the  old  boat  and  seek  assistance.  Accordingly,  as  soon 
as  it  was  dark,  he  embarked ;  and,  by  sitting  at  the  whole  end  of  the 
frail  bark,  was  enabled  to  keep  the  defective  part  out  of  water. 
Although  the  weather  was  pleasant,  there  was  but  little  chance  of  his 
reaching  Portsmouth  in  safety ;  but,  buoyed  up  by  the  hope  of  assist- 
ance, the  little  band  continued  to  defend  themselves  during  all  the  next 
day,  without  provisions  and  only  with  a  very  limited  supply  of  ammu- 
nition.    Night  coming  on,  and  being  closely  besieged  by  a  cruel,  blood- 

1  This  deed  is  still  in  existence. 


178  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

thirsty  foe,  their  situation  was  indescribably  trying.  Slight  as  the  pros- 
pect of  relief  was,  long,  lingering  looks  were  cast  towards  Portsmouth, 
when,  late  in  the  afternoon,  they  descried  a  small  sloop  standing  directly 
towards  the  cape.  Mr.  Morey  had  arrived  in  safety  at  Portsmouth,  and 
returned  with  this  providential  succor.  When  the  sloop  came  into  the 
harbor,  a  small  swivel  was  discharged  from  her  at  the  Indians,  who  im- 
mediately fled.  The  inhabitants  were  taken  on  board,  and  did  not 
return  till  1699.  Scarcely  had  they  experienced  the  pleasures  of  peace 
and  safety,  when  the  French  again  endeavored  to  excite  the  Indians  to 
acts  of  hostility  against  them.  War  was  declared  between  England 
and  France,  May  4,  1702,  and  the  year  following,  hostilities  recom- 
menced. Five  hundred  Indians  attacked  the  principal  settlements  in 
Maine,  and  "  Cape  Porpoise,  being  inhabited  only  by  a  few  unsettled 
fishermen,  was  wholly  desolated."  How  many  of  the  inhabitants  were 
killed  or  taken  prisoners  is  not  known.  It  is  probable,  that,  having 
anticipated  an  attack,  most  of  them  made  their  escape.  In  1713,  a 
treaty  of  peace  was  made  with  aU  the  eastern  tribes ;  and  many  of  the 
inhabitants  returned  to  their  homes  and  recommenced  business. 

In  1717,  a  petition  was  presented  by  the  inhabitants  of  Cape  Por- 
poise to  be  reincorporated,  which  petition  was  granted  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  name  changed  to  that  of  Arundel. 
The  assembly  directed  that  a  garrison  should  be  erected  on  Montague 
Neck;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  the  order  was  executed,  as  no  re- 
mains of  a  garrison  are  distinguishable  on  that  spot.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear that  the  inhabitants  attempted  to  renew  the  settlement  at  Stage 
Harbor  ;  but  erected  their  buildings  at  what  was  called  Folly  Harbor, 
where  the  village  at  Cape  Porpoise  now  stands.  Inducements  to  obtain 
grants  of  lands  were  held  out  to  settlers,  who  began  to  flock  in  from 
various  parts  of  New  England ;  and  the  town  was  more  flourishing  and 
populous  than  at  any  former  period.  Among  the  first  settlers  were 
William  Scadlock  and  his  sons  William  and  John,  Morgan  Howell, 
Joseph  Bowles,  William  Frost,  Christopher  Spurrell,  Stephen  Batson, 
Gregory  Jeffery,  Charles  Potum,  Thomas  Warner,  Griffin  Montague, 
John  Baker,  William  Reynolds,  Roger  Willine,  Peter  Turbat,  Richard 
Hix,  William  Thomas,  Thomas  Merrill,  John  Barrett,  and  John  Pur- 
rington,  or  Puddington. 

This  prosperous  condition  of  affairs,  however,  was  destined  to  be  of 
short  duration.  The  Indians  began  to  assume  a  threatening  attitude 
about  1721,  and  in  1722  Lovewell's  war  commenced.  Several  garri- 
sons were  erected ;  but,  despite  these  arrangements  for  their  protection, 
many  of  the  inhabitants  sought  safety  in  places  less  liable  to  attack. 
In  August,  1723,  a  man  was  either  IdUed  or  carried  off  by  the  Indians ; 


MAINE TOWN    OP    KENNEBUNKPOET.  179 

and  this  was  only  the  precursor  of  other  deeds  of  heartlessness  and 
diabolism.  The  settlers,  however,  supported  their  trials  with  heroic 
fortitude ;  and  their  deeds  exhibit  not  only  great  presence  of  mind,  but 
almost  inimitable  daring.  In  December,  1725,  a  treaty  of  peace  was 
signed  with  the  Indians,  and  in  1726,  the  inhabitants  ventured  from 
their  garrisons,  and  looked  forward  to  more  prosperous  times. 

This  treaty  was  ratified  at  Falmouth  in  August,  1726,  and  the 
Indians  appeared  to  be  satisfied  with  it.  The  French,  however,  in- 
duced them  to  violate  the  treaty,  and  several  parties  were  sent  out,  one 
of  which  attacked  the  house  of  Philip  DurriU,  who  lived  where  Durrill's 
bridge  now  is.  The  whole  family  was  carried  off,  and  all,  with  the 
exception  of  a  boy,  brutally  murdered.  In  1727,  peace  was  perma- 
nently secured,  and  its  good  effects  were  soon  evident  in  Arundel.  The 
population  increased  greatly  up  to  1730,  and  land,  as  a  natural  conse- 
quence, became  more  valuable. 

War  again  troubled  the  inhabitants  in  1755,  the  period  of  the  expe- 
dition to  Louisburg.  A  company  from  this  town  were  engaged  in  the 
enterprise,  Avhich  was  commanded  by  Captain  Thomas  Perkins,  and 
many  lost  their  lives.  The  Indians  committed  no  depredations  during 
this  war,  though  the  inhabitants  were  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm. 
In  October,  1748,  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
and  prosperity  again  began  to  smile  upon  the  inhabitants.  Cape  Por- 
poise was  then,  as  it  always  has  continued  to  be,  much  frequented  as  a 
harbor.  Several  vessels  were  owned  by  the  inhabitants ;  and,  alto- 
gether, affairs  began  to  wear  a  business-like  aspect.^ 

Nothing  of  further  importance  pccurred  till  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
in  which  the  town  of  Arundel  was  not  behindhand.  She  raised  naoney 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  ammunition,  etc. ;  and,  in  1775,  many  of  the 
inhabitants  repaired  to  Cambridge  to  join  the  army,  several  of  whom 
were  engaged  in  the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Arundel  then, 
it  would  seem,  exhibited  more  energy  than  at  any  preceding  period  in 
her  history. 

The  only  incident  of  local  importance  that  occurred  during  the  war 
was  the  following:  On  the  8th  of  August,  1781,  an  English  brig,  of 
eighteen  guns,  came  into  Cape  Porpoise  harbor,  and  took  a  schooner 
and  a  sloop  belonging  to  Newbury.  They  carried  off  the  schooner ;  but 
the  sloop,  having  got  ashore,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  While  the  English 
had   possession   of  these   vessels,  Samuel  Wildes,  who  was   partially 

'  In  1764,  there  were  in  Arundel  127  houses,  138  families,  833  white  inhabitants,  and 
five  negroes.  Those  ivho  had  owned  slaves  within  the  twenty  years  preceding  were 
Mr.  Prentice,  IMr.  Hovey  the  minister,  Robert  Cleeves,  Tliomas  AViswall,  Samuel  Hutch- 
ins,  John  Fairfield,  Gideon  Walker,  Andrew  Brown,  and  Jonathan  Stone. 


180  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

insane,  paddled  into  the  liarbor  in  a  small  canoe,  and  ordered  them  to 
give  up  the  vessels  and  leave  the  place.  After  joldng  with  him  for  a 
short  time,  they  asked  him  aboard  the  brig.  This  he  refused  to  do,  and 
turned  to  pull  ashore,  when  they  wantonly  fired  seven  muskets  at  him, 
wounding  him  in  several  places.  When  he  got  ashore,  he  was  unable 
to  stand  from  loss  of  blood,  and  remained  in  a  critical  situation  for 
some  time.  The  inhabitants  were  aroused  at  this  outrage,  and  soon 
collected  on  Trott's  island,  with  the  intention  of  crossing  over  to  Goat 
island,  near  which  the  brig  was  anchored.  To  prevent  this,  the  brig 
sent  a  crew  of  men  to  the  latter  island ;  while  a  schooner  of  ten  guns, 
which  was  in  company  with  the  brig,  kept  up  a  continual  discharge  of 
grape-shot.  The  infuriated  citizens  at  length  succeeded  in  crossing, 
when  the  English,  finding  they  were  likely  to  be  outnumbered,  retreated 
to  their  boats,  closely  followed  by  the  inhabitants,  who  opened  a  deadly 
fire.  So  desfa-uctive  was  this  attack,  that  the  English  turned  to  come 
on  shore,  for  the  purpose,  as  was  afterwards  supposed,  of  giving  them- 
selves up  as  prisoners.  But  the  Americans,  being  under  no  regular  com- 
mand, and  suspecting  the  British  were  returning  to  the  attack,  re- 
doubled their  fire,  and  compelled  them  to  go  back.  Only  one,  it  is  said, 
of  their  number,  was  able  to  climb  up  the  vessel's  side,  and  it  was 
thought  sixteen  or  seventeen  were  killed.  Captain  James  Burnham 
was  the  only  one  killed  on  the  American  side.  Two  pieces  of  cannon 
were  afterwards  carried  on  Trott's  island,  which  so  annoyed  the  British 
that  they  were  compelled  to  take  their  vessel  out  of  the  harbor,  which 
was  accomplished  only  after  the  ammunition  of  the  Americans  was 
expended.  February  19,  1821,  the  name  was  changed  from  Arundel  to 
Kennebunkport. 

The  face  of  the  country  is  moderately  uneven,  with  little  swampy  or 
waste  land.  The  soil  is  clayey,  and  produces  grass  in  abundance.  In 
the  southeast  part  it  is  rocky,  and  affords  large  quantities  cf  valuable 
building  stone.  The  salt  marshes  are  also  very  valuable.  Within  the 
limits  of  Kennebunkport  there  are  no  less  than  sixteen  islands.  Kenne- 
bunk  river  is  navigable  about  half  a  mile  from  its  mouth,  and  has  two 
falls,  about  two  miles  from  the  bar,  over  which  the  tide  flows  at  half 
flood.  Goffe's  Mill  creek  empties  into  Kennebunk  river,  bet\A'een  the 
upper  and  lower  falls.  Cape  Porpoise,  at  the  extremity  of  the  cape,  is  a 
small  but  convenient  harbor,  and  is  the  only  safe  one  for  coasting  vessels 
between  Portsmouth  and  Portland.  The  main  entrance  is  between 
Folly  island,  on  the  west,  and  Goat  island — -where  there  is  a  light- 
house —  on  the  east.  There  are  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  of 
water  in  the  harbor  at  low  water,  and  it  is  sufficiently  capacious  for  the 
largest  class  of  merchant  vessels.     At  high  water,  several  hundred  coast- 


MAINE TOWN  OF  KENNEBUNKPOKT.  181 

ing  vessels  can  harbor  with  perfect  safety.  Batson's  river  is  a  little  to 
the  eastward  of  the  cape.  It  is  never  used  for  a  harbor,  but  is  suffi- 
ciently deep  for  small  fishing  craft.  Little  river,  which  was  called 
Eastern  or  Northern  river  on  the  early  town  records,  is  a  small  stream : 
vessels  of  two  hundred  tons  burden  have  been  built  there.  Brimstone 
and  Great  are  the  only  two  ponds.  The  highest  hill  is  Mount  Scargery, 
or  Scargo,  which  is  seen  some  distance  at  sea. 

There  are  many  substantial  wharvel  and  sgi'^eral  piers  built  by  gov- 
ernment. There  are  about  eighty  miles  of  public  road ;  also  fifteen  or 
twenty  bridges  and  a  large  number  of  expensive  causeways,  besides 
eight  bridges  ov«r  Kennebunk  and  Little  rivers,  two  of  which  have 
draws. 

The  principal  pursuits  are  farming,  fishing,  ship-building,  quarrying, 
and  the  lumber  business.  From  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  to 
1790,  the  wealth  of  Kennebunkport,  by  lumbering  and  ship-building,  in- 
creased amazingly.  In  1812,  in  consequence  of  the  embargo  laid  on 
shipping,  the  ow^ners,  who  were  never  engaged  more  profitably,  suffered 
severely  in  their  pecuniary  affairs.  Kennebunk  river  was  crowded  with 
dismantled  vessels,  and,  in  order  to  protect  them,  a  small  fort  was  built 
on  Kennebunk  point,  and  a  battery  near  Butler's  rocks,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  river.  Several  privateers  were  fitted  out ;  but  aU  of  them 
except  one  were  captured  by  the  English.  In  1815,  business  again 
revived,  and  was  carried  on  with  great  activity.  In  1820,  the  amount 
of  tonnage  owned  in  this  port  was  7,509  tons  ;  and  its  valuation  in  1821 
was  ^324,122. 

Trade  declined  considerably  in  1826,  and  it  has  never  fully  recovered 
from  this  shock.  There  is,  however,  at  the  present  writing,  an  increas- 
ing spirit  of  enterprise,  which  will,  undoubtedly,  eventually  overcome  this 
lethargy.  Ship-building  is  carried  on  with  something  of  the  old  spirit, 
and  the  fishing  interests  are  gradually  increasing.  Agriculture,  too,  has 
also  wrought  itself  into  favor ;  but  lumbering  has  in  a  great  measure 
ceased,  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  timber.  The  custom-house 
was  removed  to  Kennebunkport  in  1815 :  the  building  is  of  brick,  and 
was,  till  recently,  the  only  one  of  that  material  in  town. 

There  are  three  business  places,  known  as  Kennebunkport,  Cape  Por- 
poise, and  North  Kennebunkport ;  seven  church  edifices  —  three  Metho- 
dist, two  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Union ;  thirteen  school 
districts,  with  sixteen  schools;  and  two  post-offices — Kennebunkport 
and  North  Kennebunkport ;  also  two  steam  and  several  hydraulic  saw- 
mills, two  tanneries,  several  grist-mills,  a  brass  foundery,  and  two  ship- 
yards.    Population,  2,706 ;  valuation,  ^1,400,000. 

VOL.  r.  16 


X82  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

KiNGFiELD,  Franklin  county,  twenty  miles  from  Farmington,  in  a 
direction  nearly  north,  was  formerly  plantation  No.  3,  range  one,  Bing- 
ham's Purchase,  and  was  surveyed  by  Solomon  Adams  in  1808.  Set- 
tlements were  commenced  here  about  1806,  by  a  Mr.  Blanchard  from 
Weymouth,  Rev.  Nathaniel  Gilbert  of  Kingston,  Mass.,  Eben  Pillsbury, 
Solomon  Stanley,  Joseph  Longley,  Benjamin  Foster,  William  Trask, 
Charles  Pike,  and  others. 

It  was  incorporated  January  24,  1816,  and  received  its  name  in  honor 
of  William  King,  the  first  governor  of  Maine,  a  principal  proprietor.  It 
is  watered  by  the  Seven  Mile  brook,  two  branches  of  which  meet  near 
the  southeast  corner,  where  mills  were  early  put  in  operation,  and  where 
there  is  a  considerable  village.  There  are  some  fine  interval  lands  along 
the  streams,  and  the  tcfwn  is  noted  for  its  surrounding  mountain  scenery. 
Meetings  are  sustained  a  part  of  the  time  by  most  of  the  religious 
societies,  and  several  churches  have  been  organized ;  but  houses  of  pub- 
lic worship  have  not  yet  been  built.  There  are  five  school  districts, 
with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  one 
shingle  mUl,  one  carriage  builder,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  662 ; 
valuation,  $73,273. 

Kingsbury  is  a  new  town  in  the  southeast  part  of  Piscataquis  county, 
embracing  an  area  of  23,040  acres  of  average  farming  land.  It  is 
watered  by  two  of  the  head  branches  of  Piscataquis  river ;  was  incor- 
porated in  1836 ;  has  three  school  districts,  with  a  like  number  of  schools ; 
and  one  post-office.  It  has  also  one  grist-mill,  one  saw^-mill,  and  one 
shingle  machine.     Population,  181 ;   valuation,  §22,639. 

KiTTERY  lies  on  the  sea-coast,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  York  county, 
and  originally  comprised,  besides  its  present  territory,  that  of  Eliot, 
Berwick,  South  Berwick,  and  North  Berwick,  all  of  which  was  known 
as  the  Plantation  of  Piscataqua.  It  formed  a  portion  of  the  estate  of 
Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges.  Settlements  were  commenced  as  early  as 
1623,  under  the  patronage  of  Gorges  and  Mason,  who  appointed  Walter 
Neal  agent  for  the  disposal  of  the  lands.  Neal  entered  upon  the  busi- 
ness of  settlement  with  commendable  activity ;  and,  before  the  expira- 
tion of  the  year  1634,  had  conveyed  by  grant  or  sale  all  the  lands  com- 
prised in  this  tract.  He  then  returned  to  England,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Francis  Williams.  The  titles  to  the  land  derived  through  Neal  have 
ever  remained  valid. 

In  1647,  the  territory  was  endowed  with  town  privileges  by  the  court 
of  elections,  and  its  records  begin  March  19,  1648.  Twenty-seven  years 
after,  the   Indian  wars   commenced,  and,  during  their  continuance,  the 


MAINE TOWN   OF   KITTEEY.  183 

history  was  but  a  constant  alternation  of  war  and  peace.  The  inhabi- 
tants, while  the  foe  were  prowling  about  their  dwellings,  and  ever  and 
anon  alighting  upon  their  unsuspecting  victims,  became,  as  it  were, 
familiarized  to  the  scenes  of  this  barbaric  strife.  The  stirring  events  of 
those  days  were  not  in  more  striking  contrast  with  the  present  quietude 
than  were  the  social  manners  of  the  people.  Ardent  spirits,  in  the  days 
of  yore,  were  almost  indispensable  in  all  social  gatherings,  whether  for 
pleasure  or  mutual  aid.  Even  at  ordinations,  the  reverend  divines  must 
needs  have  a  glass  of  brandy  to  quicken  the  fervor  of  their  devotions. 
In  a  bill  of  expenses  incurred  on  such  an  occasion  in  the  vicinity  of 
Kittery  Point,  there  are  charges  for  eight  quarts  of  rum,  and  two  of 
brandy,  for  the  clergy  and  council.  At  funerals  the  practice  was  stiU 
worse,  and  can  only  be  sm-passed  by  an  Irish  wake,  where  fighting  and 
other  indecencies  are  indulged  in.  The  intoxicating  cup  was  freely  cir- 
culated, and  the  sighs  and  tears  of  sympathizing  friends  were  awakened 
by  potations  of  spiced  rum ;  but  they  prayed  as  heartily  as  they  drank, 
which  w^as  strong  evidence  of  their  sincerity,  and  may,  in  a  measure,  be 
a  redeeming  point  for  the  unholy  indulgence. 

Although  civil  dissensions  and  political  changes  occurred  to  impede 
the  general  prosperity,  yet  the  population  and  wealth  gradually  in- 
creased until  the  disastrous  war  of  King  PhUip.  The  following  are 
among  the  names  of  some  of  the  early  settlers :  John  Andrews,  Philip 
Babb,  Mary  Baylie,  John  Bursley,  Humphrey  Chadbourne,  William 
Chadbourne,  Nicholas  Frost,  Charles  Frost,  William  Everett,  Nicholas 
Shapleigh,  and  Thomas  Withers.  The  people  of  IQttery  joined  the 
inhabitants  of  York,  Saco,  Wells,  and  Cape  Porpoise  in  the  petition 
of  August  12,  1656,  to  Oliver  Cromwell,  to  be  continued  under  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts,  under  whose  jurisdiction  they  placed  them- 
selves November  20,  1652. 

Until  1636,  the  fur  trade,  fishing,  and  lumbering  were  the  chief  em- 
ployments of  the  first  settlers.  About  this  time  a  large  number  of  fami- 
lies —  some  of  them  farmers  —  were  sent  here  by  Mason  and  Gorges, 
and  with  them  ample  supplies  of  stock,  provisions,  and  agricultural  im- 
plements. The  number  of  mills  increased  on  the  small  rivers,  and  lum- 
ber and  ship-timber  soon  floated  down  in  gondolas  to  Kittery  Point  and 
New  Castle,  whence  they  were  shipped  to  various  ports,  European  and 
American.  But  the  most  lucrative,  extensive,  and  durable  business  was 
the  fisheries.  It  required  but  a  small  outfit,  rarely  failed  of  a  good  re- 
turn, and  always  met  with  ready  sale  or  a  profitable  exchange  in  Amer- 
ican or  foreign  ports.  Ship-building  was  an  early  and  very  extensive 
branch  of  industry  on  the  Piscataqua  and  its  tributary  streams ;  and, 
from  the  fact  that  foreign  merchants  could  supply  themselves  at  a  lower 
price  here  than  elsewhere,  many  vessels  were  built. 


184  HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

A  garrison  house  was  erected  on  the  point  previous  to  the  commence- 
ment of  King  Philip's  war,  and  as  early  as  1700  a  fort  was  erected. 
The  celebrated  Colonel  Church,  a  desperate  enemy  of  the  Indians,  in 
his  eastern  expedition  in  1704,  had  orders  to  send  his  sick  and  wounded 
to  what  is  now  Portland,  or  to  Pepperrell's  fort  at  Kittery  Point.  This 
fort  was  probably  a  private  concern,  or  built  at  the  expense  of  the  inhab- 
itants. In  1714,  the  province  of  Massachusetts,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
levying  of  improper  duties  by  New  Hampshire,  made  Kittery  Point  a 
port  of  entry,  and  adopted  measures  to  retain  it  as  such. 

One  of  New  England's  distinguished  heroes  —  Sir  William  Pepper- 
rell,  Bart.  —  was  born  in  Kittery,  in  1696.  His  father  was  a  hard-work- 
ing Welshman,  who  emigrated  to  the  Isle  of  Shoals,  and  there,  amid 
storms  and  struggles,  from  the  humble  calling  of  a  fisherman,  rose  to 
the  condition  of  a  wealthy  merchant,  and  bequeathed  to  his  son  the  for- 
tune and  position  of  a  gentleman.  Young  Pepperrell  had  as  much  taste 
for  warlike  pursuits  as  for  the  counting-house,  and  prospered  by  follow- 
insr  both.  The  breakins;  out  of  the  French  war  in  1745  afforded  him 
the  opportunity  to  be  a  hero,  and  he  was  not  slow  to  avail  himself  of  it. 
He  was  among  the  first  to  discover,  that,  if  the  French  were  to  be  subju- 
gated in  America,  the  preliminary  step  was  the  reduction  of  their  Sebas- 
topolian  stronghold  —  Louisburg  —  on  the  island  of  Cape  Breton. 
The  enterprise  was  ultimately  resolved  upon,  and  Pepperrell  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  expedition.  The  fortress  was  taken,  and  the  title  of 
baronet  was  conferred  upon  the  intrepid  leader.  Sir  William  died  on 
the  6th  of  July,  1759,  leaving  a  princely  fortune,  which,  in  a  brief  hour, 
was  scattered  broadcast  by  the  confiscation  act  of  1778.  His  funeral 
obsequies  were  attended  by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  and  every  mark 
of  respect  exhibited.  The  drooping  flags  at  half  mast  on  both  shores 
of  the  Piscataqua,  the  solemn  ]<nell  from  neighboring  churches,  the  re- 
sponsive minute-guns  from  all  the  batteries,  and  the  mournful  rumbling 
of  the  muflled  drums,  announced  that  a  great  man  had  fallen,  and  was 
descending  to  the  tomb.  The  old  mansion  of  Sir  William,  now  stand- 
ing upon  the  point,  is  plain  in  its  architecture ;  and,  before  being  cur- 
tailed ten  feet  from  each  end,  contained  a  great  number  of  rooms.  The 
lawn  in  front  extends  to  the  sea ;  and  the  restless  waves,  over  which  Sir 
William  successively  sought  fortune  and  fame,  still  ghtter  in  the  sun- 
beams, and  dash  around  the  desolate  mansion.  The  fires  of  hospitahty 
are  extinguished ;  and  its  present  occupants  are  the  families  of  poor 
fishermen.  But  little  of  its  former  elegance  and  ornamental  work  now 
remain. 

The  surface  of  Ivittery  is  generally  of  an  even  character.  It  is  com- 
pactly built,   and  there   are   many  good   stores  and  private  residences. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   KNOX,   ETC.  185 

Near  the  centre  is  a  large  body  of  water,  called  Spruce  creek,  which 
empties  into  the  Piscataqua.  There  are  two  villages — Fore  Side  and 
Kittery  Point,  both  places  of  considerable  importance.  Coasting  and 
fishing  are  the  principal  pursuits  from  which  the  trade  springs,  and 
almost  every  branch  of  mechanical  industry  is  prosecuted.  The  relig- 
ious denominations  have  here  five  church  edifices — Congregational, 
Free-will  Baptist,  Episcopal,  Methodist,  and  Christian.  The  town  is 
divided  into  thirteen  school  districts,  and  has  two  post-offices  - —  Kittery 
and  Kittery  Point     Population,  2,706  ;  valuation,  8290,492. 

Knox,  'Waldo  county,  lies  equally  distant  from  the  Kennebec  and 
Penobscot  rivers,  and  is  distant  northwest  from  Belfast  twelve  miles. 
The  settlement  was  first  commenced  in  the  year  1800  ;  and  the  territory 
comprising  it  formerly  belonged  to  the  Waldo  Patent.  It  Avas  incorpo- 
rated February  12,  1819,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  General 
Henry  Knox,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Knox  contains  an  area  of  17,000 
acres,  the  principal  portion  of  which  has  been  bereft  of  its  native  growth 
of  timber,  and  is  now  yielding  ample  crops  to  the  husbandman :  two 
villages  —  Knox  and  East  Knox,  with  a  post-office  at  each ;  three 
church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Baptist,  and  a  union  house  ;  nine  school 
districts;  four  saw-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  two  carriage  builders,  and 
one  pail-maker.     Population,  1,102 ;  valuation,  ^133,194. 

Lagrange,  Penobscot  county,  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot  river, 
thirty-one  miles  north  from  Bangor,  was  incorporated  in  1832,  and  is 
watered  by  Birch  stream  and  its  branches,  and  by  the  east  branch  of 
Dead  stream.  The  soil  is  good,  and  well  timbered.  It  produces  large 
quantities  of  wheat,  and  the  usual  varieties  of  grain  common  to  the 
state.  Lumbering  is  as  yet  the  chief  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants.  It 
has  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist),  four  school  districts,  with 
seven  schools ;  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-miU,  two  shingle  mills,  one 
carriage  factory,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  482 ;  valuation, 
$38,300. 

Lebanon,  on  Salmon  Falls  river,  in  the  western  part  of  York  county, 
was  granted  by  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  in  1733,  to  settlers, 
by  whom  it  was  inhabited  a  few  years  afterwards.  Its  Indian  name 
was  Towwoh,  and  it  was  incorporated  under  its  present  name,  June 
25,  1767.  Lebanon  has  an  extensive  territory,  and  agriculture  forms  a 
large  share  of  the  attention  of  the  people.  It  has  two  villages ;  four 
church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and  two  Free-will  Baptist ; 
one  seminary,  chartered  and  endowed  by  the  State,  and  now  in  a  flour- 

16* 


186  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ishing  condition ;  twenty  school  districts,  with  nine  schools  ;  four  saw- 
mills, three  grist-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  one  tannery,  and  four  post- 
offices —  Lebanon,  Centre  Lebanon,  West  Lebanon,  and  North  Leb- 
anon.    Population,  2,208  ;  valuation,  §354,809. 

Lee,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  twelve  miles  east  of  Lincoln,  on 
what  is  called  the  upper  route  from  Bangor  to  Calais,  equally  distant, 
or  sixty  miles  from  each  city.  It  was  originally  granted  by  the  state  of 
Massachusetts  to  Williams  College,  and  was  sold  by  the  trustees  of  that 
institution  to  parties  living  in  Cumberland  county.  An  unfortunate 
lawsuit,  relative  to  the  title  of  the  land,  retarded  for  many  years  the 
settlement,  as  well  as  its  prosperity.  After  a  long  period  of  litigation, 
which  ended  only  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  the  case 
was  decided  in  favor  of  the  settlers.  The  first  inhabitants  took  up  their 
residence  in  1824 ;  and  at  that  time  there  was  no  road  nearer  than 
Passadumkeag,  twenty-eight  miles  below.  Jeremiah  Fifield  and  his 
wife,  who  are  still  living,  were  the  first  who  moved  in.  In  1832,  the 
town  was  incorporated,  having  at  that  time  about  four  hundred  inhab- 
itants. 

The  land  is  generally  good,  and  was  originally  covered  with  a  dense 
forest  of  hard  wood,  —  hemlock,  spruce,  and  pine.  There  are  large 
quantities  of  first-rate  land  here,  both  wild  and  partially  cleared,  which 
only  requires  skilful  cultivation  to  make  it  productive.  The  facilities 
for  lumbering  have  been  such,  and  the  apparent  inducements  so  tempting, 
that  too  many  have  sought  for  an  annual  harvest  in  the  forest,  rather 
than  in  the  field.  The  consequence  is  that  the  pine  forests  have  melted 
away  without  yielding  adequate  returns  for  the  labor  bestowed  ;  and 
those  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  business  denounce  Maine  as  unfit 
to  live  in,  and  have  gone  or  are  going  to  "the  Far  West"  to  find 
happier  homes  in  the  prairie  wastes  of  other  states. 

In  1845,  the  legislature  incorporated  the  trustees  of  the  Lee  Normal 
Academy,  and  endowed  it  with  half  a  township  of  land,  which  the 
trustees  subsequently  sold  for  about  @4,000.  This  sum  now  constitutes 
a  permanent  fund  for  the  support  of  the  school.  Many  of  the  first 
settlers  understood  the  value,  and  prized  the  institutions  of  learning,  and 
religion.  Public  worship  has  been  maintained  from  the  first  settlement, 
—  the  Baptists,  Congregationalists,  Free-will  Baptists,  and  Univer- 
salists  having  each  performed  their  part  in  sustaining  worship,  and  in 
giving  a  moral  and  rehgious  tone  to  the  character  of  the  people.  The 
first  mill  erected  was  in  1827,  and  was  built  on  the  Mattabunk  stream, 
at  the  place  where  the  village  is  now  located.  There  are  two  Free-will 
Baptist  churches  in  Lee ;  eight  school  districts,  with  nine  schools ;  and 
one  post-office.     Population,  917 ;  valuation,  $68,151. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    LEEDS,    ETC.  187 

Leeds,  Androscoggin  county,  is  situated  about  twenty  miles  west 
from  Augusta,  and  adjoins  Wayne  and  Monmouth  on  the  east.  The 
first  settlement  was  made  during  the  Revolutionary  war  by  Thomas 
and  Roger  Stinchfield,  Josiah  Fish,  and  Daniel  Lane  (the  two  former 
coming  from  New  Gloucester,  Me.,  and  the  two  latter  from  Sandwich, 
Mass.),  who  located  themselves  near  Leeds  Centre.  They  were  fol- 
lowed soon  after  by  the  Gilberts,  the  Jenningses,  and  Messrs.  Cushman, 
Freeman,  and  William  Fish.  The  settlement  was  called  Littlesboro', 
from  the  fact  of  its  being  claimed  by  the  Pejepscot  proprietors,  of  whom 
Josiah  Little  was  a  principal  one,  and  agent  for  the  company.  Their  title 
came  by  deed  from  Warumbee  and  other  Indian  chiefs  to  Richard 
Wharton  and  others,  July  7,  1684.  Richard  Wharton  and  Thomas 
Purchas,  two  of  the  proprietors,  then  resided  at  Twenty  Mile  Falls,  on 
the  Androscoggin  river.  Under  this  title.  Little  laid  claim  to  the  whole 
township,  and  the  settlers  purchased  their  lands  of  him ;  but  the  Ply- 
mouth company  opposed  Little's  claim,  and  held,  by  decision  of  the 
courts,  the  eastern  part.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  settlers  in  that 
section  had  to  repurchase  their  lands  of  that  company. 

From  its  first  settlement  it  bore  the  name  of  Littlesboro',  but  in  1801 
it  was  incorporated  as  Leeds.  Leeds  is  an  agricultural  town,  and 
contains  many  excellent  farms.  The  surface  is  moderately  uneven,  and 
the  soil  generally  good.  The  Androscoggin  pond  lies  on  the  east,  be- 
tw^een  Leeds  and  Wayne,  and  has  its  outlet  in  Dead  river,  which  runs 
through  here  and  empties  into  the  Androscoggin  river.  The  water- 
power  is  inconsiderable,  there  being  but  two  saw-mills  and  one  grist- 
mill in  operation.  The  principal  business  is  carried  on  at  North  Leeds 
and  Curtis's  Corner.  The  inhabitants  are  generally  moral  and  industri- 
ous, and  there  are  qmte  a  number  of  active  and  enterprising  men.  The 
Androscoggin  Railroad,  from  its  junction  with  the  Kennebec  and  Andros- 
coggin Railroad,  passes  directly  through  to  Farmington.  There  are 
four  churches  —  two  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  and  one  belonging  to  the 
Friends;  thirteen  school  districts;  and  four  post-offices —  Leeds,  Leeds 
Station,  North  Leeds,  and  South  Leeds.  Population,  1,652;  valuation, 
$225,330. 

Levant,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  about  ten  miles  northwest  of 
Bangor.  The  first  settlement  was  made  by  William  and  George  Teb- 
bets,  and  Messrs.  Boobar  and  Knowland,  some  time  prior  to  the  year 
1800.  In  1801,  Major  Moses  Hodsdon,  from  South  Berwick,  settled  on 
the  land  now  occupied  by  the  village  in  Kenduskeag,  which  was  re- 
cently taken  from  Levant  and  added  to  the  former  town.  In  1802, 
Major  Hodsdon  erected  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  three  dwelling-houses,  a 


1S8  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

store,  and  blacksmith's  shop,  which  were  the  first  framed  buildings 
erected  in  these  parts,  and  in  fact  the  only  ones,  save  three  or  four  oth- 
ers, which  were  standing  at  that  time  between  here  and  the  Kennebec 
river.  Major  Hodsdon  was  largely  engaged  in  surveying,  and  in  the 
purchase  and  sale  of  lands.  Shortly  after  his  arrival,  his  brother  and 
others  followed,  who  gave  a  rapid  impetus  to  the  settlement. 

The  inhabitants  held  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  William  Wetmore, 
who  purchased  of  the  state  in  1792.  Kenduskeag  plantation  was  the 
original  name,  which  was  retained  until  the  period  of  incorporation, 
1813,  when  the  present  name  was  given.  The  surface  is  uneven, 
though  the  soil  is  fertile.  It  is  drained  by  Kenduskeag  river  and  its 
branches.  The  village  is  situated  on  the  river,  where  are  several  mills. 
There  are  three  stores,  one  fulling-mill,  one  tannery,  one  grist-mill,  and 
six  saw-mills ;  two  churches  —  Universalist  and  Methodist  Episcopal ; 
nine  school  districts,  with  ten  schools  ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Levant 
and  West  Levant.  The  population,  in  1850,  was  1,841 ;  but  the  incor- 
poration of  Kenduskeag  has  probably  reduced  it  to  1,200 ;  valuation, 
$169,397,  which  has  also  been  correspondingly  reduced. 

Lewiston,  situated  in  the  central  part  of  Androscoggin  county,  mak- 
ing a  nearly  oblong  square  upon  the  easterly  side  of  the  Androscoggin, 
running  upon  the  river  about  twelve  miles,  was  a  part  of  the  Pejepscot 
claim.  It  was  first  entered  for  settlement  in  the  spring  of  1771  by 
Paul  Hildreth  and  David  Pettingill,  with  their  families,  who  came  from 
New  Gloucester,  and  located  about  half  a  mile  below  the  falls.  In  the 
spring  of  1772,  Lawrence  J.  Harris,  of  Dracut,  Mass.,  immigrated  hither 
with  his  large  family,  and  brought  men  and  materials  for  the  erection  of 
mills.  Under  an  arrangement  with  Captain  Moses  Little,  of  Newbury, 
and  Colonel  Bayley,  then  the  Pejepscot  claimants,  Mr.  Harris  was  to 
receive  two  large  lots  of  land  around  the  falls,  and  one  hundred  acres 
for  each  of  his  five  sons,  the  title  of  which  land  remained  in  his  family 
until  1810,  and  is  now  included  in  the  very  valuable  tract  owned  by  the 
Franklin  Company.  Until  that  time,  the  nearest  saw-miU  was  at  North 
Yarmouth,  twenty-five  miles  distant. 

The  next  settler  was  a  Mr.  Varnum,  also  from  Dracut.  In  1773,  a 
part  of  the  territory  was  surveyed  and  lotted  for  the  Pejepscot  claim- 
ants by  Amos  Davis,  D.  Pm-inton,  and  Nathaniel  Ingorsal.  Davis 
moved  with  his  family,  January  25,  1774,  from  New  Gloucester,  and 
Israel  Herrick  became  a  settler  at  the  same  time.  A  memorandum, 
made  at  that  date  by  Davis,  states  that  Thomas  and  Jonas  Cobourn 
were  also  residents.  The  Revolutionary  war  brought  in  other  settlers, 
who  sought  refuge  further  from  the  coast ;  among  whom,  in  1776,  were 


MAINE  - 


■TOWN    OF    LEWISTOX. 


189 


James  Garcelon  (the  progenitor  of  all  the  Garcelons  in  this  country), 
with  his  five  sons  (one  t)f  whom  was  Colonel  William  Garcelon  of 
Lewiston),  and  two  daughters  ;  Josiah  Mitchell,  Joel  Thomson,  Stephen 
Coffin,  Mark  Pettingill,  Joel  and  Jesse  Wright,  and  Solomon  Cum- 
mings.  Many  others  settled  previous  to  1780.  In  17SH,  there  were 
seventy-five  families.  Daniel  Davis  kept  the  first  school,  in  a  log  house 
near  the  falls.  Lewiston  was  incorporated  February  IH,  1795.  The 
Friends  organized  the  first  religious  society.  Amos  Davis  built  them  a 
house  upon  his  own  premises.  They  erected  another  house  in  181 1. 
The  Baptists  organized  a  society,  and  built  a  house  in  1818  ;  and  the 


Le\Tiston,  Me. 


Free-will  Baptists  in  1820.  Lewiston  is  somewhat  broken  in  surface, 
but  well  cultivated,  and  contains  many  good  farms.  It  has  excellent 
clay  for  making  bricks  ;  also  several  valuable  ledges,  furnishing  the  best 
of  building  materials,  which  is  shown  in  the  beauty  of  the  dwelling- 
houses,  and  the  substantial  character  of  its  stores  and  manufacturing 
establishments.  Tliis  town  is  connected  with  the  most  flourishing  and 
populous  portions  of  the  state  by  railroad.  But  its  distinguishing  feat- 
ures are  its  almost  unrivalled  water-power,  and  the  extcusive  apphca- 
tion  of  it  to  the  propulsion  of  a  great  variety  of  machinery.  A  correct 
view  of  Lewiston  Falls,  from  a  beautiful  jjhotograph  by  Messrs.  Locke, 
taken  at  a  point  near  the   toll-bridge,  is  given  in   connection  witii  the 


190  HISTORY    AND    DESCEIPTIOIT    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

article  upon  Androscoggin  county.  The  river  breaks  over  a  ledge  of 
rocks  which  crosses  it  diagonally,  creating  a  natural  fall  of  forty  feet  in  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  feet,  which,  by  the  aid  of  dams,  has  been 
increased  to  fifty  feet.  This  water-power  is  now  owned  by  the  Frank- 
lin Company.  Its  use  may  be  best  shown  by  a  brief  synopsis  of  the 
several  manufacturing  interests. 

The  Franklin  Company,  the  successor  of  the  Lewiston  Water-Power 
Company,  has  a  capital  of  $400,000  ;  rans  one  mill  with  five  thousand 
spindles,  and  employs  about  125  operatives  ;  the  manufactures  are  white 
cottons.  Another  mill  is  being  fitted  to  accommodate  fifteen  thousand 
spindles.  —  The  Bates  Manufacturing  Company,  which  went  into  opera- 
tion in  April,  1852,  has  a  capital  of  ©800,000 ;  tAVO  mills,  with  thirty-six 
thousand  spindles,  812  looms,  and  one  thousand  operatives;  manu- 
factures fine  white  cotton  sheetings  and  shirtings,  fancy  cotton  stuffs, 
and  cotton  flannel ;  average  annual  product,  three  million  yards ; 
monthly  pay  roll,  from  ©15,000  to  ©20,000.  —  The  HiU  Manufacturing 
Company  has  a  chartered  capital  of  $1,000,000,  with  ©385,000  invested ; 
one  miU,  with  414  looms  and  22,400  spindles ;  manufactures  fine  cotton 
goods  for  bleaching;  consumes  annually  1,750  bales  of  cotton;  employs 
four  hundred  operatives,  with  a  monthly  pay  roll  of  $7,800.  The  gross 
sales  for  year  ending  June,  1855,  amounted  to  ©310,000.  Since  then 
2,368  spindles  have  been  added,  and  the  sales  have  proportionally 
increased.  —  The  Lewiston  Bagging  Company  has  a  capital  of  $150,000, 
of  which  ©75,000  is  invested ;  one  mill,  which  was  built  in  1854,  and 
went  into  operation  in  1856 ;  seventy-four  looms  and  4,500  spindles  ; 
manufactures  grain  sacks,  with  an  average  of  2,500  sacks  daily,  which 
are  sold  at  $23  per  hundred ;  employs  120  operatives,  with  a  monthly 
payroll  of  about  ©3,000. —  The  Lewiston  Falls  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany has  a  capita]  paid  in  of  ©59,000,  and  is  wholly  devoted  to  woollen 
goods,  chiefly  cassimeres,  tweeds,  and  flannels.  It  runs  five  sets  of  ma- 
chinery, employs  about  thirty  males  and  thirty  females,  and  uses  annu- 
ally 160,000  pounds  of  wool.  —  The  Sabattis  Manufacturing  Company 
is  situated  at  the  outlet  of  Sabattis  pond,  in  Lewiston,  Webster,  and 
Greene ;  has  a  capital  of  ©30,000  ;  mns  three  sets  of  machinery ;  manu- 
factures flannels,  and  uses  about  80,000  pounds  wool  annually. 

The  Lewiston  Furnace  Company  manufacture  steam-engines,  boilers, 
and  machinery  of  all  kinds,  includhig  Reynold's  patent  variable  cut-ofF 
for  steam-engines  ;  it  has  a  capital  of  ©35,000,  employs  forty  hands,  and 
has  a  monthly  pay  roll  of  about  ©1,200.  It  is  owned  by  Reynolds,  Stein- 
metz  and  Company. — ^John  Ferguson  has  a  large  machine  shop  in  one 
of  the  buildings  of  the  Franklin  Company,  which  is  employed  upon  mill 
shafting  and   gearing.     It  has  eight  engine  lathes.     Another  machine 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    LEXINGTON,    ETC.  191 

shop  is  carried  on  in  one  of  this  company's  buildings,  by  Mr.  Whipple, 
for  the  manufacture  of  wooden  machinery.  —  There  are  also  a  corn  and 
flour  mill,  having  four  runs  of  stones,  capable  of  making  150  barrels  of 
flour  per  day ;  a  saw-mill  having  one  gang  and  one  single  saw  capable 
of  cutting  five  million  feet  of  lumber  annually,  with  all  the  appliailces 
for  the  manufacture  of  shingles,  laths,  sashes,  blinds,  doors,  and  bobbins ; 
also  a  large  card  factory. 

Lewiston  has  increased  surprisingly  within  a  few  years,  through  its 
manufacturing  interests.  The  Maine  State  Seminary,  incorporated  in 
1855,  and  endowed  by  the  state,  is  located  here.  There  are  also  four- 
teen school  districts ;  six  church  edifices  —  two  Free-will  Baptist,  one 
Baptist,  one  Methodist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Roman  Catholic; 
and  one  post-office.  Population  in  1850,  3,584,  which  has  probably 
reached  ere  this,  7,000  ;  valuation  for  1858,  ^2,500,000. 

Lexington,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Kennebec  river,  twenty  miles  from  Norridgewock.  It  was  incorporated 
in  1833,  and  has  several  ponds  flowing  into  Seven  Mile  branch  of  Ken- 
nebec river,  which  afford  fine  mill  seats.  The  surface  is  moderately 
uneven,  but  the  soil  is  good,  offering  profitable  investments  for  the 
farmer.  Lexington  has  a  thriving  population,  and  lumber  forms  the 
principal  source  of  wealth.  It  contains  one  church  edifice  (Free-will 
Baptist),  one  saw-mill,  nine  school  districts,  with  ten  schools;  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  538  ;  valuation,  ^43,288. 

Liberty,  in  the  western  part  of  Waldo  county,  eighteen  miles  from 
Belfast,  was  formerly  comprised  in  the  Waldo  Patent.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  1827,  and  is  diversified  with  rocky  eminences  and  fertile 
valleys,  well  adapted  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  It  is  watered  by 
George's  pond,  and  by  several  smaller  streams.  Liberty  contains  one 
church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist),  nine  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools ;  two  extensive  tanneries,  an  iron  foundery,  a  machine 
shop,  a  planing  machine,  saw-mills,  stave  mills,  shingle  mills,  carding- 
machines  ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Liberty  and  South  Liberty.  Popula- 
tion, 1,116 ;  valuation,  $99,715. 

Limerick,  in  the  northern  part  of  York  county,  contains  about  1,400 
acres  of  land.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1775,  by 
emigrants  from  Limerick,  Ireland,  who  arrived  simultaneously  with 
settlers  from  the  coast  towns  of  Biddeford,  Saco,  York,  Kittcry,  and 
Newbury,  Mass.     The   name  of  Limerick  was  conferred  upon  it  as  a 


192  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

compliment  to  those  persons  who  came  here  from  the  county  of  Lime- 
rick, Ireland.  The  parents  of  James  Sullivan,  afterwrards  governor  of 
Massachusetts,  and  General  John  Sullivan,  of  New  Hampshire,  were 
among  the  settlers. 

Limerick  was  incorporated  in  1787.  The  surface  is  hilly;  but  the  soil 
is  very  productive  of  most  farming  staples.  The  best  land  is  on  the 
declivities  of  tha  hills.  Mill  privileges  are  quite  numerous  in  Limerick, 
Ssnsidering  the  small  extent  of  territory  which  it  embraces.  There  are 
two  streams,  one  on  the  east  side  and  one  on  the  west,  both  which 
empty  into  the  Little  Ossipee  river,  which  forms  the  southern  boundary. 
The  inhabitants  are  principally  engaged  in  agriculture.  Hay,  corn,  and 
potatoes  are  the  staple  commodities. 

The  Free-will  Baptist  is  the  oldest  religious  society  here,  having  been 
organized  in  1822.  It  has  a  church  edifice,  as  has  also  the  Congrega- 
tional society.  A  few  families  of  the  Society  of  Friends  have  taken  up 
their  abode  in  Limerick ;  but  they  have  no  meeting-house.  There  are 
ten  school  districts,  with  eleven  schools  ;  a  well-conducted  academy,  its 
building  having  a  beautiful  location  on  an  eminence  near  the  village ; 
and  one  post-office.  Manufacturing  is  carried  on  in  three  saw-mills, 
one  grist-mill,  two  tanneries,  and  three  shingle  mills.  Population,  1,473 ; 
valuation,  $235,780. 

LiMiNGTON,  situated  in  the  northern  part  of  York  county,  is  bounded 
on  the  north  and  east  by  Saco  river.  It  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
tract  of  land  purchased  by  Francis  Small  of  Captain  Sunday,  and  was 
settled  about  1773,  and  called  Ossipee  plantation.  It  is  a  good  ao-ri- 
cultural  town,  and  contains  one  village,  with  the  usual  trade  of  a 
country  community.  The  mechanical  establishments  consist  of  five 
saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  three  shingle  machines,  and  one  carriao-e 
manufactory.      There    are   seventeen   school   districts,   with   thirty-one 

schools ;  an  incorporated  academy ;  a  seminary ;  five  church  edifices 

one  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  two  Free-will  Baptist,  and  one  occu- 
pied by  the  Society  of   Friends ;    and  three  post-offices  —  Limington, 
East  Limington,  and  North  Limington.     Population,  2,116 ;  valuation 
^346,786. 

Lincoln,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Penobscot 
river,  fifty  miles  north  from  Bangor,  and  covers  an  area  of  57,600  acres. 
Israel  Heald,  John  Carpenter,  Alfred  Gates,  Benjamin  Hammond, 
Stephen  Chase,  Humphrey  Merrill,  Ira  Fisk,  and  others  first  settled' 
about  the  year  1825 :  possibly  there  may  have  been  some  previous  to 
this.      A  part  of  Lincoln  was  purchased  from  the   state  by   Governor 


MAINE LINCOLN    COUNTY.  193 

Lincoln  and  others  ;  the  remainder  being  sold  to  settlers.  Those  who 
located  on  the  Lincoln  purchase  came  mostly  from  Oxford  county; 
those  settling  in  other  parts  were  from  New  Hampshire.  Improvements 
were  rapidly  made  ;  and  mills  were  erected  at  an  early  day  on  the 
Mattanawcook  stream,  where  the  lower  village  now  stands.  The 
building  of  the  military  road  from  here  to  Houlton  gave  encourage- 
ment to  the  settlement,  while  its  central  location,  which  made  it  a 
rendezvous  for  lumbermen,  gave  it  an  additional  impetus. 

The  surface  is  broken.  Back  from  the  river  the  land  is  rocky,  and 
hard  to  cultivate ;  while  near  the  river,  it  is  free  from  stone  and  less 
stubborn.  Nearly  half  the  territory  is  under  cultivation.  This  town 
has  produced  a  large  growth  of  valuable  pine  timber,  which  has  mostly 
been  cleared.  That  which  remains  is  spruce  and  hemlock.  Water  is 
supplied  by  a  great  number  of  ponds,  —  Mattanawcook  being  the  prin- 
cipal, —  nearly  all  of  which  have  their  outlets  in  the  Penobscot  river. 
There  are  two  villages,  two  miles  apart ;  one,  called  the  Lower  village, 
situated  one  mile  from  the  Penobscot  river,  on  the  Mattanawcook 
stream ;  and  the  other,  called  the  Upper  vUlagc,  situated  on  the  Penob- 
scot, at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberlassis  stream.  At  the  upper  village 
are  a  carding  mill,  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  a  shingle  machine,  and  a  clap- 
board machine ;  at  the  lower  village,  a  double  saw-mill,  a  grist-mill,  a 
tannery,  a  shingle  machine,  and  a  clapboard  machine.  Considerable 
business  is  done  in  axe  making,  and  in  wagon  and  sled  making.  A 
steamboat  ascends  the  Penobscot  from  Oldtown  to  Mattawamkeag, 
landing  at  the  upper  village.  The  Oldtown  and  Lincoln  Railroad  is 
surveyed  to  Lincoln  Centre,  which,  when  built,  will  prove  highly  ad- 
vantageous. At  the  outlet  of  Long  pond,  about  three  miles  from  the 
upper  village,  are  a  saw-mill  and  a  shingle  and  clapboard  machine. 
A  Baptist  church  was  organized  here  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the 
town ;  but  no  edifice  was  erected  until  1840.  There  are  four  post- 
offices —  South  Lincohi,  Lincoln,  Lincoln  Centre,  and  North  Lincoln; 
an  academy  with  a  fund  of  about  $3,000  ;  and  twelve  school  districts, 
with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population,  1,356;  valuation, 
$127,663. 

Lincoln  County,  situated  a  little  west  of  the  centre  of  the  sea-coast 
of  Maine,  is  a  twin  sister  of  Cumberland,  both  of  which  were  estab- 
lished on  the  19th  of  June,  1760,  as  the  second  and  third  counties  in  the 
province.  The  easterly  line  of  Cumberland  was  then  the  westerly  line 
of  Lincoln,  and  for  a  long  time  this  line  in  part  remained  unbroken ;  but 
other  counties  have  interloped,  and  this  ancient  sisterly  connection  of 
counties  has  ceased.     From  the  time  of  its  formation,  until  the  erection 

VOL.  L  17 


194  HISTORY   AND    DBSCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  Hancock  and  Washington  counties  in  1789,  Lincoln  extended  over 
quite  three  fifths  of  the  territory  of  the  province.  Its  westerly  line  was 
"from  Small  point  northwesterly  upon  Casco  bay  to  New  Meadows 
river,  and  up  said  river  to  Stevens's  carrying  place  at  the  head  of  said 
river;  thence  across  said  carrying  place  to  Merry  Meeting  bay  and 
Androscoggin  river,  and  up  said  river  thirty  miles ;  thence  north  two 
degrees  west  on  a  true  course  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  province."  Its 
north  was  Canada,  its  east.  Nova  Scotia,  and  its  south,  the  ocean. 
Hancock  county  came  across  Penobscot  bay  and  river,  and  took  in 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  Waldo  Patent.  In  1799,  the  organization  of 
Kennebec  took  four  fifths  of  what  remained  after  the  formation  of 
Hancock.  Lincoln  then  continued  undisturbed  until  1827,  when  it 
parted  with  six  towns  to  form  Waldo  ;  and  it  had  an  equal  run  of  time 
again,  down  to  the  organization  of  Androscoggin  and  Sagadahoc,  in 
1854,  when  the  former  received  three  towns  from  it,  and  the  latter  was 
made  entirely  from  it ;  all  these  creations  and  enlargements  of  other 
jurisdictions  apparently  pushing  little  Lincoln  out  to  sea,  or  restricting 
it  certainly  within  bounds  which  inlets  of  the  sea  make  far  into,  and 
broad  rivers  almost  traverse. 

This  county  now  contains  twenty-five  towns  and  three  plantations ; 
nineteen  of  these  towns  are  situated  either  on  navigable  rivers  or  on  the 
seaboard.  The  three  plantations  are  Matinicus  Isle,  Monhegan  Isle, 
and  Muscle  Ridge,  all  sparsely  peopled.  At  the  west  is  Sheepscot  river, 
for  the  accommodation  of  Southport,  Boothbay,  Westport,  Wiscasset, 
and  Alna.  More  centrally  located  is  the  Damariscotta  river,  affording  like 
facilities  to  Bristol,  Newcastle,  Damariscotta,  and  Nobleborough.  The 
Muscongus  river  opens  water  communication  to  Bremen,  Friendship, 
and  Waldoborough,  and  the  St.  George  river  does  a  like  service  for 
Gushing,  Warren,  St.  George,  and  Thomaston,  while  the  broad  Penob- 
scot supphes  South  Thomaston  and  Rockland.  The  people  of  the 
county  are  very  generally  devoted  to  fishing  and  maritime  interests. 
Pownalborough  was  made  the  shire  town  at  the  outset,  and  has  ever 
continued  so,  although  under  another  name;  that  part  of  it  which 
remained  after  the  incorporation  of  Dresden  having,  on  the  10th  of 
June,  1802,  received  from  the  legislature  the  name  of  Wiscasset,  as 
being  more  generally  known  in  the  commercial  world  by  that  cog- 
nomen. 

The  district  court  of  the  United  States  holds  one  term  at  Wiscasset, 
commencing  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  September.  The  county  belongs 
to  the  middle  district  for  the  state  courts,  the  law  term  of  which  is  held 
at  Augusta.  The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court  for  civil  and 
criminal  business   commence  on  the  fourth   Tuesday  of  January,  and 


MAINE TOWN    OF   LINCOLNVILLE,    ETC.  195 

the'  first  Tuesday  of  October  ;  and  for  civil  and  criminal  business  on  the 
first  Tuesday  of  May.     Population,  47,048 ;  valuation,  $8,191,197. 

LiNCOLNVlLLE,  Waldo  county,  is  situated  on  the  western  shore  of  Pe- 
nobscot bay,  and  is  some  seven  miles  in  length,  and  about  four  miles  in 
width.  John  Studley,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Wilson,  were  the  first 
settlers,  having  arrived  in  the  year  1774.  The  surface  is  broken,  rocky, 
boggy,  and  mountainous.  It  is  watered  by  several  ponds,  known  as 
Canaan,  Fletcher,  Mulnox,  Andrews,  and  Pitcher,  or  Knights ;  and  is 
drained  by  the  Megunticook  and  Duck-trap  streams.  Peaked  mountain, 
situated  in  the  northwest  part,  is  the  highest  elevation,  having  an  alti- 
tude of  about  eight  hundred  feet. 

There  are  three  small  villages  —  Duck-trap,  French's  Beach,  and  Lin- 
colnville  Centre ;  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Free- 
will Baptist ;  seventeen  school  districts,  with  thirty -three  schools ;  two 
post-offices  —  LincolnvUle  and  Centre  Lincolnville ;  also,  four  saw- 
mills, three  shingle  mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  tannery,  one  carriage 
builder,  and  two  ship-builders.     Population,  2,174  ;  valuation,  $248,890. 

LiNNEUS,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Aroostook  county,  at  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mattawamkeag  and  Meduxnekeag  rivers,  was  first  settled 
by  Daniel  Neal,  from  New  Brunswick,  in  1826.  It  was  surveyed  into 
lots  in  1827.  Colonel  Moses  Burleigh,  from  Palermo,  who  settled  in 
1830,  is  now^  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  He  was  a  captain  in 
the  militia  of  Maine,  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  in  1812 ;  and  was, 
with  his  company,  called  into  service,  and  stationed  at  Belfast  when  the 
British  came  up  the  Penobscot  river  to  capture  the  corvette  Adams, 
lying  at  Hampden.  He  represented  his  district  in  the  Massachusetts 
legislature  several  years ;  and  after  the  separation  of  Maine,  was  for 
several  years  in  the  legislature  of  that  state. 

Linneus  was  incorporated  in  1836.  It  was  originally  granted  by 
Massachusetts  to  endow  a  professorship  of  botany.  Much  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  land  is  gently  undulating ;  though  a  small  portion  at  the 
northwesterly  part  is  rather  hilly  and  stony.  The  soil  generally  is  of  an 
excellent  quality,  and  well  adapted  to  grazing,  and  the  usual  produc- 
tions. From  eighty  to  ninety-tw'O  bushels  of  Indian  corn  to  the  acre 
have  been  produced.  Limestone  of  an  excellent  quality  is  found  in 
abundance  in  the  northwest  part,  and  is  pronounced  by  Dr.  Jackson, 
state  geologist,  to  be  equal  in  quality  to  the  Thomaston  limestone. 
Many  beautiful  specimens  of  magnetic  iron  ore  have  been  found  in  dif- 
ferent parts.  There  are  several  small  ponds,  —  one  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  town ;  another  near  the  northeast  corner,  in  both  which 


196  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

salmon  trout  of  a  large  size  are  found.  Besides  these,  there  are  several 
smaller  ponds.  Linneus  has  eight  school  districts ;  two  post-offices  — 
Linneus  and  North  Linneus  ;  one  saw-mill,  two  stores,  and  two  black- 
smith's shops.     Population,  561 ;  valuation,  §25,199. 

Lisbon,  Androscoggin  county,  originally  belonged  to  the  Pejepscot 
Purchase,  and  formed  a  part  of  Bowdoin  until  June  22,  1799,  when  it 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Thompsonborough,  which,  not  be- 
ing satisfactory  to  the  inhabitants,  was  changed  February  20,  1802,  to 
the  one  by  which  it  is  now  designated.  Li  an  agricultural  point  of 
view,  Lisbon  holds  an  important  position ;  and,  from  its  location,  it  is 
inferred  that  it  will,  at  no  distant  day,  attain  a  reputation  second  to 
none  of  the  towns  in  the  interior  of  the  state.  It  lies  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Androscoggin  river,  on  which  there  are  falls  known  as  the  Ten- 
mile  Falls.  There  are  two  villages  —  Lisbon  and  Little  River,  with  a 
post-office  at  each ;  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist, 
Free-will  Baptist,  and  Methodist;  eleven  school  districts,  an  academy, 
a  public  library;  five  saw-mills,  and  three  grist-mills.  Population,  1,495  ; 
valuation,  263,167. 

Litchfield  is  the  most  southerly  town  in  Kennebec  county,  and  i.s 
separated  from  the  Kennebec  by  Gardiner  on  the  east.  Prior  to  its  set- 
tlement, it  was  frequently  visited  by  two    hunters    from   Topsham 

Andrew  Jack,  and  one  Graves,  who  came  in  pursuit  of  beavers,  otters, 
bears,  and  other  game.  The  former  moved  here  about  the  year  1790. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  about  1775  or  1776,  —  the  settlers  erro- 
neously presuming  that  the  land  was  owned  by  the  state.  The  princi- 
pal proprietors  were  Charles  W.  Apthorp,  of  New  York,  Nathan  and 
James  Bridge,  Dr.  J.  P.  Sheafe,  Messrs.  Wood  and  Boardman,  John 
Pitts  and  Lady  Temple,  who  derived  their  titles  from  the  Plymouth 
company.  The  settlers  paid  from  ^1.75  to  §4.00  per  acre  for  their 
land.  Among  the  early  inhabitants  were  Benjamin  Hinckley,  Eliphalet 
Smith,  a  family  named  Tibbets,  William  Potter,  Barnabas  Baker, 
Thomas  Smith,  Benjamin  Smith,  Andrew  and  David  Springer,  John 
Dennis,  James  Lord,  and  Joseph  Sawyer. 

Litchfield  was  incorporated  in  1795.  It  has  never  been  the  theatre  of 
any  Indian  attacks,  or  other  important  events.  The  surface  is  moder- 
ately uneven,  though  not  broken.  The  land  is  well  suited  to  agricul- 
ture, producing  fine  crops  of  corn,  grain,  and  hay.  It  is  well  water'ed,— 
the  eastern,  northern,  and  part  of  the  western  boundaries  being  ponds 
and  streams  of  water,  which  are  skirted  with  intervals,  yielding  a  large 
quamity  of  hay.     Purgatory  ponds  form  a  continued  chain,  extendincr 


MAINE TOVra    OF   LITTLETOX,   ETC.  197 

through  nearly  the  whole  western  part;  and  derive  their  name,  so  tradi- 
tion says,  from  the  abundance  of  flies  and  mosquitos,  which  harassed 
some  hunters,  who  at  one  time  encamped  on  the  banks  of  one  of  them. 
Loon  pond  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water.  Litchfield  is  intersected  by 
streams,  affording  excellent  mill  sites.  Oak  hill,  a  considerable  eleva- 
tion, extending  from  north  to  south  through  the  western  portion  of  the 
town,  is  rather  rocky,  but  notwithstanding  has  some  good  farms  upon  it. 
The  principal  pursuits  of  the  inhabitants,  exclusive  of  farming,  may  be 
conjectured  from  the  following  summary :  —  five  saw-mills,  four  grist- 
mills, one  carding  machine,  three  shingle  machines,  and  one  match 
factory ;  also  one  hoe  and  fork  factory,  where  one  thousand  dozen  of 
these  tools  are  made  annually.  There  are  two  villages  —  North  Litch- 
field and  Litchfield  Corner,  both  prosperous ;  three  post-offices  —  Litch- 
field, South  Litchfield,  and  Litchfield  Corner ;  three  church  edifices, 
occupied  by  Baptists,  Free-will  Baptists,  and  Congregationalists ;  and 
fourteen  school  districts,  -with  sixteen  schools.  The  Litchfield  academy 
was  incorporated  in  1845,  and  endowed  by  act  of  legislature  in  1849.  It 
has  a  good  library,  apparatus,  maps,  charts,  globes,  and  an  extensive 
cabinet  of  minerals  and  curiosities.  Many  excellent  teachers  have 
received  their  education  at  this  school.  The  Litchfield  Liberal  Insti- 
tute was  incorporated  in  1846,  and  has  received  from  the  state  three 
hundred  dollars.  Population,  2,100  ;  valuation  for  1858,  from  assessors' 
books,  $436,612. 

Littleton,  Aroostoolx  county,  is  an  eastern  frontier  town,  and  joins 
Houlton  on  the  north.  The  northern  half  was  granted  to  Framingham 
academy  in  1801,  and  was  surveyed  in  1802.  The  southern  half  is  the 
northern  part  of  a  township  granted  to  Williams  College,  the  southern 
half  of  which  grant  now  constitutes  the  northern  half  of  Houlton. 
The  area  of  the  town  is  22,040  acres.  That  part  of  Littleton  which 
was  formerly  granted  to  Williams  College  was  made  over  to  that  insti- 
tution by  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  in  1800,  and  was  located 
the  next  year  by  Park  Holland.  The  progress  of  this  settlement  has 
been  very  slow,  which  is  evidenced  by  the  fact,  that,  until  1856,  it  did 
not  possess  a  sufficient  number  of  inhabitants  to  entitle  it  to  incorpora- 
tion. The  southern  half  of  the  town  is  now  quite  thickly  settled.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  land  is  good,  and  is  being  profitably  cultivated. 
Population,  255. 

LiVERMORE  is  the  most  northerly  town  in  Androscoggin  county,  and  is 
situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Androscoggin  river.  In  1736,  a  town- 
ship six  miles  square  was  granted  to  Nathaniel  Harris  and  others,  and 

17* 


198  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTIOIf    OF    NE^y   ENGLAND.' 

was  located  between  the  Merrimac  and  Connecticut  rivers.  The  pro- 
prietors commenced  its  settlement,  laid  out  roads,  erected  a  saw-mill 
and  other  buildings  ;  but,  after  making  these  improvements,  they  lost  the 
grant  in  consequence  of  its  falling  within  the  limits  of  the  then  province 
of  New  Hampshire.  In  1771,  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  to 
malie  up  the  loss  thus  sustained,  granted  them  a  tract  of  land  six  miles 
square,  on  both  sides  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  which  included  East 
Livermore.  It  appears  that  the  grant  was  made  in  consideration  of 
military  services  rendered  at  the  reduction  of  Port  Royal,  (now  Annapo- 
lis,) in  1710.  In  August,  1772,  the  lots  were  located ;  and  in  1774,  the 
proprietors  voted  £A  each  to  the  first  ten  settlers,  provided  they  should 
build  a  house  before  1776.  A  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  notified  at 
Waltham,  Mass.,  in  May,  1775 ;  but  the  war  prevented  any  attendance, 
and  no  further  meetings  were  held  till  March,  1779.  In  1782,  Deacon 
Elijah  Livermore,  who  then  resided  here,  undertook  to  build  a  saw-mill 
and  a  grist-mill.     Livermore  was  incorporated  in  1795. 

Before  the  era  of  railroads,  Livermore  was  on  the  great  thoroughfare 
from  Farmington  to  Portland,  and  was  a  considerable  trading-mart;  but 
the  railroads  have  almost  annihilated  its  business.  Now  every  thing  is 
quiet,  except  the  unostentatious  occupation  of  cultivating  the  soil,  and 
the  few  mechanical  pursuits  necessary  to  an  agricultural  community. 
The  Androscoggin  forms  the  eastern  boundary,  separating  the  town 
from  East  Livermore.  The  land  rises  in  gentle  elevations  from  the 
river,  there  being  little  interval  on  its  banks.  The  soil  is  fertile,  and  is 
generally  cultivated  to  the  summits  of  the  hills. 

Among  the  earliest  setders  were  Hon.  Reuel  Washburn,  and  Israel 
Washburn,  Esq.,  as  also  Deacon  Elijah  Livermore,  who  was  the  orio-inal 
proprietor,  and  from  whom  the  town  took  its  name.  He  cleared  a  laro-e 
farm,  and  here  several  of  his  descendants  still  reside.  Senator  Hannibal 
Hamlin,  of  Hampden,  and  Hon.  E.  L.  Hamlin,  of  Bangor,  are  his  o-rand- 
sons.  The  world  is  familiar  with  the  fame  of  "  the  three  Washburns  " 
the  sons  of  Israel  Washburn,  so  that  any  allusion  to  them  here  would  be 
almost  supererogatory.  Bishop  Soule,  of  the  Methodist  church,  is  a 
native  of  Livermore. 

There  are  two  villages— Bretton's  Mills  and  North  Livermore;  three 
church  edifices — Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Universalist ;  eighteen  school 
districts,  with  thirty-six  schools  ;  four  saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  two 
grist-mills  ;  one  hay-rake  factory,  one  pill-box  factory,  and  one  match 
factory;  also  three  post-offices  —  Livermore,  Livermore  Centre,  and 
Livermore  Falls.     Population,  1,764 ;  valuation,  $271,633. 

LovBLL,  in  the  westeriy  part   of  Oxford  county,  is   a  part  of  what  is 


MAINE TOWN    OF   LOWELL.  199 

called  the  Pequawket  country,  so  named  from  the  tribe  of  Indians,  who 
had  their  head-quarters  at  Fryeburg,  where  the  gallant  and  unfortunate 
Captain  Lovewell  and  his  little  band  of  thirty-four  followers  had  their 
desperate  fight.  Some  years  after,  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts 
granted  a  tract  of  land  to  the  suffering  heirs  of  Captain  Lovewell  and 
his  company;  but  when  the  line  was  run  between  Maine  and  New 
Hampshire,  it  was  found  that  this  township  (now  called  Pembroke),  was 
in  New  Hampshire  ;  and  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  to  make  up 
for  the  loss  thus  sustained,  granted  to  them  another  lying  on  the  easterly 
side  of  Saco  river,  which  was  to  be  called  New  Sanbrook,  and  was  to 
be  six  miles  square,  or  equal  to  that  amount  of  land.  The  usual  con- 
ditions of  a  grant  were  fulfilled  in  this  case.  The  southeasterly  part  of 
the  township,  as  originally  granted,  is  now  incorporated  as  Sweden. 

The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1779,  in  the  south- 
westerly part,  near  Saco  river,  by  Noah  Eastman,  Stephen  Dresser,  John 
Stearns,  Captain  John  Wood,  Oliver  Whitney,  Joseph  McAllaster, 
Annias  McAllaster,  Benjamin  Stearns,  Josiah  Heald,  Levi  Dresser,  John 
Whititig,  Abel  Butters,  James  Kilgrave,  and  others. 

Lovell  was  incorporated  on  the  loth  of  November,  1800.  The  surface, 
as  a  general  thing,  is  uneven  ;  but  the  soil  is  good.  There  are  five 
ponds,  the  principal  of  Avhich,  called  Kezer  pond,  from  an  old  hunter,  is 
a  magnificent  sheet  of  water,  having  three  bays,  about  one  mile  wide 
and  eight  miles  long;  also,  two  small  rivers  —  one,  the  outlet  of  Kezer 
pond,  emptying  into  the  Saco;  the  other  taking  its  rise  from  five  small 
ponds,  mostly  in  the  town  of  Waterford,  known  by  the  name  of  Kezer. 
At  a  short  distance  from  these  ponds,  the  stream  becomes  narrowed  by 
a  ledge,  and,  falling  over  the  precipice,  winds  its  way  along  the  easterly 
part  of  the  town,  and  passes  through  a  very  pleasant  village,  supplying 
excellent  water-power.  This  village  is  doing  considerable  business  for  a 
place  of  its  size.     The  houses  are  well  built  and  pleasantly  situated. 

There  are  three  churches  in  Ijovell  —  one  Methodist  and  two  Con- 
gi-egational ;  three  post-offices  —  Lovell,  Centre  Lovell,  and  North  Lovell ; 
and  fifteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-five  schools.  Population,  1,193 ; 
valuation  for  1858,  $222,000. 

Lowell,  Penobscot  county,  distant  forty  miles  northerly  from  Bangor, 
was  first  settled  by  Alpheus  Hayden  and  Levi  Done,  of  Canaan,  Som- 
erset county,  who  removed  here  March,  1819.  These  settlers,  and  oth- 
ers who  soon  followed,  purchased  their  lands  of  the  state.  The  son  of 
Alpheus  Hayden,  the  first  person  born  here,  was  called  Lowell,  for  whom 
•the  town  was  named.  In  1841,  the  legislature  annexed  to  Lowell  what 
was  called  the  Strip,  north  of  township  No.  1,  Bingham's  Penobscot  pur- 


200  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   KBW   ENGLAND. 

chase.  The  settlers  of  this  plantation  purchased  their  lands  of  the  Bing- 
ham heirs.  Mary  C.  Dean  (afterwards  the  wife  of  Stephen  Kimball,  of 
Bangor)  was  the  first  school  teacher,  and  the  Rev.  Pindar  Field  the  first 
minister  of  this  plantation.  Both  these  individuals  were  held  in  very  high 
estimation  by  the  people,  and  the  plantation,  which  had  been  previously 
called  Page's  Mills  settlement,  was  named  Deanjield,  in  honor  of  them. 
In  1842,  the  legislature  annexed  what  was  called  the  Cold  Stream  set- 
tlement to  Lowell. 

Lowell  was  incorporated  February,  1837,  under  the  name  of  Hunters- 
ville,  which  was  changed  by  the  legislature  the  next  year.  The  surface 
is  uneven,  and  in  some  places  broken.  The  land  is  somewhat  stony 
but  fertile,  and  will  well  reward  the  labor  of  the  husbandman.  There 
are  large  tracts  of  meadow  land  upon  the  rivers  and  streams,  and  large 
quantities  of  lumber  for  building  purposes.  The  pastures  on  the  hills 
are  excellent  for  grazing.  Several  high  elevations  of  land  lie  in  the 
north  part.  The  Passadumkeag  river  passes  from  east  to  west,  some 
six  or  eight  miles,  through  the  town ;  and  the  stream  Escutussis,  from 
the  lake  of  the  same  name,  empties  its  waters  into  the  Passadumkeag 
river. 

The  inhabitants  of  Lowell  are  engaged  somewhat  in  manufactures. 
At  Page's  Mills,  on  the  Passadumkeag  river,  there  is  a  large  tannery  ; 
also  a  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  consisting  of  one  single  and 
one  gang  saw-mill,  and  a  clapboard,  lath,  and  shingle  mill.  One  mile 
above,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Escutussis  stream,  there  is  another  establish- 
ment for  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  consisting  of  one  saw-mill  and 
one  shingle  and  clapboard  mill.  All  the  above  are  new  establishments, 
having  been  erected  within  a  year.  Ascending  the  Escutussis  one  mile, 
another  saw-mill  is  reached ;  and,  one  hundred  rods  above,  are  a  corn- 
mill,  a  flour  mill,  a  clapboard  mill,  and  a  shingle  mill,  which  are  known 
by  the  name  of  Porter's  mills.  Two  miles  above  this,  at  the  outlet  of 
the  Escutussis  lake,  are  the  Verney  mills,  comprising  a  saw-mill  and  a 
shingle  mill.  In  addition  to  the  above,  the  inhabitants  are  quite  exten- 
sively engaged  in  lumbering  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Passadumkeag, 
furnishing  thereby  large  quantities  of  lumber  to  be  manufactured  on  the 
main  Penobscot  river  below. 

The  principal  villages  are  at  Page's  Mills,  formerly  so  called,  and  Por- 
ter's Mills.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  villages  have  united  with 
Burlington  and  built  a  meeting-house,  not  far  from  the  town  line,  which 
is  usually  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists.  A  portion  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Cold  Stream  settlement  are  connected  with  the  Baptist  church 
in  Enfield.  The  people  on  Long  Bridge  are  connected  with  a  Free-will. 
Baptist  church.     There  are  six  school  districts,  and  two  post  oflices  — 


MAINE  —  TOWN  OF  LUBEC,  ETC.  201 

the  Lowell  post-office,  at  Page's  Mills,  and  the  East  Lowell  post-office, 
at  Porter's  Mills.  Population,  378;  assessors'  valuation  for  1858, 
$36,000. 

LuBEC,  Washington  county,  is  situated  on  the  peninsula  opposite 
Campo  Bello  island,  and  was  settled  about  1780.  It  formed  a  part  of 
Eastport  until  June  21, 1811,  when  it  was  incorporated  under  its  present 
name,  from  Lubec  in  Germany.  This  town  is  possessed  of  an  admira- 
ble harbor,  which  is  of  sufficient  capacity  for  vessels  of  the  largest  draught 
—  is  never  obstructed  by  ice  —  is  easy  of  access,  and  well  protected  by 
Grand  Menan  and  Campo  Bello  islands.  The  principal  place  of  busi- 
ness is  built  on  a  point  of  land  jutting  out  into  the  harbor, —  a  beautiful 
location,  —  and  presenting  a  fine  appearance.  Lubec,  from  its  situation, 
enjoys  a  very  extensive  trade  with  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  the  great 
waters  of  Passamaquoddy  bay,  coasting  and  the  cod  and  mackerel  fish- 
eries being  the  principal  branches  of  business.  West  Quoddy  Head 
light-house  is  situated  at  the  western  entrance  into  Passamaquoddy  bay. 
Lubec  contains  two  church  edifices  (Congregational  and  Methodist), 
fourteen  school  districts,  one  tannery,  three  grist-mills,  nine  saw-mills, 
and  three  post-offices — Lubec,  Lubec  Mills,  and  West  Lubec.  Popu- 
lation, 2,814 ;  valuation,  ^240,153. 

Lyman,  in  the  central  part  of  York  county,  was  purchased  in  1660, 
of  an  Indian  sagamore  named  Fluellen,  by  John  Saunders,  John  Bush, 
and  Peter  Tarbitt,  who  sold  their  deed  in  1668,  to  Harlackindine  Sy- 
monds.  Symonds  afterwards  disposed  of  his  title  to  Roger  Haslvins 
and  thirty-five  others,  and,  under  their  proprietorship,  the  town  was  set- 
tled in  1767.  It  was  called  Loxhall  when  incorporated,  March  11, 
1778,  which  name  was  changed  to  the  present  one,  February  26,  1803, 
as  a  token  of  respect,  it  is  believed,  to  Theodore  Lyman,  of  Boston, 
originally  of  York,  Me.  When  first  organized,  the  people  in  their  paro- 
chial affairs  were  connected  with  Alfred  and  Sandford,  from  which  they 
separated  in  1787  or  1788.  John  Low  first  represented  Lyman  in  the 
general  court  in  1786. 

Like  most  of  the  towns  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  the  surface  is 
generally  smooth,  and  the  land  well  adapted  to  the  necessities  of  an 
agricultural  community,  Lyman  being  essentially  of  that  class.  In 
shape  it  is  oblong,  and  is  generally  thickly  settled.  There  are  four 
ponds,  called  respectively  Kennebunk,  Swan,  Bunganaul,  and  Bar- 
ker's, which  afford  sufficient  water  for  all  purposes.  The  Baptists  have 
two  church  edifices,  and  the  Congregationalists  and  Methodists  one 
each.     Lyman  Centre  and  Goodwin's   Mills  are  the  only  fr^vo  villages. 


202  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

There  are  two  saw-mills,  one  carding-machine,  one  grist-mill,  one  car- 
riage factory,  and  one  brick-yard.  Education  receives  proper  attention, 
there  being  twelve  school  districts,  with  twenty-two  schools.  Lyman, 
Lyman  Centre,  and  Goodwin's  Mills  are  the  names  of  the  post-offices. 
Population,  1,376  ;  valuation,  $202,753. 

Machias  is  the  capital  of  Washington  county,  and  a  port  of  entry. 
The  first  knowledge  the  English  obtained  of  this  place  was  in  1633, 
while  the  fierce  contest  was  going  on  between  France  and  Great  Brit- 
ain for  supremacy  on  this  continent.  They  erected  a  trading  house 
here  during  the  spring  of  that  year,  put  in  a  stock  of  goods,  and  com- 
menced a  traffic  with  the  natives.  This  trading  house  the  English  in- 
trusted to  the  keeping  of  five  or  six  armed  men,  who  they  thought  might 
be  able  to  defend  it  from  pillage  by  the  Indians  ;  and,  if  menaced  by  the 
French,  give  such  timely  warning  to  the  proper  authorities  as  would 
enable  them  to  make  arrangements  for  its  defence  before  the  enerriy 
could  arrive.  In  this  they  were  deceived,  for  when  La  Tour,  the  French 
commander,  in  the  spring  of  1634,  learned  of  this  establishment,  he  im- 
mediately started  from  Port  Royal,  and  made  a  descent  upon  it,  captur- 
ing it  after  a  slight  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  armed  force,  two  of 
whom  were  killed.  The  survivors  he  took  prisoners,  and,  with  the 
goods  they  had  in  charge,  returned  to  Port  Royal,  from  whence  the 
prisoners  were  liberated  shortly  afterwards,  —  the  goods  apf)arently  be- 
ing retained  as  lawful  prize.  From  this  time,  for  upwards  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years,  no  attempt  was  made  by  either  nation  to  settle 
the  wilderness  of  Machias. 

In  1761-62,  a  great  drought  prevailed  in  the  eastern  part  of  Maine  ; 
and  the  people  living  on  the  seaboard,  in  order  to  procure  hay  for  their 
cattle,  pushed  further  into  the  wilderness  east  of  the  Penobscot,  and  be- 
came acquainted  with  this  place,  and  the  advantages  it  offered  for  set- 
tlement. They  thereupon  petitioned  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts 
for  a  grant  of  the  territory,  which  petition  was  allowed  in  1770.  Of  the 
eighty  petitioners  for  this  grant,  no  less  than  fifty-four  were  from 
Scarborough.!  Among  the  settlers  in  1763,  were  persons  named  Scott, 
Libby,  Stone,  Larrabee,  Hill,  D.  Fogg,  and  J.  Foster,  most  of  whom 
were  at   West  Falls.     The  Messrs.  Foster,  Munson,  Sevey,  and  Scott, 

'  In  regard  to  the  settlement  of  ]\Iacliias,  a  st<at.ement  has  gained  currency,  that  the 
settlers  fled  here  to  escape  punishment  for  participation  in  the  King  riot,  which  occurred 
at  Scarborougli,  on  the  19th  of  March,  1776.  This  can  scarcely  be  true  ;  for  the  riot  did 
not  take  place  till  six  years  after  the  grant  had  been  made  to  the  signers  of  the  petition. 
It  IS  not,  however,  improbable  that  some  of  the  culprits  might  have  fled  here  for  conceal- 
ment for  a  time  among  their  former  townsmen. 


MAINE TOWN   OF   MACHIAS.  203 

settled  at  East  Falls.  In  1765,  Morris  O'Brien  and  his  sons  built  a 
double  saw-mill  at  the  former  place.  Other  persons  came  in,  and  be- 
fore 1770  several  mills  were  erected  on  both  East  and  West  rivers, 
and  one  on  Middle  river. 

In  1775,  an  affair  occurred  which  acquired  for  the  inhabitants  much 
credit.  Captain  Ichabod  Jones,  of  Boston,  having  obtained  from  Ad- 
miral Graves  permission  to  freight  his  (Jones's)  vessel  with  provisions, 
and  carry  thein  to  this  settlement,  upon  condition  of  returning  with  a 
cargo  of  wood  and  lumber  for  the  British  troops,  arrived  here  early  in 
June,  accompanied  by  the  Margaretta,  an  English  schooner,  well 
armed,  under  the  command  of  Midshipman  Moor.  Jones  had  a  meet- 
ing of  the  settlers,  who  consented  to  allow  the  vessel  to  load.  But  Ben- 
jamin Foster  and  a  party  from  Bast  river  conceived  the  bold  design  of 
making  the  British  schooner  their  prize,  and  her  officers  prisoners.  The 
first  attempt  proved  unsuccessful ;  but  afterwards,  aided  by  Jeremiah 
O'Brien  and  his  sons,  they  succeeded  in  capturing  the  schooner  without 
much  loss  of  life  on  either  side,  ■ —  two  of  the  Machias  men  having  been 
killed  and  several  wounded,  while  the  commander  of  the  British 
schooner  fell  in  the  encounter,  with  several  of  his  men.  Nor  did  the  ex- 
ploits of  these  brave  men  end  here.  They  succeeded  subsequently,  by  a 
bold  stratagem,  in  capturing  a  British  schooner  of  seventy  or  eighty 
tons  with  her  tender,  and  making  their  commanders  prisoners.  For 
their  heroism,  they  afterwards  received  the  thanks  of  the  provincial  con- 
gress. 

In  1777,  in  consequence  of  the  expedition  planned  against  Fort  Cum- 
berland, St.  John's,  and  other  places  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  Machias 
became  a  general  rendezvous  for  the  American  forces,  and  the  British 
admiral  at  New  York  sent  the  Rainbow,  two  frigates,  and  an  armed 
brig  to  frustrate  the  expedition.  They  arrived  in  August,  and  came  to 
anchor  in  Machias  bay ;  and,  after  committing  several  depredations  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood,  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  the  faUs  in  Mid- 
dle river,  where  they  were  received  by  Major  Stillman  and  party  on  the 
one  side,  and  by  Joseph  Neptune,  chief  of  the  Passaraaquoddy  tribe,  on 
the  other,  and  were  effectually  repulsed.  Every  man  in  the  place  able 
to  bear  arms  was  upon  the  shore,  as  well  as  between  forty  and  fifty 
Indians,  who  raised  and  kept  up  a  hideous  yell,  which  so  reverberated  as 
to  induce  the  supposition  that  the  forests  were  full  of  wild  savages. 
Discouraged  by  these  appearances,  and  by  the  vigor  and  spirit  with 
which  they  were  resisted,  the  British  squadron  in  a  day  or  two  left  the 
place,  and  the  town  was  not  molested  again  during  the  war. 

Machias  was  incorporated  June  23,  1784,  and  formerly  embraced 
within  its  limits  East  Machias,  Whitneyville,  Machiasport,  and  Marsh- 


204  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

field.  In  1781,  the  first  church  was  organized,  and  in  1794,  the  first 
meeting-house  erected.  A  convention  being  held  at  Portland  in  1786 
to  consider  the  expediency  of  the  separation  of  Maine  from  Massachu- 
setts, the  people  of  Machias  resolved  that  it  was  not  expedient  to  urge 
such  separation.     This  action  was  repeated  in  1791. 

Its  excellent  location,  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  and  its  navigable  privi- 
leges, which  are  equal  to  any  on  the  coast,  render  Machias  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  towns  in  the  state.  It  is  watered  by  Machias  river, 
which  flows  across  the  northeast  corner.  Machias  does  a  business  an- 
nually in  ship-building,  lumbering,  and  manufacturing,  of  upwards  of 
$2,000,000.  There  are  two  meeting-houses  — •  Congregational  and 
Methodist;  one  school  district,  with  eleven  schools;  a  post-oflice,  a 
printing-ofiice,  two  founderies,  sixteen  saw-mills,  lath  and  shingle  mills, 
a  carriage  manufactory,  grist-mill,  a  telegraph  station,  a  court-house,  a 
jail,  two  hotels,  and  other  buildings  and  conveniences.  Population, 
1,590  ;  valuation,  $600,000. 

Maciiiasport,  Washington  county,  is  an  Atlantic  frontier  town,  situ- 
ated on  the  western  shore  of  Machias  bay.  It  originally  belonged  to 
Machias,  and  was  separated  and  incorporated  in  1826.  It  has  a  great 
number  of  mills ;  and  the  inhabitants  are  very  extensively  engaged  in 
the  lumber  trade,  as  also  in  fishing  and  coasting.  It  is  a  port  of  entry, 
and  has  an  excellent  harbor.  The  railroad  to  Whitneyville,  a  distance  of 
eight  miles,  conveys  the  lumber  from  that  place  to  this  town  for  ship- 
ment. It  was  in  this  part  of  old  Machias  that  the  Plymouth  colony 
established  their  trading  house  in  1633.  It  was  subsequently  occupied 
by  the  French  several  years.  The  details  of  other  portions  of  the  his- 
tory are  involved  in  the  article  on  Machias.  There  are  four  religious 
societies  —  one  Congregational,  two  Free-will  Baptist,  and  one  Second 
Advent ;  nine  school  districts,  several  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  and  one 
post-oflice.     Population,  1,266 ;  valuation,  $106,405. 

Madison,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Kennebec 
river,  and  was  incorporated  in  1804.  It  is  watered  by  a  pond,  the 
outlet  of  which  is  at  Skowhegan ;  and  the  soil  is  of  the  greatest  fertihty. 
The  inhabitants  are,  for  the  most  part,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
for  which  there  is  a  wide  field.  Madison  has  three  villages,  pleasantly 
situated;  three  church  edifices — Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist, 
and  Universalist ;  nineteen  school  districts,  with  thirty-two  schools ; 
three  saw-mills,  tw^o  grist-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Madison,  and  East  Madison.  Population,  1,769;  valuation 
$281,045. 


MAINE TOWN   OF  MADRID,   ETC.  205 

Madrid,  Franklin  county,  is  something  more  than  twenty  miles  north- 
west from  Farmington.  The  first  settlements  were  commenced  about 
1807  or  1808  by  Abel  Cook,  David  Ross,  John  Sargent,  Lemuel  Plum- 
mer.  Miller  Hinkley,  Joseph  Dunham,  Ebenezer  Cawkins,  and  Nathaniel 
Wells.  It  was  formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Phillips,  and  subsequently 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Jacob  Abbot,  whose  heirs  still  own  the  un- 
settled land,  amounting  to  nearly  half  the  township. 

Madrid  was  incorporated  in  1836.  Some  of  the  land  is  good,  while 
other  portions  are  unfit  for  cultivation.  It  has  three  saw-mills,  a  grist- 
mill, two  clapboard  machines,  and  two  shingle  machines.  As  yet  there 
is  no  house  of  public  worship.  Meetings  are  held  in  school-houses  ;  and 
though  the  town  is  but  partially  settled,  the  inhabitants  have  sustained 
stated  meetings  on  the  Sabbath  most  of  the  time  from  the  earhest  date 
of  their  arrival.  There  are  seven  school  districts,  with  twelve  schools ; 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  404 ;  valuation,  $23,964. 

Manchester,  Kennebec  county,  is  situated  about  nine  and  a  half 
miles  west  of  the  Kennebec  river,  extending  from  east  to  west  about 
three  mUes,  and  from  north  to  south  about  eight  miles.  The  first  set- 
tlement was  commenced  in  1775.  Nathaniel  Floyd,  a  native  of  Plym- 
outh, Mass.,  took  up  a  "settler's  lot"  in  the  south  part;  and  the  same 
year,  Thomas  Allen,  a  native  of  Braintree,  Mass.,  obtained  of  the  gov- 
ernment a  lot  in  the  north  part,  which  remains  in  the  family  until  the 
present  day,  and  is  now  owned  by  a  grandson  of  said  Thomas  Allen 
(William  H.  Allen,  president  of  Girard  college).  In  1776,  Captain 
John  Evans  and  Francis  Fuller  of  Cape  Cod,  and  Reuben  Brainard  of 
Haddam,  Conn.,  took  up  lots;  Samuel  Cummings,  of  Stoughton, 
Mass.,  took  up  one  in  1778;  and  several  other  persons  soon  after.  From 
this  time  to  1790,  settlers  came  in  from  Massachusetts  in  such  numbers 
that  most  of  this  part  of  the  country  was  taken  up  in  farms. 

Manchester  was  incorporated  August  12,  1850,  by  the  name  of  Ken- 
nebec, and  is  composed  of  parts  of  HaUoweU,  Litchfield,  Winthrop,  and 
Readfield.  A  strip  upon  the  northeast  side  of  Manchester  was  annexed 
to  Augusta  in  1856.  The  name  was  changed,  April  18,  1854,  to  Man- 
chester. The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven.  A  large  portion  of  the 
Cobbossee  Contee  pond,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  about  nine  mUes 
long  by  one  mile  wide,  interspersed  with  numerous  islands,  lies  in  the 
southwestern  part  The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is 
agriculture,  which  at  the  present  time  is  carried  on  by  many  on  scien- 
tific principles  with  good  success.  There  are  two  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments,—  one  of  painted  carpetings,  and  one  of  hay  forks  and 
VOL.  I.  18 


206  HISTORY   AND   DESCKIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

manure  forks.  In  the  eastern  part  is  a  fine  quarry  of  excellent  granite, 
from  which  large  numbers  of  blocks  are  excavated  annually  and  shipped 
to  other  states.  There  are  three  church  edifices  in  Manchester,  one 
occupied  by  the  Baptists,  one  by  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  one  as 
a  Union  meeting-house ;  seven  school  districts,  with  the  same  number 
of  schools ;  one  village,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,000 ;  valu- 
ation, 277,448. 

Maeiaville,  Hancock  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  Union 
river.  The  first  settler  was  a  Mr.  Fabrick,  who  arrived  here  about  1802. 
Captain  Benjamin  Epps,  Daniel  Epps,  Emerson  Alcott,  Seth  Alcott, 
James  Fletcher,  James  Hapworth,  and  Ehsha  Goodwin  settled  here 
soon  after.  The  principal  inducement  which  brought  these  pioneers  to 
this  region  was  the  timber,  from  which  they  expected  to  reap  a  profit- 
able harvest,  but  were  disappointed. 

Mariaville  was  incorporated  into  a  plantation  in  1820 ;  and,  in  1822, 
it  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits,  by  taking  from  its  territory  the 
present  towns  of  Aurora,  Amherst,  and  Waltham.  It  was  incorporated 
in  1836.  The  surface  is  broken,  and  in  some  parts  rocky  to  a  consid- 
erable extent.  Union  river  furnishes  supplies  of  water.  Situated  on 
West  brook  is  a  tannery,  which  is  doing  a  very  good  business.  There 
are  also  two  grist-mills  and  one  saw-mill,  besides  two  clapboard  and  two 
shingle  machines.  There  is  one  church  edifice,  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  Baptists;  five  school  districts,  with  eight  schools;  and  one  post- 
office —  North  Mariaville.     Population,  374;  valuation,  ^36,847. 

Marion,  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county,  was  in- 
corporated in  1834.  It  is  watered  by  a  large  pond  on  the  west,  which 
separates  it  from  East  Machias.  The  surface  is  hilly,  and  the  soil  of 
a  variable  description  ;  but  chiefly  of  a  moderately  productive  character. 
The  village  is  situated  in  the  northeast  part,  on  the  post-road  leading  to 
Dennysville.  The  town  contains  several  saw-mills;  three  school  dis- 
tricts, and  one  post-office.     Population,  207 ;  valuation,  $21,369. 

Marshfield,  Washington  county,  was  formerly  the  northern  part  of 
Machias,  and  received  its  act  of  incorporation,  June  30,  1846.  The 
people  are,  for  the  main  part,  engaged  in  farming  operations ;  but  ship- 
building and  lumbering  are  carried  on  to  a  moderate  extent.  The  town 
is  pleasantly  situated,  and  is  increasing  in  importance  and  population. 
It  has  two  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools  ;  three  saw- 
mills, four  shingle  mills,  two  grist-mills,  and  one  carding-machine. 
Population,  294 ;  valuation,  41,354. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  MASON,   ETC.  207 

Masakdis,  Aroostook  county,  is  situated  upon  both  sides  of  the 
Aroostook,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix  river.  Colonel  Thomas 
Goss  was  the  first  settler,  who,  previous  to  the  Aroostook  war,  in  1839, 
ran  away  from  his  family  in  Levant,  and  eloped  with  a  widow  Nelson. 
During  his  flight,  he  went  to  New  Brunswick,  and  made  his  way  round 
by  the  St.  John  and  the  Aroostook  to  this  town,  and  commenced  its 
settlement.  He  remained  here  in  solitude  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Aroostook  war,  when  a  son  of  his,  from  Levant,  who  had  been  drafted 
into  the  service,  discovered  his  residence,  and  was  greatly  surprised  to 
identify  his  father.  This  son  soon  after  moved  here  with  his  family, 
and  was  followed  by  John  Nolan,  who  married  a  daughter  of  widow 
Nelson.  The  widow  died  in  1840 ;  and  after  her  death  Goss  united  his 
fortunes  with  an  Irishwoman,  and  pushed  on  up  the  river  road,  and 
commenced  a  settlement  in  No.  12,  range  6,  between  the  Aroostook 
river  and  Portage  lake. 

In  the  spring  of  1839,  at  the  time  of  the  war,  Leonard  Reed  moved 
here  with  his  family,  and  was  followed  by  Abiel  McAhishe,  Joseph 
Pollard,  Cyrus  Mcliinney,  Alexander  Woodward,  William  Fitzgereild, 
and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Fogg.  The  first  settlers  were  mostly  men 
of  intemperate  habits  ;  and  their  influence  has  been  seriously  felt  upon 
the  present  inhabitants.  While  a  great  improvement  has  been  going 
on  in  the  way  of  temperance  in  other  parts  of  the  state,  Masardis  has 
been  backward  in  the  march ;  and  is  as  far  behind  to-day  as  she  was 
twenty  years  since.     Masardis  was  incorporated  in  1839. 

The  surface  is  level,  and  along  the  river  the  soil  is  a  rich  alluvium ; 
but,  back  from  the  river,  it  is  not  so  good.  As  yet  no  church  edifice  has 
been  erected,  and  most  of  the  few  houses  are  near  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Croix,  which  is  crossed  by  a  bridge.  A  post-office  is  estabhshed 
here ;  and  there  are  three  school  districts.  The  first  store,  of  which 
there  are  but  few,  was  opened  by  one  Woodward,  who  made  a  fortune 
in  the  rum  traffic.     Population,  122 ;  valuation,  $10,209. 

Mason  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Oxford  county,  and  was  a 
grant  of  land  to  Fryeburg  academy.  It  was  incorporated  in  1843.  We 
are  unable  to  give  any  account  of  its  early  settlement,  or  of  the  manu- 
facturing or  agricultural  interests  of  this  town.  It  has  one  school  dis- 
trict, with  two  schools ;  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  and  one  shingle 
mill.     Population,  93 ;  valuation,  $12,022. 

Mattamiscontis  is  a  very  poor  township,  situated  in  Penobscot 
county,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Penobscot  river,  near  Lincoln.  It  was 
incorporated  in  1839,  but  the  population  has  been  and  still  is  so  small 


208  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

that  they  have  not  been  able  to  support  their  town  organization.  There 
were  fifty-four  inhabitants  here  in  1850,  but  there  are  not  half  that 
number  now.     Valuation,  $6,000. 

Matfield,  Somerset  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Kennebec 
river,  tw^enty-nine  miles  from  Norridgewock.  It  was  incorporated  in 
1836,  and  originally  formed  a  part  of  Bingham's  Kennebec  Purchase. 
It  is  drained  by  the  south  branch  of  Piscataquis  river,  and  by  a  tribu- 
tary of  the  Kennebec.  The  town  is  up  to  the  present  time  but  sparsely 
settled,  and  hence  its  resources,  if  it  has  any,  are  as  yet  undeveloped. 
It  contains  two  school  districts,  and  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Bap- 
tist).    Population,  133 ;  valuation,  $3,435. 

Maxfield,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Penob- 
scot river,  forty-five  miles  north  from  Bangor,  and  was  incorporated  in 
1824.  It  is  watered  by  Piscataquis  river  and  Sebois  stream,  furnishing 
good  water-power,  which  is  used  in  propelling  several  saw-mills.  The 
surface  is  undulating,  with  a  varied  soil,  particularly  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  grain.  It  has  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist),  two 
school  districts,  with  two  schools,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  186  ; 
valuation,  $8,784. 

Medford,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Piscataquis  county,  twenty  miles 
from  Dover,  was  incorporated  in  1824,  by  the  name  of  Kilmarnock,  which 
was  changed  to  its  present  name  in  1856.  It  is  watered  by  the  Piscata- 
quis river,  and  by  the  outlet  of  Scootum  lake.  The  well  timbered  soil  is 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  grass.  It  contains  one  church  (Free-will  Bap- 
tist), three  school  districts,  and  several  mills.  Population,  322 ;  valua- 
tion, $30,378. 

Medybemps,  in  the  eastern  part  of  "Washington  county,  became  a 
corporate  town  in  the  year  1841.  It  has  a  pond  on  the  north,  by  the 
outlet  of  which  it  is  drained.  As  yet  it  is  of  moderate  capacity,  but 
from  the  character  of  the  soil,  the  plentifulness  of  its  woodlands,  and  its 
favorable  location,  it  will  eventually  prove  a  good  place  for  settlement. 
It  has  three  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  287 ;  val- 
uation, $19,739. 

Mercer,  Somerset  county,  lies  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Sandy  river, 
about  seven  miles  from  its  intersection  with  the  Kennebec  at  Indian 
Old  Point,  —  formerly  the  site  of  the  village  of  the  Norridgewock  In- 
dians, and  celebrated  as  the  place  where  that  tribe  and  their  priest 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    MEXICO.  209 

Father  Rasle,  were  destroyed  in  1724.  The  settlement  was  commenced 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  —  about  1784.  Tradition 
says,  Nathaniel  Emery,  many  years  a  pensioner,  was  the  first  settler. 
He  was  emphatically  the  pioneer  of  the  town,  —  his  custom  being  to  fell 
a  few  acres  of  trees,  build  a  log  house,  then  sell  his  improvements  and 
commence  again.  Prominent  among  the  first  settlers  were  Nahum 
Baldwin,  from  New  Hampshire,  Samuel  Hinckley,  from  Georgetown, 
Me.,  Nathaniel  Davis,  of  Cape  Ann,  Mass.,^  Joshua  Greenleaf,^  Am- 
brose Arnold,  and  eight  or  ten  others.  The  first  settlements  were  com- 
menced on  the  river  lots,  and  the  intervals  there,  prior  to  settlement, 
were  covered  with  a  stately  growth  of  maple,  elm,  butternut,  and  other 
kinds  of  hard  wood,  indicative  of  a  strong  and  productive  soU. 

With  the  exception  of  the  river  lots,  Mercer  was  mostly  an  unbroken 
wilderness  until  1801,  after  which  it  was  rapidly  settled  ;  and,  in  a  few 
years,  there  was  not  an  unoccupied  lot.  The  titles  to  all  the  land,  ex- 
cept that  in  the  easterly  part,  were  obtained  from  the  Plymouth  com- 
pany. It  was  incorporated  in  1804.  In  1835,  twenty  families,  with  their 
farms,  were  annexed  from  Starks.  In  1840,  a  portion  of  Mercer,  con- 
taining twenty -five  famihes,  was  set  off  to  form  Smithfield ;  and  in  1841, 
another  portion,  containing  twelve  famUies,  was  given  to  New  Sharon. 

The  surface  is  gently  undulating,  with  one  large  swell,  called  Beech 
hill,  nearly  in  the  centre,  which  contains  over  twenty  beautiful  farms. 
The  landscape,  as  seen  from  Beech  hill,  is  surpassed  at  but  few  loca- 
tions in  the  country.  North  pond,  in  the  southeast  corner,  is  three 
miles  long  by  two  wide,  and  hes  partly  in  Mercer,  partly  in  Smith- 
field,  and  partly  in  Rome.  It  is  well  stocked  with  fish  of  various  kinds. 
The  only  village  lies  on  the  Big  stream,  which  passes  through  the  town 
from  north  to  south,  and  falls  into  the  Sandy  river,  two  miles  below. 
There  are  four  stores,  a  tin  and  sheet-iron  manufactory,  a  carriage  and 
sleigh  factory,  a  starch  factory,  a  shovel-handle  factory,  a  tannery,  tw^o 
saw-mills,  a  grist-mill,  four  shingle  machines,  three  blacksmiths'  shops, 
and  other  operations.  Besides  these,  there  are  four  churches  —  Con- 
gregational, Universalist,  Methodist,  and  Free-will  Baptist;  eight  school 
districts,  with  eighteen  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population, 
1,186 ;  valuation,  $146,504. 

Mexico,  Oxford  county,  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Androscog- 
gin river,  twenty-five  mUes  from  Paris,  and  was  incorporated  in  1818. 

'  Mr.  Davis  was  in  early  life  a  soldier,  and  was  at  Fort  William  Henry,  having  nar- 
rowly escaped  the  massacre  that  followed  the  taking  of  that  fort 

*  This  gentleman  settled  here  in  1 785,  and  died  in  1856,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-three  years. 

18* 


210  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

When  a  plantation  it  was  called  Holmanstown.  It  is  watered  by  two 
of  the  tributaries  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  and  is  possessed  of  a  good 
soil,  and  has  average  water-power.  It  has  one  church  (Universalist), 
six  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  a  tannery,  two 
saw-mills,  two  shingle  miUs,  and  a  post-office.  Population,  482  ;  valua- 
tion, $57,480. 

MiLLBRiDGE,  Washington  county,  was  set  off  from  Harrington,  Steu- 
ben, and  Cherryfield,  in  1848.  It  is  watered  by  the  Narraguagus  river, 
at  the  mouth  of  which  there  is  a  thrifty  little  village,  and  tide-mills  for 
sawing  lumber  and  grinding  grain,  which  cost  in  their  erection  upwards 
of  $100,000.  Considerable  ship-building  has  been  done  here.  The 
principal  business  of  the  inhabitants  is  fishing  and  coasting.  Some  few 
vessels  are  employed  in  the  foreign  trade.  Millbridge  has  one  village ; 
two  church  edifices  —  Union  and  Methodist;  eleven  school  districts, 
with  eleven  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,170  ;  valuation 
for  1858,  $250,000. 

MiLFORD,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Penobscot 
river,  opposite  Oldtown  and  Orono.  It  was  incorporated  in  1833,  and 
is  at  present  the  terminus  of  the  Bangor  and  Oldtown  Railroad.  The 
surface  is  level,  but  the  soil  is  generally  poor  and  swampy.  The  princi- 
pal business  in  which  the  inhabitants  are  engaged  is  lumbering.  There 
is  one  village  here,  and  there  are  four  school  districts,  with  five  schools, 
one  saw-mill,  one  shingle  mill,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  687 ; 
valuation,  $128,876. 

MiLO  is  situated  in  the  southeast  part  of  Piscataquis  county,  eighteen 
miles  from  Dover,  and  was  incorporated  in  1823.  It  is  a  beautiful 
township,  situated  on  the  fertile  banks  of  Sebcc  and  Pleasant  rivers,  at 
their  union  with  the  Piscataquis,  by  which  it  is  watered.  The  surface 
is  pleasantly  diversified,  and  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  grain. 
The  village  contains  a  number  of  dwellings,  stores,  and  workshops,  and 
there  are  a  few^  mills  and  manufactories.  It  has  two  churches  (Congre- 
gational and  Free-will  Baptist),  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  932 ;  valuation,  $89,416. 

MiNOT,  Androscoggin  county,  originally  comprised  in  the  town  of 
Poland,  was  granted  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Baker,  by  Massachusetts, 
to  make  up  for  the  loss  of  a  similar  tract  granted  to  him,  which  was 
found  to  be  in  New  Hampshire.  Moses  Emery  was  the  first  settler, 
having  arrived  in  1772.    Messrs.  Bray,  Wellcome,  Safford,  Hawke,  Buck- 


MAINE  —  MONHEGAN  ISLAND.  211 

man,  Dwinal,  Shaw,  and  Vareal  were  among  those  who  followed 
shortly  afterwards.  Minot  was  incorporated  February  7, 1802.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  first  settlers,  there  were  several  Indians  belonging  to  the 
Anasagunticook  tribe  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  The  first  meeting- 
house was  built  May  29,  1805,  and  the  second  July  3,  the  same  year. 
Auburn  was  incorporated  from  the  eastern  part  of  Minot  in  1842. 

The  surface  is  hiUy,  but  not  mountainous,  and  is  well  adapted  to 
agriculture,  which  is  the  principal  pursuit  The  Little  Androscoggin 
river  furnishes  water-power  of  a  serviceable  and  profitable  description. 
Lumber  is  an  article  of  manufacture,  comprising  pine  boards  and  plank, 
clapboards  and  shingles,  (split  and  sawed,)  oak  and  other  hard  wood 
plank,  sugar-boxes  for  the  Havana  market,  and  shooks  and  staves. 
Some  business  is  also  carried  on  in  the  manufacture  of  leather — boots, 
shoes,  saddles,  and  harness.  There  are  four  religious  societies  —  Con- 
gregational, Universalist,  Methodist,  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  eight  school 
districts,  with  eleven  schools ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Minot,  West 
Minot,  and  Mechanic  Falls.     Population,  1,734 ;  valuation,  $297,184. 

MoNHEGAN  Island  belongs  to  Lincoln  county  —  is  situated  just  outside 
of  the  entrance  to  Muscongus  bay,  and  is  only  a  plantation.  The 
name  is  of  Indian  origin,  and  signifies  "  Grand  Island."  It  was  discov- 
ered by  Captain  George  Weymouth  in  1605,  who  gave  it  the  name 
of  St.  George's  island,  dividing  the  honor  of  the  name  between  his 
patron  saint  and  himself.  This  name,  however,  it  did  not  long  retain, 
its  former  one  being  considered  more  appropriate.  Monhegan  Island 
has  always  been  a  place  of  resort  for  European  fishermen  and  traders ; 
and  the  winter  of  1618-19  was  spent  here  by  a  part  of  the  crew  sent 
over  by  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges.  In  1623-4,  Prince  mentions  it  as  "  a 
settlement  of  some  beginnings,"  and  as  a  "  plantation  of  Sir  F.  Gorges." 
In  1626,  Abraham  Shurt  was  sent  over  by  Elbridge  and  Aldsworth, 
the  owners  of  the  Pemaquid  Patent,  to  purchase  the  island  from  Abra- 
ham Jennings  of  Plymouth,  the  owner,  for  which  he  gave  £50.  It  was 
depopulated  in  King  Philip's  war ;  but  was  soon  after  resettled,  and  has 
ever  since  continued  in  a  thriving  condition. 

The  island  comprises  upwards  of  a  thousand  acres  of  good  land,  has 
a  bold  shore  on  all  sides,  a  large  projection  of  rocks  at  its  northeastward 
part,  and  has  one  good  harbor.  There  are  103  inhabitants,  about  four- 
teen dwelling-houses,  and  a  school-house,  where  the  children  are  edu- 
cated and  religious  meetings  held.  The  people  are  industrious,  prosper- 
ous, and  well  informed  ;  and  are  engaged  in  fishing  —  both  at  home  and 
on  the  Grand  Banks  —  and  ia  agriculture.  Several  vessels  are  owned 
on  the  island.     There  are  no  officers  of  any  kind  —  the  people's  affairs 


212  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

# 

being  governed  and  guided  to  suit  themselves,  conformably  to  certain 
rules  and  usages  which  they  have  laid  down.  There  is  a  light-house  on 
the  island,  which  was  erected  in  1824.     Valuation,  ^3,506. 

On  the  island  of  Mananas,  which  is  merely  an  adjunct  of  Monhegan, 
is  a  rock  bearing  inscriptions,  which  have  caused  a  good  deal  of  research 
and  inquiry  among  antiquaries,  though  the  result  has  not  been  very 
satisfactory.  The  characters  are  about  eight  inches  in  length,  and  pene- 
trate quite  deeply  into  the  rock.  They  appear  upon  what  seems  to  be 
a  stratum  softer  than  the  main  ledge,  which  is  hornblende,  and  they  all 
stand  in  proper  parallels  with  each  other,  and  obliquely  to  the  course  of 
the  stratum.  Every  effort  hitherto  made  to  prove  these  characters  of 
Indian  or  Scandinavian  origin  has  failed.  Dr.  Hamlin  has  taken  a  cast 
of  the  inscription  in  relievo,  and  sent  it  to  the  American  Antiquarian 
Society  at  Copenhagen  for  examination ;  but  no  report  has  yet  been 
received.  He  did  not  pretend  to  recognize  the  simple  Runic  characters 
in  these  inscriptions ;  and,  although  at  first  inclined  to  regard  them  as 
the  attempts  of  some  illiterate  Scandinavian,  he,  as  well  as  others  who 
have  investigated  the  matter,  have  concluded  that  they  are  mere  fissures 
in  the  rock. 

MoNMODTH,  Kennebec  county,  is  about  fifteen  miles  west  from  Au- 
gusta, midway  between  the  Kennebec  and  Androscoggin  rivers.  The 
first  settlers  were  Thomas  Gray,  Joseph  Allen,  Philip  Jenkins,  Reuben 
Ham,  and  Jonathan  Thompson,  who  came  from  Brunswick  in  1776 ; 
and  in  the  winter  of  1777  moved  in  with  their  families.  After  two 
years,  Ichabod  Baker,  John  Welch,  Alexander  Thompson,  Hugh  Mulloy, 
and  John  and  Benoni  Austin  arrived.  About  1781  came  Peter  Hop- 
kins and  James  Blossom,  and  not  long  after  about  thirty  others,  among 
whom  were  General  Henry  Dearborn,  Simon  Dearborn,  Benjamin  Dear- 
born, and  John  Chandler.  The  first  settlers  found  here  quite  a  tribe  of 
Indians,  who  gradually  disappeared. 

The  settlement  was  first  called  Freetown,  under  the  belief  that  the 
land  was  free  to  every  settler.  Shortly  after  it  was  called  Blooming- 
boro'.  The  first  plantation  meeting  was  held  the  24th  day  of  August, 
1781.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  notification  :  —  "  By  the  desire  of 
a  number  of  inhabitants  of  Bloomingboro',  the  whole  are  hereby  notified 
to  meet  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Ichabod  Baker's,  on  friday  y»  24th  day  of 
August,  1781,  at  12  of  the  clock,  in  order  to  act  on  the  following 
articles :  First,  to  chuse  a  Morderator ;  2dly,  to  chuse  a  Clark ;  3dly,  to 
see  if  the  inhabitants  will  think  proper  to  chuse  one  man  to  act  as  Capt. 
for  the  preasant  year ;  4thly,  to  see  if  the  inhabitants  will  except  of  the 
proposals  made  to  them  by  the  Committee  of  the  general  court ;  5tly, 


MAINE TOWN   OF  MONMOUTH.  213 

to  act  on  any  other  thing,  that  shall  be  thought  proper  by  said  inhabi- 
tants. «  Peter  Hopkins, 

"  Hugh  Mulloy, 
"  Christopher  Stephens. 
"  Blooming-boro',  August  yf  20th,  1781." 

"  At  the  Meeting,  —  Chose  Peter  Hopkins,  Morderator ;  2dly,  chose 
Hugh  Mulloy,  Clark ;  3dly,  chose  Peter  Hopkins  to  act  as  Captain  the 
preasant  year ;  4thly,  voted  that  the  Destrict  wherein  we  now  reside  shall 
be  known  by  the  name  of  Wales,  beginning  at  the  South  line  of  Win- 
throp,  and  running  Southward  eight  miles,  or  thereabouts ;  5thly,  voted, 
that  whatever  tax,  or  taxes,  the  Hon.  Gen.  Court  shall  think  proper  to 
lay  on  said  Destrict,  we  levi  and  raise  within  ourselves. 

"  Hugh  Mulloy,  Clark. 
"Wales,  Aug-,  y'  2ith,  1718." 

At  the  next  plantation  meeting,  April  22,  1782,  they  chose  assessors, 
and  voted  to  raise  £8  to  defray  plantation  charges.  Many  of  the  set- 
tlers never  dreamed  of  paying  for  the  soil,  but  erroneously  believed  they 
could  hold  their  claims  by  possession.  The  township  was  a  part  of  the 
Plymouth  right,  and  had  been  sold  to  different  individuals,  among 
whom  were  the  Hon.  James  Bowdoin,  General  Henry  Dearborn,  and 
Samuel  Sawyer ;  and  a  portion  remained,  taxed,  in  the  first  land-tax  bUl, 
to  Wilham  Vassal,  one  of  the  Plymouth  Company.  The  settlers  obtained 
their  titles  from  the  owners  above  named,  or  their  representatives ;  the 
land  costing  them  from  one  to  three  dollars  an  acre. 

The  plantation  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Monmouth, 
January  20,  1792,  —  so  named  by  General  Henry  Dearborn  from 
Monmouth,  New  Jersey,  in  the  battle  of  which,  June  28,  1778,  he  was 
engaged.  At  this  time  the  place  contained  about  fifty-five  families. 
At  the  first  town  meeting,  April  2,  1792,  it  was  voted  to  raise  £30  for 
the  support  of  schools;  XlOO  to  make  and  repair  highways;  £15  for 
preaching,  and  £6  to  defray  town  charges,  all  to  be  paid  in  corn  and 
grain,  excepting  the  highway  appropriation.  In  1794,  a  contract  was 
made  for  carrying  the  mail  through  Monmouth,  —  this  being  the  first 
mail  route  that  was  established  to  Hallowell  and  Augusta  east  of  Port- 
land. Up  to  1794,  the  settlers  were  chiefly  without  public  religious 
instruction.  In  1793,  however,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Lee  formed  a  Methodist 
circuit  in  the  province,  and  the  first  Methodist  society  in  Maine  was 
formed  here  during  the  next  year,  for  which  a  meeting-house  "was 
finished  in  1796.  This  society  now  numbers  nearly  two  hundred 
members. 


214  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

In  the  same  year,  a  meeting-house  was  constructed,  to  be  used  for 
religious  worship  and  town  meetings,  on  land  given  for  the  purpose 
by  Lady  Temple,  a  non-resident  proprietor.  The  house  was  partly 
finished,  so  that  the  meetings  were  held  in  it  in  1799,  and  it  was  com- 
pleted in  1800.  It  stood  some  forty  years,  when,  becoming  dilapi- 
dated, it  was  taken  down,  and  the  Monmouth  town-house  built  in  its 
place. 

Among  the  distinguished  individuals  who  have  been  residents  of 
Monmouth  may  be  mentioned  Generals  Henry  Dearborn  and  John 
Chandler.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  in  1783,  General 
(then  Colonel)  Dearborn  came  into  the  settlement,  and  became  pro- 
prietor of  5,225  acres  of  land,  made  a  farm,  built  mills,  and  made  Mon- 
mouth his  home  for  a  number  of  years.  He  spent  a  portion  of  the  time 
here  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  greatly  respected  among  the 
settlers.  General  Chandler  was  the  poorest  man  in  the  settlement ;  and 
was  an  itinerant  blacksmith.  His  talents  were  of  a  high  order ;  and,  by 
perseverance  and  industry,  he  became  wealthy.  From  poverty  he  rose  to 
be  a  major-general  in  the  militia,  a  brigadier-general  in  the  war  of  1812, 
a  representative  in  congress,  United  States  senator,  collector  of  the  port 
of  Portland,  and  filled  several  other  important  offices.  Among  others 
who  have  been  residents  may  be  mentioned  General  James  McLellan, 
a  distinguished  merchant  of  Bath;  Colonel  Greenleaf  Dearborn,  of  the 
United  States  army ;  General  Ira  Blossom,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  and  the 
Hon.  Anson  G.  Chandler. 

There  are  three  villages,  all  important  places  of  business  :  North  Mon- 
mouth, East  Monmouth,  and  Monmouth  Centre.  North  Monmouth 
village  is  at  the  outlet  of  Wilson  pond,  so  named  from  one  Wilson,  who 
was  drowned  in  it  by  the  Indians.  This  village  has  two  manufactories 
for  making  boot-webbing  and  binding,  a  shovel  and  hoe  factory,  a  tan- 
nery, machine  shops,  turning  shops,  a  sleigh  and  can-iage  manufactory, 
boot  and  shoe  shops,  mechanic  shops,  stores,  and  mills.  The  water- 
power  is  excellent,  and  the  place  is  rapidly  growing.  At  East  Mon- 
mouth village,  situated  at  the  outlet  of  the  South  pond,  are  mills,  a  car- 
pet factory,  and  a  store.  At  the  Centre  village,  situated  at  the  outlet 
of  Cochnawagan  pond,  are  mills,  a  sash,  door,  and  blind  manufactory, 
stores,  and  the  Monmouth  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  office.  The  Andros- 
coggin and  Kennebec  Railroad  passes  through  Monmouth. 

Rlonmouth  is  one  of  the  best  agricultural  towns  in  the  state,  with 
not  a  lot  of  waste  land  in  it.  There  are  five  houses  for  religious  wor- 
ship—  the  Methodist  chapel;  the  Union  house  at  North  Monmouth, 
occupied  by  Methodists,   Christians,    Congregationalists,  and  Universa- 


MAINE  —  TOWN  OF  MONROE,  ETC.  215 

lists ;  the  Union  house  at  East  Monmouth,  occupied  by  Methodists  and 
Baptists ;  the  Baptist  house  on  Monmouth  Ridge ;  and  the  Congrega- 
tional house  at  Monmouth  Centre.  Monmouth  academy  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  efficient  institutions  of  the  kind  in  this  state.  There 
are  three  post-offices  —  Monmouth,  North  Monmouth,  and  East  Mon- 
mouth ;  and  fourteen  school  districts.  Population,  1,925 ;  valuation  of 
taxable  property  for  1858,  $516,700. 

Monroe,  "Waldo  county,  joins  Frankfort  on  the  west  The  first  set- 
tlement was  commenced  soon  after  that  of  Frankfort.  It  was  at  first 
called  Lee  plantation ;  and  in  1822,  when  it  became  an  incorporated 
town,  it  received  its  present  name,  James  Monroe  being  then  president 
of  the  United  States.  The  surface  is  broken.  It  is  watered  by  the  north 
and  south  branches  of  Marsh  stream.  The  inhabitants  are  principally 
engaged  in  agriculture ;  and  of  late  considerable  interest  has  been  taken 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  various  kinds  of  fruit-trees  adapted  to  the  cli- 
mate. There  are  two  small  villages ;  twelve  school  districts,  with  twen- 
ty-three schools ;  three  post-offices,  called  Monroe,  Monroe  Centre,  and 
North  Monroe;  and  one  church  edifice,  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
Free-will  Baptists,  Universalists,  and  Methodists.  There  are  also  three 
shingle  mills,  one  carding-machine,  one  tannery,  one  grist-mill,  one 
pail  factory,  and  one  carriage  factory.  Population,  1,606 ;  valuation, 
$184,206. 

MoNSON,  Piscataquis  county,  is  situated  eighteen  mUes  northwest  from 
Dover,  and  was  incorporated  in  1822.  It  is  watered  by  Piscataquis 
river  and  Wilson's  stream,  which  furnish  good  water-power  for  mills. 
The  surface  is  of  a  varied  cast ;  a  large  portion  of  which  is  wild  land. 
It  is  settled  by  an  industrious  class  of  people,  who  have  furnished  them- 
selves, as  far  as  practicable,  with  the  various  essentials  necessary  to 
comfort,  and  the  prosecution  of  their  limited  business.  There  are  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  eight  school  districts, 
with  eleven  schools ;  an  academy,  generally  well  attended ;  some  mills 
and  other  machinery,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  654 ;  valuation, 
$66,733. 

MoNTiCELLO,  Aroostook  county,  bounded  south  by  Framingham  acad- 
emy grant,  (now  part  of  Littleton,)  was  incorporated  July  29,  1846. 
The  river  Meduxnekeag  passes  through  it  from  west  to  east,  and  furnishes 
good  water-power.  Monticello  is  situated  in  a  very  fertile  section  of 
country,  and  holds  out,  from  the  productiveness  of  its  soil,  the  best  in- 
ducements for  the  settlement  of  industrious  and  energetic  farmers.    The 


216  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OB   NEW   ENGLAND. 

surface  is  densely  covered  Avith  timber,  the  preparation  of  which  for 
market  at  present  forms  the  principal  pursuit  of  its  inhabitants.  There 
are  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  227 ;  valua- 
tion, f  16,518. 

MoNTViLLE,  Waldo  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  twenty-six  miles, 
and  from  Belfast  fourteen  miles.  The  first  settlement,  according  to 
Williamson,  was  made  as  early  as  1780 ;  though  circumstances  lead  us 
to  suppose  that  it  was  not  commenced  till  1783.  A  Mr.  Stannard  had 
a  temporary  abode  here  about  1778-79,  but  moved  away  about  the 
time  of  the  arrival  of  the  first  settler,  James  Davis,  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, originally  from  Massachusetts.  Two  years  after,  Mr.  Davis's  two 
sons,  William  and  Joshua,  arrived ;  also  another  Davis,  a  distant  rela- 
tive of  James,  aU  of  whom  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  is  now 
known  as  Liberty.  These  families  intermarried,  and  soon  became  so 
numerous  that  the  place  was  called  Davistown,  which  name  it  retained 
tUl  the  date  of  its  incorporation.  William  Clark  and  Archibald  McAl- 
ister,  from  Jefferson,  then  Ballstown,  settled  here  soon  after ;  and,  about 
1793,  Timothy  Barret,  a  native  of  Concord,  Mass.,  came  to  Montville, 
and  lived  as  a  hermit  till  within  about  three  or  four  years  of  his  death, 
in  1847,  at  the  supposed  age  of  eighty-five.  Montville  was  the  second 
grand  division  of  the  grant,  known  as  the  "  Twenty  Associates'  Pro- 
prietary," the  most  of  which  was  subsequently  owned  by  Joseph  Pierce, 
of  Boston,  from  whom  the  settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands. 

Montville  was  incorporated  February  18,  1807.  The  surface  is  quite 
uneven,  being  broken  into  hills  and  mountains.  Near  the  centre  there 
is  a  considerable  mountain,  called  the  Hogback,  on  the  west  side  of 
which  the  water  flows  into  the  Sheepscot  river,  on  the  east  side  into 
the  George's  river,  and  on  the  north  side  into  the  Sebasticook.  The 
inhabitants  are  mostly  engaged  in  agriculture,  notwithstanding  the 
broken  condition  of  the  country.  The  slopes  of  the  hills  furnish  good 
pasturage,  and  in  many  places  excellent  tillage.  Lumber  is  here  manu- 
factured, but  of  late  only  to  a  limited  extent,  as  the  forests  are  nearly 
exhausted. 

The  Rev.  Moses  McFarlin,  born  in  1781,  came  here  in  1799,  com- 
menced preaching  in  1805,  and  still  frequently  occupies  the  pulpit. 
Hon.  Ebenezer  Knowlton,  a  representative  from  this  district  in  the  con- 
gress of  1855-7,  is  also  a  preacher,  and  was,  in  1845,  speaker  of  the 
house  of  representatives  of  Maine.  There  are  four  church  edifices  — 
three  of  which  are  occupied  by  the  Free-will  Baptists  ;  four  post-offices 
—  Montville,  Centre  Montville,  South  Montville,  and  East  MontviUe  ; 
and  sixteen  school  districts.  Population,  1,881 ;  assessors'  valuation  for 
1858,  $347,000. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   MOREILL,   ETC.  217 

Morrill,  "Waldo  county,  historically  included  in  Belmont,  from 
which  it  was  taken,  was  incorporated  March  3,  1855,  named  in  honor 
of  Anson  P.  Morrill,  late  governor  of  the  state.  The  first  settlements 
were  commenced  in  1801-2  by  James  Weymouth,  Benjamin  Smith, 
Joseph  Coming,  and  Nathaniel  Cushman.  All  these  settlers  purchased 
their  lands  from  General  Knox,  the  original  proprietor  under  the  Waldo 
Patent. 

The  town  is  moderately  uneven,  but  with  very  Kttle  waste  land. 
Agriculture  is  the  leading  occupation.  Morrill  is  watered  by  Cross's 
pond  and  Passagassawaukeag  stream.  The  manufactures  consist  prin- 
cipally of  lumber.  There  are  four  saw-miUs,  one  grist-mill,  four  shingle 
mills,  and  five  stave  mills.  About  twenty  thousand  lime-casks  are  an- 
nually manufactured,  besides  large  quantities  of  staves,  shingles,  and 
boards.  It  has  one  village ;  also  one  church,  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  Baptists,  Free-will  Baptists,  Methodists,  and  Christians;  six  school 
districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Popu- 
lation, 750 ;  valuation  of  real  and  personal  property,  $80,512. 

Moscow,  Somerset  county,  formerly  township  No.  1,  in  the  second 
range  on  the  east  side  of  Kennebec  river,  belonged  to  Bingham's  Pur- 
chase, and  was  incorporated  January  30,  1816.  It  is  twenty-eight  miles 
from  Norridgewock,  and  is  said  by  Wilhamson  to  have  been  settled  in 
1773,  which  is  certainly  somewhat  earlier  than  several  settlements  be- 
low this  on  the  Kennebec.  The  land  was  surveyed  and  lotted  in  1812, 
at  which  time  a  petition  to  the  legislature  was  started  for  incorporation. 
It  was  signed  by  the  greater  part  of  the  adult  male  residents,  as  it  rep- 
resented "  that  there  were  between  thirty  and  forty  heads  of  families  in 
said  township."  The  petition  further  set  forth  the  usual  occasion  for 
corporate  rights  — "  that  the  roads  were  bad  and  out  of  repair,"  and  that 
they  had  no  legal  means  of  enforcing  a  contribution  towards  their  sup- 
port from  the  unwilling.  This  place  sometimes,  naturally  enough,  went 
by  the  name  of  Bakerstown  —  Nathan  Baker  and  no  less  than  six  other 
Bakers  being  among  the  petitioners ;  but  it  should  not  be  confounded 
with  Bakerstown,  which  was  the  original  name  of  Poland,  Minot,  and 
Auburn.  The  petitioners  asked  for  incorporation  by  the  name  of  North- 
field  ;  but  after  the  action  of  the  several  legislatures  from  1813  to  1816, 
the  town  emerged  by  the  name  of  Moscow. 

The  soU  is  good,  and  there  are  many  well-tended  farms,  which  yield  to 
their  owners  good  supplies  of  grain  and  the  other  staple  products  of  this 
part  of  the  country.  Water  is  supplied  by  a  pond,  and  by  a  branch  of 
the  Kennebec  river.  There  are  two  religious  denominations  —  Baptist 
and  Free-will  Baptist ;  eleven  school  districts  ;  one  post-office  —  West 
VOL.  I.  19 


218  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Moscow ;  and  a  saw-mill  and  shingle  mill  are  among  the  mechanical 
operations.     Population,  577 ;  valuation,  f 48,616. 

Mount  Desert  is  an  island  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Hancock 
county,  and  is  the  most  extraordinary  one  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  per- 
haps on  the  whole  coast  of  America.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  size,  its 
singular  topography,  its  bold  and  wild  scenery,  and,  still  more,  for  its 
wilder  and  stranger  history.  Mount  Desert  is  especially  a  mythical 
region.  Whoever  visits  it,  if  he  is  familiar  with  its  earliest  records  and 
legends,  will,  as  he  sits  upon  some  bold  pinnacle  of  its  mountains,  and 
glances  over  its  sea-cradled  islands,  its  sun-burnished  creeks,  its  moun- 
tain lakes,  and  its  alp-like  ravines,  almost  expect  to  see  the  savage 
emerge  from  some  glen,  or  to  see  lying  at  anchor  the  rude  shallop  of  two 
hundred  years  ago ;  or,  stranger  still,  to  behold  some  wanderer  from 
England,  France,  or  Spain,  in  the  habiliments  of  his  time,  with  steeple 
hat,  peaked  beard,  slashed  doublet,  and  sword  by  his  side,  climbing  the 
sea-wall  thrown  up  by  the  ocean,  to  seek  his  rude  cabin  upon  the  shore. 

Mount  Desert,  from  its  imposing  appearance,  was  a  natural  attraction 
to  the  earliest  voyagers.  From  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
this  region  was  visited,  and  its  waters  made  to  contribute  largely  to  the 
luxuries  of  the  tables  of  the  European  nobility.  Later,  or  in  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  it  was  a  familiar  locality  to  the  voy- 
agers De  Monts,  Gosnold,  Pring,  Weymouth,  and  Smith.  In  1608,  a 
French  Catholic  mission  was  established  here  by  the  Jesuits,  Biarde 
and  Masse.  The  place  selected  by  them  is  supposed  to  have  been  on 
the  western  side  of  "  the  Pool,"  a  part  of  the  sound  which  stretches  from 
the  southeasterly  side  to  the  head  of  the  island.  Here  they  constructed 
and  fortified  a  habitation,  planted  a  garden,  and  dwelt  five  years,  enter- 
ing with  great  zeal  and  perseverance  upon  the  w^ork  of  converting  the 
natives  to  their  faith.^ 

'  Dr.  Matlier,  in  Lis  "Magnalia,"  says,  that  there  fell  into  his  hands  the  manuscript  of 
a  Jesuit,  employed  by  the  French  to  instruct  the  Indians  in  holy  and  divine  thino-s,  in 
which  there  were  such  thick-skulled  passages  as  these  :  — 

"  Q.  How  is  the  soyl  made  in  heaven  ?  —  A.  'T  is  a  very  fine  soyl :  they  want  neither 
meat  nor  clothes.  —  Q.  Are  they  employed  in  heaven  ?  —  A.  No ;  they  do  nothino-.  The 
fields  yield  corn,  beans,  and  pumpkins,  without  any  tillage. —  Q.  What  sort  of  soyl  is  hell? 
—  A.  A  very  wretched  soyl;  'tis  a  fiery  pit  in  the  centre  of  the  earth. —  Q.  Have  they 
any  light  in  hell  ?  —  A.  No;  'tis  always  dark.  There  is  always  smoke  there;  their  eyes 
are  always  in  pain  with  it ;  they  can  see  nothing  but  the  devils.  —  Q.  ■\\niat  do  they  eat 
■  in  hell  ?  —  A.  They  are  always  hungry  there ;  but  the  damned  feed  on  hot  ashes  and 
ser]5ents  there." 

Such  was  the  barbarous  divinity  employed  by  the  Jesuits  to  bring  the  Indians  within 
the  pale  of  the  "  true  church." 


MAINE  —  ISLAND    OF    MOUNT   DESEKT.  219 

It  is  doubtful  if  there  were  any  residents  upon  the  island  at  this  time, 
except  savages.  In  1612,  the  possession  of  this  island,  with  aU  the 
interests  of  De  Monts  in  Acadie,  fell  into  the  hands  of  Madame  De 
GuercheviUe,  a  devout  Roman  Catholic  lady,  whose  piety,  as  is  com- 
mon, found  its  objects  of  regard  at  a  distance.  She  despatched  a 
colony  of  twenty-five  persons  to  Mount  Desert,  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  her  agent  Suassaye,  w^here  they  landed  in  the  year  1613.  By 
the  assistance  of  the  ship's  crew,  they  erected  a  few  rude  cabins,  raised 
a  cross,  and,  after  celebrating  high  mass,  called  the  place  St.  Saviour. 

But  their  prosperity  was  short-lived.  In  1616,  or  thereabouts. 
Captain  Samuel  Argal,  of  Virginia,  being  cast  away  on  one  of  the 
islands  in  Penobscot  Bay,  learned  from  the  natives  the  particulars  of 
the  French  settlement  on  Mount  Desert,  and  resolved  to  destroy  it. 
He  returned  at  once  to  Virginia,  and  fitted  out  an  expedition  for  the 
purpose  of  expelUng  these  worshippers  of  the  "  scarlet  woman "  of 
Babylon  from  the  English  patents.  The  French  being  surprised,  the 
place  Avas  taken  with  but  a  feeble  resistance.  The  Jesuit  cross  was 
broken  down,  and  the  cross  of  king  James  erected  in  its  place.  No 
further  attempt  at  settlement  was  made  until  1761,  when  Abraham 
Somes  came  here,  and  built  a  house  at  the  head  of  the  sound,  ever 
since  known  as  Somes's  Sound. 

The  inhabitants  suffered  much  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  both 
from  the  attacks  of  the  enemy  and  for  the  want  of  necessaries ;  but 
their  patriotism  is  abundantly  shown  by  the  records  of  the  town  from 
1776  to  the  close  of  the  war.  The  British  never  had  a  permanent 
occupation  of  the  island  during  the  war ;  consequently,  what  the  inhab- 
itants suffered  was  from  their  predatory  excursions,  pillage,  stealing  of 
stock,  and  those  embarrassments  incident  to  a  constant  state  of  alarm 
from  attacks  which  might  be  expected  at  any  moment.  The  period  of 
the  last  war  with  England  presents  but  little  of  interest  in  this  town. 
The  same  patriotism,  however,  that  was  manifested  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, was  exhibited  during  this  war.  Two  hundred  dollars  per  annum 
was  appropriated  for  powder  and  ammunition ;  and  the  place  was  kept 
in  a  state  of  defence. 

The  act  of  incorporation  of  Mount  Desert  bears  date  February  17, 
1787.  From  this  time  the  inhabitants  set  to  work  with  commendable 
spirit  to  populate  their  beautiful  town.  This  island  is  now  divided  into 
three  distinct  municipalities,  —  Eden,  Tremont,  and  Mount  Desert,  — 
containing  an  area,  in  the  aggregate,  of  60,000  acres.  Its  topography  is 
a  natural  curiosity.  Contrary  to  the  ordinary  level  formation  of  islands, 
it  exhibits  evidences  of  convulsions  of  nature,  which  have  thrown  up 
huge  granite  mountains  to  the  number  of  thirteen,  and   given  to  the 


220  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

scenery  of  the  island  striking  and  picturesque  features.  These  thirteen 
mountains  are  situated  to  the  west  and  north.  Their  crests  meet  the 
sky  ;  and  from  the  receding  ship  the  mariner  may  be  gazing  at  them  as 
the  last  that  is  visible  of  his  native  land,  while,  to  the  homeward  bound 
sailor,  a  view  of  their  hazy  tops  sends  gladness  to  his  heart,  assuring 
him  as  it  does  of  proximity  to  family  and  friends.  The  altitude  of  the 
highest  peak  is  stated  by  Williamson  to  be  2,300  feet ;  by  Dr.  Jackson, 
in  his  Geological  Survey,  1,900  feet ;  and  by  C.  O.  Boutelle,  of  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey,  1,480  feet.  On  the  summit  of  one  of  these 
mountains  there  is  a  pond  of  some  acres,  without  any  visible  inlet  or 
outlet.  The  whole  island  abounds  in  ponds  and  streams,  which  are 
filled  with  fine  fish. 

Mount  Desert  has  become  noted,  during  the  last  few  years,  as  a  place 
of  summer  resort,  and  Nahant  may  yet  look  to  her  laurels.  A  steamer 
pfies  regularly  between  this  place  and  Rockland,  connecting  with 
steamers  to  Belfast,  Bangor,  Portland,  and  Boston.  There  are  eleven 
school  districts,  with  seventeen  schools;  two  post-offices  —  Mo  ant  Des- 
ert, and  Winter  Harbor;  three  religious  societies  —  Baptist,  Congrega- 
tional, and  Methodist;  one  carding-machine,  four  ship-builders,  one 
tannery,  and  one  carriage  builder.     Population,  782 ;  valuation,  $79,181. 

Mount  Vernon  is  situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  Kennebec  county, 
and  was  included  in  the  Kennebec  Patent.  Settlements  were  made  as 
early  as  1774,  and  the  town  was  incorporated  June  28,  1792,  receiving 
its  name  from  the  plantation  of  General  Washington.  Mount  Vernon 
is  a  very  pleasant  spot,  having  a  fine  soil ;  while  its  productions  are 
numerous  and  profitable  to  those  who  make  agriculture  a  business.  It  is 
watered  by  several  ponds,  which  afford  good  water-power.  Mount  Ver- 
non has  three  villages  ;  three  churches  —  a  Baptist,  a  Free-will  Baptist, 
and  a  Union  house  ;  thirteen  school  districts,  with  nineteen  schools ;  one 
grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  one  shingle  machine,  one  turning  machine,  one 
planing  mill,  one  clothing  mill,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,479 ; 
valuation,  $239,056. 

Naples,  Cumberland  county,  distant  from  Portland  thirty  miles  and 
from  Augusta  sixty-three,  was  formed  from  Otisfield,  Harrison,  Ray- 
mond, Bridgeton,  and  Sebago,  and  a  tract  of  about  seven  thousand 
acres,  called  Songo  river,  not  previously  within  the  limits  of  any  incor- 
porated town.  In  1849,  additions  were  made  from  Otisfield;  and,  in 
1851-2,  from  Sebago,  making  the  present  area  of  land  16,500  acres. 
Lying  within  its  limits  is  the  south  end  of  Long  pond,  consisting  of 
fifteen  hundred  acres ;   also  Brandy  pond,  eleven  hundred  acres ;   Cold 


MAINE TOWN    0?    NAPLES.  221 

Rain  pond,  fifty  acres ;  and  Trickey  pond,  six  hundred  acres,  —  making 
in  all  some  3,300  acres  of  "w^ater.  The  whole  area  falls  but  little  short 
of  twenty  thousand  acres.  Sebago  pond  makes  the  southern  boundary 
for  two  or  three'  miles. 

Songo  river,  leading  from  Brandy  to  Sebago  pond,  is  six  miles  in 
length.  This  river,  being  navigable  by  the  aid  of  one  lock,  forms  a  con- 
necting link  between  the  ponds  for  the  Cumberland  and  Oxford  canal. 
A  small  steamer,  for  carrying  passengers  and  towing  boats  and  rafts  of 
logs,  plies  upon  the  river.  Crooked  (sometimes  called  Pequawket) 
river,  a  tributary  of  Songo,  is,  as  its  name  indicates,  very  tortuous,  and 
forms  most  of  the  eastern  boundary.  It  flows  through  here,  being  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  in  length.  Muddy  river,  entering  near  the  north- 
westerly corner,  flows  southeasterly  to  Sebago  pond.  Both  the  latter 
streams  furnish  mill-sites. 

The  formation  of  Naples  is  granitic,  in  which  are  injected  many 
veins  and  dikes  of  quartz  and  trap.  The  granite  contains  a  large  pro- 
portion of  mica  and  felspar,  rendering  it  coarse  and  of  little  value  as  a 
building  material.  There  are  some  localities,  however,  where  the  rock 
assumes  the  character  of  gneiss,  and  quarries  well.  Many  granite  and 
gneiss  boulders,  some  of  large  size  and  worn  as  from  the  action  of  cur- 
rents, are  scattered  here  and  there,  evidently  brought  from  the  hills  at 
the  north-northwest.  These  are  easily  worked,  and  supply  the  demand 
for  home  use.  Specimens  of  flesh-colored  felspar  are  found,  which  are 
very  beautiful. 

Naples  was  endowed  with  corporate  privileges  in  1834.  The  gen- 
eral surface  is  pleasantly  diversified  with  hill,  valley,  and  plain ;  pond, 
river,  and  brook.  There  is  a  great  variety  of  soil,  from  the  arid,  sandy 
plain  to  the  moderately  tough  clay ;  though  the  major  part,  being  the 
detritus  of  a  granite  formation,  is  a  gravelly  loam,  with  many  pebbles 
and  boulders  of  all  sizes  interspersed.  The  hills  are  not  precipitous,  but 
afford  good  grazing  for  the  flocks  and  herds. 

Agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  in  summer. 
Probably  nine  tenths  of  the  taxable  property  consists  of  farms,  farm 
stock,  and  implements.  Farming  is  pursued  with  little  system  or  sci- 
ence ;  each  one  seemingly  endeavoring  to  produce  a  variety,  instead  9f 
relying  upon  a  leading  crop.  Hay  is  the  most  valuable  crop,  and  is 
consumed  at  home.  Lumbering,  in  winter,  affords  employment  for 
many,  though  the  stately  old  forests  of  pine,  oak,  and  hemlock,  for  the 
last  fifty  years,  have  sadly  dwindled  away  before  the  woodman's  axe. 

Naples  has  three  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  and  one  establishment  for 
the  manufacture  of  mackerel-ldts,  half  and  quarter  barrels.  Shoe-mak- 
ing and  bootbinding  furnish  occupation  for  many  fingers  in  times  when 

19* 


222  IIISTOllY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  trade  is  good.  Naples  and  Ede's  falls  are  the  only  two  villages,  at 
each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office.  A  town-house,  used  also  as  a 
church  for  all  denominations,  is  the  only  public  edifice  in  town.  There 
are  twelve  school  districts,  with  an  average  winter  attendance  of  264 
scholars.     Population,  1,025 ;  assessors'  valuation  for  1858,  ^246,441. 

NEWBimGH  lies  on  the  south  line  of  Penobscot  county,  in  the  second 
ranffe  of  towns  west  of  Penobscot  river.     It  was  originally  a  part  of  the 


'5 


tract  granted  to  General  Henry  Knox  for  his  military  services  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  was  sold  by  him  to  Benjamin  Bussey,  who  con- 
tinued to  own  all  the  unoccupied  land  till  his  death.  The  settlement  of 
Newburgh  was  very  much  retarded  by  the  exorbitant  price  demanded 
for  land  by  the  proprietor ;  but  after  his  death,  the  lands  being  offered  at 
a  more  reasonable  rate,  purchasers  were  readily  found,  and  the  set- 
tlement increased  rapidly.  Among  the  original  inhabitants  were  Free- 
man Luce,  Edward  Snow,  Levi  Mudgett,  James  Morrison,  Abel  Hardy, 
Thomas  Morrill,  Ezekiel  Smith,  George  Bickford,  and  Daniel  Piper, 
who  arrived  here  about  the  year  1794. 

Newburgh  was  incorporated 'in  1819.  The  surface  is  varied,  —  the 
north  and  westerly  part  being  somewhat  hilly  and  rocky,  while  the 
southeasterly  part  contains  extensive  tracts  of  interval,  situated  along 
the  banks  of  the  Soadabscook,  by  which  the  town  is  watered.  The  soil 
is  well  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  English 
grain,  and  hay;  and  a  very  laudable  enterprise  is  manifested  in  raising 
the  various  kinds  of  fruit-trees  common  to  this  latitude.  Formerly, 
large  quantities  of  hemlock  bark  and  cord  wood  were  hauled  to  the 
markets  on  the  Penobscot  river;  but  that  business  is  now^  nearly  aban- 
doned for  the  more  profitable  employment  of  agriculture.  Newburgh 
has  one  church  edifice — Free-will  Baptist;  nine  school  districts,  with 
the  same  number  of  schools ;  four  saw-mills,  five  shingle  machines,  one 
wool-carding  and  cloth -dressing  establishment;  and  three  post-offices  — 
Newburgh,  Newburgh  Centre,  and  South  Newburgh.  Population, 
1,399;  valuation,  f  115,354. 

Newcastle,  Lincoln  county,  lies  on  a  tongue  of  land  formed  by  the 
Sheepscot  and  Damariscotta  rivers,  at  the  head  of  tide-water,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  the  ocean,  and  twenty-four  southeasterly  from  Au- 
gusta. It  is  more  than  six  miles  in  length  and  four  in  breadth.  The 
earliest  settlement,  supposed  to  have  been  about  the  time  Pemaquid 
and  Arrowsic  were  settled,  was  made  upon  the  Sheepscot  side  of  the 
peninsula,  and  covered  an  area  of  about  four  hundred  rods  in  length, 
and  ninety-two  in  width.     All  that  is  definitely  known  of  this  early  set- 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    NEWCASTLE.  223 

tlement  is  contained  in  the  traces  of  habitations  found,  the  next  century- 
after,  by  the  inhabitants,  who,  with  their  descendants,  have  since  held 
undisturbed  possession.  A  street  ran  the  whole  length  of  the  neck, 
upon  both  sides  of  which,  at  uniform  distances,  were  laid  out  the  two- 
acre  lots  into  which  the  homesteads  were  usually  divided  ;  and  on  these, 
cellars  and  other  traces  of  this  ancient  settlement  have  been  discovered. 
Easterly  from  these  were  the  farms  of  one  hundi-ed  acres,  reached  by  a 
road  called  the  ''  king's  highway,"  which  also  led  to  the  woods  and 
the  mill,  which  latter  was  situated  on  a  stream  about  a  mile  from 
the  settlement,  now  called  Mill  Brook.  On  the  highest  point,  opposite 
the  falls  and  overlooking  the  town,  was  a  small  fort.  No  means  are 
presented  of  ascertaining  correctly  the  population  of  this  place  at  that 
early  time;  but  Sullivan,  in  his  history  of  Maine,  quoting  from  the  ac- 
count of  Sylvanus  Davis,  says :  "  There  were  in  the  year  1630,  eighty- 
four  families,  besides  fishermen,  about  Pemaquid,  St.  George's,  and 
Sheepscot." 

In  1665,  Robert  Carr,  George  Cartwright,  and  Samuel  Maverick, 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  Duke  of  York,  arrived  at  Sheepscot, 
this  being  a  part  of  the  territory  claimed  by  him  as  within  his  patent 
from  the  crown.^  They  met  at  the  house  of  John  Mason,  appointed 
Walter  Phillips  clerk,  erected  the  whole  territory  into  a  county,  by  the 
name  of  Cornwall,  called  the  plantation  at  Sheepscot  New  Dartmouth, 
established  the  line  between  this  place  and  Pemaquid,  and  summoned 
the  inhabitants  to  appear  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Duke, 
twenty-nine  only  of  whom  complied  with  the  order.  They  vested  the 
civil  power  in  a  chief  constable,  three  magistrates  or  justices  of  the 
peace,  and  a  recorder.  The  justices  were  Nicholas  Raynal,  Thomas 
Gardiner,  and  William  Dyer.  This  government  lasted  till  1675,  when 
the  desolations  of  King  Philip's  war  reached  this  coast.  The  people 
of  Arrowsic  fell  before  the  tomahawk,  and  their  habitations  were  laid 
in  ashes.  A  little  girl  only  escaped.  She  fled  through  the  woods  fifteen 
mUes  to  Dartmouth,  and  sounded  the  alarm ;  and  the  terrified  inhabitants 
escaped  in  a  ship  just  built  by  Sir  William  Phips,  which  was  then  lying 
in  their  harbor  nearly  ready  for  sea.  But  their  settlement  shared  the 
fate  of  Arrowsic. 

Upon  the  close  of  the  war,  about  three  years  subsequently,  the  set- 
tlers began  to  return  and  rebuild.  Commissioners  John  Palmer  and 
John  West,  appointed  by  the  Duke's  governor  at  New  York,  and 
Colonel  Dungan,  arrived  at  Sheepscot  in  1686,  and  began  to  lay  out  the 
town  in  lots  as  before ;  but  were  regarded  with  hatred  for  their  avarice, 
favoritism,  and  extortionate  practice  in   their  apportionment   of  land. 

*  See  ante,  article  on  Bristol,  p.  67. 


224  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Their  rule,  however,  was  abruptly  terminated  by  the  second  Indian  or 
French  war,  upon  the  accession  of  William  of  Orange  to  the  throne,  in 
1688 ;  and  these  precincts  were  again  laid  in  ruins,  and  continued  so  for 
nearly  thirty  years ;  the  native  forests,  in  the  mean  time,  reclaiming  heri- 
tage where  cultivated  gardens  and  the  abodes  of  living  men  so  lately 
had  existed. 

In  1718,  Rev.  Christopher  Tappan,  of  Newbury,  sent  two  men  to  in- 
close a  portion  of  this  territory,  which  he  had  bought  of  the  claimants  as 
early  as  1702,  a  part  of  which  then  belonged  to  the  settlers  driven  away 
by  the  Indians,  and  the  other  part  to  Walter  Phillips,  of  Salem,  whose 
title  was  derived  from  Indian  sagamores  by  three  several  purchases,  in 
1661, 1662,  and  1674.  Tappan  himself  arrived  in  1733,  began  to  survey 
his  lands  on  the  Sheepscot  side  of  the  town,  and  laid  out  forty-five  one 
hundred  acre  lots,  two  of  which  were  allotted  to  the  first  settled  minister 
and  the  first  parish.  The  latter  remains  in  the  same  hands  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  Tappan's  title  to  the  east  of  Mill  river,  however,  was  dis- 
puted by  WiUiam  Vaughan  and  James  Noble,  who  held  under  the 
Pemaquid  Patent.  After  a  sharp  litigation,  ^'^aughan's  title  prevailed, 
and  the  settlers  there  hold  under  him  to  this  day,  while  those  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river  derive  title  from  Tappan. 

Newcastle  was  incorporated  June  19,  1753,  being  the  twelfth  incorpo- 
rated town  in  Maine.  Being  between  two  rivers,  it  has  become  natu- 
rally divided  into  two  villages,  one  on  the  Sheepscot  and  the  other  on 
the  Damariscotta  side.  The  latter  is  the  largest,  and  contains  several 
stores,  ship  yards,  an  academy,  bank,  printing-office,  and  public-house. 
A  free  bridge  connects  it  with  Damariscotta.  A  toll-bridge  connects 
Sheepscot  with  Alna.  Newcastle  formerly  furnished  large  quantities  of 
lumber  and  ship-timber  for  the  market,  but  since  the  scarcity  of  these 
materials,  attention  has  been  turned  more  to  farming  and  ship-building, 
the  latter  of  which  has,  however,  become  temporarily  quiet  through 
some  heavy  failures.  A  considerable  business  has  also  been  done  in 
brick  making.  There  is  a  variety  of  soil,  which  is  well  adapted  to  the 
usual  agricultural  productions,  of  which  hay  is  the  chief,  a  considerable 
quantity  being  shipped  for  sale,  after  supplying  the  ordinary  wants  of 
the  place. 

There  are  three  church  edifices  —  the  Union  at  Sheepscot,  Congre- 
gational at  Damariscotta  Bridge,  and  Roman  Catholic  at  Damariscotta 
Mills;  five  rehgious  societies — two  Congregational,  a  Baptist,  Meth- 
odist, and  Roman  Catholic.  The  academy  was  incorporated  in  1801, 
with  a  grant  of  land  for  its  endowment,  —  has  a  good  fund,  and  has 
maintained  a  school  the  greater  part  of  the  time  since  its  commence- 
ment.    There  are  fourteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-six  schools,  the 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OP  NEWFIELD,   ETC.  225 

amount  of  money  raised  for  the  support  of  which,  including  the  bank 
tax,  is  about  $1,800.  A  newspaper  (the  Lincohi  Democrat)  is  also 
published.  There  are  two  post-offices  —  Newcastle  and  Sheepscot 
Bridge  ;  and  one  bank,  with  a  capital  of  ^50,000.  Population,  2,012 ; 
valuation,  $392,503. 

Newfield  (previously  the  plantation  of  Washington),  in  the  north- 
west part  of  York  county,  contains  14,543  acres  of  good  land,  and  was 
embraced  within  Small's  Purchase  in  1661.  It  was  surveyed  in  1778  — 
settled  the  same  year  —  and  incorporated  in  1794.  Rev.  John  Adams 
was  settled  in  1781,  when  there  were  but  five  families.  Josiah  Towle 
was  the  first  representative  to  the  legislature,  in  1806.  The  Little 
Ossipee  and  its  tributaries  furnish  ample  supplies  of  water.  The  prin- 
cipal buildings  and  business  operations  are  situated  upon  Mount  Eagle, 
a  beautiful  swell  of  land  in  the  southern  part.  A  mineral  polish,  much 
in  use,  is  found  here.  Newfield  has  two  villages,  four  church  edifices 
(two  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Methodist),  ten 
school  districts,  three  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  three  shingle  ma- 
chines, an  iron  foundery,  a  carriage  factory,  and  two  post-ofiices  — 
Newfield  and  West  Newfield.     Population,  1,418  ;  valuation,  212,832.     . 

New  Gloucester,  in  the  northerly  part  of  Cumberland  county,  is  sit- 
uated partly  between  Poland  and  Danville  in  Androscoggin  county.  It 
was  granted  by  act  of  the  general  court,  May  27,  1735,  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Gloucester,  Mass.,  who  were  instructed  to  lay  out  a  township 
of  six  miles  square  in  the  vicinity  of  North  Yarmouth,  if  the  land  could 
there  be  obtained ;  and  if  not,  in  some  other  place  convenient,  in  the 
eastern  parts.  It  was  ordered,  that  it  should  be  laid  out  into  sixty-three 
equal  shares ;  one  of  which  was  to  be  reserved  for  the  first  settled  minister, 
one  for  the  support  of  the  ministry,  and  one  for  the  support  of  schools. 
The  further  conditions  of  the  grant  were  :  first,  that  on  each  of  the  other 
lots,  the  proprietors  should,  within  five  years,  have  a  good  family  settled ; 
second,  that  they  should  have  a  meeting-house  built;  third,  that  they 
should  have  a  good  orthodox  minister  permanently  stationed ;  and  for 
the  due  performance  of  this  contract,  each  settler  was  bound  in  the  sum 
of  forty  pounds,  — failing  to  do  which,  the  defaulter's  share  should  revert 
to  the  province.  It  -was  at  once  settled  by  inhabitants  from  the  parent 
town,  who  built  a  dozen  log  houses  on  Harris  hill,  and  a  mill  on  Royall's 
river.  In  1743,  they  had  erected  nineteen  framed  houses — and  two 
bridges  across  the  river,  at  a  cost  of  ^400  —  had  made  twelve  miles  of 
road,  and  cleared  considerable  land. 

The  survey  was  made  by  Edward  King,  and  the  plan  dated  June  20, 


226  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

1737.  The  grantees  failing  to  fulfil  the  conditions,  by  reason  of  the 
Indian  troubles,  many  of  those  who  had  already  settled  were  ordered 
off  by  the  governor.  In  April,  1753,  a  petition  having  been  presented 
by  the  grantees,  asking  for  longer  time  to  fulfil  the  conditions,  eighteen 
months  were  allowed  them.  The  first  attempt  at  resettlement  was 
made  in  March,  1754,  when  it  appears  a  block-house  was  erected, 
which  was  subsequently  a  provincial  garrison,  a  storehouse  and 
asylum  for  settlers,  and,  for  sixteen  years,  a  place  of  public  worship. 
It  was  sold  at  auction,  in  1772,  for  seven  bushels  of  corn,  and 
stood  until  1788.  Through  pecuniary  and  other  inducements,  in  1756, 
twenty  men  undertook  the  settlement  of  the  place,  agreeing  to  dwell 
here  a  year.  Israel  Parsons  removed  here  in  1762  —  was  the  first  magis- 
trate in  the  plantation — was  a  representative  to  the  legislature  in  1783, 
and  during  other  years  —  and  held  several  other  honorable  offices. 
James  Stinchfield  was  among  the  earliest  settlers,  having  removed 
hither  with  his  father's  family  in  1753.  He  was  engaged  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  first  fort —  was  distinguished  in  the  hunt,  and  in  Indian  war- 
fare, and  was,  for  some  time,  a  leading  man  in  town.  The  first  pro- 
prietors' meeting  in  the  plantation  was  held  in  November,  1763.  Rev. 
4.  Samuel  Foxcroft  was  ordained  minister  of  the  first  church  in  1765. 

New  Gloucester  was  incorporated  in  1774,  and  has  been  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  towns  in  the  state.  Being  a  half  shire  with  Port- 
land, the  courts  sat  here  from  1791  until  the  organization  of  Oxford 
county  in  1805,  when  they  returned  to  Portland.  The  first  post-office 
was  estabhshed  in  1793.  The  surface  is  beautifully  diversified,  and 
presents,  in  some  parts,  a  delightful  rural  prospect.  Its  husbandry,  and 
its  public  and  private  buildings,  are  evidences  of  independence,  in- 
dustry, taste,  and  skill.  The  highest  land  is  under  cultivation;  and 
there  are    good  roads    and    comfortable  dwellings   on  every  eminence. 

There  are  six  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  two  tanneries,  four  churches 

Congregational,  Baptist,  Universalist,  and  Friends';  fourteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  twenty-two  schools;  and  three  post-offices,  called  New 
Gloucester,  Upper  Gloucester,  and  West  Gloucester.  Population,  1,848  • 
valuation,  f  327,670.  '        ' 

New  Limerick,  Aroostook  county,  is  six  miles  long,  east  and  west, 
and  three  miles  wide.  True  Bradbury,  Eben  Bradbury,  Jonathan 
Hayes,  John  Felch,  and  Samuel  Momson  were  among  the  first  settlers, 
—  the  most  of  whom  emigrated  from  Limerick,  York  county.  The 
town  was  surveyed  in  1809,  by  Benjamin  Marshall,  and  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1839.  Not  more  than  a  quarter  of  it  is  cleared,  though  jnore 
than  half  is  occupied  by  settlers.  There  -are  three  schools,  with  an 
average  of  forty  scholars.     Population,  160 ;  valuation,  13,383. 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF   NEWPOKT,   ETC.  227 

Newport  is  situated  in  tlie  western  part  of  Penobscot  county,  and  is 
distant  twenty-five  miles  from  Bangor.  The  settlement  was  com- 
menced about  the  year  1808,  —  the  earlier  inhabitants  being  William 
Martin,  Isaac  Lawrence,  Nathaniel  Burrill,  John  Whiting,  Daniel  Bick- 
nell,  John  Ireland,  and  Elam  Pratt,  most  of  whom  came  from  Bloom- 
field,  Somerset  county,  and  purchased  their  land  of  Benjamin  Shepard, 
who  lived  in  Bloomfield  at  that  time. 

The  township  was  called  East  Pond  plantation  until  its  incorporation, 
June  14,  1814.  The  surface  is  generally  level ;  and  a  large  pond  of 
about  fifteen  miles  circumference  lies  nearly  in  the  centre,  in  which  the 
east  branch  of  the  Sebasticook  river  takes  its  rise.  The  principal  vil- 
lage, situated  at  the  outlet  of  the  pond,  covers  about  one  square  mile, 
and  is  divided  by  the  Sebasticook  river.  The  water-power  offers  supe- 
rior inducements  to  capitalists  ;  and  this,  in  connection  with  the  open- 
ing of  the  railroad  from  Bangor  to  Waterville,  will,  without  doubt,  soon 
make  Newport  one  of  the  most  flourishing  villages  between  the  Ken- 
nebec and  Penobscot  rivers. 

The  chief  employment  of  the  inhabitants  is  agriculture ;  but  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  town  are  a  number  of  saw-mills,  for  the  manufacture  of 
boards  and  shingles.  Besides  these  mills,  there  are  a  grist-mill,  foundery,  . 
cabinet  shop,  eight  stores,  a  number  of  harness  and  blacksmith's  shops, 
and  a  carriage  manufactory,  where  are  manufactured  annually  car- 
riages to  the  amount  of  f  10,000,  which,  for  durability  and  finish,  are  not 
excelled  by  any  in  the  state.  There  is  one  church  edifice,  in  which  the 
several  denominations  worship ;  there  are  also  eight  school  districts,  and 
three  post-offices  —  Newport,  East  Newport,  and  North  Newport.  Pop- 
ulation, 1,210 ;  valuation,  $195,203. 

New  Portland,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Somerset  county,  is 
six  miles  west  from  the  Kennebec  river,  and  forty-five  miles  west-north- 
west from  Augusta.  This  township,  with  that  of  Freeman  on  the  west, 
was  granted  by  Massachusetts  to  the  sufferers  of  Falmouth  (now  the 
city  of  Portland),  which  was  burnt  by  Captain  Mowett  in  1775.  It  was 
organized  into  a  plantation  in  1808.  The  first  settlement  was  com- 
menced by  David  Hutchins  of  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  who  moved,  with  his 
family,  from  thence  to  what  was  then  called  Sheepscot  (now  Newcas- 
tle), in  1784;  and  next  into  the  wilderness  on  Seven-Mile  brook,  where 
he  made  the  first  opening  in  the  at  that  time  dense  forests  of  New 
Portland.  His  son,  James,  was  two  years  old  when  he  moved  here,  and 
is  still  living  on  the  identical  farm  cleared  by  his  father.  Josiah 
Parker  arrived  in  1786  from  Groton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born.  He 
served  in  the  fourth  regiment  Massachusetts  militia,  in  the  war  of  the 


228  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Revolution,  was  honorably  discharged  at  West  Point,  and  was  still  liv- 
ing (May,  1856),  in  the  ninety-second  year  of  his  age.  He  has  borne 
an  honorable  and  arduous  part  in  the  affairs  of  New  Portland,  as  he 
previously  did,  in  his  younger  days,  in  the  service  of  his  country.  Ebene- 
zer  Richardson  from  Sedgwick  came  in  the  same  year,  and  John  and 
WiUiam  Churchill  from  Bingham,  in  1788 ;  Eben  Casley  from  Gorham, 
Samuel  and  Benjamin  Gould,  Solomon  Walker,  Charles  Warden,  from 
Woolwich,  and  John  Dennis  from  Groton,  N.  H.,  arrived  and  settled 
here  subsequently.  Dennis  was  a  blacksmith,  and  was  the  first  man 
who  could  repair  the  axe,  the  harrow-tooth,  or  the  ploughshare  for  the 
pioneer  settler.  Four  of  the  early  settlers  are  now  living,  at  the  ad- 
vanced ages  of  ninety-two  and  ninety-six.     All  of  them  are  pensioners. 

In  1809,  in  accordance  with  a  vote  of  the  town,  Beniah  Pratt  was 
invited  to  become  the  town  minister,  which  he  accepted  ;  but,  for  some 
cause,  was  not  settled.  In  1815,  Sanmel  Hutchins,  son  of  the  first  set- 
tler, was  called  and  settled,  and  had  part  of  the  ministerial  lands.  The 
Free-will  Baptists  were  the  first  principal  sect,  to  which  the  divines 
above  named  belonged.  In  1810-11,  a  Baptist  church  was  collected 
and  organized,  over  which  Oliver  Peabody  was  ordained  pastor. 

New  Portland  was  incorporated  in  1808.  The  surface  is  uneven, 
lying  in  large  swells  ;  though  the  land  will  admit  of  high  cultiva- 
tion. Seven-Mile  brook,  rising  near  the  base  of  Mount  Abraham  and 
Mount  Bigelow,  flows  through  from  northwest  to  southeast,  dividing  the 
town  into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  Besides  Seven- Mile  brook,  there  are 
two  small  streams,  respectively  named  Lemon  and  Gilman.  These 
three  streams  furnish  an  abundant  water-power,  which  is  made  useful  in 
driving  three  or  four  saw-mills  and  several  grist  and  flour  mills.  The 
agricultural  interests  will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  any  other 
town  of  its  age  in  the  state.  Dr.  Charles  T.  Jackson,  in  his  Geological 
Report,  published  in  1838,  says  :  "  New  Portland  is  large  and  flourishing, 
having  a  pretty  good  soil,  bearing  crops  from  twelve  to  forty  bushels  to 
the  acre,  according  to  the  dressing.  From  the  specimens  of  the  wheat  seen 
at  the  flour  mill,  I  should  not  consider  it  generally  of  the  first  quality,  it 
not  being  full  and  heavy ;  but  there  were  some  samples  that  were  excel- 
lent. From  the  nature  of  the  soil,  I  should  have  anticipated  such  a 
result ;  for  it  is  of  granitic  origin,,  and  is  poor  in  lime,  a  deficiency  easily 
remedied,  as  limestone  occurs  in  the  vicinity  in  loose  masses,  but  by 
searching  may  be  found  in  place." 

There  are  three  small  villages  —  New  Portland,  East  New  Portland, 
and  North  New  Portland,  at  each  of  which  there  is  a  post-ofRce ;  three 
houses  of  pubhc  worship  —  one  occupied  by  the  Universalists  and  Con- 
gregationaUsts,  one  by  the  Free-will  Baptists,  and  one  by  various  denom- 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    NEWfiY,   ETC.  229 

inations ;  and  eighteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-five  schools.     Popu- 
lation, 1,460 ;  valuation,  $230,631. 

Newry  is  situated  in  the  west  part  of  Oxford  county.  The  first  set- 
tlement was  made  in  1781,  by  Benjamin  Barker  and  his  two  brothers, 
from  Methuen,  Mass.,  and  Ithiel  Smith  of  Cape  Elizabeth,  Me.  The 
titles  to  the  land  were  derived  from  Massachusetts.  The  plantation 
name  was  Sudbury-Canada.  It  was  incorporated  with  its  present 
name,  June  15,  1805.  The  surface,  in  its  general  aspect,  is  wild  and 
mountainous.  Bear  and  Sunday  rivers  —  fine  streams  —  flow  through 
nearly  parallel,  in  a  southerly  direction,  falling  into  the  Androscoggin. 
Newry  has  one  village,  two  public-houses,  a  store ;  three  post-offices  — 
Newry,  North  Newry,  and  South  Newry;  two  religious  societies  — 
Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  and  six  school  districts,  with  six 
schools.     Population,  459  ;  assessors'  valuation  $43,000. 

New  Sharon  is  situated  in  the  extreme  southeasterly  part  of  Franklin 
county,  bordering  upon  the  counties  of  Somerset  and  Kennebec.  Prince 
Baker,  a  native  of  Pembroke,  Mass.,  arriving  in  1782,  was  the  earliest 
settler.  He  was  soon  followed  by  Nathaniel  Tibbits,  Benjamin  Cham- 
bers, Benjamin  Rollins,  James  Howes,  and  Samuel  Prescott.  The 
township  was  purchased  from  the  state  of  Massachusetts  by  Prince 
Baker  and  others,  February  14,  1791.  It  was  incorporated  June  20, 
1794,  and  contains  28,600  acres,  most  of  which  is  excellent  soil.  New 
Sharon  has  an  advantage  in  location  over  most  of  the  towns  in  the 
county,  as  to  access  to  market  and  water  communication. 

The  mills  at  the  Falls  were  first  built  by  Abel  Baker,  in  1801.  They 
aftei-wards  passed  into  the  hands  of  Abel  Mayhew,  and  were  rebuilt  by 
him  and  much  improved.  The  bridge  was  built  about  1809  or  1810, 
and  has  since  been  rebuilt  with  permanent  stone  abutments.  The 
water  privilege  at  the  village  is  superior,  and  the  location  possesses 
many  advantages  for  a  business  place.  It  has,  in  addition  to  the  grist- 
mill, a  saw-mill,  shingle  machine,  starch  factory,  one  or  more  tanneries, 
fulling-mill,  carding  machine,  a  number  of  blacksmith  shops,  and  several 
stores.  At  Weeks's  mills,  in  the  northwest  part,  there  is  a  set  of  mills, 
a  starch  factory,  and  a  considerable  village.  New  Sharon  has  six 
churches — Baptist,  Methodist,  Congregationalist",  Universalist,  Free- 
will Baptist,  and  a  free  meeting-house  ;  two  post-offices  —  New  Sharon 
and  East  New  Sharon;  and  nineteen  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools.     Population,  1,732 ;  valuation,  $293,526. 

New  Vineyard,  Franklin  county,  is  situated  east  of  Strong  and  north 
VOL.  I.  20 


230  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

of  Industry,  and  is  distant  from  Augusta  forty  miles,  and  from  Farming- 
ton  eiglit  miles.  It  was  purchased  from  the  state  by  an  association  of 
individuals  belonging  to  Martha's  Vineyard,  Mass.,  together  with 
Jonathan  Knowlton,  of  Farmington,  who  acted  as  their  agent.  After 
the  survey,  it  was  divided  by  lot  among  them.  Nearly  all  the  first  set- 
tlers came  from  Martha's  Vineyard;  hence  it  took  the  name  of  New 
Vineyard  from  the  commencement  of  its  settlement.  Daniel  Collins 
and  Abner  Norton  commenced  improvements  and  removed  their  families 
here  in  the  fall  of  1791.  They  were  the  only  families  who  remained  in  the 
place  the  following  winter.  They  were  soon  after  followed  by  Samuel 
Daggett,  Jonathan  Merry,  James  Manter,  Ephraira  Butler,  John  Sjjencer, 
Cornelius  Norton,  David  Davis,  John  Daggett,  Benjamin  Benson,  Joseph 
Smith,  Henry  Butler,  Herbert  Boardman,  Charles  Luce,  Henry  Norton, 
William  Farrand,  Seth  Hillman,  Ezra  Winslow,  and  Calvin  Burden. 
Settlements  north  of  the  mountains  were  commenced  soon  after  by 
people  mostly  from  Middleboro',  Mass.,  among  whom  were  George 
Pratt,  Eleazer  Pratt,  Paul  Pratt,  Elias  Bryant,  Simeon  Hackett,  Jabez 
Vaughan,  Zephaniah  Morton,  and  Beniah  Pratt. 

New  Vineyard  was  incorporated  February  22,  1802.  The  soil  is 
generally  good,  especially  in  the  northerly  and  easterly  sections.  There 
is  quite  a  range  of  mountains  extending  nearly  across  the  centre,  from 
east  to  west,  dividing  the  waters  of  the  Sandy  river  from  those  of  the 
Seven-Mile  brook.  The  principal  stream  is  the  outlet  of  Porter's  pond 
in  Strong,  which  discharges  into  the  Seven-Mile  broolt,  and  on  which 
are  a^  number  of  valuable  mill-sites.  A  first-rate  grist-mill,  two  saw- 
mills, a  clover  mill,  a  shingle  machine,  and  various  other  kinds  of 
machinery;  one  store,  a  number  of  mechanics'  shops  and  dwelling- 
houses,  form  a  considerable  village,  which  has  been  known  as  Vaughan's 
Mills. 

There  are  two  churches  —  one  Congregational  and  one  Free-will 
Baptist ;  ten  school  districts,  with  twelve  schools ;  and  two  post- 
offices  —  New  Vineyard  and  East  New  Vineyard.  Population,  635 ; 
valuation,  $65,538. 

NoBLEBOROUGH  is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  Lincoln  county,  on 
the  east  bank  of  Damariscotta  river,  and  contains  an  area  of  about  ten 
thousand  acres.  It  originally  formed  a  part  of  the  possessions  of  Elbridge 
and  Aldsworth,  known  as  the  Pemaquid  Patent,^  and  was  settled  about 
the  same  time  as  Newcastle,  which  is  situated  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river.  It  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  natives  for  hunting  and  fishing ; 
and  they  resisted,  with  the  bravery  of  desperation,  the  erection  of  the 

'  See  Bristol. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OP   NOKRIDGEWOCK.  231 

white  man's  cabin  on  their  fair  plantation.  Nobleborough  was  involved 
in  the  bloody  issue  that  depopulated  more  flourishing  but  less  beautiful 
towns  along  the  coast ;  and,  during  the  whole  period  of  the  Indian  wars, 
the  blood  of  the  white  man  and  the  savage  was  mingled  together  in 
saturating  the  soil.  After  the  barbarous  contest  was  decided,  the  in- 
habitants were  involved  for  many  years  in  a  harassing  controversy 
about  the  title  to  their  lands,  which  was  not  settled  until  1814.  The 
territory  was  claimed  under  the  Brown  right,  and  the  title  was  pursued 
till  1765,  by  James  Noble,  who  had  married  the  widow  of  William 
Vaughan.  Vaughan  either  commenced  or  revived  the  settlement  under 
Colonel  Dunbar  about  1730 ;  but  it  had  a  slow  growth,  as  there  were 
only  thirty  men  here  able  to  bear  arms  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolution.  Noble  and  his  coadjutors  were  dispossessed  in  1765,  though 
they  did  not  abandon  their  claim. 

The  town  was  incorporated  November  20,  1788,  and  named  by 
Arthur  Noble,  one  of  the  heirs  of  the  proprietor ;  but  the  name  was  not 
popular  with  the  people,  principally  because  of  their  antipathy  to  all 
who  were  proprietary  claimants.  It  is  connected  with  Newcastle  by 
two  bridges  across  the  Damariscotta,  which  are  about  two  miles  apart. 
Nobleborough  has  done  considerable  heretofore  in  lumbering  and  ship- 
building, but  the  people  are  now  generally  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. 

Rev.  Adoniram  Judson,  father  of  the  world-renowned  missionary  to 
Burmah,  was  settled  over  the  second  Baptist  church  here  in  1819.  There 
is  a  great  curiosity  in  Damariscotta,  opposite  the  upper  falls,  being 
a  bank  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  depth,  composed  of  oyster  shells, 
deposited  here,  in  all  probability,  by  the  natives,  years  before  the  discov- 
ery of  the  continent.  This  large  oyster  bank  has  led  some  to  think,  that 
here  was  situated  the  far-famed  mythical  city  of  Norumbega.  In  1849, 
the  town  was  divided,  and  the  southern  part  incorporated  by  the  name 
of  Damariscotta.  There  are  four  church  edifices  —  three  Baptist  and 
one  Methodist ;  twelve  school  districts,  with  twelve  schools ;  two  saw- 
mills, one  lath  machine,  one  shingle  machine,  seven  stores ;  and  two 
post-offices  —  Nobleborough  and  Damariscotta  Mills.  Population,  1,408 ; 
valuation,  $234,312. 

NoRRiDGEWOCK,  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Somerset  county,  is 
the  shire  town.  It  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  Kennebec  river,  —  is 
thirty  miles  north  from  Augusta,  and  fifty-five  west  from  Bangor.  Its 
name  is  of  Indian  origin,  and  signifies  "  smooth  water."  It  is  noted  for 
having  been  the  head-quarters  of  a  powerful  tribe  of  Indians,  sometimes 
called  the  "  Canibas,"  and  sometimes  the  "  Norridgewogs,"  belonging  to 


2o2  HISTORY    AXD    PESCRIPTIOX    OF    NKAV    ENGLAXD. 

the  Abnaki  nation.  Norridgcwock  was  taken  possession  of  by  the 
French  as  early  as  1610.  Rasle  spent  thirty-seven  years  of  his  life  here, 
as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians,  and  acquired  such  an  influence  over 
them  that  ho  controlled  all  their  afl'airs..  The  village  even  nt)\v  is  a 
beautiful  place;  but  when  inhabited  by  the  Indians,  it  was  almost  a 
second  paradise.  It  stands  in  a  lovely  and  sequestered  spot,  a  j^oint 
around  wliich  the  waters  of  the  Kennebec,  not  far  from  their  confluence 
with  those  of  the  Sandy  river,  sweep  j)ast  merrily,  as  if  to  the  music  of 
the  rapids  above. 


Dosfrucdon  of  Korridgcwocli,  and  aeafh  of  RTisle. 

All  the  forays  of  the  Norridgewock  Indians  upon  the  unprotected 
English  settlements  along  the  coast  were,  it  is  believed,  instigated  by 
Rasle,  the  Jesuit  priest.^     Conference   after   conference  was   held,   and 

Father  Rasle  was  diptinjriiislicd  fiir  liis  litorarv  attaliuDoiits.  lie  was  thoronshlv 
odiieated,  and  wrote  tlie  Latin  with  classical  pnrity.  'lie  made  himself  fully  ae(iuaiiite'd 
with  all  tlie  Indian  dialects,  and  prepared  a  dictionary  of  the  Abnaquies' language,  which 
IS  presorvcfl  in  ll,e  library  of  Harvard  College.  He  taught  many  of  the  Norridgewoeks 
to  write,  .and  hcM  a  correspondence  with  some  of  them  in  their  own  language.  He  was  a 
zealous  Catholic,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  the  church.     He  was  mild  in   his 


MAINE TOWN    OF    NOERIDGEWOCK.  233 

treaty  after  treaty  made,  between  the  English  and  the  Indians,  in  almost 
every  one  of  which  the  English  thought  themselves  overreached ;  but, 
whenever  they  attempted  to  put  a  different  construction  upon  them,  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  more  important  advantages,  the  sagacious  priest 
would  mform  the  Indians  of  their  designs,  and  thus  frustrate  them.  Nor 
was  this  all.  Whenever  they  suffered  in  any  respect  at  the  hands  of  the 
English,  a  terrible  retribution  invariably  ensued,  either  in  the  burning  of 
hamlets  or  the  murder  and  pillage  of  the  settlers ;  and  when  the  English 
were  at  war  with  the  French,  the  Indians  were  always  found  on  the 
side  of  the  latter.^  In  all  the  iilterior  designs  of  the  English  upon  the 
Indians,  whether  in  wresting  their  territory  from  them  or  in  cheating 
them  in  trade,  they  were  held  in  check  by  their  dread  of  this  tribe. 
Under  these  circumstances,  only  one  remedy  remained,  which  was  the 
destruction  of  the  village,  and  the  murder  of  Rasle  and  his  Indians. 
Accordingly,  on  the  12th  August  (old  style),  1724,  a  detachment  of  two 
hundred  and  eight  men  from  Fort  Richmond  stole  up  the  Kennebec, 
and  reached  the  fated  village.  The  Indians  remained  ignorant  of  the 
contemplated  attack  till  the  shots  of  their  enemies  had  penetrated  their 
wigwams,  causing  death  and  destruction.  Rasle,  the  object  of  the  sav- 
age vengeance  of  the  English,  was  killed ;  but,  not  satisfied  with  this, 
they  scalped  him,  and  carried  the  scalp  to  Boston.  The  Indians,  when 
they  beheld  the  bleeding  corpse  of  their  idolized  priest  and  counsellor 
riddled  with  bullets,  immediately,  in  the  greatest  consternation,  took  to 
flight,  and  attempted  to  cross  the  river ;  but  their  pursuers,  following 
close  behind,  shot  them  in  the  water ;  and  those  few  even  who  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  opposite  bank  were  killed  before  they  could  gain  a  place 
of  safety.  The  English  then  returned  to  the  village ;  and,  having  se- 
cured Rasle's  papers  and  other  effects,  burnt  down  the  church  and  the 
wigwams,  and  then  withdrew,  with  such  precipitation  that  it  seemed 
rather  a  flight  than  a  victory .^ 

manners  and  convincing  in  his  speecli ;  his  convei-sation  had  a  charm  that  would  compel 
the  savages  to  hsteu  to  him."  —  Allen's  History  of  Norridgewock,  pp.  42,  43. 

'  It  may  seem  strange  to  some  that  the  Indians  were  always  found  on  amicable  tenns 
with  the  French,  while  they  were  ever  making  inroads  upon  the  settlements  of  the  Eng-. 
lish.  But  the  means  used  by  the  two  nations  were  entirely  opposite.  AVhile  the  French, 
with  their  social  fascination  and  flexibility  of  character,  used  every  method  of  conciliation 
towards  them, — giving  them  warlike  implements,  accompanying  them  on  their  hunting 
excursions,  and  becoming  intimately  identified  with  thqm  by  marriage,  —  the  English 
looked  upon  them  with  detestation  and  hoiTor,  taking  every  opportunity  for  their  exter- 
mination, and  using  every  means  to  annoy  and  exasperate  them.  The  gorgeous  display 
and  the  imposing  ceremonials  of  the  Eomlsh  church  also  exerted  an  irresistible  influence 
upon  the  mind  of  the  rude  savage. 

^  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  vii.  p.  254.  —  Upon  this  memorable  event  in  our  annals,  Father 

20* 


234  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTIOX    OF   ^L^V   ENGLAND. 

Writers  have  disagreed  in  opinion  as  to  tire  justness  of  the  retribution 
thus  meted  out  to  Rasle  and  his  proselytes.i  But  it  would  seem  that  the 
dispassionate  verdict  of  men  at  this  day,  — remote  from  the  fierce  jeal- 
ousies of  two  great  nations  contending  for  territory,  from  the  wounded 
pride  and  disappointment  embittered  by  the  duration  of  the  contest,  — 
should  be  rendered  against  such  a  wholesale  massacre,  and  that  milder, 
more  reasonable,  and  Christian  means  might  have  been  resorted  to  in 
pacifying  the  savages,  who,  it  must  be  admitted,  had  grave  charges  to 
prefer  against  the  English,  of  treachery,  chicanery,  and  double-dealing 
practised  by  them  from  the  time  they  first  placed  foot  on  American 
soil.  Vestiges  of  the  ancient  settlement  are  in  existence  even  now. 
Broken  utensils,  glass  beads,  and  hatchets,  have  been  turned  up  by 
the  plough  of  the  husbandman,  and  are  preserved  as  valuable  relics  by 
the  people  in  the  neighborhood. 

No  attempts  at  settlement  were  made  till  after  the  Revolution. 
Some  persons,  however,  emigrated  here  in  1772  and  1780,  from  Mas- 
sachusetts and  New  Hampshire ;  but,  not  being  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  enterprise,  or  failing  to  see  the  advantages  which  the  place  possessed 
for  ultimately  becoming  a  thriving  settlement,  some  of  them  pushed 
further  up  the  river,  while  others  returned  again  to  Massachusetts. 
When  peace  was  proclaimed,  the  town  received  as  settlers  a  large  num- 
ber of  young  men,  who,  inured  to  active  labor  from  their  infancy,  had 
theu-  robust  constitutions  more  perfectly  developed  by  hard  service  in 

Charlevoix  should  be  heard.  "  There  were  not,"  says  he,  "  at  the  time  the  attack  was 
made,  above  fifty  warriors  at  Norridgewook ;  these  seized  their  arms,  and  ran  in  disorder, 
not  to  defend  the  place  against  an  enemy  who  was  in  it,  but  to  favor  the  flight  of  the 
women,  the  old  men,  and  the  children,  and  to  give  them  time  to  gain  the  side  of  the  river, 
which  was  not  yet  in  possession  of  the  English.  Father  Rasle,  warned  by  the  clamors 
and  tumult,  and  the  danger  in  which  he  found  his  proselytes,  ran  to  present  himself  to 
the  assailants,  hoping  to  draw  all  their  fury  upon  him,  that  thereby  he  might  prove  the 
salvation  of  his  flock.  His  hope  was  vain ;  for  hardly  had  he  discovered  himself  when  the 
English  raised  a  great  shout,  which  was  followed  by  a  shower  of  shot,  by  which  he 
fell  dead  near  to  the  cross  which  he  had  erected  near  the  centre  of  the  village.  Seven 
Indians  who  attended  him,  and  who  endeavored  to  shield  him  with  their  own  bodies, 
fell  dead  at  his  side.  Thus  died  this  charitable  pastor,  giving  his  life  for  his  sheep, 
after  thirty-seven  years  of  painful  labors."  —  Hklorie  Generate  de  Nouvelle  France,  n. 
382-4. 

'  One  writer  says,  "The  inhumanity  of  the  English  on  this  occasion,  especially  to  the 
women  and  children,  cannot  be  excused,  and  greatly  eclipses  the  lustre  of  the  victory.'' 
—  livilory  and  Biography  of  the  Indians  of  North  America.  By  S.  G.  Drake,  p.  312. 
'Wliitticr,  in  his  graphic  and  picturesqiic  style,  has  commemorated  the  murder  of  the 
aged  pastor  and  his  flock  in  verse.  A  granite  obelisk,  three  feet  square  at  the  base,  and 
eleven  feet  high,  with  an  inscription  recording  the  massacre,  marks  the  spot  where  the 
Indian  church  once  stood.     It  was  erected  by  Bishop  Fenwick,  of  Boston. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   NORTH   BERWICK.  235 

the  American  army.  To  their  efforts  alone  must  be  attributed  the 
permanent  settlement  of  Norridgewock.  The  celebrated  Benedict  Ar- 
nold passed  through  here  in  October,  1775,  on  his  perilous  expedition  to 
Quebec. 

Norridgewock  was  incorporated  in  June,  1778 ;  and  in  the  summer  of 
1794  the  first  meeting-house  was  erected,  at  the  public  expense.  In  re- 
lation to  this  circumstance,  the  records  state  that  it  was  "  voted  to  get 
one  barrel  of  good  West  India  rum,  and  two  hundred  pounds  maple 
sugar,  to  be  used  at  the  raising  of  the  meeting-house."  The  court-house 
was  built  in  1820,  and  remodelled  in  1847,  at  a  cost  of  about  ^7,000 ; 
and  the  present  bridge  across  the  Kennebec  river  was  built  in  1849,  at  a 
cost  of  f  11,000. 

Norridgewock  contains  about  twenty-six  thousand  acres,  the  surface 
of  more  than  one  third  of  which  is  level,  and  free  from  stone.  The  soil 
is  generally  better  adapted  for  tillage  than  for  grazing,  and  is  mostly  of 
good  quality  and  easily  cultivated.  Limestone  is  found  here  in  abun- 
dance ;  but,  being  mixed  with  slate,  is  unfit  for  building  purposes.  A 
granite  quarry  is  situated  on  Dodlin  hill,  on  the  south  line  of  the  town, 
from  which  large  quantities  of  good  stone  are  annually  excavated.  Ag- 
riculture is  the  principal  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants,  who  are  an  indus- 
trious people,  the  greater  part  of  whom  have  enough  and  to  spare  of 
this  world's  goods.  Their  perseverance  and  energy  have  enabled  them 
to  recover  from  the  pecuniary  shocks  experienced  by  the  land  and  tim- 
ber speculations  of  1837. 

There  are  two  villages,  called  the  South  and  the  North,  in  the  latter  of 
which  the  county  buildings  are  located.  Each  of  these  villages  is  in  a 
thriving  condition,  there  being  quite  a  number  of  dwelling-houses  in 
each,  besides  stores  and  offices.  In  the  way  of  manufactories,  the  south 
village  surpasses  the  north, — having  a  good  flour-mill,  a  saw-mill,  a  card- 
ing-machine,  and  other  operations.  Roads  have  been  constructed  to 
almost  every  place  of  note,  and  so  great  has  been  the  progress  in  this  line, 
that  but  little  expense  would  be  necessary  to  connect  every  farm  by  a 
good  road.  There  are  six  religious  societies  in  Norridgewock  —  Metho- 
dist, Congregationalist,  Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  Christian,  and  Univer- 
salist,  with  three  meeting-houses  ;  two  post-offices  —  Norridgewock  and 
South  Norridgewock ;  a  female  academy,  erected  in  1837,  by  voluntary 
subscriptions ;  and  sixteen  school  districts,  with  fifteen  schools.  Popu- 
ulation,  1,848  ;  valuation,  $344,406. 

North  Berwick,  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  York  county, 
formed  a  part  of  Berwick,  in  which  its  history  is  included.  It  was  set 
off  and  incorporated  in  1831.     The  surface  is  uneven,  and  the  soil  is  for 


236  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  most  part  sandy  and  not  very  productive.  There  is  one  village, 
called  Doughty's  Falls ;  two  church  edifices,  belonging  to  the  Baptists ; 
nineteen  school  districts,  and  twenty-six  schools ;  one  factory,  having  an 
invested  capital  of  $50,000;  two  saw-mills  and  two  grist-mills ;  two  other 
mechanical  estabhshments ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,593; 
valuation,  ©331,148. 

NoRTHFiELD  is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  Washington  county,  and 
is  watered  by  the  west  branch  of  Machias  river.  It  was  incorporated 
March  21,  1838,  having  been  previously  township  No.  24  in  the  east 
division  of  the  county.  It  has  three  school  districts,  with  a  maximum 
attendance  of  eighty-three  scholars.    Population,  246  ;  valuation,  $24,950. 

North  Haven,  Waldo  county,  is  situated  at  the  entrance  of  Penob- 
scot bay,  and  originally  formed  a  part  of  Vinalhaven,  from  which  it  is 
separated  by  a  strait,  or  thoroughfare,  about  a  mile  in  width.  It  was 
for  some  time  known  as  North  Fox  Island.  It  has  suffered  considerably 
in  consequence  of  the  advantages  taken  of  an  act,  passed  by  the  legis- 
lature of  1850,  giving  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  the  right  to  have 
such  roads  as  they  deemed  fit.  The  majority  decided  upon  having  no 
roads  at  all ;  or,  what  is  worse,  to  have  roads  fenced  up  with  gates  and 
bars,  wherever  the  owners  of  land  might  wish  to  locate  them,  which 
have  proved  of  no  public  convenience  or  utility  whatever.  The  minority 
made  a  violent  ojjposition,  and  have  brought  the  matter  before  every  leg- 
islature since  the  passage  of  the  obnoxious  act.  At  the  session  of  1857, 
the  controversy  was  referred  to  the  county  commissioners  for  settlement. 

North  Haven  was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Fox  Isle,  June  30, 
1846,  which  was  changed  July  13,  1847.  The  surface  is  generally  even. 
Hay  is  the  staple  production.  The  inhabitants  are  engaged  principally 
in  fishing  and  farming.  There  are  four  small  villages,  one  post-office, 
six  school  districts,  with  eleven  schools;  one  church  edifice,  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  Baptists ;  four  dry  and  West  India  goods  stores,  and 
one  public-house.     Population,  806  ;  valuation,  ^82,550. 

Nortiiport,  Waldo  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot 
bay,  and  joins  Belfast  on  the  south.  The  prime  movers  in  the  settle- 
ment -w'ere  Thomas  Burkmar,  Samuel  Bird,  David  Miller,  Colonel 
Thomas,  Stephen  and  John  Knoulton,  H  Flanders,  Adam  Patterson, 
Mark  and  John  Welch,  Zachariah  Lawrence,  Captain  Ebenezer  Frye, 
Major  Benjamin  Shaw,  David  Alden,  Henry  Pendleton,  and  Micajah 
Drinkwater.  These  men  arrived  but  a  short  period  prior  to  the  Revo- 
lutionary war ;  and  hence  had  scarcely  more  than  discussed  their  plans 


MAINE TOWN  OF  NORTH  YARMOUTH.  237 

of  settlement,  ere  they  were  called  off  to  the  more  stirring  and  dan- 
gerous life  of  the  army.  No  further  efforts  at  settlement  were  made  till 
the  conclusion  of  peace,  when  there  were  accessions  of  emigrants  from 
different  parts  of  the  state. 

During  the  time  the  English  occupied  Castine,  a  descent  was  made 
by  them  on  this  town,  when  several  of  the  citizens  were  plundered. 
Shots  were  exchanged  from  the  shore ;  but  no  damage  was  done  on 
either  side.  One  shot,  however,  from  the  English  struck  the  house  of 
Jones  Shaw,  and  is  still  to  be  seen  imbedded  in  one  of  the  corner  boards, 
where  it  will  remain,  doubtless,  as  long  as  the  house  stands. 

Northport  extends  nine  miles  on  Penobscot  bay,  and  is  about  four 
miles  wide,  its  surface  being  considerably  broken,  particularly  along  the 
shore.  It  is  drained  by  Saturday  cove  and  Little  Harbor  streams.  In 
the  southwest  part  is  situated  Knight's  pond,  a  considerable  body  of 
water,  having  its  outlet  in  Duck-trap  stream,  and  falling  into  the 
bay  in  Lincolnville.  The  principal  avocations  of  the  inhabitants 
are  farming  and  fishing.  The  town  was  incorporated  February  13, 
1796. 

There  is  one  church  edifice,  which  was  erected  about  the  year  1835, 
and  is  occupied  by  all  denominations.  There  are  ^two  small  villages. 
Brown's  Corner  and  Saturday  Cove — which  takes  its  name  from  the 
circumstance  of  the  Rev.  John  Murray  having  arrived  in  this  cove  on  a 
Saturday,  and  remaining  over  Sunday,  on  which  day  he  preached  to 
his  crew,  and  those  few  hearers  who  could  be  gathered  from  along  the 
shore.  There  are  two  post-offices,  called  Northport  and  East  North- 
port;  and  ten  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Popu- 
lation, 1,260 ;  valuation,  $146,735. 

North  Yarmouth,  Cumberland  county,  is  situated  a  short  distance 
from  Casco  bay,  and  originally  embraced  Yarmouth,  Cumberland, 
Pownal,  and  Freeport.  Some  attempts  at  settlement  were  made  as 
early  as  1640,  as  a  fortification  was  found  here  on  the  arrival  of  the 
settlers  at  that  time,  which  had  been  occupied  by  George  Felt,  who 
purchased  it  of  John  Phillips,  a  Welshman.  In  1646,  William  Royall 
purchased  the  farm,  which,  with  the  river,  yet  bears  his  name.  In  1645, 
John  Cousins  lived  on  the  neck  of  land  which  divides  the  branches  of 
Cousins  river,  and  owned  all  the  island  which  still  bears  his  name. 
Richard  Bray,  James  Lane,  John  Maine,  John  Holman,  Messrs.  Shep- 
ard,  Gendall,  and  Seward,  Thomas  Blashfield,  Benjamin  Larrabee, 
Amos  Stevens,  Thomas  Reading,  and  William  Haines  were  among  the 
early  settlers.  During  the  first  Indian  war,  in  1675,  the  settlement  was 
destroyed,  and  the  inhabitants  abandoned  the  place,  to  which  they  did 
not  return  till  the  conclusion  of  peace,  in  1678. 


238  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTIOK    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

North  Yarmouth  was  incorporated  on  the  22d  of  September,  1680, 
and  was  laid  out  on  the  land  commonly  called  Maine's  point,  in  a  very 
compact  manner,  with  the  view  of  defending  it  from  the  attacks  that 
might  be  made  by  the  Indians.^  In  1688,  another  assault  was  made 
upon  the  settlement  by  the  savages,  and  the  thirty-six  families  com- 
prising its  population  abandoned  their  stock  and  improvements,  and 
sought  a  refuge  from  the  fury  of  the  natives.  Captain  Gendall,  the 
most  wealthy  and  enterprising  of  all  the  settlers,  a  Mr.  Scales,  and 
several  others,  fell  victims  to  the  Indians'  revengeful  cruelty.  Nineteen 
years  of  Indian  warfare  intervened;  and  when  the  settlers  ventured 
again  (about  1713)  within  the  precincts  of  their  former  home,  they 
found  the  sites  of  their  habitations  covered  by  a  young  growth  of  trees. 
Nothing  daunted,  however,  they  went  to  work  with  vigor,  and  the  set- 
tlement again  presented  tokens  of  civilization  and  improvement.  New 
proprietors  were  admitted,  among  whom  were  Gilbert  and  Barnabas 
Winslow,  Jacob  Mitchell,  Seabury  Southworth,  and  Cornelius  Soule, 
descendants  of  the  first  settlers  at  Plymouth. 

Till  after  the  year  1756,  the  Indians  were  exceedingly  troublesome. 
In  1725,  William  and  Matthew  Scales  were  killed,  as  was  also  Joseph 
Felt,  whose  wife  and  children  Avere  carried  into  captivity,  from  which  they 
were  afterwards  released.  Joseph  Weare,  gi-andson  of  Felt,  pursued  the 
Indians  on  every  opportunity  with  unrelenting  hate.  His  deeds  of 
daring,  and  the  number  of  natives  put  to  death  by  him,  would  form  a 
thrilling  narrative.  Joseph  Sweat  was  killed  June  16,  1746,  and  Philip 
Greely  on  the  9th  of  August  of  the  same  year,  at  the  Lower  Falls, 
where  a  party  of  thirty-two  Indians  had  secreted  themselves  for  the  pur- 
pose of  surprising  Weare's  garrison.  These  events  continued  till  May 
4,  1756,  when  the  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  Thomas  Maines, 
killing  him  and  an  infant  in  the  arms  of  Mrs.  Maines,  and  takino-  a 
girl,  named  Skinner,  captive.  Beside  those  mentioned  above,  there  were 
four  persons  killed  and  some  eight  or  ten  carried  into  captivity.  No 
further  depredations  were  committed  after  the  date  last  named. 

The  comparative  quiet  which  the  cessation  of  Indian  hostilities  had 
given  to  the  inhabitants  was  interrupted  by  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
and  the  town,  on  the  20th  of  May  previous  to  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, "  voted  unanimously  to  engage  with  their  lives  and  fortunes 
to  support  congress  in  the  measure."  No  place  in  New  England  can 
boast  of  a  more  steadfast  and  consistent  career  in  the  crisis  than  North 
Yarmouth.     One  among  the  distinguished  individuals  who  have  resided 

'  Nortl>  Yannouth  was  called  IVesciistoffo  by  the  Indians,  and  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  they  had  a  settlement  on  Lane's  island,  as  several  evidences  have  come  to  light,  in 
the  shape  of  skeletons  of  the  aborigines,  which  would  give  reason  for  the  supposition". 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    NORWAY.  239 

here  was  Rev.  Ammi  R.  Cutter,  who  officiated  as  a  clergyman  for  some 
years,  and  afterwards  studied  medicine.  He  commanded  a  company 
under  General  Pepperrell  in  the  memoiuble  expedition  to  Louisburg, 
and  remained  there  as  surgeon  to  the  garrison  the  winter  following  the 
surrender  of  that  place. 

The  surface  is  generally  even,  and  the  land  of  a  good  quality.  North 
Yarmouth  is  watered  by  RoyaU's  river,  which  runs  directly  through  it. 
It  contains  two  church  edifices  —  Congregationalist  and  Methodist ; 
nine  school  districts,  and  nine  schools ;  two  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  and 
two  post-offices  —  Centre  and  East  North  Yarmouth.  Population, 
1,121 ;  valuation,  ^395,501. 

Norway,  in  the  southerly  part  of  Oxford  county,  is  estimated  to  con- 
tain about  twenty-five  thousand  acres,  consisting  of  a  tract,  estimated 
at  six  thousand  acres,  purchased  of  Massachusetts  in  1787 ;  a  six  thou- 
sand acre  tract  granted  to  Mr.  Lee,  and  called  the  Lee  Grant ;  and  two 
other  tracts,  known  as  the  Cummings  Gore,  and  the  Kent  Gore.  The 
township  w^as  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  first  settlers  by  the  reports  of 
hunters,  who  travelled  through  its  territory  in  pursuit  of  deer  and  other 
game,  with  which  the  forests  abounded.  James  Stinchfield,  Jonas  Ste- 
vens, and  some  others,  came  into  the  township  on  a  hunting  excursion 
around  the  great  Pennessewasse  pond  and  other  streams,  and,  seeing 
the  beautiful  growth  of  wood  and  other  indications  of  fertile  soU,  deter- 
mined to  settle  here. 

In  1786,  Joseph  and  Jonas  Stevens,  Jeremiah  and  Amos  Hobbs,  and 
George  Lessley,  came  and  commenced  vigorous  efibrts  in  clearing  lands 
and  erecting  dwellings.  Shortly,  three  of  them  brought  their  families. 
Many  others  soon  followed ;  and  the  place  began  to  wear  a  populous 
aspect.  Captain  Rust,  a  large  proprietor  of  land,  performed  many  acts 
of  kindness  to  the  settlers,  for  which  he  was  very  much  beloved  and 
esteemed ;  and,  in  honor  of  him,  the  township  received  its  name,  which 
it  retained  until  its  incorporation,  March  9,  1797.  At  this  date,  the 
inhabitants  were  thinly  scattered  about  in  small  clearings,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  log  houses,  many  of  them  with  large  families  of  young 
children,  often  poorly  clad  and  fed ;  notwithstanding  which,  they  were 
not  without  their  comforts  and  consolations.  Many  of  the  earlier  settlers 
were  soldiers  in  the  Revolution ;  one  of  whom,  Phineas  Whitney,  served 
throughout  the  war,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  HUl,  being  one  of 
the  last  to  leave  the  field.  In  1843,  the  records  of  the  town  from  the 
beginning  were  destroyed  by  fire. 

Norway  has  a  fertile  soil,  and  is  watered  by  the  great  Pennessewasse 
pond,  which  furnishes  good  water-power  for  mills  and  other  machinery. 


240  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

By  industry  and  economy,  rapid  advances  have  been  made  in  agricul- 
tural improvements  —  in  buildings,  and  in  mechanical  and  mercantile 
business.  Noi-way  has  five  meeting-houses  —  two  Congregational,  one 
Baptist,  one  Free-will  Baptist,  and  one  Methodist ;  thirteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  fifteen  schools ;  a  prosperous  academy,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
twelve  or  fifteen  stores,  ten  blacksmith  shops,  two  iron  founderies,  seven 
saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  clapboard,  shingle  and  lath  machines,  a  plough 
factory,  one  large  carriage  factory,  a  large  paper-mill  with  the  latest  im- 
provements, carding  and  clothier's  mills,  and  a  variety  of  boot  and  shoe 
establishments  ;  as  also  two  post-offices  —  Norway  and  North  Norway. 
Population,  1,963 ;  valuation,  |326,473. 

Oldtown,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Penobscot  river,  about  twelve  miles  above  Bangor.  Its  history  will  be 
found  in  that  of  Orono,  of  which  it  formed  a  part  until  March,  1840, 
when  it  was  incorporated  as  a  separate  town.  The  inhabitants,  mostly 
from  the  western  part  of  the  state,  were  enticed  here  by  the  hope  of 
making  a  fortune  in  the  lumber  business;  and  are  an  enterprising, 
active,  and  intelligent  population.  They  seem  to  be  a  homogeneous 
compound  of  people  from  various  nations,  particularly  Irish,  Germans, 
Canadians,  and  Scotch. 

The  surface  is  generally  pretty  even.  A  "  horseback,"  so  called,  runs 
the  entire  length,  from  north  to  south,  which,  according  to  the  testimony 
of  geologists,  has  been  formed  by  the  action  of  water.  The  town  is 
drained  by  Penobscot  river,  and  Pushaw  and  Birch  streams.  Agricul- 
ture is  but  little  attended  to,  the  inhabitants  being  principally  engrossed 
in  the  lumber  business,  which  is  very  extensively  carried  on.  There  are 
twelve  gangs  and  fifty-nine  single  saws  employed  in  sawing  boards  and 
timber,  and  some  fifty  machines  used  in  the  manufacture  of  clapboards, 
shingles,  laths,  and  other  small  lumber.  The  Bangor,  Oldtown,  and 
Milford  Railroad,  the  second  completed  in  the  United  States,  passes 
through  here.  The  Penobscot  Railroad,  now  building,  will  also  pass 
through.  A  noticeable  feature  in  Oldtown  is  the  boom  in  Penobscot 
river,  erected  some  years  since  at  a  cost  of  §J100,000.  Its  object  is  to 
stop  all  the  lumber  coming  down  the  river,  and  prevent  its  going  out  to 
sea.  During  the  rafting  season,  there  are  three  hundred  men  or  more 
employed  in  rafting  out  the  lumber  which  is  driven  into  it.  The  largest 
quantity  ever  rafted  in  one  year  was  in  1855,-181,000,000  feet.  There 
was  estimated,  at  one  time,  to  be  six  hundred  acres  of  logs  in  the  boom, 
from  which  some  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  magnitude  and  importance 
of  the  lumber  business. 

There  are  four  villages  —  Upper  Stillwater,  Greatworlvs,  Pushaw,  and 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    ORIENT,   ETC.  241 

Oldtown  village,  which  latter  contains  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants. 
In  this  village  is  located  the  Lumberman's  Bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$75,000.  There  are  also  five  dry  goods  and  four  variety  stores,  four 
groceries,  two  millinery  shops,  three  clothing  stores,  one  tin  manu- 
factory, and  one  saddlery.  It  has  eight  school  districts,  with  sixteen 
schools ;  seven  churches  —  Congregationalist,  Baptist,  Episcopalian, 
Universalist,  Methodist,  Union,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  three  post-offices 
—  Oldtown,  .Upper  Stillwater,  and  West  Greatworks.  Population, 
3,087;  valuation  for  1858,  $496,094. 

Orient,  in  the  southern  part  of  Aroostook  county,  was  surveyed  in 
1831  by  General  John  Webber,  and  the  settlement  was  soon  after  com- 
menced by  Abraham  Longley  and  others.  It  became  an  incorporated 
town  in  1856,  and  was  made  up  of  Orient  gore,  and  the  east  half  of 
township  No.  9,  lying  west  of  the  gore,  and  south  of  the  town  of  Amity, 
near  the  monument,  in  the  county  of  Aroostook.  The  westerly  part  is 
broken ;  but  the  easterly  part,  bordering  on  the  Schoodic  Grand  lake,  is 
quite  level,  has  a  tolerably  good  soil,  and  is  partly  cleared.  It  has  one 
post-office,  and  three  school  districts.     Population,  205. 

Orland,  Hancock  county,  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Penobscot 
river,  was  one  of  the  six  first-class  townships  granted  by  Massachusetts, 
in  1762,  to  David  Marsh  and  559  others.  It  became  an  incorporated 
town,  February  11,  1800,  and  its  surface  is  rough  and  broken.  It  is 
watered  by  a  chain  of  ponds  extending  nearly  its  whole  length,  called 
Toddy  ponds,  having  their  outlet  in  the  Penobscot  river.  Besides  these 
there  are  Cragie's  and  Long  ponds,  lying  mostly  in  Bucksport,  as  also 
Great  pond.  Orland  is  not  very  valuable  for  agricultural  purposes,  and 
as  a  consequence  the  inhabitants  are  principally  engaged  in  other  pur- 
suits, mainly  lumbering,  ship-building,  and  fishing.  There  is  one  village 
in  Orland,  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congregational,  and  Uni- 
versalist; eighteen  school  districts,  and  twenty-two  schools;  six  saw- 
mills, two  grist-mills;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,579;  valua- 
tion, $277,433. 

Orneville,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Piscataquis  county,  was  incor- 
porated in  1832,  under  the  name  of  Milton,  afterwards  changed  to 
Almond,  and  then  to  Orneville.  It  is  watered  by  several  ponds  and  by 
the  Pushaw  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Penobscot.  The  surface  is  rolling 
and  the  soil  good.  It  contains  eight  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools  ;  one  post-office ;  two  grist-mills,  three  saw-miUs,  and 

VOL.  I.  21 


242  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLA2JD. 

two  shingle  mills.     The  Bangor  post-road  passes  through  the  village. 
Population,  424  ;  valuation,  $28,926. 

Orono,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Penob- 
scot river,  and  joins  Bangor  on  the  north.  It  was  originally  the  property 
of  Massachusetts,  and  was  settled,  in  1774,  by  Jeremiah  Colburn  and 
Joshua  Ayres.  It  embraced  an  island  in  the  Penobscot  river,  which 
was  settled  soon  after  by  John  Marsh,  and  consequently  called  Marsh 
Island.  The  McPheters,  the  Whites,  and  the  Spencers  were  early  set- 
tlers. John  Bennoch,  a  native  of  Scotland,  came  here  from  Boston 
about  1808,  and  Andrew  Webster,  father  of  the  late  Col.  E.  Webster, 
settled  about  the  same  time.  They  were  the  most  active  and  enter- 
prising among  the  lumbermen  on  the  river,  and  contributed  largely  in 
laying  the  foundation  of  the  present  prosperity  of  Orono.  The  planta- 
tion name  was  Stillwater.  It  included  Oldtown  as  a  part  of  its  territory 
until  1840,  the  period  of  its  incorporation.  The  present  name  was  de- 
rived from  a  distinguished  chief  of  the  Tarratine  tribe  of  Indians,  who 
had  his  residence  here,  and  whose  devotion  to  American  liberty  was 
regarded  as  a  strong  reason  for  thus  perpetuating  his  memory. 

The  surface  is  generally  even.  Immediately  on  the  banks  of  the 
Penobscot  there  is  some  fine  tillage  land  ;  but  back  from  the  river  it  is 
poor  and  unproductive.  Marsh  island  is  connected  with  the  main  land 
by  a  covered  toll-bridge.  The  Bangor  and  Oldtown  Railroad  passes 
through  the  western  part,  and  the  Orono  and  Milford  follows  up  the 
west  bank  of  the  Penobscot,  both  crossing  the  Stillwater  branch,  as  well 
as  the  main  river,  to  Milford,  which  at  present  is  the  terminus  of  both. 
Lumbering  and  j&shing  were  the  principal  occupations  of  the  inhabitants 
for  many  years ;  but,  of  late,  they  have  turned  their  attention  more  to 
agriculture.  There  are  two  sets  of  saw-mills  on  the  first  dam,  having 
three  gangs  and  twenty  single  saws,  together  with  shingle,  lath,  and 
clapboard  machines ;  and  on  the  second  dam,  three  gangs -and  twenty- 
seven  single  saws,  a  portion  of  which  are  in  operation.  There  is  also 
at  this  place  another  block  of  mills,  called  the  Basin  mills,  drawing  the 
water  by  which  they  are  propelled  from  the  main  river.  They  contain 
two  gangs  and  about  twenty  single  saws,  besides  several  shingle,  lath, 
and  clapboard  machines.  This  block  has  superior  advantages  over  the 
others  in  not  being  affected  by  drought,  and  by  having  facilities  for  se- 
curing and  containing  a  large  number  of  logs.  The  town  has  one  village, 
part  of  which  is  situated  on  the  main  land,  and  a  part  on  Marsh  Island ; 
three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  UniversaKst ; 
the  Orono  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000;  two  post-offices — Orono 
and  Upper  Stillwater;  and  one  school  district,  with  twelve  schools. 
Population,  2,785 ;  valuation,  ^259,930. 


ETC.  243 

Orrington,  Penobscot  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  Penob- 
scot river,  and  formerly  comprised  within  its  territory  Brewer  and 
Holden.  It  was  settled  by  mariners  from  Massachusetts,  who  had  been 
compelled,  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  to  leave  their  legitimate  business 
and  seek  other  employments.  As  soon  as  hostilities  ceased,  many  of 
these  settlers,  with  their  sous,  sought  again  a  life  on  the  ocean.  Captain 
Brewer  and  Simeon  Fowler  were  among  the  early  settlers,  and  pur- 
chased from  the  government  a  tract  of  land  on  Penobscot  river,  contain- 
ing 10,864  acres,  for  which  they  paid  £3,000  in  consolidated  notes. 
The  remainder  was  granted  to  Moses  Knapp  and  others.  The  survey 
was  made  in  1784,  and  the  town  was  incorporated  in  1788. 

The  surface  is  a  medium  between  that  of  Bucksport  and  Brewer  — 
not  so  hilly  and  rocky  as  the  former,  and  not  so  level,  sandy,  or  loamy  as 
the  latter.  It  is  drained  by  Brewer  and  Wentworth  streams,  which  flow 
diagonally  through  the  town,  and  fall  into  the  Penobscot.  Orrington 
has  three  small  villages  ;  four  church  edifices  —  three  Methodist  and  one 
Congregational;  twelve  school  districts,  with  thirteen  schools;  seven 
saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  tw^o  shingle  mills,  one  wood-turning  establish- 
ment, one  tannery,  and  four  post-offices  —  Orrington,  South  Orrington, 
East  Orrington,  and  Goodale's  Corner.  Population,  1,852 ;  valuation, 
$256,605. 

Otis,  Hancock  county,  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Ellsworth.  The 
first  settlements  were  commenced  about  fifty  years  ago.  Among  those 
w^ho  Avere  prominent  pioneers  in  the  work  of  improvement  w^ere  Isaac 
Frazer,  W.  M.  Jellison,  Nathan  Young,  Allan  Milliken,  James  Gil- 
patrick,  Benjamin  Davis,  and  others.  The  first  farms  were  cleared  in 
1823,  the  titles  to  them  having  been  obtained  from  Leonard  Jarvis. 
Otis  was  incorporated  in  1835.  Its  surface  is  quite  uneven.  Some  of 
the  rivers  which  flow  into  Frenchman's  bay  have  their  source  here,  and 
Union  river  passes  the  northwest  corner.  On  Flood's  pond  several  mills 
are  built,  and  Springy  pond  is  the  site  of  a  clapboard  mill.  On  Beech 
Hill  pond  there  are  other  mills,  owned  by  residents  of  Ellsworth.  The 
principal  portion  of  the  inhabitants  are  Free-will  Baptists ;  as  yet,  how- 
ever, they  own  no  church  edifice,  and  from  necessity  hold  their  meet- 
ings in  the  school-houses.  There  are  three  school  districts,  with  the 
same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  124  ;  valua- 
tion, ^19,341. 

Otisfield,  in  the  northern  part  of  Cumberland  county,  thirty  miles 
from  Portland,  was  formerly  a  plantation  under  the  same  name.  It 
was  incorporated  in  February,  1798.     The  soil  is  very  good,  and  as  an 


244  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

evidence  of  its  productiveness,  it  may  be  stated,  that,  in  1837,  it  yielded 
four  thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  bushels  of  wheat.  It  is  wa- 
tered by  Pequawket  river,  which  empties  into  Sebago  lake,  and  by 
Thompson's  pond.  There  is  a  pond  known  as  Long  pond,  lying  partly 
in  this  town  and  partly  in  Casco,  having  its  outlet  in  Pequawket  river. 
Otisfield  contains  two  church  edifices,  one  occupied  by  the  Methodists, 
and  the  other  by  the  Free-will  Baptists  ;  twelve  school  districts,  with 
twenty-four  schools ;  three  saw-miUs  ;  four  shingle  machines ;  a  capital 
invested  in  trade  of  about  $6,000 ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Bolster  Mills, 
Otisfield,  and  East  Otisfield.     Population,  1,171 ;  valuation,  $211,185. 

Oxford,  in  the  southerly  part  of  Oxford  county,  originally  formed  a 
part  of  Hebron,  from  which  it  was  incorporated  in  1829.  It  was  set- 
tled during  the  closing  years  of  the  Revolutionary  war  by  Captain 
Isaac  Bolster  from  Worcester,  John  Caldwell  from  Ipswich,  Job  and 
Joseph  Cushman  and  Peter  Thayer  from  Plympton,  Daniel  Whitney, 
Daniel  Bullen,  Zadoc  and  Abraham  Dean,  BLLiot  Richmond,  Daniel  and 
Asa  Bartlett,  Nathaniel  FuUer,  Holmes  Thomas,  Zebulon  Chadbourne, 
James  Soule,  and  James  Perry  from  different  places,  —  all  from  Massa- 
chusetts. These  settlers  came  within  a  few  years  of  each  other.  The 
progress  of  the  settlement  was  slow,  —  more  so  from  the  various  obsta- 
cles that  deterred  settlers  from  pushing  out  into  the  wilderness,  than 
from  any  difficulties  presented  by  the  soil  or  position  of  the  place. 
William  C.  Whitney  settled  here  in  1796,  and  remained  until  about 
1840,  having  held  several  important  offices.  J.  S.  Keith  and  J.  J.  Perry 
are  distinguished  residents,  both  having  been  members  of  the  state 
senate.  Mr.  Perry  recently  represented  this  district  in  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States,  and  has  been  chosen  to  the  thirty-sixth  Congress. 

The  surface  is  somewhat  hiUy,  but  nearly  all  of  it  capable  of  cultiva- 
tion. Water  is  supplied  by  the  Little  Androscoggin  river  and  the  outlet 
of  Thompson's  pond,  on  which  there  are  some  good  mill-sites.  There 
are  in  Oxford  three  saw-mills,  a  grist-mill,  two  wooUen  factories,  a 
tannery ;  two  villages  -»-  Welchville  and  Cragie's  Mills ;  three  religious 
societies  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Baptist,  —  the  two  former 
of  wliich  have  houses  of  public  worship ;  ten  school  districts,  and  ten 
schools;  and  two  post-offices  —  Oxford  and  Welchville.  Population, 
1,233 ;  valuation,  $183,800. 

Oxford  County  extends  about  one  hundred  miles  in  length  upon  the 
western  boundary  of  the  state,  and  made  originally  the  northern  parts 
of  York  and  Cumberland.  The  act  establishing  it  was  passed  March 
4,  1805.     Its  southerly  line  then  began  upon  the  Androscoggin,  at  the 


MAINE TOWN   OF   PALERMO.  245 

southeasterly  corner  of  the  town  of  Turner,  and  ran  west  to  the  present 
easterly  line  of  the  county ;  thence  southerly  and  Avesterly  as  the  line 
now  runs,  taking  in  Hebron,  Norway,  Waterford,  and  the  towns  of 
Sweden,  Denmariv,  and  Hiram,  since  incorporated.  Great  Ossipee 
river  was  made  its  southern  limit,  Canada  its  northern,  and  its  west- 
ern the  state  of  New  Hampshire.  In  1838,  the  county  of  Franklin 
received  five  towns  and  a  large  number  of  plantations  from  Oxford, 
making  more  than  half  its  territory.  In  1854,  it  gave  two  towns  to  form 
Androscoggin  county.  It  has  now  thirty-four  towns  and  eighteen 
plantations  and  parts  of  plantations,  covering  an  area  of  about  seventeen 
hundred  square  miles,  the  northern  portion  of  .which  is  mostly  unsettled. 
Some  parts  are  rough  and  mountainous;  but  the  greater  portion  is 
fertile,  and  well  adapted  to  cultivation,  especially  that  along  the  rivers 
and  lakes.  The  county  is  well  watered  by  the  Androscoggin,  Saco,  and 
their  tributaries,  and  in  the  northern  part  are  the  large  lakes  Umbagog 
and  Moose  locmeguntic.  It  is  traversed  by  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway. 
Paris  has  always  been  the  shire  town.  The  county  belongs  to  the 
western  judicial  district,  the  law  terms  of  which  are  held  at  Portland. 
The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court  for  civil  and  criminal 
business  commence  at  Paris  on  the  second  Tuesdays  of  March,  August, 
and  November.     Population,  35,463  ;  valuation,  ^5,349,340. 

Palermo  is  situated  in  the  west  part  of  Waldo  county,  twenty-four 
miles  from  Belfast.  It  was  formerly  called  Sheepscot  Great  Pond,  and 
the  petition  for  incorporation  was  presented  in  1801,  which  set  forth,, 
among  other  things,  that  they  had  "  a  great  proportion  of  roads  to  make 
and  maintain  within  their  bounds,  and  ten  miles  of  road  at  least  out 
of  their  limits,  which  road  led  to  the  head  of  navigation  on  Sheepscot 
river,  their  nighest  market."  The  petitioners  were  fifty-five  in  number, 
among  whom  were  Gabriel  Hamilton,  Jacob  Greeley,  Jabez  Lewis, 
James  Dennis,  William  C.  Hay,  Joseph  Whittier,  Charles  Lewis,  Sam- 
uel and  Stephen  Longfellow,  John  Gliddon,  and  Joseph  Bowler.  The 
township  was  surveyed  in  August,  1800,  by  William  Davis,  and  con- 
tained 27,100  acres.  It  was  incorporated  by  its  present  name  (Lisbon 
was  the  one  mentioned  in  the  petition),  June  23,  1804. 

The  surface  is  varied  with  hill  and  dale,  but  not  mountainous ;  and 
the  soil  is  good,  consisting  mainly  of  a  gravelly  loam.  Palermo  has  one 
village,  called  Branch  Mills ;  two  Baptist  church  edifices  ;  fifteen  school 
districts,  with  thirteen  schools;  three  post-offices  —  Palermo,  Palermo 
Centre,  and  East  Palermo ;  three  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  three  shin- 
gle machines,  and  one  starch  factory.  Population,  1,659;  valuation, 
^177,886. 


246  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

Palmyra,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Somerset  county,  twenty-five  miles 
from  Norridgewock,  was  purchased  of  Massachusetts  by  a  Mr.  Barnard 
of  New  Hampshire,  for  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  acre,  and  was  after- 
wards sold  by  him  to  Dr.  John  Warren  of  Boston.  It  was  surveyed,  in 
1798,  by  Samuel  Weston.  The  first  settler  was  Daniel  Gale,  who  re- 
moved his  family  here  in  1800.  It  was  incorporated  in  1807,  and  a 
post-office  was  established  in  1824.  The  surface  is  rolling,  and  the  soil 
very  productive  of  grass  and  grain,  to  the  cultivation  of  which,  attention 
is  mostly  directed.  Palmyra  is  drained  by  the  outlet  of  Moose  pond,  — 
the  west  branch  of  Sebasticook  river, —  which  affords  water-power. 
The  town  contains  one  church  edifice  (Methodist),  fifteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  the  same  number  of  schools,  and  the  various  elements  neces- 
sary to  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  a  country  town.  Population, 
1,625 ;  valuation,  $162,897. 

Paris,  the  shire  town  of  Oxford  county,  is  situated  forty-seven  miles 
northwest  from  Portland,  and  about  forty-two  miles  west  from  Augusta. 
It  extends  from  northeast  to  southwest  about  twelve  miles,  and  from 
southeast  to  northwest  about  six  miles,  and  contains  about  seventy 
square  miles.  It  was  originally  granted  to  Captain  Joshua  Fuller  and 
his  sixty-four  privates,  by  Massachusetts,  in  1771.  The  first  settlement 
was  commenced  in  1779,  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  by  John  Daniels, 
John  Willis,  Benjamin  Hammond,  Lemuel  Jackson,  and  Uriah  Ripley. 
Joseph  Daniels,  born  in  February,  1784,  who  is  stiU  living,  and  has 
always  been  a  resident,  was  the  first  native  citizen.  The  first  settled 
minister  was  Jaines  Hooper,  Baptist,  who  was  ordained  in  Lemuel 
Jackson's  barn,  June  25,  1795.  Mr.  Hooper  remained  in  charge  of  his 
church  forty  years.  In  1803,  the  Baptists  erected  a  house  for  public 
worship  at  Paris  Hill.  Paris  was  incorporated  June  20,  1793,  and  be- 
came the  shire  town  upon  the  incorporation  of  the  county  in  1805.  It 
has  furnished  six  members  of  congress,  namely,  Levi  Hubbard,  Albion 
K.  Parris,  Enoch  Lincoln,  Timothy  J.  Carter,  Rufus  K.  Goodenow,  and 
Charles  Andrews,  of  whom  the   last  only  was  a  native. 

The  surface  is  uneven.  Streaked  mountain,  on  its  eastern  line,  being  its 
highest  elevation.  It  presents  every  variety  of  soil  except  clay,  very 
little  of  which  is  found.  It  is  superior  for  pasturage  and  hay  crops,  and ' 
is  one  of  the  best  stock  and  dairy  towns  in  the  state.  The  orchards  are 
large  and  productive,  and  a  source  of  great  income.  The  first  apple- 
tree  and  pear-tree  were  brought  by  Lemuel  Jackson  from  Massachu- 
setts in  1780,  and  both  are  still  in  good  condition.  Moose  pond,  in  the 
north  pai-t,  is  tlic  only  sheet  of  water  of  any  magnitude.  The  Little 
Androscoggin  runs  its   entire  length  from  northwest  to  southeast,  and 


MAINE - 


■TOWX    OF    PAIUS. 


247 


furnishes  several  fine  water  privileges,  whieli  are  occupied  by  saw  and 
grist-mills,  a  woollen  factory,  manufactories  for  cane-seat  chairs,  cast- 
iron  ploughs,  and  portable  galvanized  iron  ovens.  Boots  and  shoes  are 
manufactured  to  some  extent.  In  the  north  part  is  a  beautiful  spring, 
whose  waters  are  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur  and  nitre.  Snow's 
falls,  on  the  Little  Androscoggin,  is  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  pic- 
turesque waterfalls.  Mount  Mica,  in  the  eastern  part,  is  much  resorted 
to  by  the  scientific  to  obtain  specimens  of  mica,  green  and  red  tourma- 
lines ;  other  minerals  being  also  found  here  in  abmidance.     The  Grand 


County  Buildings  upon  Paris  Hill-^ 

Trunlv  Railway  runs  the  entire  length  of  the  town.  It  crosses  the  Lit- 
ile  AiKh'oscoggin  upon  a  granite  bridge,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $60,000. 
There  are  three  villages  —  Paris  Hill,  South  Paris,  and  North  Paris, 
the  first  of  which  contains  fifty-five  dwelling-liouses  and  the  county 
buildings,  and,  from  its  high  elevation,  enjoys  a  fine  air  and  delightful 
])rospect.  The  Oxford  Normal  Institute,  at  South  Paris,  has  for  years 
been  a  flonrishing  literary  institution.  The  Paris  Hill  academy,  erectt'd 
and  sustained  solely  by  individual  effort,  is  well  jiaironized,  and  has  a 
very  desirable  location.  There  are  eighteen  school  distrii-ts ;  four 
church  edifices  —  one  Congregational,  two  ^Icthodist,  and  one  Baptist; 
five  post-olRees — Paris,  Soutli  Paris,  AVest  Paris,  North  Paris,  and 
Snow's  Falls.      Population,  2,SS;2  ;  valuation  for  18-38,  8340,800. 


'  Tlic  above  view  was  taken  in  Jamiavv,  1S5S,  and  lias  as  much  scope  as  could  ^\■cl\  lie 
obtaincil  by  tlic  caniei'a,  on  acconnt  of  the  sharp  elevation  of  the  hill  above  all  neii,dibor- 
iiig  points.     The  i'oregronnd  of  the  picture  indicates  the  mode  of  the  artist's  arrival. 


248  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Parkman,  in  the  southern  part  of  Piscataquis  county,  fifteen  miles 
from  Dover,  was  incorporated  in  1822,  and  received  its  name  from  Dr. 
George  Parkman,  who  was  murdered  by  Dr.  Webster.  It  is  Avatered 
by  a  branch  of  Piscataquis  river;  and  the  surface  is  generally  even, 
with  a  soil  excellently  adapted  to  agricultural  development.  The  man- 
ufacture of  butter  and  cheese  receives  considerable  attention.  A  thriv- 
ing little  village,  called  Parkman  Corner,  has  sprung  up  near  the  centre 
of  the  town.  The  people  have  intelligence,  thrift,  and  industry,  and 
are  reaping  the  benefits  arising  from  these  characteristics.  There  are 
three  church  edifices  (Methodist,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  Congregational) ; 
fourteen  school  districts,  with  twenty-four  schools ;  two  post-offices  — 
Parkman  and  Parkman  Centre ;  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  and  two 
shingle  mills.     Population,  1,243  ;  valuation,  <S)117,194. 

Parsonsfield  is  the  northwestern  corner  town  of  Yorlc  county,  on  the 
boundary  line  between  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  and  contains  an 
area  of  twenty-two  thousand  acres.  It  is  a  part  of  the  tract  sold  by  the 
Indian  sagamore.  Captain  Sunday,  to  Francis  Small  and  Nicholas 
Shapleigh,  in  1661.  Small  removed  to  Cape  Cod,  where  he  died  soon 
after,  and,  pn  the  division  of  the  property  in  1771,  this  portion  of  the 
purchase  fell  to  the  claimants  under  Shapleigh,  —  Alexander  Scammel, 
Joseph  Moulton,  and  Philip  Hubbard, — who  conveyed  it  to  Thomas 
Parsons  and  thirty-nine  associates.  The  tract  was  shortly  afterwards 
surveyed  into  one  hundred  acre  lots,  two  of  which  were  reserved  for 
each  proprietor,  nine  for  the  use  of  schools  and  the  support  of  the  minis- 
try, and  one  for  a  mill  privilege.  The  next  year  (1772),  twelve  families 
settled,  which  were  increased  during  the  four  years  following  to  forty 
families.  Among  the  names  of  the  early  inhabitants  were  John  and 
Gideon  Doe,  of  Newmarlcet,  N.  H.,  who  settled  in  1775.  Parsonsfield 
was  incorporated  March  9,  1785 ;  and  the  first  warrant  for  a  town-meet- 
ing was  issued  by  Simon  Frye,  of  Fryeburg,  justice  of  the  peace. 

Tlie  surface  is  rough  and  hilly,  and  the  soil  requires  a  considerable 
dressing  to  make  it  productive.  Cedar,  Wiggin's,  and  Randall  moun- 
tains are  the  three  principal  elevations.  Water  is  supplied  by  Great 
brook,  which  flows  into  the  Ossipee  river,  and  by  Spruce,  Long,  and 
Mudgett  ponds.  There  are  four  villages  —  Kezar  Falls,  Middle  Road, 
Weeks  Corner,  and  North  Road,  all  of  them  small ;  eight  church  edi- 
fices—four Free-will  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  one  ^aptist,  one 
Friends'  and  one  Union  ;  a  seminary,  under  the  direction  of  the  Free- 
will Baptists ;  seventeen  school  districts,  with  thirty-four  schools ;  and 
six  post-offices  —  Parsonsfield,  North  Parsonsfield,  South  Parsonsfield, 
East  Parsonsfield,  West  Parsonsfield,  and  Kezar  Falls.  There  is  a  set 
of  saw,  shingle,  and  grain  mills  at  Kezar  Falls  ;  and  one  in  the  Avest 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    PASSADUMKEAG,    ETC.  249 

part  of  the  town,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Lord  mills ;  besides  some 
six  other  mills  of  less  note.  Px)pulation,  2,322;  valuation  for  1857, 
$490,000. 

Passadumkeag,  Penobscot  county,  on  the  east  bank  of  Penobscot 
river,  thirty-two  miles  from  Bangor,  was  incorporated  in  1833.  It  is 
drained  by  Passadumkeag  river,  and  the  surface  is  varied,  with  a  fertile 
soil,  promising  bountiful  harvests  to  the  industrious  farmer.  The 
admirable  location  of  the  village  of  Passadumkeag  will  eventually 
secure  for  it  the  trade  of  a  large  section  of  country.  The  lumber  busi- 
ness engrosses  the  principal  attention  of  the  inhabitants.  The  town 
contains  some  excellent  mill  privileges ;  has  four  school  districts,  with 
the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  295 ; 
valuation,  .^20,066. 

Patten,  Penobscot  county,  eighty  miles  from  Bangor,  and  bounded 
on  the  east  by  Aroostook  county,  was  incorporated  in  1841.  It  is 
watered  by  a  small  stream,  which  has  its  origin  within  the  town,  and 
passes  from  thence  into  Aroostook  county.  This  town,  some  think,  has 
within  it  the  elements  of  future  wealth.  Its  forests  abound  in  timber, 
and  the  soil  is  well  suited  to  the  production  of  wheat  and  other  grains. 
There  are  five  school  districts,  with  six  schools ;  and  one  post-office ; 
also  a  grist-mill.     Population,  470 ;  valuation,  $46,447. 

Pejepscot  Purchase.  The  Pejepscot  settlements  originated  in  the  en- 
terprise of  Thomas  Purchas  and  George  Way,  in  1624-5.1  They  claimed 
on  both  sides  of  the  Androscoggin  to  the  falls  at  Lewiston,  south- 
wardly to  Maquoit,  also  the  Merryconeag  peninsula,  Sebascodegan 
and  other  islands.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Pequot  war,  Purchas, 
wishing  to  strengthen  the  position  of  the  settlements,  which  were  very 
much  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  Lidians,  by  a  conjunction  with  Massa- 
chusetts, assigned  this  territory  to  Governor  Winthrop  by  deed,  executed 
August  22,  1639,  with  a  provision  that  Purchas  himself,  his  heirs  and 
associates,  should  for  ever  have  the  protection  of  government,  and  that 
they  should  be  allowed  always  to  occupy  the  lands  that  they  might  clear 
within  seven  years  ensuing.^  Purchas  continued  unmolested  in  the 
enjoyment  of  his  lands  for  thirty  or  forty  years,  and  grew  wealthy  from 
trading  with  the  natives.  But  his  neighbors,  the  Anasagunticooks,  had 
become  very  much  excited  during  King  Philip's  war,  and  feehng  a  strong 

1  Williamson  (vol.  l.,  p.  266,)  says,  they  settled  at  the  head  of  Stevens  river,  which  is 
in  Bath ;  but  some  claim  the  honor  for  Brunswick. 
■^  1  Haz.  Coll.  457. 


250  HISTOEY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

aversion  to  him,  a  party  of  them,  on  the  5th  of  September,  1675,  plun- 
dered his  house  during  his  absence,  and  left  without  offering  any  per- 
sonal violence  to  the  inmates,  but  with  the  threat  that  "  others  would 
soon  come,  and  treat  them  worse."    This  promise  was  soon  fulfilled,  and 
the  settlements  were  desolated.     The  colonial  charter  of  Massachusetts 
being  vacated  in  1684,  the  ijihabitants  of  Maine  felt  less  interest  in  a 
government  regulated  solely  by  appointment  from  the  crown,  and  began 
to  resume  purchases  of  the  Indians.     A  very  important  deed  of  convey- 
ance Avas  executed  July  7th  of  that  year,  by  Warumbee  and  five  other 
sagamores  of  the  Anasagunticooks,  to  Richard  Wharton.     It  was  at 
first  supposed  the  conveyance  included  the  lands  between  Cape  Small 
point  and  Maquoit,  thence  extending  northward,  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Androscoggin  river,  four  miles  in  width,  to  the  Upper  (Lewiston) 
falls ;  and  from  there,  five  miles  in  width,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
down  to  Merry-Meeting  bay,  including  the  islands  upon  the  coast.    The 
deed  premised  that  Thomas  Purchas,  the  first  possessor  of  the  tract,  set- 
tled near  the  centre  of  it  sixty  years  before,  and  obtained,  according  to 
report,  a  patent  from  England  ;  that  Nicholas  Shapleigh  had,  at  some 
time,  purchased  of  the  sagamores   Merryconeag  peninsula,  Sebascode- 
gan  island,  and  the  other  islands  between  Cape  Small  point  and  Ma- 
quoit, and  had  died,  seized  of  them ;  that  the  widows  and  heirs  of  Pur- 
chas and  Shapleigh,  after  a  few  reservations,  had  joined  in  a  quitclaim 
of  the  whole  to  Wharton ;  and  that  the  six  sagamore  grantors,  wishing 
to  encourage  Mm  in  setthng  an  English  town  there,  and  in  promoting 
the  salmon  and  sturgeon  fishery,   as  well  as  in  consideration   of  the 
money  they  had  received,  did  grant  and  confirm  unto  him   the   afore- 
described  tract.     They  reserved  to  themselves,  however,  the  use  of  all 
their  ancient  planting  grounds,  and  the  usual  privileges  of  hunting  and 
fishing.     From  the  indefinite  description  of  the  boundaries  in  the  deed, 
and  from  the  doubt  as  to  what  "  falls  "  were  intended,  a  great  contro- 
versy arose.     Some  of  the  subsequent  proprietors  have  claimed"  as  hio-h 
up  the  river  as  the  great  falls  in  Ruraford. 

The  Indian  ravages  in  1690,  which  again  laid  waste  the  Pejepscot 
and  surrounding  country,  quieted  controversy  for  several  years.  Some 
attempts  at  resettlement  were  made  in  1699;  but  Wharton  dying  insol- 
vent, the  tract  was  sold,  in  1714,  to  Messrs.  Winthrop,  T.  Hutchinson, 
Ruck,  Noyes,  Watts,  Minot,  Mountford,  and  two  others,  for  only  £10o' 
who  at  once  applied  to  the  general  court  for  confirmation  of  the  pur- 
chase as  they  bounded  it,i  and  encouragement  in  settling  and  defending 

'  They  supposed  it  ran  "from  five  miles  above  the  uppermost  falls  of  Androsco---in 
nver,  on  a  northeast  Hne,  over  to  Kennebec  river,  including  what  land  lies  to  the  soud>- 


MAINE  —  TOA\       OP   PERU.  251 

the  three  proposed  new  towns  of  Brunswick,  Topsham,  and  Harpswell. 
Their  prayer  was  granted,  and  Fort  George  was  built  and  garrisoned 
for  their  defence.  The  legislature  gave  further  confirmation  in  1726, 
but  with  this  clause  — "  saving  aU  other  interests  that  may  be  found 
therein."  The  history  of  this  purchase  had  now  reached  a  point  where 
controversy  could  not  be  allayed  without  the  arbitrament  of  law ;  or, 
this  failing,  till  the  parties,  —  worn  out  with  tedious  litigation,  —  should 
be  more  disposed  to  a  compromise.^  The  case  occupied  much  time  at 
a  term  of  the  court  in  1754,  being  conducted  by  two  of  the  ablest  advo- 
cates in  the  country — -the  attorney-general,  Jeremiah  Gridley,  for  the 
Plymouth  company,  and  the  renowned  James  Otis,  for  the  Pejepscot 
]iroprietors.  A  compromise  was  arranged,  after  much  difficulty,  in 
1758,  but  was  not  finally  carried  out  till  1766,  when  the  Pejepscot  pro- 
prietors released  to  the  Plymouth  company  the  lands  between  New 
Meadows  and  Kennebec  rivers, — comprising  the  present  towns  of  Phips- 
burg  and  Bath,  —  and  determined  the  line  between  them,  on  the  south 
of  the  latter  company,  to  run  from  the  mouth  of  the  Cathance  river, 
W.  N.  W.,  and  the  west  line  to  be  fifteen  miles  from  Kennebec  river.^ 
But,  in  regard  to  the  true  running  of  the  compromise  line,  disputes 
afterwards  arose,  which  were  not  decided  until  the  present  century. 
Massachusetts  had,  in  1787,  defined  the  Twenty-mile  falls  to  be  Lewiston 
falls,  which  gave  the  proprietors  all  below  that  point  on  the  west,  and 
below  a  line  near  the  north  line  of  Leeds  on  the  east.  Dissatisfied  with 
this,  they  procured  a  reference  in  1798,  composed  of  Levi  Lincoln, 
Samuel  Dexter,  and  Thomas  Dwight,  and  refused  to  abide  by  the 
award  made  in  1800 ;  but  were  compelled  to  do  so  by  actions  brought 
on  the  award,  decided  against  them  in  1814,  by  which  the  tract  was 
limited  as  fixed  by  the  legislature,  embracing,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Androscoggin,  Brunswick,  the  greater  part  of  Durham  and  Danville,  a 
corner  of  Poland,  and  the  present  town  of  Auburn ;  and,  on  the  easterly 
side,  Topsham,  a  part  of  Lisbon,  all  of  Lewiston  and  Greene,  and  three 
fourths  of  Leeds. 

Peru,  Oxford  county,  bounded  north  by  the  Androscoggin  river,  is 
twenty-eight  miles  from  Augusta.  The  original  grant  of  two  miles 
square  was  made  by  Massachusetts  to  Merrill  Knight,  Daniel  Lunt,  Wil- 

ward  of  that  line,  down  to  Merry-lNleeting  bay"  —  wliich  confirmation  only  increased  the 
difficulty,  by  coming  into  collision  with  the  Kennebec  proprietors,  or  the  Plymouth  com- 
pany. 

'  "  These  proprietors  had  waged  a  paper  war  some  time  before  they  carried  their  con- 
troversy into  court.  Pamphlets  were  published  on  both  sides,  in  which  personal  abuse 
was  not  spared." —  Smith  and  Deane's  Journal.,  p.  157,  note  1,  by  William  Willis. 

^  See  Kennebec  Purchase,  ante,  p.  169. 


252  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

liam  Brackett,  and  a  Mr.  Bradish  of  Falmouth.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  by  Knight,  who  came  with  a  large  family  about  the  year 
1793.  He  was  soon  followed  by  Lunt  and  Brackett,  and  by  William 
Walker,  Osborn  Trask,  and  Brady  Bailey,  also  from  Falmouth.  Many 
others  soon  settled  upon  the  same  tract,  the  descendants  of  whom  form 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  population  of  Peru.  The  remainder  of  the 
township  was  afterwards  purchased  of  the  state,  in  tracts  or  grants,  by 
E.  Fox,  Lunt,  Thompson,  and  Peck,  and  separated  into  as  many  grants, 
designated  as  Peck's,  Fox's  and  Thompson's  grants,  and  Lunt's  upper 
and  lower  tracts,  the  upper  tract  including  the  original  grant  of  two  miles 
square.     From  these  proprietors  the  settlers  obtained  their  titles. 

The  township  was  organized  as  a  plantation  in  1812,  and  incorpo- 
rated as  a  town  in  1821.  The  surface  is  uneven  and  broken.  On  the 
Androscoggin,  which  forms  its  northeasterly  boundary,  there  is  generally 
a  narrow  interval,  between  the  river  and  highland,  very  smooth  and 
fertile.  Bordering  upon  Spear's  stream  are  also  several  farms  of  like 
smoothness  and  fertility.  Wheat  and  other  grain  were  formerly  among 
the  staple  productions ;  but  of  late  these  have  been  superseded  by  corn, 
oats,  hay,  and  grass.  The  soU  of  Peru  continues  good  and  equally  free 
from  stone  to  the  very  summit  of  the  hills,  on  which  may  be  seen  some 
of  the  best  plough  fields. 

The  only  mountains  of  note  are  Black  Mountain  and  Tumble-down 
Dick,  more  commonly  called  Dick.  Black  Mountain  received  its  name 
from  its  black  appearance  when  first  discovered,  being  at  that  time 
covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  pine,  spruce,  and  hemlock,  to  its 
very  summit.  Dick  is  a  small  mountain,  which,  when  viewed  from  a 
distance,  resembles  Mount  Washington.  On  the  north  it  rises  grad- 
ually to  its  summit,  and  on  the  south  it  breaks  off  in  an  abrupt  and 
frightful  precipice,  never  scaled  by  man  or  beast.  At  the  foot  of  this 
mountain  is  a  small  pond,  known  as  the  Cranberry  pond.  Further  to 
the  east,  in  the  southerly  and  easterly  part  of  the  town,  is  Worthy  pond, 
which  is  some  two  miles  in  length.  The  small  Cranberry  pond  is  the 
source  of  the  east  branch  of  Twenty  Mile  river.  Spear's  stream  crosses 
the  town,  draining  much  of  its  waters  and  those  of  Franklin  plan- 
tation into  the  Androscog-ffin. 

Hon.  Samuel  R.  Thurston,  first  delegate  to  Congress  from  Oregon 
Territory,  was  a  native  of  Peru.  He  died  on  his  passage  between  San 
Francisco  and  Oregon,  en  route  home.  James  H.  Withington,  formerly 
the  able  and  successful  principal  of  HalloweU  academy,  was  also  a 
native. 

There  is  a  small  place  of  business  on  Spear's  stream,  formerly  known 
as  Putnam's  Mills,  having  a  grist-mill,  saw-mill,  shingle  and  lath  mill ; 


MAINE TOWN    OF    PEMBROKE.  »     253 

a  cabinet-maker,  blacksmith,  and  two  stores.  Peru  has  two  post-offices 
—  Peru  and  West  Peru ;  one  church  edifice,  owned  and  occupied  by 
the  Episcopal  Methodists ;  and  eleven  school  districts,  with  twenty-two 
schools.     Population,  1,109 ;  valuation  in  1858,  $133,804. 

Pembroke,  Washington  county,  is  situated  on  an  arm  of  Passama- 
quoddy  bay,  and  adjoins  Perry  on  the  east.  The  first  settlers  were 
Hateville  Leighton,  Edmund  Mahar,  and  William  Clark,  who  arrived 
here  about  1774.  They  were  soon  followed  by  Robert  Ash,  M.  Denho, 
Joseph  Bridges,  Zadock  Hersey,  Caleb  Hersey,  Samuel  Sprague,  The- 
ophilus  Wilder,  Bela  Wilder,  Moses  Gardiner,  Stephen  Gardiner,  and  M. 
Dunbar,  most  of  whom  came  from  Maine  and  Massachusetts.  It  is 
said,  but  without  proof,  that  Theophilus  Wilder  settled  here  as  early  as 
1740.  These  settlers  brought  with  them  the  industrial  and  frugal  habits, 
respect  for  law,  love  of  order,  and  the  stern  virtues,  of  an  illustrious  an- 
cestry. They  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  General  Benjamin 
Lincoln,  of  Revolutionary  memory,  and  other  proprietors.  The  Indian 
name  was  Pennamaquon. 

Pembroke  was  originally  incorporated  as  a  part  of  Dennysville;  but 
was  set  off  and  incorporated  as  a  separate  town  in  1832.  The  surface 
is  uneven,  but  there  are  no  mountains  of  note.  A  considerable  portion 
of  the  land  is  suitable  for  agricultural  purposes,  but  the  citizens  have 
not  as  yet  turned  their  attention  that  way.  There  are,  however,  a  few 
good  farms,  sufficient  to  settle  the  question  that  farming  can  be  made 
profitable.  Among  the  natural  curiosities  of  this  section  of  country  are 
the  far-famed  Cobscook  falls,  caused  by  the  tumultuous  rushing  of  a 
vast  column  of  water  through  a  narrow  passage,  over  rugged  rocks,  into 
and  out  of  an  immense  basin  or  reservoir.  It  bears  some  resemblance 
to  Hurl-gate,  New  York ;  the  scene  here,  if  possible,  being  more  terrific 
and  wild  than  there. 

Prior  to  the  year  1844,  some  three  or  four  small  vessels  were  biult 
here ;  and,  in  that  year,  Hon.  S.  C.  Foster  permanently  established  the 
ship-building  business,  and  pursued  it  for  a  number  of  years,  during 
which  he  built  a  large  fleet  of  vessels.  There  are  now  seven  ship-yards. 
Pembroke  has  one  of  the  best  harbors  on  the  coast  of  Maine.  The 
town  has  been  settled  for  nearly  a  century,  and  though  about  one  hun- 
dred sail  of  vessels  visit  the  harbor  annually,  not  one  was  ever  lost 
within  its  precincts.  A  large  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  iron  has 
been  erected,  the  main  building  of  which  is  171  feet  wide  and  160  feet 
in  length,  a  view  of  which  is  here  given.  It  was  erected  under  the 
auspices  of  General  Ezekiel  Foster,  an  enterprising  merchant  of  East- 
port,  and  is  situated  on  the  Pennamaquon  stream,  near  the  head  of  tide- 

VOL.  I.  22 


254    "  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

water,  which  furnishes  it  with  unsurpassed  water-power,  rarely  inter- 
rupted by  drought.  The  dams  are  built  of  stone,  at  a  trifling  expense, 
and  are  entirely  free  from  any  hazard  by  flooding.  This  factory  is  sup- 
plied with  all  the  essentials  necessaiy  to  the  prosecution  of  an  exten- 
sive business,  and  the  grounds  and  general  arrangements  are  made  with 
special  reference  to  convenience,  utility,  and  economy.  The  proprietor- 
ship has  changed  hands  two  or  three  times,  and  the  establishment  is 
now  owned  by  Messrs.  William  E.  Coffin  and  Company,  of  Boston. 
■The  quantity  of  iron  spikes,  rivets,  and  nails  produced  at  this  factory  in 
1856  did  not  fall  short  of  five  thousand  tons.  The  iron  produced  here 
is  said  to  be  equal  to  any  manufactured  on  the  globe. 

The  southern  shores  of  Pembroke  are  washed  by  the  sea ;  the  harbor 
is  easy  of  access,  and  its  proximity  to  the  fishing  grounds  renders  it  one 
of  the  best  locations  for  carrying  on  that  important  branch  of  business 
in  this  region,  the  resources  of  which  are  inexhaustible  ;  it  has  a  water- 
power  unemployed,  except  for  unimportant  purposes,  sufficient  to  carry 
several  large  factories.  Its  advantages  for  farming,  lumbering,  fishing, 
manufacturing,  ship-building,  and  carrying  on  the  freighting  business, 
warrant  the  behef,  that,  eventually,  Pembroke  will  raise  its  head  among 
the  important  towns  of  the  state.  Pembroke  contains  two  church  edi- 
fices, one  a  Union  church,  and  the  other  a  Baptist;  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts, with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  one  post-office,  one  stone  fac- 
tory, three  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  four  shingle  machines,  four  lath 
machines,  and  one  rolfing-mill,  connected -with  which  is  a  spike,  nail, 
and  rivet  factory.     Population,  1,712 ;  valuation,  $158,994. 

Penobscot,  Hancock  county,  is  situated  east  of  Penobscot  bay,  oppo- 
site Belfast.  It  formerly  embraced  within  its  limits  Castine  and  a  great 
part  of  Brooksville,  extending  from  Orland,  by  the  shores  of  Penobscot 
river  and  bay,  around  by  Cape  Rozier  to  Buck's  harbor.  What  year 
the  settlement  was  commenced  is  uncertain.  The  birth  of  the  first  child, 
Mary  Grindle,  which  took  place  in  1765,  leads  us  to  suppose,  however, 
that  it  occurred  about  that  period.  Some  of  the  early  settlers  were 
Charles  Hutching,  Giles  Johnson,  Elijah  Winslow,  Jonathan  WardweU, 
Pelatiah  Leach,  Andrew  Herrick,  David  Dunbar,  Elijah  Littlefield,  and 
Eliphalet  Lowell,  nearly  all  of  whom  came  from  towns  in  Maine.  The 
settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  the  proprietors. 

Penobscot  was  incorporated  in  1787.  The  surface  is  generally 
smooth  and  even,  there  being  no  eminences  of  any  note.  There  are  t'W'^o 
ponds,  each  being  about  three  miles  in  circumference,  on  the  outlets  of 
which  there  are  good  mill-sites.  There  is  a  small  village  at  the  head  of 
the  Northern  bay,  having  three  stores,  and  other  places  of  business. 


MAINE COUNTY  OF  PENOBSCOT.  •  255 

The  manufactures  consist  of  two  or  three  coopering  establishments, 
four  or  five  shoe  factories,  three  saw-mills,  and  three  grist-mills.  Agri- 
culture is  the  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants ;  though  even  that 
is  not  prosecuted  very  extensively.  There  are  three  meeting-houses  — 
two  Methodist,  and  one  Union  meeting-house ;  fourteen  school  districts, 
with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Penobscot, 
and  North  Penobscot.     Population,  1,556 ;  valuation,  $160,286. 

Penobscot  County,  situated  towards  the  easterly  part  of  the  state,  is 
of  a  long,  irregular  shape,  presenting  three  dissimilar  rectangles,  and  has 
an  area  of  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  square  miles.  The  act 
establishing  it  was  passed  February  15,  1816,  under  which  it  was  made 
to  include  "  all  that  territory  in  the  county  of  Hancock  which  lies  north 
of  the  Waldo  Patent,  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot  river,  and  north  and 
west  of  the  following  lines  on  the  east  side  of  said  river  ;  beginning  at 
said  river  at  the  south  line  of  Orrington,  Brewer,  and  the  gore  east  of 
Brewer,  to  the  west  line  of  the  Bingham  Purchase ;  thence  northerly  by 
said  Bingham  Purchase,  to  the  northwest  corner  thereof;  thence  easterly 
on  the  north  line  of  said  Bingham  Purchase  to  the  county  of  Wash- 
ington." The  county  then  embraced  two  or  three  times  its  present 
area.  The  organization  of  Piscataquis  county,  in  1838,  deprived  Penob- 
scot of  the  five  ranges  of  townships  north  of  Dexter,  Garland,  Charleston, 
Bradford,  and  Lagrange;  and  the  next  year,  Aroostook  received  from 
Penobscot  the  ranges  of  townships  numbered  three,  four,  and  five  north 
of  Mattawamkeag.  In  1843,  Penobscot  was  again  cut  down  by  an- 
nexing to  Aroostook  ranges  of  townships  six,  seven,  and  eight  north  of 
township  numbered  eight.  Its  territory  remains  as  it  was  left  at  that 
time,  and  but  little  more  than  half  of  it  has  yet  been  settled.  There  are 
forty-seven  towns  and  forty-one  plantations.  The  surface  is  diversified 
with  hill  and  dale ;  but  there  are  no  elevations  of  note.  The  soU  is 
generally  fertile,  and  produces  good  crops  of  hay,  wheat,  corn,  and  po- 
tatoes. The  manufacture  and  shipping  of  lumber  have  for  many  years 
monopolized  the  capital  and  energies  of  the  people ;  but  as  these  em- 
ployments are  becoming  less  lucrative  by  reason  of  the  large  influx  of 
timber  from  the  region  of  the  great  lakes  of  our  country,  attention  is 
more  and  more  turned  to  that  sure  basis  of  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of 
a  state, —  agriculture.  The  Penobscot  —  that  crowning  glory  of  God's 
handiwork  among  the  rivers  of  Maine  —  traverses  the  entire  length  of 
the  county,  and  receives  in  its  course  the  waters  of  the  Mattawamkeag, 
Piscataquis,  Passadumkeag,  Greatworks,  Pusliaw,  and  Kenduskeag 
rivers,  and  many  others  of  less  magnitude.  About  one  half  the  length 
of  the  excellent  mihtary  road  from  Bangor  into  Aroostook  lies  within 


256  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

this  county.  It  is  also  traversed  by  the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec,  and 
the  Bangor,  Oldtown,  and  Milford  Raih-oads,  and  will  be  the  route  of  the 
projected  European  and  North  American  Railroad,  if  that  great  con- 
necting link  shall  ever  be  completed. 

Bangor  has  always  been  the  capital.  The  supreme  judicial  court 
holds  a  law  terra  here  for  the  eastern  district  (which  embraces  the 
counties  of  Waldo,  Piscataquis,  Penobscot,  Hancock,  Washington,  and 
Aroostook),  on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  May.  The  jury  terms  of  this 
court  for  civil  business  commence  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of  January, 
April,  and  October;  for  criminal  business,  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of  Feb- 
ruary and  August.     Population,  63,089  ;  valuation,  $9,094,465. 

Perkins,  Sagadahoc  county,  is  an  island  in  Kennebec  river,  formerly 
called  Swan  island,  a  part  of  Dresden,  from  which  it  was  incorporated 
June  24,  1847;  and  is  four  miles  long  by  two  hundred  rods  wide. 
It  is  noted  for  being  at  one  time  the  residence  of  the  bashaba  of  the 
Abnalci  nation.  It  is  well  situated  both  for  agricultural  and  mercantile 
business.  It  has  one  school  district,  with  a  maximum  winter  attendance 
of  fourteen  scholars.     Population,  84 ;  valuation,  $26,721. 

Perry,  Washington  county,  is  washed  on  its  eastern  shore  by  the 
waters  of  the  Passamaquoddy,  and  on  the  south  by  those  of  Cobs- 
cook  bay,  giving,  by  their  numerous  indentations,  an  extent  of  about 
forty  miles  of  sea-coast.  This  township  was  sold  by  the  state  of  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1783  or  '84,  to  General  Benjamin  Lincoln  and  others,  on 
condition  that  the  proprietors  should  place  here  twenty  settlers  within  a 
given  time,  and  give  to  each  one  hundred  acres  of  land.  This  was  very 
soon  accomjilished,  for  Perry  was  a  fine  timbered  township,  and  the  lum- 
ber was  easily  got  to  market,  which  was  a  very  prominent  object  with 
new  settlers.  For  many  years,  the  forest  furnished  the  principal  means 
of  subsistence.  The  trade  of  the  settlers  was  mainly  with  St  Andrew 
and  Robbinston,  carrying  thither  timber,  spars,  shingles,  and  other 
articles,  and  bringing  back  provisions  and  rum.  In  process  of  time, 
however,  there  were  a  few  trading  houses  built  on  Moose  island  (now 
Eastport),  which  diverted  a  part  of  the  trade  of  the  town  in  that  direc- 
tion. It  seems  surprising,  that  men  could  sustain  life  as  the  people 
here  did;  and  the  wonder  increases,  when  we  consider  that  they  had 
under  their  feet  a  soil,  and  around  them  a  climate,  capable  of  furnishing 
all  of  the  necessaries,  and  many  of  the  luxuries,  of  life. 

This  state  of  things  continued  till  1808,  when  even  the  settlers  in  this 
remote  part  of  an  almost  unknown  region  felt  the  effects  of  the  political 
tornado    that   was    desolating    Europe.       Bonaparte    had    stopped    the 


MAIXE TOWS    OF    PUILLIPS.  257 

English  in  their  shipment  of  timber  from  the  Baltic,  which  as  a  conse- 
quence diverted  their  trade  to  her  colonies  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
St.  Andrew  grew  up  very  rapidly;  and  the  timber  trade  became  the 
business  of  the  whole  surrounding  region.  This  was  then  the  California 
of  the  country.  One  man  alone  got  out  timber  in  ten  days  which  he 
sold  for  $300 ;  and  it  w^as  no  uncommon  thing  for  men  to  bring  home 
$500,  and  even  ^1000,  at  a  time,  as  the  proceeds  of  their  lumber.  But 
where  is  it  all  now  ?  It  is  not  in  Perry.  It  seems  to  be  a  law  of  nature, 
that  a  curse  must  always  attend  the  lumber  business,  and  that  poverty 
must  be  its  constant  attendant.  Money  could  be  obtained  so  much  more 
easily  by  lumbering  than  by  the  slow  returns  of  agricultural  pursuits, 
that  the  inhabitants  neglected  to  avail  themselves  of  this  sure  source  of 
independence,  if  not  of  w^ealth ;  and,  in  process  of  time,  they  found 
themselves,  with  their  improvident  and  wasteful  habits,  living  from  hand 
to  mouth,  their  market  destroyed,  their  resources  cut  off,  and  their 
families  destitute. 

The  climate  is  salubrious,  not  subject  to  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold,  —  the  thermometer  seldom  rising  above  75°  or  falling  below  10°. 
The  shores  are  bold,  allowing  vessels  of  one  hundred  tons,  in  most 
places,  to  lie  so  near  as  to  be  laden  from  the  bank  by  wheeling  from  fifty 
to  eighty  feet.  The  tide  rises  thirty  feet  The  surface  is  free  from 
mountains  or  large  hills.  The  southern  part  of  the  town  is  very  rocky 
and  uneven ;  the  northern  part,  more  level.  There  is  a  lake  ("  Boy- 
den's  ")  in  the  northwest  part,  emptying  into  Passamaquoddy  bay  by 
Little  river,  affording  by  its  falls  numerous  mill-sites.  Farming  is  the 
most  common  employment  of  the  inhabitants,  who  live  pretty  equally 
distributed  along  the  coasts  of  the  two  bays,  forming  nowhere  a  settle- 
ment which  can  properly  be  called  a  village.  At  Little  river,  however, 
there  is  a  meeting-house,  (Congregational,)  a  school-house,  post-office, 
store,  blacksmith  shop,  three  saw-mills,  and  a  grist-miU.  The  only 
other  church  edifice  is  a  Roman  Cathohc  chapel  at  Pleasant  Point. 
There  is  a  Unitarian  society.  The  post-office  is  furnished  with  a  mail 
occasionally,  —  when  the  postmaster  can  find  some  market-man  willing 
to  convey  it  from  Eastport,  —  as  a  regular  conveyance  would  not  pay  the 
expense,  and  the  government  is  too  poor.  Beside  the  mills  before 
mentioned,  there  are  several  shingle  and  lath  mills,  one  fulling-mill,  and 
a  cardin"--machine.  There  are  thirteen  school  districts,  with  twelve 
schools.     Population,  1,324 ;  valuation,  $115,374. 

Phillips,  Franklin  county,  lies  about  seventeen  miles  northwesterly 
from  Farmington.  It  was  formerly  called  Curvo,  a  name  it  received 
from  Captain  Perldns  Allen,  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to  a  port  he 

22* 


258  HISTOKY   AND    DESCKIPTIOX    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

had  visited  in  a  foreign  voyage.  Improvements  were  commenced  as  early 
as  1790  or  1791,  —  Perkins  Allen,  Selli  Greeley  and  son,  Jonathan 
Pratt,  Uriah  and  Joseph  Howard,  and  Isaac  Davenport,  being  among 
the  first  settlers.  The  town  was  endowed  with  corporate  privileges, 
February  5,  1812,  and  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Mr.  Phillips,  the 
former  proprietor.  The  soil  is  productive,  the  water-power  superior, 
and  the  situation  such  as  to  command  most  of  the  trade  and  other 
business  of  the  interior  of  the  county ;  while  the  inhabitants  find  a 
ready  cash  market  for  all  their  surplus  wool,  seed,  and  most  other  arti- 
cles. 

Phillips  formerly  embraced  a  territory  of  about  nine  miles  in  length, 
and  five  in  width ;  but,  in  1823,  a  section  from  the  northeast  corner  was 
set  off  to  form  a  part  of  Salem.  There  are  two  important  villages  on 
the  Sandy  river,  near  the  southern  extremity  of  the  town.  The  lower 
village  has  a  noble  waterfall,  a  superior  grist-mill,  a  tannery,  a  fulling- 
mill,  a  carding-machine,  and  other  operations.  The  Upper  Village,  a 
thriving  little  place,  half  a  mile  above,  has  several  stores,  a  tannery,  a 
bridge,  a  saw-mill,  a  starch  factory,  with  other  manufactories ;  and,  still 
higher  up,  there  are  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill. 

All  object  of  striking  interest  in  Phillips  is  a  deep  ravine,  connecting 
with  a  large  basin,  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  deep,  in  loose  sand,  which  is 
the  site  of  a  pond  of  about  eighty  acres,  that  had  probably  stood  for  ages, 
tin  within  ten  years.  In  1847,  the  Messrs.  Noyes,  two  brothers  from  Weld, 
erected  a  grist-mill  upon  a  small  stream  that  discharges  its  waters  into 
the  Sandy  river  at  Bragg's  Corner.  After  constructing  their  dam  about 
one  hundred  rods  above,  on  the  stream,  they  found  the  water-power  in- 
sufficient, and  conceived  the  further  design  of  tapping  this  pond  on  top  of 
the  hill,  about  half  a  mile  up  the  brook,  and  at  a  height  of  seventy  feet 
above  it,  which  they  did  by  constructing  a  plank  flume,  bulkhead,  and 
gate,  so  as  to  regulate  the  flow  from  the  pond.  After  the  completion  of 
the  work,  and  while  they  had  retired  temporarily  to  their  farms  to  in- 
crease their  means  for  future  operations,  a  leakage  was  discovered  in 
the  flume,  which  threatened  to  undermine  the  pond.  The  house  of  a 
Mr.  Shepard  was  above  the  mill,  near  the  pond.  Alarm  was  felt  and 
given;  the  neighbors  assembled;  some  were  engaged  in  sounding  the 
pond,  and  others  in  examining  the  works,  when  one  of  the  number 
seized  and  shook  one  of  the  flume-posts  to  test  its  strength,  and  the 
water  gushed  through.  The  stream  quicldy  wore  through  the  indurated 
clay,  a  thin  layer  of  which  made  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  then  increased 
with  immense  velocity,  widening  and  deepening  the  chasm,  until  the 
impetuous  torrent  swept  all  before  it,  scattering  the  buildings  of  Mr. 
Shepard  and  the  mill  into  a  thousand  fragments,  and  even  hurling  the 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF  PHIPSBURG.  259 

rocks  from  their  foundation  beds.  Mrs.  Shepard  and  her  children  barely 
escaped  by  flight  to  an  adjoining  hill.  No  vestige  of  the  former  appear- 
ance of  the  surroundings  below  now  remains. 

The  religious  societies  are  the  Methodist,  the  Free-will  Baptist,  and 
the  Congregational.  In  the  Upper  Village  there  is  a  Methodist  meet- 
ing-house, and  in  the  Lower  Village  a  Union  meeting-house.  Phillips 
has  seventeen  school  districts,  with  twenty-seven  schools ;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  1,673 ;  valuation,  $208,745. 

Phipsburg,  Sagadahoc  county,  is  a  peninsula,  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Bath,  east  by  the  Kennebec  river,  south  by  the  ocean,  and  west 
by  Quohog  bay.  It  originally  belonged  to  the  Pejepscot  Purchase, 
and  included  the  ancient  Cape  Small  point  and  Cape  Small  point  har- 
bor. It  is  noted  as  the  place  where  the  Popham,  or  Sagadahoc  colony, 
passed  the  tedious  winter  of  1607-8.  In  1716,  the  Pejepscot  propri- 
etors conceived  the  project  of  making  this  a  fishing  settlement,  and 
prosecuted  the  enterprise  very  successfully  in  making  surveys,  cutting 
out  roads,  and  erecting  houses.  Dr.  Oliver  Noyes,  one  of  the  proprie- 
tors, was  the  principal  director  and  patron.  He  named  the  settlement 
Augusta  ;  ^  and,  at  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants,  held  November  6, 1717, 
it  would  seem  that  the  settlement  was  thriving,  and  had  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  inhabitants.  From  the  record  it  appears,  that  Captain  John  Pen- 
hallow,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  author  of  the  "  Indian  Wars,"  had  taken 
up  his  residence  here,  and  was  a  prominent  and  useful  inhabitant. 

In  1716,  Dr.  Noyes  erected  a  stone  fort  one  hundred  feet  square,  for 
the  purpose  of  protecting  the  settlers,  who  were  now  coming  in  very 
fast.  A  sloop,  named  the  Pejepscot,  was  obtained,  and  employed  be- 
tween Augusta  and  Boston,  carrying  out  lumber  and  fish,  and  bringing 
back  merchandise  and  settlers.  The  settlement  continued  to  flourish 
until  the  time  of  Lovewell's  war,  when  it  was  depopulated,  the  houses 
burnt,  and  the  fort  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  In  1737,  the  proprietors 
made  another  effort  to  rebuild  Phipsburg,  and  sundry  persons  from  Fal- 
mouth, encouraged  by  them,  removed  lo  the  town.  The  names  of  those 
upon  the  record  are  Eben  Hall,  Eben  HaU,  Jr.,  Cornelius  Hall,  James 

'  Williamson  labors  under  a  mistake  in  confounding  the  history  of  this  town  with  Old 
Cushnoc,  or  what  is  now  Augusta,  the  state  capital ;  for,  in  the  Pejepscot  records,  now  with 
the  Maine  Historical  Society,  we  find  the  following :  "  Whereas,  at  a  meeting  of  the  pro- 
prietoi-s  of  Pejepscot,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1718,  it  was  voted  that  there  be  allowed  and 
granted  to  our  partner,  Oliver  Noyes,  Esq.,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  three  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Augusta  township,  which  is  comprehended  within  the  limits  of  Georgetown," 
[that  town  then  included  the  peninsula  of  Phipsburg,]  "  in  consideration  of  the  expense 
and  loss  he  has  been  at  in  settling  said  town.''  ....  —  Pejepscot  Records,  p.  7. 


260  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Doughty,  David  Gustin,  Jeremiah  Springer,  Nicholas  Rideout,  John 
Owe'ns,  and  others.  The  names  of  some  of  these  are  famUiar  at  the 
present'  day  as  old  settlers.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  there  is  no 
authentic  knowledge  of  any  of  the  first  settlers.  Phipsburg  was  incor- 
porated with  its  present  limits  in  1814,  receiving  its  name  in  honor  of 
Sir  WiUiam  Phips. 

The  surface  is  rough  and  ledgy.  Ship-building  is  prosecuted  to  some 
extent,  but  the  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is  divided  between  fishing 
and  farming.  Phipsburg  has  two  small  villages,  one  called  Parker's 
Head,  and  the  other  Cobb's  Mills;  three  church  edifices-— Congrega- 
tional, Methodist,  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  twelve  school  districts,  with 
fourteen  schools ;  and  two  post-offices.  Population,  1,805 ;  valuation, 
$365,622. 

Piscataquis  County  is  one  of  the  large  northern  counties,  with  un- 
cleared regions  yet  to  be  opened  wider  to  the  sunshine  of  life.  It  was 
established  March  23,  1838,  paiily  from  Somerset,  but  more  largely 
from  Penobscot.  It  then  embraced  "  all  the  territory  north  of  the  south 
fines  of  Parkman  and  Wefiington  in  the  county  of  Somerset,  and  the 
north  fines  of  Dexter,  Garland,  Charleston,  Bradford,  and  south  line  of 
Kilmarnock,  now  Medford,  in  the  county  of  Penobscot."  The  east  fine 
ran  northward  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  ranges  of  townships,  and 
the  west  line  was  continued  from  the  west  lines  of  Wellington,  Kings- 
berry,  and  Shirley  northward  to  the  Kennebec  river,  and  by  the  west 
shore  of  Moosehead  lake  to  Canada.  By  act  of  March  12,  1844,  Pis- 
cataquis gave  to  Aroostook  all  the  territory  north  of  townships  num- 
bered ten,  and  it  remains,  in  form  and  size,  as  it  was  left  at  that  time. 
It  contains  110  townships,  twenty-three  of  which  are  settled  and  incor- 
porated. The  remainder  of  these  townships  consists  principaUy  of  wild 
land,  most  of  which  has  been  lotted  to  settlers.  Like  Aroostook  county, 
it  is  well  watered.  The  chief  rivers  are  the  Piscataquis,  the  east  and 
west  branches  of  the  Penobscot,  Sebec  river,  Pleasant  river,  besides  a 
great  number  of  tributaries  of  these  rivers.  The  principal  lakes  are  the 
Pemadumcook,  Chesuncook,  Sebec,  Scootum,  and  Moosehead ;  the  lat- 
ter of  which  is  the  largest  in  the  state,  and  forms  part  of  the  boundary 
fine  between  Piscataquis  and  Somerset  counties,  containing  within  its 
limits  several  large  islands.  The  greatest  length  of  this  lake  is  thirty- 
five  miles,  varying  in  width  from  four  to  twelve  miles.  The  county 
contains  3,780  square  miles,  the  surface  of  which  is  diversified  with  hills 
and  valleys.     Katahdin  is  the  only  mountain  of  note  in  the  county. 

Dover  has  been  the  county  seat  from  the  organization.     It  belongs  to 
the  eastern  judicial  district,  the  law  terms  of  which  are  held  at  Bangor. 


r  1     V  »-T5s:i^:r    Ts 


;v,/* 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   PITTSFIELD.  261 

The  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court,  for  both  civil  and  criminal 
business,  commence  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  February  and  second  Tues- 
day of  September.     Population,  14,735 ;  valuation,  $1,905,883. 

PiTTSFiELD,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Somerset  county,  is  about  nine 
miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  from  seven  to  eight  miles  in 
width  from  east  to  west,  being  narrower  across  the  north  and  south 
ends  than  in  the  other  parts.  It  was  formerly  known  as  the  Plymouth 
Gore,  and  was  included  in  a  grant  to  the  Plymouth  company,  its  east- 
ern line  being  on  the  eastern  line  of  that  grant  The  first  settlement 
was  made  in  1794,  by  Moses  Martin,  of  Norridgewock,  at  a  bend  of  the 
Sebasticook  about  two  miles  below  the  village.  His  farm  is  still  occu- 
pied by  his  son  David,  a  gentleman  some  sixty  years  old,  who  has  held 
several  honorable  offices.  George  Brown  of  Norridgewock,  William 
Bradford,  and  one  Wyman  of  Vassalboro'  came  in  1800.  Brown  and 
Wyman  built  the  first  mills ;  John  Sibley  and  John  Spearing  came  from 
Fairfield  in  1804,  and  settled  on  the  westerly  side,  east  of  Sibley's  pond. 
John  Merrick,  from  Hallowell,  settled  in  1806.  Dominicus  Getchel  came 
from  West  Anson,  in  1811 ;  Joseph  McCauslin  from  Hallowell,  in  1813, 
and  John  Webb  from  Waterville,  in  1815.  Timothy  Mclntire  and 
Stephen  Kendal  settled  about  the  same  time,  and  were  prominent  in 
the  early  affairs  of  the  town. 

In  1815,  Pittsfield  was  organized  into  a  plantation  by  the  name  of 
Sebasticoolc  ;  but,  after  ineffectual  attempts  to  enforce  the  collection  of 
taxes,  it  was  abandoned.  It  was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Warsaw, 
June  19,  1819.  The  first  town-meeting  after  its  incorporation  was 
held  at  John  Webb's  dwelling-house,  July  19,  1819.  Stephen  Kendal 
was  elected  delegate  to  a  convention  to  frame  a  state  constitution, 
September  20,  1819 ;  and,  on  December  6  of  the  same  year,  the  town 
cast  nineteen  votes  —  the  whole  number  • —  for  the  new  constitution. 
In  the  winter  of  1824,  the  name  was  changed  from  Warsaw  to  Pitts- 
field,  in  honor  of  William  Pitts,  who  was  then  a  proprietor  of  land  here ; 
and,  in  1828,  a  portion  of  the  Ell  of  Palmyra,  so  called,  containing  4,200 
acres,  Joseph  Warren  of  Boston  being  the  proprietor,  was  annexed  to 
Pittsfield.  The  first  settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  the 
Plymouth  company. 

From  the  singular  shape  of  Pittsfield,  the  impression  is  that  it  must 
have  been  a  piece  of  land  which  had  been  left  from  the  laying  out  of 
other  towns  around  it.  It  is  situated  on  a  large  swell,  inclining  to  the 
south  between  the  Kennebec  and  Sebasticook  rivers,  the  waters  on  the 
western  side  running  into  the  Kennebec,  and  those  on  the  eastern  side 
into  the   Sebasticook.     The  -western  branch   of  the   Sebasticook  runs 


262  HISTORY   ASD    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

throagh  the  eastern  part.  On  this  river  is  an  excellent  water  privilege, 
where  there  are  mills  and  other  machinery.  At  this  place  there  is  a 
thriving  village,  which  is  the  only  one  in  Pittsfield.  The  railroad  from 
Waterville  to  Bangor  here  crosses  the  Sebasticook. 

The  surface  is  remarkably  level,  there  being  no  eminence  or  hill  of 
any  note.  The  original  forest  was  composed  of  yellow  birch,  rock 
maple,  beech,  hemlock,  white  ash,  and  cedar.  The  soil  on  the  Sebasti- 
cook is  a  sandy  loam,  entirely  free  from  stone ;  and  back  from  the  river 
it  is  deep,  rather  moist,  and,  in  some  places,  rather  stony.  This  is  an 
excellent  farming  town,  —  corn,  wheat,  oats,  rye,  barley,  and  potatoes 
being  cultivated  extensively  ;  and  recently  the  farmers  have  been  turn- 
ing their  attention  to  fruit-growing,  in  which  they  have  met  with  tolera- 
ble success.  The  inhabitants  are  principally  engaged  in  farming,  though 
there  are  a  few  mechanics.  The  Sebasticook  river,  mentioned  above,  is 
the  only  river  of  note  ;  and  the  Sibley  pond,  which  lies  in  the  northwest 
corner,  the  only  pond  of  note.  There  are  two  post-offices  —  Pittsfield 
and  East  Pittsfield ;  ten  school  districts ;  and  one  church  edifice  — 
Free-will  Baptist.  Population,  1,166 ;  assessors'  valuation  for  1857, 
$222,520. 

PiTTSTON,  Kennebec  county,  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Kennebec 
river,  seventy-eight  miles  from  Bangor,  fifty-three  from  Portland,  and  six 
from  Augusta.  Among  the  Massachusetts  archives  is  a  bill  filed  with 
the  act  of  incorporation,  which  styles  ancient  Pittston,  "  Randolph." 
It  passed  through  all  necessary  stages  to  become  a  law^  except  the  sig- 
nature of  the  governor.  It  passed  its  readings,  and  was  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  John  Pitt,  January  15,  1779.  When,  a  fortnight  later,  it 
was  brought  forward,  it  was  named  Pittston,  after  his  Honor,  and  so 
incorporated.^  It  is  not  known  that  more  than  one  white  person 
penetrated  as  far  as  Pittston  and  established  a  residence  prior  to 
Philip's  war.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  one  Alexander  Brown, 
who  located  a  house  on  an  interval  known  by  the  name  of  "  Kerdoor- 
meorp,"  and  afterwards  as  "  Brown's  farm,"  in  1670.  He  remained 
there,  engaged  in  sturgeon-fishing,  until  Philip's  war  broke  out;  soon 
after  which,  in  1676,  he  was  murdered  by  the  Indians,  and  his  house 
burned.  In  1716,  Noyes  built  a  fort  near  Nahumkeag  Island,  which 
was  also  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  In  1751,  Captain  North  laid  out 
lots  one  mile  wide  on  the  river,  and  extending  five  miles  west,  from 
Nahumkeag  Island  to  old  Richmond  fort. 

From  old  maps  and  records,  it  appears  that  the  government  of  Massa- 

'  Hanson's  Histoiy  of  Gardiner  and  Pittston. 


MAINE  —  TOWJf    OF   PITTSTON.  263 

chusetts  built  Fort  Halifax,  in  1754,  on  the  Kennebec.  About  this  time, 
Dr.  Gardiner  began  his  plans,  from  which  first  sprang  the  settlement 
of  ancient  Pittston.  This  region  filled  up  rapidly  from  1759 ;  and  Dr. 
Gardiner,  from  various  donations,  became  almost  sole  owner  of  Gardiner 
and  Pittston,  and  of  much  of  the  territory  in  other  parts  of  the  old  Ken- 
nebec province.  In  1764,  James  Wjnslow  received  a  deed  of  ninety 
acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Pittston,  on  which  he  settled  the  year 
previous.  The  names  of  Berry,  McCausland,  Philbrook,  Tibbetts,  Smith,  . 
Colburn,  and  Bailey,  are  found  among  the  records  of  settlers  from  1761 
to  1765.  From  the  settlement  of  the  plantation  down  as  late  as  1790 
the  civil  aflFairs  seem  to  have  been  in  a  very  loose  state,  —  no  governing 
power  exercised  ;  and  to  collect  debts  or  obtain  justice  was  next  to  im- 
possible. Things  assumed  a  different  face  on  the  appointment  of  Gen- 
eral Dearborn  as  marshal,  1790.  General  Dearborn's  house  then  stood 
near  where  now  stands  the  Gardiner  Bank.  "  Near'  the  spot  occupied 
by  the  town-house  stood  a  whipping-post,  where  many  an  unruly  varlet 
received  the  barbarous  reward  of  those  times  for  his  offence,  as  meted 
to  him  by  General  Dearborn.  Benjamin  Shaw  was  usually  the  con- 
stable, and  laid  on  the  lashes.  So  great  was  the  fear  felt  by  culprits  of 
his  strength,  that  when  he  wished  to  make  an  arrest  he  had  only  to 
send  his  jackknife  to  the  victim,  and  they  were  few  who  failed  to  return 
the  knife  to  its  owner."  Much  of  the  early  history  of  Pittston  is  iden- 
tified A\dth  that  of  Gardiner,  and  the  first  settlers  were  more  or  less  con- 
nected with  each. 

The  town  of  Pittston  contains  an  area  of  21,300  acres.  It  is  about 
seven  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  five  miles  wide  from  east  to 
west.  The  soil  is  very  excellent,  and  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys, 
ponds  and  streams.  At  the  time  of  its  settlement,  much  of  the  timber 
was  white  oak.  The  "  Pebble  hills "  are  situated  in  the  southwestern 
part,  on  the  "  Haley  farm."  They  consist  entirely  of  small  pebbles 
drifted  into  eminences,  and,  although  excavations  to  the  depth  of  some 
eighty  feet  have  been  made,  nothing  else  is  found.  The  village  of  Pitts- 
ton is  beautifully  located  on  the  bank  of  the  Kennebec,  has  good  water- 
power,  and  is  celebrated  for  the  thrift  and  energy  of  its  people.  The 
principal  occupations  of  the  inhabitants  are  ship-building  and  agricul- 
ture. Pittston  has  nineteen  school  districts,  with  thirty-six  schools ;  an 
academy  in  a  very  flourishing  condition ;  two  Methodist,  two  Congre- 
gational, a  Baptist,  and  one  or  two  other  churches ;  and  three  post- 
offices  —  Pittston,  East  Pittston,  and  North  Pittston.  Population,  2,823 ; 
valuation,  $593,319. 


264  HISTORY   AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Plough  Patent  was  a  tract  of  land  extending  from  Casco  bay  to 
Cape  Porpoise  on  the  seaboard,  and  about  forty  miles  into  the  country. 
It  was  a  grant  issued  in  1629  to  John  Dy  and  other  citizens  of  Lon- 
don by  the  Plymouth  Council,  and  included  lands  which  had  been 
granted  to  Mason  and  Gorges  in  1622.  It  also  covered  the  lands  which 
had  been  granted  earlier  in  the  year  1629  to  the  patentees  of  Saco  and 
Biddeford.  The  cause  of  this  singular  proceeding  on  the  part  of  the 
council,  of  making  a  grant  of  lands  previously  held  under  former  grants, 
has  never  been  discovered.  It  is,  however,  generally  attributed  to  their 
ignorance  of  the  situation  of  this  part  of  the  country.  The  name  of 
the  patent  is  supposed  to  have  been  derived  from  the  name  of  the  ship, 
"the  Plough,"  in  which  the  grantees,  or  persons  sent  by  them, came  over 
from  England.  There  is,  however,  no  satisfactory  evidence  that  any  of 
the  original  owners  of  the  Plough  Patent  ever  visited  their  new  prov- 
ince. 

Gorges  remained  undisturbed  in  that  part  of  his  possessions  covered 
by  this  patent  until  1646,  when  it  was  sold  to  Alexander  Rigby,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Long  Parliament.  Gorges  resisted  the  claim  of  Rigby ;  but, 
as  Gorges  was  a  royalist  and  Rigby  a  republican,  and  as  the  republicans 
were  in  power,  it  -was,  to  say  the  least,  a  most  unfavorable  occasion  for 
Gorges  to  urge  his  claim,  however  just  and  honorable  it  might  have 
been.  In  1647,  Gorges  died,  leaving  the  matter  unsettled,  and  Rigby 
master  of  the  field.  Rigby  died  in  1650,  and,  for  a  brief  season,  the 
distracted  province  enjoyed  repose ;  but  before  the  noise  of  the  previous 
contention  had  died  away,  the  colonists  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  by  a 
wonderful  stretch  of  the  limits  of  their  charter,  declared  themselves  the 
rightful  proprietors  of  the  province  of  Maine.  The  matter  did  not  sub- 
side here ;  but  again  and  again  became  a  bone  of  contention,  and 
remained  unsettled  until  the  Massachusetts  Colony,  by  the  positive  com- 
mand of  King  Charles  II.,  yielded  up  the  province  to  a  son  of  Sir  John 
Gorges,  an  heir  of  Sir  Ferdinando.  In  the  year  1677,  Massachusetts 
purchased  the  province  for  £1,250  sterling;  and  thus  ended  the  long 
contest  for  a  jurisdiction,  which,  after  all,  was  deemed  of  no  more  value 
than  a  few  hundred  pounds. 

Plymouth,  in  the  westerly  part  of  Penobscot  county,  fifty-five  miles 
from  Bangor,  was  incorporated  in  1826.  It  is  watered  by  the  outlet  of 
Newport  pond,  affording  water-power  which  is  made  serviceable  in 
propelling  mills.  The  soil  is  productive,  and  well  timbered  with  the 
usual  varieties.  The  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Railroad  crosses  the  town. 
There  are  six  school  districts,  with  seven  schools ;  one  post-office,  and 
one  church  —  Baptist ;  also  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  and  one  car- 
riage factory.     Population,  925 ;  valuation,  $80,272. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   POLAND,   ETC.  265 

Poland,  Androscoggin  county,  eight  miles  above  Lewiston,  adjoins 
Cumberland  county,  and  is  thirty-six  miles  southwest  of  Augusta.  It 
was  originally  called  Bakerstown,  and  embraced  Minot  and  Auburn 
within  its  limits.  Nathaniel  Bailey  and  Daniel  Lane  were  the  first  set- 
tlers; and  John  Newman  followed  in  1769.  Chandler  Freeman  with 
his  family,  and  Joseph  Freeman  and  his  wife,  moved  here  in  1784 ;  and, 
in  1786,  Samuel  Pool  came  in.  The  first  religious  meeting  was  held  in 
1784,  in  the  house  of  Chandler  Freeman ;  his  father,  Joseph  Freeman, 
officiating.  The  first  church  (Congregational)  was  formed  September 
8,  1791 ;  and,  two  years  afterward.  Rev.  Jonathan  Scott  was  called  to 
preach.  The  town  was  incorporated  February  17,  1798.  When  the 
place  was  first  settled,  game  abounded,  and  there  are  many  anecdotes 
related  of  the  narrow  escapes  which  the  inhabitants  had  in  hunting. 

Poland  is  almost  exclusively  an  agricultural  community,  though  the 
land  is  only  of  an  average  quality.  Water  is  supplied  by  several  ponds, 
and  by  the  Little  Androscoggin  river,  on  which  the  town  is  situated. 
A  very  pleasant  and  thriving  little  village  has  been  built  up  by  the 
industry  and  perseverance  of  the  inhabitants.  A  family,  of  the  denom- 
ination called  "  Shakers,''  have  located  here,  and  have  supplied  them- 
selves with  six  hundred  acres  of  the  best  land  within  the  precincts  of 
the  town.  They  are  in  no  way  different  from  others  of  this  sect,  and 
pursue  all  those  habits  of  thrift  and  economy  for  which  they  are  pecul- 
iar. The  Grand  Trunk  Railway  passes  through  Poland.  There  are 
three  religious  denominations  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Free- 
will Baptist;  twenty-three  school  districts,  with  twenty -five  schools; 
three  post-offices  —  Poland,  East  Poland,  and  West  Poland ;  four  saw- 
mills, one  grist-mill,  one  taimery,  and  one  carriage  factory.  Popula- 
tion, 2,660 ;  valuation,  f  333,168. 

Porter,  Oxford  county,  lies  one  hundred  miles  southwest  from 
Augusta,  and  forty  miles  west-northwest  from  Portland.  The  Great 
Ocisipee  river  separates  it  from  Parsonsfield,  in  the  county  of  York,  and 
the  New  Hampshire  line  makes  its  western  boundary.  This  township, 
containing  18,500  acres  (including  Timothy  Cutler's  upper  grant  of 
3,500  acres),  was  purchased  of  Massachusetts  on  the  24th  of  September, 
1795,  by  Dr.  Aaron  Porter  of  Biddeford,  Caleb  Emery  of  Sanford, 
Thomas  Cutts  of  Pepperrellborough,  and  their  associates,  for  the  sum 
of  i;564  lawful  money.  By  the  provisions  of  their  grant,  they  were 
required  to  appropriate  320  acres  for  schools,  a  like  number  of  acres  for 
the  first  settled  minister,  and  a  like  number  for  the  support  of  the  minis- 
try. They  were  also  required  to  appropriate  one  hundred  acres  of  land 
for  each  of  the  following  settlers,  who  settled  in  the  township  before 

A'^OL.  I.  23 


266  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  1st  day  of  January,  1784,  namely:  Meshech  Libby,i  Stephen  Libby,i 
John  Libby,  and  James  Rankins.  These  four  were  the  only  settlers 
until  1787,  when  Benjamin  Bickford,  Benjamin  Bickford,  Jr.,  Samuel 
Bickford  (from  Rochester,  N.  H.),  and  Benjamin  Ellenwood  from 
Groton,  became  settlers.  About  1791,  David  Allord,  Joseph  Clark,  and 
Moses  Drown  from  Rochester,  N.  H.,  arrived,  and  became  permanent 
residents.  Most  of  the  original  settlers  were  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  ; 
and  in  their  newly  selected  home,  encountered,  for  fifteen  or  twenty 
years,  all  those  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  a  pioneer  life. 

Porter  was  incorporated  February  20,  1807.  It  is  six  miles  in  length 
by  four  and  a  half  in  width,  and  contains  about  twenty-three  square 
miles.  The  territory,  it  is  said,  was  a  portion  of  the  Pequawket  terri- 
tory ;  and,  at  the  time  of  its  purchase,  adjoined  Fryeburg.  At  the  time 
of  its  incorporation,  however,  about  two  fifths  of  its  northerly  portion 
was  annexed  to  Brownfield.  The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  contain- 
ing many  hills  of  considerable  height,  on  which  is  excellent  pasturage. 
A  large  number  of  cattle  are  annually  raised  for  market.  The  soil  is 
well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  wheat,  rye,  and 
oats,  which  are  cultivated  to  a  considerable  extent.  There  are  many 
good  orchards  of  natural  and  grafted  fruit,  of  nearly  every  description. 

Mine  mountain,  though  not  large,  is  celebrated  on  account  of  its 
having  been  operated  upon  for  mining  purposes  about  the  year  1802,  by 
WLUiam  Towle.  He  discovered  what  he  supposed  to  be  gold  and  silver 
near  the  top  of  its  southern  slope,  and  perforated  it  at  right  angles  with 
the  slope  nearly  one  hundred  feet,  by  burning  and  blasting ;  but,  finding 
nothing  save  small  portions  of  lead,  iron,  and  a  very  small  portion  of 
silver  ore,  he  finally  abandoned  the  enterprise  as  useless.  Rattlesnake 
mountain,  so  called  from  the  large  number  of  rattlesnakes  found  here, 
was  visited  by  the  first  settlers,  Avho  annually  captured  a  large  number 
■of  these  reptiles  for  the  purposes  of  procuring  their  skins  and  oil ;  at  the 
present  day  there  are  none  of  them  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity.  Quite 
a  number  of  good  water  privileges  exist,  the  most  of  which  are  occupied. 
There  are  also  a  number  of  ponds,  the  two  largest  of  which  are  the  Col- 
cord  and  Bickford  ponds,  the  former  covering  about  150  acres,  and  the 
latter  about  one  hundred.  At  the  outlet  of  each  are  a  saw-mill,  a  grist- 
mill, a  shingle  machine,  and  a  clapboard  machine.  Spectacle  ponds, 
which  take  their  name  from  their  form,  situated  in  the  southeast  portion, 
though  not  of  any  great  size,  are  beautiful  sheets  of  water. 

Porter  was  originally  well  timbered  with  white  pine  and  white  and 

'  These  two  settlers  were  the  first  in  town,  having  arrived  here  about  the  )ear  1781. 
They  came  from  Rye,  N.  II. 


MAINE CITY    OF   PORTLAND.  267 

red  oak  ;  but  it  has  nearly  all  disappeared,  and  a  young  growth  is  now 
rapidly  appearing.  There  are  three  meeting-houses,  all  of  which  are 
free ;  one  village,  situated  on  the  Great  Ossipee  river,  about  four  miles 
from  the  New  Hampshire  line,  in  which  there  are  three  stores,  one 
meeting-house,  one  saw-mill,  one  shingle  machine,  one  wheelwright's 
shop,  three  blacksmith's  shops,  and  a  post-office.  There  are  also  thirteen 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population,  1,208 ; 
valuation,  $165,198. 

Portland,  Cumberland  county,  situated  on  Casco  bay,  was  originally 
embraced  within  the  town  of  Falmouth,  as  were  also  Westbrook  and 
Cape  Elizabeth,  together  with  a  number  of  large  and  valuable  islands 
in  Casco  bay,  lying  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor.  The  firsst  settle- 
ment was  made  in  what  is  now  Portland,  by  George  Cleeves  and 
Richard  Tucker,  who  established  themselves  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Spurvk'ink  river,  in  1630.  This  tract,  however,  being  claimed  by  Robert 
Trelawny  and  Moses  Goodyear,  merchants  of  Plymouth,  England,  by 
virtue  of  a  grant  made  to  them  by  the  council  of  Plymouth,  a  contest 
was  commenced  between  John  Winter,  the  agent  of  Trelawny,  on  the 
one  part,  and  Cleeves  and  Tucker  on  the  other.  Winter  succeeded,  in 
the  Provincial  court,  in  sustaining  the  title  of  Trelawny ;  and  the  ejected 
parties  sought  refuge,  in  1632,  on  the  Neck,  now  Portland. 

This  Neck,  Cleeves  declared,  was  known  first  by  the  name  of  Machi- 
gonne :  being  a  neck  of  land  which  was  in  no  man's  possession  or  occu- 
pation, he  seized  upon  it  as  his  own  inheritance,  by  virtue  of  a  royal 
proclamation  of  King  James  of  England,  by  which  proclamation  the 
king  freely  "  gave  unto  every  subject  of  his  who  should  transport  him- 
self over  into  this  country  upon  his  own  charge,  for  himself  and  for 
every  person  that  he  should  so  transport,  150  acres  of  land."  Cleeves 
further  declared,  that  he  "  continued  the  occupation  from  year  to  year 
under  this  possession,  without  interruption  or  demand  of  any ;  at  the 
end  of  which  time,  being  desirous  to  enlarge  his  limits  in  a  lawful  way, 
he  addressed  himself  to  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Province  of  Maine,  and  obtained,  for  a  sum  of  money  and  other  consid- 
erations, a  warrantable  lease  of  enlargement,  bounded  as  by  relation 
thereunto  had  doth  and  may  appear."  ^  This  was  the  origin  of  Port- 
land, which  was  first  called  Cloeves's  Nock,  then  Munjoy  Neck,  and 
sometimes  Casco  and  Old  Casco,  from  its  position  on  Casco  river  and 
bay.* 

'  This  statement  is  made  in  an  action,  ivhioli  Winter  brought  against  Cleeves  in  1040, 
to  recover  possession  of  this  tract  also,  claiming  the  whole  under  the  grant  made  to  Tre- 
lawnj- ;  but  in  this  he  failed,  and  Cleeves  was  left  in  full  possession. 


268  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Portland  is  probably  as  rich  in  historical  associations  as  any  locality 
in  Maine  ;  and  to  trace  them  through  their  various  phases  would  require 
a  greater  space  than  the  limits  of  this  work  will  permit,     In  July,  1658, 
the  settlement  received  the   name  of  Falmouth,  from   Massachusetts, 
and  its  limits  are  thus  stated :  "  Those  places  formerly  called  Spurwink 
and  Casco  bay,  from  the  east  side  of  Spurwink  river  to  the  Clapboard 
islands  in  Casco  bay,   shall  run  back  eight  miles  into  the  country." 
Previous  to  1675,  the  period  of  the  first  Indian  war,  the   settlements 
embraced  in  this  territory  had  advanced  rapidly.     The  part  now  occu- 
pied by  Portland  had,  however,  few^er  inhabitants  than  were   at  other 
points,  —  Cleeves  occupying  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Neck,^  the  fam- 
ily of  Michael  Milton  (Cleeves's  son-in-law)  the  western,  and  Tucker  the 
central  part.     When  that  war  commenced,  there  were  five  or  six  persons 
with  their  families  on  the  Neck,  namely :  Thomas  Brackett,  George  Mun- 
joy,  John  Munjoy,  his  son,  George  Burroughs,  the  minister,  and  Eliza- 
beth Harvey,  the  daughter  of  Cleeves.^     Every  thing  was  very  prosper- 
ous at  this  time ;  but  the   Indians  left  not  a  vestige  to  tell  the  tale  that 
here  had  been  a  habitation,  or  any  marks  of  improvement.      Thirty-four 
persons  were  killed  in  the  whole  town ;  among  them  Thomas  Brackett, 
John  Munjoy,  and  Isaac  Wakely  upon  the  Neck.     The  family  of  the 
first  were  taken  into  captivity. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  war,  no  white  person  ventured  within 
the  desolated  locality  ;  but  after  the  conclusion  of  peace,  in  November, 
1678,  George  Bramhall  purchased  the  hill  which  yet  bears  his  name, 
and  prosecuted  the  tannery  business.  Anthony  Brackett,  one  of  the  old 
settlers,  with  others,  in  1679,  resumed  their  former  sites,  or  procured 
grants  of  new  lots.  In  1680,  Fort  Loyal  was  erected  at  the  foot  of  the 
present  India  street,  in  which,  in  September  of  that  year,  Governor 
Danforth  held  a  court  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  new  settlement 
arranging  the  inhabitants  in  a  more  compact  manner,  in  order  that  they 
might  better  withstand  future  attacks  from  the  savages.  Evidences  of 
renewed  activity  were  manifest,  and  houses  and  buildings  were  erected 
in  different  directions.  The  character  of  the  inhabitants  here  at  that 
time  was  superior.  Among  them  were  Peter  Bowdoin,  or,  more  properly, 
Pierre  Baudouin,  and  his  son-in-law  Stephen  Boutineau,^  Philip  Barger, 
Philip  Le  Bretton,  Augustin  Jean  (the  ancestor  of  the  Gustins  now  liv- 

'  Cleeves's  house  fronted  on  the  bay,  just  east  of  India  street,  and  his  corn-field 
stretched  "westerly  to  near  Clay  cove. 

^  Milton,  her  former  husband,  was  at  this  time  dead. 

'  These  were  French  Huguenots,  who  (led  from  France  on  the  repeal  of  the  edict  of 
Nantes.  Mr.  Bowdoin  was  a  physician  of  Eochelle,  who  subsequently  established  him- 
self in  Boston,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  the  distinguished  family  there  of  that  name. 


MAINE CITY    OF    PORTLAND.  269 

ing  here),  George  Burroughs,^  the  minister,  Thaddeus  Clark,  the  Brack- 
etts,  Sylvanus  Davis,  Joha  Graves,  Henry  Harwood,  the  Ingersolls, 
Robert  Lawrence,  and  Edward  Tyng.  In  ten  years,  the  inhabitants  in 
Falmouth  had  increased  to  seven  hundred.  Twenty -five  families  re- 
sided on  the  Neck ;  and  every  effort  was  being  made  in  the  way  of 
progress,  and  peace  and  plenty  were  rewarding  their  labors,  when  the 
blast  of  war  warned  them  that  prosperity  could  not  be  enjoyed  without 
interruption. 

In  the  autumn  of  1689,  Major  Benjamin  Church,  of  Plymouth  Col- 
ony, a  terrible  enemy  of  the  Indians,  who  had  been  commissioned  as 
commander  of  an  expedition  to  the  eastward,  arrived  here  most  oppor- 
tunely to  thwart  the  designs  of  a  body  of  French  and  Indians,  some  seven 
hundred  strong,  who  came  in  at  the  same  time,  and  landed  on  Peak's 
island.  Measures  were  immediately  taken  for  defence;  the  troops  landed 
with  as  little  noise  as  possible,  and  the  next  morning,  an  hour  before 
daybreak,  marched,  accompanied  by  many  of  the  townsmen,  "  to  a 
thick  place  of  brush,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  town."  The  enemy, 
too,  had  not  been  idle ;  for,  during  the  night,  they  had  shifted  their  quar- 
ters to  the  upper  portion  of  the  Neck,  and  at  day-dawn,  September  21, 
approached  the  farm  of  Anthony  Brackett,  whose  house  stood  where  the 
one  now  or  lately  occupied  by  Mr.  Deering  stands,  at  the  junction  of  the 
roads.  Brackett's  sons  gave  the  alarm,  and  Captain  Hall's  company, 
being  in  advance,  hastened  to  meet  the  enemy,  which  they  did  in 
Brackett's  orchard,  where  the  action  was  principally  fought.  Church, 
on  luMiing  the  alarm,  soon  came  to  the  rescue  with  a  reinforcement,  and 
a  supply  of  ammunition,  which  was  transported  across  Back  Cove 
Creek  by  one  of  the  friendly  Indians.  The  reserve  force  of  the  Eng- 
lish took  up  a  position  on  this  side  of  the  creek,  prepared  to  support 
Captain  Hall.  After  contending  hotly  for  some  time.  Major  Church 
informed  Captain  Hall  that  he  designed  assaulting  the  enemy  in  the 
rear,  and  immediately  advanced  up  the  creek  to  execute  his  purpose ; 
but  the  enemy,  perceiving  it,  made  a  precipitate  retreat,  hotly  pursued^ 
to  the  forests.  Finding  that  they  were  met  with  a  number  equal,  if  not 
superior,  to  their  own,  they  gave  up  the  idea  of  further  depredations  that 
season.  Eleven  were  killed  on  the  English  side,  and  ten  wounded,  of 
whom  Mr.  Freeze,  Mr.  Bramhall,  and  one  friendly  Indian,  died  of  their 
wounds.  Captain  Brackett  was  also  killed,  as  well  as  a  negro  belonging 
to    Colonel   Tyng.     Had  it   not   been   for   the  timely  intervention   of 

'  Mr.  Burroughs  fell  a  victim  to  fanaticism,  having  been  tried  for  -witchcraft  at  Salem, 
May  8,  1692,  and  executed  on  the  19th  of  August  following. 

23* 


270  mSTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Church,  the  whole  people  must  have  been  utterly  cut  off.  As  it  was, 
the  enemy  saw  their  plans  frustrated  by  the  unexpected  movements 
of  the  Major ;  and  that  they  would  t-oon  be  completely  in  his  power : 
they  therefore,  after  an  action  which  had  lasted  six  hours,  made  a 
hasty  retreat;  but,  as  the  sequel  shows,  with  a  determination  to 
renew  the  attack,  whenever  a  favorable  opportunity  should  occur. 
Many  of  the  inhabitants,  fearing  this,  sought  places  of  greater  security; 
but  a  large  proportion,  through  the  assurance  of  Church  that  he  would 
endeavor  to  return  the  next  spring  with  a  protecting  force,  remained.  A 
garrison  of  fifteen  soldiers,  with  a  commander  and  gunner,  was  left  by 
Church  in  the  fort,  and  sixty  soldiers  in  the  town,  when  he  departed, 
with  the  sincere  thanks,  but  deep  regret,  of  the  settlers.  A  quiet  but 
anxious  winter  was  passed,  during  which  garrisons  were  sustained  in 
Fort  Loyal,  at  Lawrence's  stone  house  on  the  hill,  at  George  IngersoU's, 
foot  of  Exchange  street,  and  in  another  part  of  the  Neck  not  known. 
The  enemy  did  not  remain  long  inactive.  Captain  Willard,  of  Salem, 
who  was  in  command  at  this  point,  was  taken  off  with  the  regular 
troops  for  other  operations,  leaving  the  defence  of  the  place  entirely  to 
the  inhabitants,  which  the  enemy  were  not  slow  to  discover.  In  May, 
1690,  the  force  which,  in  February,  destroyed  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  joined 
the  eastern  Lidians,  and  soon  after  appeared  in  Casco  bay,  where  they 
took  Robert  Greason,  belonging  to  this  place,  prisoner.  Captain  Syl- 
vanus  Davis  commanded  Fort  Loyal,  and  ordered  that  the  people  should 
not  leave  their  garrisons,  but  keep  constant  watch  to  prevent  surprise. 
Lieutenant  Clark  and  thirty  men,  however,  with  more  zeal  than  precau- 
tion, neglected  this  advice,  and  precipitated  the  destmction  of  the  settle- 
ment. Being  desirous  to  gain  some  information  with  regard  to  the 
enemy,  they  proceeded  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  (probably  Munjoy's), 
which  was  covered  with  woods,  having  a  lane  Avith  a  fence  on  each  side, 
and  a  block-house  (probably  Lawrence's)  at  the  end.  When  they  came 
up,  they  found  the  cattle  looking  alarmed  towards  the  fence,  afraid  to  pass 
into  the  wood ;  and  the  party  immediately  suspected  that  the  enemy 
were  in  covert  there.  Lieutenant  Clark  and  his  men  concluded  that  the 
best  way  to  get  rid  of  the  difficulty  was  to  boldly  face  it,  and,  in  the 
hope  of  intimidating  the  enemy,  advanced  quickly  to  the  fence  with  a 
loud  shout.  But  the  enemy  were  fully  prepared  for  them,  and  poured 
upon  the  little  party  a  deadly  fire,  which  killed  the  lieutenant  and  thir- 
teen men,  when  the  remainder  ran  hastily  to  the  block-house.  This 
was  attacked ;  but  was  defended  with  great  bravery  all  night,  when  the 
inmates  abandoned  the  garrison,  and  sought  security  in  Fort  Loyal. 
On  the  morning  of  May  16,  the  enemy  burnt  the  house,  and  forthwith 
turned  their  attenliou  to  the  fort,  which  they  besieged  with  their  full 
force,   consisting  of  about  four   or  five   hundred   French  and  Indians 


MAINE  —  CITY   OF   PORTLAND.  271 

under  command  of  Mons.  Burniffe.  The  fort  stood  on  a  rocky  bluff 
(now  occupied  by  the  station  of  the  Atlantic  and  St  Lawrence  Rail- 
road), under  which  the  enemy  worked  with  perfect  security,  being  out 
of  reach  of  the  guns,  and  in  no  danger,  by  their  superior  nunaber,  from 
a  sortie  from  the  small  force  within  the  fort.  The  siege  was  prosecuted 
actively  five  days  and  four  nights,  in  which  they  "  killed  the  greater  part 
of  the  English,  and  burned  all  the  houses."  Being  ultimately  worn  out 
by  the  continued  watching  and  defence,  the  besieged  capitulated  on  the 
20th  of  May.  The  articles  of  capitulation,  which  were  solemnly  sworn 
to  by  the  French,  were  disregarded,  and  the  commander  "  suffered,"  says 
Captain  Davis,  "  our  women  and  children  and  our  men  to  be  made 
captives  in  the  hands  of  the  heathen,  to  be  cruelly  murdered  and  de- 
stroyed, many  of  them,  and  especially  our  wounded  men ;  only  the 
French  kept  myself  and  three  or  four  more,  and  carried  us  overland  to 
Canada."  The  captives  arrived  at  Quebec,  June  14,  after  twenty-four 
days'  march  through  the  wilderness.  Captain  Davis,  after  four  months' 
captivity,  was  exchanged. 

Thus  sank  this  rising  settlement  a  second  time.  Among  those  killed 
were  Lieutenant  Clark,  Thomas  Cloice,  Seth  Brackett,  Thomas  Alsop, 
Edward  Crocker,  George  Bogwell,  and  a  soldier  from  Lynn,  named 
James  RamsdeU.  Captain  Robert  Lawrence  and  Anthony  Brackett,  Jr., 
were  mortally  wounded ;  and  James  Ross  and  Peter  Morrill  were 
among  the  prisoners.  Ross  was  likewise  wounded,  having  had  his 
collar-bone  split  and  cut  off,  and  suffered  considerably  from  the  Indians 
while  in  Canada ;  for  which  he  received,  in  1726,  a  pension  of  five  pounds 
per  annum.  John  Parker ^  and  his  son,  James,  who  sought  refuge  in 
Fort  Loyal  Jrom  the  Indians  on  the  Kennebec,  were  also  among  the 
killed. 

In  August,  1703,  the  settlements  at  Falmouth  called  Spurwink  and 
Purpooduck  were  entirely  destroyed,  —  no  less  than  twenty-two  being 
killed  and  taken  captive  in  the  former  place.  Purpooduck,  having  a  pop- 
ulation of  nine  families,  was  visited  by  the  Indians,  when  all  the  men 
were  from  home,  and  twenty-five  of  the  inhabitants  butchered  in  the 
most  barbarous  manner,  while  eight  were  taken  prisoners.  Some  of 
their  atrocities  are  too  horrible  to  describe. 

Some  of  the  inhabitants  began  to  return  to  Falmouth  about  1708 ; 
but  the  settlement  on  the  Neck  was  not  permanently  resumed  until 
after  the  peace  of  Utrecht,  in  1713.  Elisha  Ingersoll,  Major  Samuel 
Moody,  Benjamin    Larrabee,  Benjamin    Skillings,  Zachariah  Brackett, 

'  This  gentleman  was  the  great-greatgrandfather  of  the  late  Isaac  Parker,  chief 
justice  of  Massachusetts,  and  son  of  John  Parker,  who  came  from  Biddeford,  England,  to 
Saco,  Maine. 


272  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Richard  Collier,  Samuel  Proctor,  James  Doughty,  Mark  Rounds,  James 
Mills,  Ebenezer  Hall,  Thomas  Thomes,  John  Wass,  John  Barbour,  and 
John  Gustin  settled  principally  on  the  Neck,  between  1716  and  1718.1 
in  1722,  further  troubles  with  the  Indians  retarded  the  growth  of  the 
settlement.  In  1725,  after  the  close  of  hostilities,  there  were  about 
forty-five  families  in  the  place,  twenty-seven  of  whom  were  upon  the 
Neck.  A  meeting-house,  which  was  in  course  of  construction  five 
years  previous,  was  completed  in  1728,  and  stood  on  the  junction  of  the 
present  King  and  Middle  streets.  A  church  had  been  formed  the  pre- 
vious year,  over  which  Rev.  Thomas  Smith  was  ordained  pastor,  being 
the  only  minister  in  the  settlement  for  many  years.  A  saw-mill  and 
grist-mill  were  in  operation;  and  at  this  time,  the  settlement  at  Fal- 
mouth was  considered,  with  one  exception,  —  that  of  York, —  the  chief 
one  in  the  state.  In  September,  1733,  Robert  Bayley  was  employed 
as  schoolmaster. 

A  gradual  and  steady  progress  was  made  from  this  time,  with  some 
slight  interruptions  from  the  Indians ;  and,  in  1749,  there  was  a  popu- 
lation of  some  2,346,  of  which  720  were  on  the  Neck,  with  120  dwell- 
ing-houses (all  of  wood,  many  of  them  but  one  story  high,  and  generally 
unpainted),  most  of  which  were  below  the  present  site  of  Centre  street. 
That  part  above  Centre  street  was  covered  with  wood  and  swamp ;  and 
was,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term,  an  "  eminent  wilderness."  The 
business  was  transacted  at  the  lower  end,  around  the  foot  of  India 
street,  where  was  the  landing.  The  principal  business  occupations 
were  in  lumber  and  Avood,  and  in  fish.  Ship-building  was  also  a  prom- 
inent branch  of  business.  In  1752  there  were  seven  schooners  and 
fifteen  sloops  owned  on  the  Neck ;  now  the  shipping  exceeds  over 
79,000  tons.  The  people  were  hardy  and  industrious,  and  all  the  rich 
men,  and  those  who  have  been  rich,  in  Portland,  were  either  mariners  or 
mechanics,  or  descendants  of  persons  in  those  occupations.  Among  the 
most  prominent  men  here  at  this  time  were  the  Moodys,  Freeman, 
Longfellow,  Fox,  Waldo,  Westbrook,  Cushing,  Noyes,  John  Wiswell, 
and  the  two  ministers.  Smith  and  Allen.  In  1735,  the  settlement  was 
made  the  half-shire  town  with  York,  and  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
and  Sessions  of  the  Peace  were  appointed  to  be  held  alternately,  in 
January  and  October,  here  and  at  York.  There  was  no  regular  mail 
east  of  Portsmouth  till  1760,  and  then  but  once  a  week.  Previous  to 
that  time,  letters  were  reserved  till  a  sufficient  number  accumulated  to 

'  Many  of  these,  and  others  who  came  in,  were  new  settlers,  and  located  on  the  land 
without  anj'  shadow  of  title,  which,  as  a  consequence,  led  to  endless  disputes  between  the 
old  proprietors  and  the  new,  which  were  ultimately  settled  in  the  supreme  court  in  May, 
1731. 


MAINE CITY    OF    PORTLAND.  273 

pay  for  the  expense,  when  they  were  despatched  either  on  the  back  of  a 
man  or  a  horse.  Several  important  conferences  were  held  here  with  the 
Indians,  which  gave  the  place  considerable  distinction. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  took  part  in  the  various  expeditions  carried 
on  by  the  English  against  the  French  in  the  subjugation  of  Canada, 
and  a  number  lost  their  lives  in  the  service.  The  difficulties  which 
hastened  the  Revolution  brought  on  the  destruction  of  Falmouth  or 
Portland  the  third  time.  Several  circumstances  raised  the  ire  of  the 
British  against  the  town,  one  of  which,  in  March,  1775,  was  the  trouble 
\vith  Thomas  Coulson,  a  tory,  for  whom  a  vessel,  arriving  about  this 
time,  brought  rigging  and  stores  for  a  new  ship  he  had  built,  and  also  a 
considerable  cargo  of  goods  and  merchandise.  These  the  Committee 
of  Safety  and  Inspection  determined  ought  not  to  be  used,  according  to 
the  agreement  of  the  "  American  Association,"  and  ordered  that  they 
should  be  returned  to  England  in  the  vessel  that  brought  them.  Several 
attempts  were  made  by  Coulson  to  carry  out  his  designs,  in  opposition 
to  the  command  of  the  committee ;  but  he  was  held  in  check  by  threats 
from  the  populace.  Finally,  through  his  instrumentality,  the  Canseau 
sloop-of-war.  Captain  Mowett,  arrived  in  the  harbor,  and  through  her  pro- 
tection Coulson  accomplished  what  otherwise  he  had  failed  to  do,  —  rig 
his  vessel,  and  put  on  board  the  goods  and  merchandise.  Considerable 
opposition  was  met  from  the  populace,  and  none  of  them  could  be  hired 
to  assist  Coulson,  but  were  pressed  into  the  obnoxious  service  by  the 
petty  tyranny  of  Mowett.  This  conduct  on  his  part,  as  might  be  imag- 
ined, made  him  very  unpopular  with  the  citizens ;  and  on  May  9,  the 
captain,  with  his  surgeon,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Wiswell,  Episcopal  minister, 
were,  while  on  shore,  made  prisoners  by  a  party  of  volunteers  under  the 
direction  of  Colonel  Samuel  Thompson  of  Brunswick.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  threat  from  the  sailing-master  of  the  Canseau,  that  if  Cap- 
tain Mowett  was  not  released  he  would  lay  the  town  in  ashe*,  which 
caused  great  consternation,  and  a  general  stampede  amongst  some  of 
the  inhabitants.  Thompson,  notwithstanding  this  threat,  and  the  ex- 
postulations of  some  of  the  first  citizens,  refused  to  set  the  prisoners  at 
large  till  night;  when,  through  excessive  importunity,  they  were  released 
on  parole,  —  General  Preble  and  Colonel  Freeman  being  pledges  for  their 
appearance  at  nine  the  following  morning.  Mowett,  however,  failed  to 
appear,  which  so  exasperated  the  volunteers,  who  had  in  the  mean  time 
collected  in  considerable  numbers  from  the  towns  in  the  vicinity,  that 
they  threatened  to  attack  the  vessel,  provided  Mowett  continued  in  the 
harbor ;  and  exhibited  other  marks  of  displeasure  and  discontent.  Coul- 
son's  dwelling-house  was  rifled,  his  boats  drawn  through  the  streets, 
and  several  persons,  who  were  thought  to  be  tories,  were  dealt  with  in  a 


274  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

manner  which  soon  proved  to  have  been  very  ill-advised.  The  crowd  at 
last  dispersed,  and  Mowett,  accompanied  by  Coulson  in  his  own  ship, 
left  the  harbor  for  Portsmouth. 

On  Monday,  the  16th  of  October  following,  a  squadron  of  four  armed 
vessels,  consisting  of  the  Canseau,  the  Cat,  a  ship  of  war,  a  large  cutter 
schooner,  and  a  small  bomb  ship,  arrived  in  the  harbor,  and  anchored 
about  a  league  from  the  town.  They  were  commanded  by  Captain 
Mowett ;  but  the  people  were  at  a  loss  to  divine  the  object  of  the  visit, 
unless  it  were  to  obtain  without  charge  a  supply  of  provisions  from 
the  islands,  which  the  inhabitants  took  measures  to  prevent.  The  next 
day,  however,  the  mystery  was  cleared  up.  The  vessels  were  towed  up 
towards  the  wharves,  and,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  were 
moored  in  line  near  the  compact  part  of  the  town.  A  messenger  with 
a  flag  was  sent  on  shore  by  Mowett,  who  brought  a  letter  from  the 
captain,  filled  with  regrets  which  he  did  not  feel,  and  making  assertions 
which  were  wholly  untrue.  The* substance  was,  that,  in  consequence  of 
the  bad  behavior  of  the  inhabitants  towards  the  mother  country,  he 
had  orders  "to  execute  a  just  punishment  on  the  town  of  Falmouth," 
and  gave  them  two  hours  to  remove  themselves  and  what  was  valuable 
from  its  precincts.  Not  having  given  any  just  cause  for  such  a  pro- 
ceeding, the  people  "^j^ere  greatly  surprised  ;  and  a  meeting  was  held,  at 
which  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  captain,  and  learn, 
if  possible,  the  reasons  for  this  summary  vengeance,  which  was  about  to 
be  taken  on  them.  The  reply  of  this  modern  Nero  was,  "  My  orders  I 
have  received  from  Admiral  Graves,  and  they  direct  me  to  repair  to  the 
place  with  all  expedition,  take  my  position  near  the  town,  and  burn, 
sink,  and  destroy;  and  this  without  giving  the  people  warning !  The 
note  you  have  received  is  of  special  grace,  at  the  risk  of  my  commis- 
sion." They  used  every  argument  with  him  against  the  execution  of 
such  a  »ruel  mandate,  till  time  was  allowed  to  consult  the  admiral ;  but 
he  only  replied  that  his  orders  applied  alike  to  every  seaport  on  the  con- 
tinent, and  concluded  by  offering  some  very  humiliating  conditions, 
which  were  the  delivery  over  to  him  of  various  munitions  of  war,  —  by 
the  fulfilment  of  which  they  might  save  the  town  from  destruction  tiU 
communication  was  had  with  the  admiral.  These  terms  the  people,  in 
order  to  gain  time,  complied  with  in  part ;  but  decided,  at  a  meeting  in 
the  morning,  not  to  fulfil  in  toto.  In  the  last  conference  held  with  Mowett, 
the  committee  conjured  him,  by  every  claim  of  justice  and  humanity,  to 
spare  the  work  of  destruction  for  a  short  period ;  but  his  only  answer 
was,  that  he  would  give  them  thirty  viinvtes,  and  no  more. 

About  nine  the  same  morning,  the  firing  Avas  opened  from  the  vessels 
on  the  ill-fated  town,  and  was  urged  with  considerable  briskness, balls 


MAINE CITY    OF   PORTLAND.  275 

weighing  from  three  to  nine  pounds  being  poured  like  showers  of  hail 
upon  the  most  thickly  built  part.  What  was  not  accomplished  by  the 
guns  was  done  by  armed  parties  from  the  vessels ;  and  though  the 
watchful  citizens  succeeded  in  protecting  some  buildings  from  destruc- 
tion, many  parts  of  the  village  were  soon  in  a  blaze.  The  cannonading 
lasted  some  nine  hours ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  Congregational 
meeting-house,  about  one  hundred  of  the  poorer  dwelling-houses,  and  a 
few  wharves,  every  thing-'  in  the  once  thriving  town  was  one  mass  of 
blackened  ruins.  One  hundred  and  sixty  families,  which  the  day  previous 
Avere  in  comfortable  circumstances,  were  thrown  upon  the  world,  almost 
without  food,  or  covering  to  protect  them  from  the  inclemency  of  the 
winter,  fast  approaching.  After  the  accomplishment  of  his  work  of 
devastation,  Mowett  with  his  fleet  departed.  "  Yet  his  name  lives  to 
be  execrated,  and  his  dark  deeds  are  portrayed,  to  teach  base  men  what 
indelible  infamy  shall  cleave  to  their  memories  long  after  their  relics 
have  mouldered  to  their  original  element."  ^  The  last  visit  which  was 
made  by  the  British  to  the  town  was  by  Captain  Symonds,  in  a  large 
war  ship,  shortly  after  this  destruction,  and  when  the  inhabitants  were 
engaged  in  erecting  forts  for  defence.  He  commanded  them  to  desist 
from  the  work  ;  but  finding  the  inhabitants  paid  no  regard  to  him,  and 
that  his  ship  was  exposed  to  an  attack,  he  made  a  precipitate  retreat. 
Cape  Elizabeth  was  incorporated  from  Falmouth,  November  1,  1765 ; 
Portland,  July  4,  1786 ;  and  Westbrook,  February  14,  1814. 

Portland  is  the  capital  of  Cumberland  county.  It  was  incorporated 
as  a  city  in  1832.  The  peninsula  projects  eastwardly  into  the  bay,  is 
about  three  miles  in  length,  and  has  an  average  width  of  three  fourths 
of  a  mile.  Its  surface  rises  from  each  shore,  forming  throughout  an  ele- 
vated ridge,  which,  at  its  extremities,  rises  again  into  considerable  hiUs, 
presenting  a  marked  outline  and  very  beautiful  appearance.  The  city 
is  regularly  laid  out  and  handsomely  built,  particularly  its  more  modern 
portions,  which  are  noted  for  their  elegant  buildings.  The  streets,  and 
many  of  the  houses,  are  lighted  with  gas.  The  main  street  occupies  the 
ridge  of  the  peninsula,  extending  from  hill  to  hill.  Many  of  the  streets 
are  lined  with  elm  and  other  shade  trees,  presenting  a  truly  delightful 
appearance.  The  natural  advantages  of  the  city  for  trade  and  com- 
merce have  been  well  improved  by  its  enterprising  citizens.  The  har- 
bor is  capacious  and  safe,  and  is  considered  among  the  best  in  the 
United  States.     It  is  protected  by  islands  from  the  violence  of  storms, 

'  St.  Paul's  church,  the  new  court-house,  the  town-house,  the  public  library,  the  fire- 
en"-inc,  about  130  dwelling-houses,  230  stores  and  warehouses,  a  great  number  of  stables 
and  outhouses,  and  about  one  half  the  merchandise,  furniture,  and  goods  were  destroyed. 

^  Williamson,  vol.  ii.,  p.  437. 


276  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

has  a  good  entrance,  and  is  defended  by  Forts  Preble  and  Scammel, 
the  former  of  which  is  garrisoned  by  United  States  artillery.  The 
foreign  commerce  of  the  city  is  chiefly  with  the  West  Indies  and 
Europe,  the  chief  exports  being  lumber,  ice,  fish,  and  provisions.  The 
coasting  trade  is  principally  with  Boston,  and,  during  the  summer, 
steamboats  run  daily  to  that  city.  On  the  30th  June,  1857,  the  total 
tonnage  of  the  district  was  145,242  tons,  of  which  109,926  tons  were 
registered,  and  35,316  tons  enrolled  and  licensed.  The  registered 
tonnage  consisted  of  85,696  tons  permanent,  and  24,229  tons  temporary. 
The  enrolled  and  licensed  tonnage  consisted  of  34,437  tons  "  permanent," 
which  were  employed  as  follows :  In  coasting  trade,  29,722  tons  ;  in 
cod  fishery,  2,704  tons;  in  mackerel  fishery,  2,011  tons;  and  878  tons, 
"  hcensed  under  twenty  tons,"  which  were  in  the  cod  fishery.  The 
number  of  vessels  built  in  1857  was  twenty,  namely,  eighteen  ships  and 
barques,  and  two  schooners,  with  an  aggregate  tonnage  of  12,925. 

Portland  has  several  public  buildings,  the  principal  of  which  are  the 
City  Hall,  the  Court-house,  Grand  Trunk  Railway  Depot,  an  Athenseum, 
incorporated  in  1827,  and  containing  a  library  of  upwards  of  six 
thousand  volumes ;  and  several  spacious  hotels,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  Machigonne  House,  now  in  process  of  erection  by  the 
Hon.  John  M.  "Wood,  said  to  be  the  largest  building  in  the  state.  The 
ne"«'  custom-house  and  post-office  building,  recently  erected  on  Ex- 
change street,  is  a  stately  granite  structure,  and  is  a  credit  to  the  United 
States  government,  and  an  ornament  to  the  city.  At  the  eastern 
extremity  of  the  city  is  a  tower,  seventy  feet  high,  and  220  feet  above 
tide  water,  which  was  erected  for  the  purpose  of  observing  vessels  at  sea, 
and  is  furnished  with  signals.  The  harbor  is  connected  by  the  Cumber- 
land and  Oxford  canal,  tw^enty  and  a  half  miles  long,  with  Sebago 
pond,  and  thence  with  Long  pond. 

Four  important  railroads  now  centre  at  Portland,  and  contribute 
greatly  to  its  prosperity.  The  Portland,  Saco,  and  Portsmouth  Railroad, 
fifty-one  miles  long,  was  opened  in  1842,  completing  the  line  of  railroad 
from  Boston  to  this  city,  one  hundred  and  five  miles.  The  extension  of 
this  route,  called  the  Kennebec  and  Portland  Railroad,  is  completed  to 
Augusta,  sixty  miles.  The  York  and  Cumberland  Railroad,  now  open 
to  Buxton,  eighteen  miles,  when  completed  will  connect,  at  Great  Falls, 
wiih  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad.  The  constraction  of  the  Atlantic 
and  St.  Lawrence  Railroad,  or  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  as  it  is  now 
more  usually  called,  commenced  in  1846,  from  each  terminus —  Portland 
and  Montreal  —  and  was  completed  in  1853.  Over  this  important 
thoroughfare  passes  a  large  portion  of  the  products  of  the  North  and 
"West  for  shipment  to  Europe. 


-'I'^^il^lM 


'Fllllfii 


1% 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   POWNAL.  277 

There  are  twenty-two  churches  in  the  city,  and  seven  banks,  with  an 
aggregate  capital  of  $2,075,000.  The  capital  of  the  city  is  chiefly 
employed  in  commerce,  coasting  and  inland  trade,  and  the  fisheries ; 
hence  its  manufactures  are,  for  the  most  part,  those  incident  to  a  mer- 
cantile city.  The  Portland  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000,  have 
a  large  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  locomotives  and  railroad 
cars.  Much  attention  is  given  to  education  in  the  public  schools,  which 
consist  of  a  classical  school  for  boys,  a  high  school  for  girls,  four  gram- 
mar-schools, (two  for  boys  and  two  for  girls,)  and  the  primary  schools. 
There  are  also  numerous  private  schools,  and  an  academy ;  and  three 
daily  newspapers —  Tlie  Advertiser  (Republican) ;  State  of  Maine  (Repub- 
lican), and  Eastern  Argus  (Democrat),  which  also  issue  tri-weekly  and 
w^eekly  editions.  Besides  these,  there  are  seven  weeklies,  namely :  The 
Transcript  (Literary) ;  Christian  Mirror  (Orthodox  Congregational) ; 
Zion's  Advocate  (Baptist) ;  Journal  and  Inquirer  (Maine  Law) ;  Pleasure 
Boat  (Miscellaneous) ;  Cold  Water  Fountain  (Temperance) ;  and  The 
Scholar's  Leaf  (Educational),  issued  semi-monthly.  There  is  one  post- 
office.    Population  estimated  at  30,000 ;  valuation  for  1858,  $22,260,290. 

PowNAL  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Cumberland  county,  and 
contains  an  area  of  about  18,000  acres.  Its  early  history  is  merged  in 
that  of  Freeport,  of  which  it  formed  the  northwest  part  until  March  3, 
1808,  when  it  was  incorporated  by  its  present  name.  In  May,  1807,  the 
inhabitants,  at  a  town-meeting,  chose  a  committee,  consisting  of  Bar- 
stow  Sylvester,  Josiah  Reed,  and  Thomas  Means,  in  behalf  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  town,  which  is  now  Freeport,  and  Edward  Thompson,  Leb- 
beus  Tuttle,  and.  Jabez  True,  for  the  upper  part  (or  the  proposed  new 
town),  to  agree  to  a  line  of  separation.  The  committee  reported  that 
they  had  agreed  upon  a  line,  which  report  was  accepted  on  the  18th  of 
May,  as  certified  by  John  Cushing  and  Cornelius  Dillingham,  selectmen. 
The  petition  to  the  legislature  had  forty-one  signatures,  among  which 
appear  those  of  Edmund  Cleaves,  Jacob  Davis,  Joseph  Hutchins,  Na- 
thaniel Noyes,  Benjamin  A.  Richardson,  Edward  Thompson,  William 
Sawyer,  Benjamin  Humphrey,  and  Jabez  True.  An  order  of  notice  on 
the  petition  was  made  returnable  to  the  next  general  court,  when  the  act 
was  passed.  The  surface  is  undulating,  and  the  soil  generally  of  a  pro- 
ductive character.  The  inhabitants  are  devoted  principally  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  Pownal  is  watered  by  the  eastern  branches  of  Royall's  river, 
none  of  which  have  sufficient  power  for  propelling  machinery.  There 
are  three  religious  societies  —  two  Methodist  and  one  Congregational ; 
twelve  school  districts,  and  three  post-offices  —  Pownal,  North  Pownal, 

VOL.  I.  24 


278  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  West  Pownal ;  also  one  grist-mill,  and  one  carriage  factory.     Pop- 
ulation, 1,074 ;  valuation,  |241,550. 

Princeton  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county,  on 
the  Baring  and  Houlton  road,  at  the  outlet  of  the  chain  of  lakes  which 
extend  some  thirty  miles  westwardly  toward  the  Penobscot  river.  The 
head  of  these  lakes  is  near  the  source  of  the  Passadumkeag,  a  tributary 
of  the  Penobscot  river.  When  clear  of  ice,  these  lakes  and  their  tribu- 
taries are  navigable  to  the  remotest  point,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  A 
heavy  and  valuable  growth  of  hard  and  soft  timber  borders  their  shores, 
from  which  immense  quantities  are  cut  annually  for  the  mills  at  Baring 
and  Calais,  and  yet  the  supply  is  not  sensibly  diminished.  But  few 
settlements  have  as  yet  been  made  upon  the  banks  of  these  streams, 
which  are  said,  in  many  places,  to  contain  excellent  land.  A  railroad 
has  just  been  completed  from  tide-water  at  Calais  to  Princeton,  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty  miles,  called  the  Lewey's  Island  Railroad,  which  has  its 
terminus  at  a  wharf  on  the  lower  lake.  By  this  road  immense  quazi- 
tities  of  lumber  Avill  be  taken  annually  to  market. 

There  is  an  excellent  water-power  at  this  place,  having  all  these 
lakes  as  a  reservoir,  which  is  now  only  partially  occupied,  but  which_  ere- 
long will  be  one  of  the  lumber  marts  of  Maine.  The  Lewey's  Island 
Railroad  will  be  one  of  the  links  in  the  projected  European  and 
North  American  Railroad,  and  this  town  will  be  one  of  the  depots 
through  which  will  flow  the  productions  of  two  continents.  This  will 
not  happen  in  a  day ;  but  time  will  consummate  the  enterprise.  The 
town  was  incorporated  in  1832,  and  has  four  school  districts  and  two 
post-offices  —  Princeton  and  South  Princeton.  Population,  280  ;  valu- 
ation, $24,314. 

Prospect,  Waldo  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot 
river,  and  has  about  four  miles  of  shore,  extending  from  the  southerly 
line  of  Stockton  to  Marsh  bay.  The  first  historical  event  of  note 
was  the  erection  of  a  small  fort,  on  the  spot  now  known  as  Fort  Point, 
—  vestiges  of  which  are  still  standing,  —  commenced  in  the  year  1758, 
and  completed  July  28,  1759,  at  a  cost  of  £4,969  17.s.  M.,  the  expenses 
being  reimbursed  by  parliament.  The  ditch  by  which  it  is  surrounded 
was  originally  about  twelve  feet  deep,  but  rubbish  has  accumulated  in 
it  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  now  not  over  six  feet  in  depth.  The  old 
well,  which  supplied  the  garrison  with  water,  is  still  in  existence,  though 
partially  filled  up.  It  is  maintained  by  some,  that  this  forrification  was 
erected  for  the  purpose  of  commanding  the  river,  and  defending  the 
country  from  invasion  by  the   French.     This,  however,  is  an  erroneous 


MAINE TOWN    OF    PROSPECT.  279 

view  of  the  matter,  for  there  could  scarcely  be  any  danger  of  invasion 
from  the  French  at  that  time,  the  whole  of  their  possessions  in  Acadie 
and  Canada  having  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  British  at  the  fall  of 
Louisburg  the  year  previous.  The  more  probable  object  of  its  erection 
was  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers  on  the  river,  and  for  purposes  of 
trade  with  the  natives.  This  fort  was  garrisoned  by  one  hundred  men, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Goldthwaite,  who  evacuated  it  at  the 
commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  returned  to  England. 
In  the  year  1779,  it  was  destroyed  by  Commodore  Saltonstall,  who 
had  been  despatched  by  the  government  of  Massachusetts  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reducing  Bigaduce,  now  Castine. 

The  first  inhabitants,  some  of  whom  had  been  soldiers  in  the  French 
and  Indian  wars,  settled  near  the  above  fort.  John  Odom,  who  settled 
at  Sandy  Point,  about  three  miles  above  the  fort,  and  who  built  the 
first  mill  on  the  Penobscot  river,  a  Mr.  Clifford,  a  Mr.  Treat,  Charles 
Curtis,  from  whom  Curtis  Point  takes  its  name,  and  two  or  three  men 
by  the  name  of  Colson,  were  among  the  first  settlers.  Phoebe,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Curtis,  born  February  15,  1770,  was  the  first  child  claiming 
nativity  in  the  town.  Captain  John  Odom,  the  grandson  of  the  Odom 
alluded  to  above,  is  a  resident  here.  He  was  born  March,  1787,  and  is 
the  oldest  sea-captain  in  Prospect,  having  followed  the  sea  for  forty-five 
years.  He  was  impressed  into  the  British  service,  and  was  at  the  battle 
of  Corunna,  at  which  Sir  John  More  was  killed,  where  he  acted  an 
important  part  in  carrying  off  the  wounded  and  providing  for  their 
wants.  He  obtained  his  release  from  the  British  service  soon  after  that 
battle  and  returned  home  in  1811,  since  which  he  has  been  engaged  in 
maritime  pursuits. 

Prospect  was  incorporated  February  29,  1794,  at  which  time  it  was 
seventeen  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south.  About  eighteen  square 
miles  of  it  were  taken  ofiT  to  form  Stockton,  March  13,  1857,  leaving 
but  thirteen  square  miles  to  Prospect.  About  one  fourth  of  the  land  is 
fertile,  the  remainder  rocky  and  mountainous.  The  south  branch  of 
Marsh  river  runs  through  the  town,  and  is  crossed  by  three  bridges. 
Ellis,  Seavey,  and  Half-moon  ponds  are  considerable  bodies  of  water, 
and  are  each  crossed  by  a  strong  bridge.  Heagan  mountain,  in  the 
northeast,  and  Mack  mountain,  in  the  west,  are  the  two  principal 
elevations.  Sammy's  Eddy  affords  shelter  and  anchorage  for  vessels. 
To  the  north  there  is  a  large  marsh,  covering  an  area  of  two  or  three 
hundred  acres,  which  may  yet  become  a  source  of  wealth  as  a  fertilizer. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Knox,  a  short  distance  above  the  ferry  to 
Bucksport,  lead  ore  has  been  exhumed ;  but  whether  it  will  prove  an 
article  of  commerce,  further  developments  must  determine.  The 
principal  business  was  ship-building,  which,  since  the  division,  has  been 


280  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

mainly  transferred  to  Stockton.  In  1854,  there  were  five  vessels  built, 
one  of  which  was  a  ship  of  1,200  tons ;  and  in  1855,  there  were  as 
many  more.  A  superstition  was  quite  rife  here,  some  years  ago, 
respecting  some  treasures,  which  were  supposed  to  have  been  buried 
by  pirates,  at  a  place  called  the  "  Cod  Lead,"  a  gravel  mound,  near  the 
north  line  of  the  town,  directly  east  of  Mosquito  Mountain.  An 
immense  amount  of  digging  has  been  performed;  but,  as  yet,  money 
has  failed  to  make  its  appearance  to  reward  the  toilers. 

The  United  States  government  is  erecting  a  stupendous  fortification 
at  East  Prospect,  which,  when  finished,  will  command  the  entire  river 
above  and  below.  It  is  called  Fort  Knox,  in  honor  of  General  Knox,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  Prospect  has  one  village,  called  North  Prospect ; 
but  no  church  edifice.  Seven  school-houses  are  distributed  through  the 
town,  and  there  are  two  post-offices  —  North  Prospect  and  Prospect 
Ferry.  Some  manufacturing  is  done  by  three  saw-mills,  one  shingle 
machine,  and  one  grist-mill.  Population  in  1858,  about  900  ;  valuation 
1101,000. 

Rangely,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Franklin  county,  comprises 
an  area  of  25,792  acres,  most  of  which  is  wild  land.  Settlers  have 
been  moving  into  this  township  for  a  few  years  past,  and  taking  up  lots, 
encouraged  principally  by  the  lumbermen  of  Portland  and  Bangor, 
who  have  been  doing  considerable  business  about  Mooselockmeguntic 
lake,  a  part  of  which  lies  here.  Rangely  had  for  a  short  time  a  plantation 
organization,  which  was  terminated  March  8,  1855,  by  its  becoming  an 
incorporated  municipality.  There  are  four  school  districts,  with  four 
schools,  a  Free-will  Baptist  society,  one  post-office,  one  shingle  mill,  one 
gristrmill,  and  one  saw-mill.     Population,  200  ;  valuation,  ^21,000. 

Raymond,  Cumberland  county,  was  granted  by  Massachusetts  to 
WiUiam  Raymond  and  company,  in  1767,  in  consideration  of  their  ser- 
vices in  the  expedition  to  Canada,  and  formerly  comprised  within  its 
limits  the  town'  of  Casco.  The  settlement  was  commenced  by  Captain 
Joseph  Dingley,  in  1771 ;  but  there  were  few  families  until  after  the 
Revolution,  when  such  additions  were  made  to  the  population  from 
year  to  year,  that,  on  the  21st  June,  1803,  it  was  incorporated,  taking  its 
name  from  Captain  Raymond,  one  of  the  proprietors. 

The  soil  is  hard,  gravelly,  and,  in  many  places,  very  stony.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  timber  growth  is  white  oak,  an  article  of  considerable 
trade.  The  inhabitants  are  temperate,  econdmical,  and  industrious; 
uniting  with  these  qualities  hospitality  and  liberality  in  their  donations 
towards  benevolent  objects.     Raymond  has  been  heavily  burdened  with 


MAINE TOWN  OF  KEADFIELD,  ETC.  281 

taxation  for  public  and  private  purposes.  There  are  three  small  vil- 
lages —  Raymond,  East  Raymond,  and  North  Raymond,  with  a  post- 
office  at  each ;  three  religious  societies  —  Free-will  Baptist,  Methodist, 
and  Union ;  ten  school  districts,  ^vith  eighteen  schools ;  also  two  saw- 
mills and  two  grist-mills.     Population,  1,142 ;  valuation,  $126,901. 

Readfield,  Kennebec  county,  originally  constituted  the  northern  part 
of  Winthrop,  and  was  incorporated  from  it  under  its  present  name, 
March  11,  1791.  Its  settlement  was  begun  about  the  year  1760,  the 
same  time  as  that  of  Winthrop,  and  the  first  clearings  were  made  on  the 
south  of  Chandler's  pond.  The  surface  is  gently  undulating,  and  the 
soil  strong  and  productive.  It  is  well  watered  by  ponds  and  small 
streams,  one  of  which  is  Carlton  pond,  and  the  other  a  branch  of  North 
pond.  The  town  contains  three  villages  —  Kent's  Hill,  Readfield 
Corner,  and  East  Readfield ;  four  church  edifices  —  two  Methodist,  one 
Free-will  Baptist,  and  one  Union ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  twenty- 
three  schools ;  the  Maine  Wesleyan  Seminary,  at  Kent's  Hill,  a  flourish- 
ing school  for  young  ladies  and  gentlemen ;  three  post-offices  —  Read- 
field,  Kent's  Hill,  and  Readfield  Depot;  the  Readfield  Woollen  Manu- 
facturing Company,  employing  about  twenty-five  hands,  and  having  a 
capital  of  $20,000 ;  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  one  tannery,  and  one 
oil-clofh  carpet  factory.  The  Androscoggin  and  Kennebec  Railroad 
passes  through  the  centre  of  Readfield.  Population,  1,985 ;  valuation, 
$439,723. 

Richmond,  on  the  west  bank  of  Kennebec  river,  in  Sagadahoc  county, 
was  incorporated  from  the  northern  part  of  Bowdoinham  in  1823.  All  that 
tract  of  land  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the  stream  that  falls  into  the 
Kennebec,  at  the  northerly  extremity  of  Swan  Island,  up  the  Kennebec 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Cobbossee  Contee,  and  extending  back  from  the  Ken- 
nebec ten  miles,  was  purchased  of  the  Indians  by  Christopher  Lawson, 
on  the  10th  of  October,  1649,  and  was  sold  by  Lawson,  July  2,  1650,  to 
Messrs.  Clark  and  Lake.  Richmond  comprises  nearly  or  quite  one  half 
of  this  tract,  and  the  other  half  is  now  Gardiner.  In  1719  and  1720  a 
fortress,  called  Fort  Richmond,  was  erected  here,  for  the  purpose  of  facil- 
itating the  peltry  trade  with  the  natives,  and  for  the  better  security 
of  the  settlers  against  Indian  depredations.  This  fortress  was  main- 
tained until  1754,  when  it  was  dismantled.  On  the  incorporation  of 
Bowdoinham,  Richmond  was  included  within  its  limits,  and  for  many 
years  was  involved  in  a  violent  controversy  between  its  rightful  owners 
and  the  proprietors  of  the  Plymouth  Patent  on  the  north,  who  claimed 
it  as  a  part  of  their  possessions.     The  advantages  that  were  afforded 

24* 


282  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTIOX    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

for  ship-building  and  navigation  were  not  lost  sight  of  by  the  early  set- 
tlers. The  best  of  ship  timber  (oak)  was  easily  procurable.  There 
were  also  as  good  facilities  for  launching  vessels  and  sending  them 
to  sea  as  could  be  desired  ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  inhabitants  have 
always  been  more  or  less  interested  in  navigation.  The  town  possesses, 
for  the  most  part,  an  even  surface,  and  a  tolerably  productive  soil. 
Communication  is  had  daily  by  steamboat  between  Augusta,  Boston, 
Portland,  and  Bath.  The  Kennebec  and  Portland  Railroad  renders 
communication  with  many  of  the  principal  cities  and  towns  easy  and 
expeditious.  There  are  six  church  edifices  —  one  Congregational,  two 
Free-will  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  one  Union  house,  and  one  Baptist ; 
eleven  school  districts,  with  thirty -four  schools  ;  two  post-offices —  Rich- 
mond and  Richmond  Corner ;  one  large  steam  mill,  one  door  and  sash 
factory,  one  brass  foundery,  one  large  furniture  factory,  and  twenty-two 
stores.  Population  in  1850,  2,056,  which  had  increased,  in  1857,  to  about 
3,000 ;  valuation  at  the  former  date,  $405,475,  which  had  increased  at 
the  latter  date  to  near  $1,000,000. 

Ripley,  Somerset  county,  was  the  southern  half  of  Cambridge,  and 
was  originally  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  September  27, 
1803,  to  John  S.  Frazy,  who  conveyed  it  to  Charles  Vaughan  and  John 
Merrick.  The  survey  of  the  town  was  commenced  in  1809,  and  com- 
pleted in  1813.  It  was  settled  in  1804 — incorporated  December  11, 1816, 
and  named  in  honor  of  General  Ripley,  an  officer  who  distinguished 
himself  in  the  last  war  with  England.  The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven, 
but  the  soil  generally  good.  It  is  watered  by  Maine  stream,  which 
forms  the  northern  boundary,  and  by  Indian  stream,  which  has  its  head 
waters  here.  Ripley  has  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist) ;  five  school 
districts,  with  ten  schools ;  a  few  mills,  one  tannery,  and  two  post- 
offices —  Ripley  and  West  Ripley.    Population,  641 ;  valuation,  $57,648. 

RoBBiNSTON,  Washington  county,  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Saint  Croix,  opposite  Saint  Andrew,  New  Brunswick,  was  granted  by 
the  state  of  Massachusetts,  October  21,  1786,  to  Edward  H.  and  Na- 
thaniel J.  Robbins,  in  honor  of  whom  the  town  was  named.  There 
were  two  families  here  at  the  time  the  grant  was  made,  and  several 
others  moved  in  shortly  afterwards.  Williamson  says  a  post-office  was 
established  here  as  early  as  1796.  The  proprietors  entered  into  the 
business  of  clearing  a  settlement  with  commendable  zeal,  and  erected  a 
storehouse  and  other  buildings.  On  the  15th  of  January,  1810,  a  com- 
mittee was  chosen  by  the  inhabitants,  consisting  of  .John  Brewer, 
Thomas  Vose,  John  Balkham,  Obadiah  Allen,  Abel  Brooks,  Job  John- 


MAINE  - 


■TOWN    OF    ROEBINSTON. 


283 


son,  and  Thaddeus  Sibley,  to  present  their  petition  to  the  legislature  for 
incorporation  ;  and  after  the  usual  order  of  notice  made  returnable  to 
the  next  legislature,  (from  which  it  appears  John  Balkham  was  planta- 
tion clerk,)  the  town  was  incorporated  February  18,  1811.  For  many 
years  Robbinston  was  the  centre  of  trade  for  the  neighboring  towns. 
Ship-building  and  commerce  were  carried  on  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
harbors  of  this  town  and  Saint  Andrew,  as  well  as  Passamaquoddy 
bay,  were  white  Avith  shipping.  The  ports  of  Europe  furnished  ready 
markets  for  the  class  of  ships  built  here,  but,  with  the  changes  of  fashion 
in  ship-building,  the  trade  has  declined,  and  left  to  the  place  but  a  frac- 
tion of  its  pristine  glory  in  this  business. 

More  nearly  allied  with  Rob- 
binston than  any  other  place, 
from  its  close  proximity,  is  Neu- 
tral island,  (so  called  from  its 
position  in  the  middle  of  the 
river,  which  divides  the  two 
countries).  It  is  quite  small, 
its  area  probably  not  much  ex- 
ceeding six  acres ;  and  is  noted 
only  for  having  furnished,  as 
is  supposed,  the  winter-quar- 
ters of  the  explorer,  Pierre  De 
Monts,  in  1604-5.1  Apprehend- 
ing danger  from  the  savages,  he 
erected  a  fortification  upon  the  north  part,  which  entirely  commanded 
the  river.  Traces  of  this,  still  in  existence,  were  found  in  1798,  by  the 
commissioners  appointed  by  England  and  the  United  States,  sent  to 
determine  the  boundary  in  this  vicinity,  some  dispute  about  the  same 
having  grown  out  of  the  indefiniteness  of  the  treaty  of  1783.^  Great 
mortahty  prevailed  among  De  Monts's  men  in  that  dreadful  winter,  o-ea- 
erally  supposed  to  have  been  from  scurvy;  but,  in  the  opinion  of  some, 
from  drinking  water  from  the  wells  (several  of  which  were  duo-  by  De 
Monts),  poisoned  by  the  Indians,  in  retaliation  for  injuries  received. 
There  is  but  one  house  on  the  island — ^  the  residence  of  the  keeper  of 
the  light-house.  This  light-house  was  erected  in  1856.  The  British 
government  relinquished  all  claim  to  the  island  upon  the  final  settlement 


Site  of  the  old  fortification  at  Neutral  Inland. 


'  L'Escarljot's  Hist,  De  Monts's  Voyages ;  abridged  in  5  Purclias's  Pilgrims,  p.  1619. 

Ilarv.  Coll.  Lihranj.  "  The  colony  of  De  JNIonts  was  made  up  of  Romanists  and  Protes- 
tants. Among  the  latter  was  L'Escarbot,  wlio  was  a  Huguenot  minister."  —  Bardet's 
Frontier  ^fis.■<io})ar^J,  p.  240,  note.  Coiise(|uentIy,  Xeutral  Island  was  the  first  Protestant 
preacliing-ground  upon  this  continent. 

^  Ilohnes's  Am.  Annals,  p.  149,  note  3  ;  Williamson's  Maine,  vol.  i.  p.  190,  note. 


284  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

of  the    northeastern  boundary:  one  half  of  it  belongs  to  the  heirs  of 
Stephen  Brewer,  and  the  other  half  to  the  United  States. 

But  to  return,  after  this  digression,  to  Robbinston.  The  attention  of 
the  people  is  now  devoted  chiefly  to  agriculture.  From  the  shortness 
of  the  season  of  vegetation  in  this  latitude,  and  the  consequent  rapid 
growth,  productions  escape  in  a  great  measure  the  fluctuations  of  cli- 
mate, and  the  many  diseases  incident  to  more  southern  latitudes.  Ac- 
cordingly the  best  potatoes,  and  other  garden  vegetables,  are  raised  here, 
which  are  much  sought  for  abroad.  The  surface  is  nearly  level,  but 
gradually  rises  in  a  gentle  slope  away  from  the  river.  Boyden  lake  is 
a  fine  sheet  of  water,  about  five  miles  in  diameter,  furnishing  excellent 
trout  fishing.  There  are  also  three  or  four  smaller  ponds,  the  streams 
issuing  from  which,  and  terminating  in  the  Saint  Croix,  supply  water- 
power  for  three  saw-mills,  a  grist-mill,  lath  machine,  and  a  sugar-box 
machine.  There  is  also  a  tannery.  Robbinston  has  two  church  edi- 
fices —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  eight  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  1,028  ;  valuation,  ^152,767. 

Rockland,  Lincoln  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot 
bay.  It  was  first  visited  in  1767,  by  John  Lermond  and  his  t\^'o  broth- 
ers, from  the  Upper  St.  George,  now  the  town  of  Warren,  who  erected 
a  camp  and  got  out  a  cargo  of  oak  staves  and  pine  lumber,  but  did 
nothing  in  the  way  of  settlement.  From  this  circumstance,  the  place 
was  for  a  long  time  known  as  Lermond's  Cove.  Its  Indian  name  was 
Catawamteak,  signifying  "  Great  Landing-place  ; "  so  named,  doubtless, 
on  account  of  its  having  been  a  sort  of  stopping-place  for  parties  in 
their  passage  around  Owl's  Head  in  their  course  along  the  shore,  or 
when  proceeding  to  St.  George  for  the  purpose  of  trading  and  fishino-. 
The  place  was  permanently  settled  about  1769,  by  Josiah  Tolman 
Jonathan  Spear,  David  Watson,  James  Fales,  John  Lindsay,  Constant 
Rankin,  Jonathan  Smith,  and  John  Godding,  who  erected  log  huts,  and 
commenced  clearing  up  and  cultivating  their  lots.  John  Ulmer.  of 
Waldoboro',  moved  here  in  1795,  entering  into  the  business  of  fime- 
burning,  of  which  he  was  the  pioneer. 

For  the  want  of  mill  privileges  and  other  business  advantages,  the 
growth  of  the  place  was  at  first  somewhat  slow.  Habitations  were 
scattered ;  and  at  Lermond's  Cove,  where  the  city  now  stands,  there 
was,  in  1795,  but  one  house,  that  of  John  Lindsay.  After  Thomaston, 
to  which  this  place  belonged,  was  incorporated,  it  was  known  as  the 
Shore  village ;  but,  on  the  establishment  of  a  post-office  here,  about  the 
year  1820,  it  took  the  name  of  East  Thomaston,  and  was  finally  incor- 
porated by  that  name,  on  the  division  of  the  parent  town  in  1848.     In 


MAINE  —  CITY   OF   ROCKLAND.  285 

1850,  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of  Rockland,  and  in  1853  it  re- 
ceived a  city  charter. 

The  surface  of  the  city  is  rough  and  broken.  Along  the  shore  it  is 
somewhat  low ;  but,  a  short  distance  in  the  rear,  there  is  a  beautiful  se- 
ries of  mountains,  known  as  the  Camden  range,  extending  from  Thom- 
aston  to  Camden,  where  they  terminate.  At  the  extreme  northwest 
there  is  a  large  meadow,  a  portion  of  which  lies  in  Thomaston.  There 
are  few  places  in  New  England  whose  growth  has  been  as  rapid  and 
substantial  as  this.  At  present  the  inhabitants  are  furnished  with 
almost  every  convenience  which  modern  ingenuity  has  invented.  The 
city  is  lighted  with  gas ;  and  an  aqueduct,  having  its  source  at  Chicha- 
waukie  pond,  brings  to  the  inhabitants  an  abundant  supply  of  pure  soft 
water,  the  pond  being  entirely  fed  by  springs  from  the  adjacent  moun- 
tains. This  aqueduct  is  constructed  of  sheet  iron,  cased  inside  and  out 
with  hydraulic  cement,  —  the  improvement  of  J.  Ball  and  Company,  of 
New  York. 

The  principal  business  is  ship-building  and  lime-burning.  In  1854, 
eleven  ships,  three  barks,  six  brigs,  and  four  schooners,  the  total  tonnage 
of  which  was  17,365  tons,  were  built  at  this  port,  most  of  which  were 
owned  by  the  citizens.  This,  however,  exceeds  the  average  annual  ton- 
nage. The  Red  Jacket,  of  2,500  tons  register,  one  of  the  largest  and 
finest  ships  that  ever  sailed  from  an  American  port,  was  built  here  in 
1853.  She  made  the  quickest  passage  across  the  Atlantic  ever  made  by 
a  sailing  vessel,  and  the  quickest  from  Australia  to  Liverpool  and  back. 
There  are  in  this  town  twelve  lime  quarries,  owned  and  worked  by 
companies,  and  125  lime-kilns,  which  annually  turn  out  about  nine  hun- 
dred thousand  casks,  employing  upwards  of  three  hundred  vessels  in 
their  transportation  to  the  various  ports  of  the  United  States. 

There  are  eight  churches  in  Rockland  —  three  Baptist,  one  Free-will 
Baptist,  one  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  one  Universalist,  and  one 
Episcopalian ;  one  public  library,  the  Athenaeum,  containing  1,800  vol- 
umes ;  eight  school  districts,  with  twenty-three  schools ;  two  newspaper 
establishments,  both  weekly  —  the  Rockland  Gazette,  and  the  United 
States  Democrat ;  two  marine  railway  corporations ;  several  wharf 
companies  ;  one  steam  navigation  cortipany,  owning  one  steamer,  called 
the  Rockland,  which  plies  semi-weekly  between  Rockland  and  Machias, 
touching  at  intermediate  landings;  three  banks  —  the  Rockland,  the 
Lime  Rock,  and  the  North,  with  a  combined  capital  of  $300,000 ;  two 
fire  and  marine  insurance  companies ;  and  one  post-office.  The  popu- 
lation, in  1850,  was  5,052 ;  valuation  for  the  same  year,  $1,039,599.  The 
present  population  is  estimated  to  be  about  8,500,  and  the  valuation  for 
the  year  1858  is  $3,148,499. 


286  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

E.OME,  Kennebec  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  nineteen  mUes,  and 
from  Farmington  sixteen  miles.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced 
about  1780.  Among  the  early  inhabitants  were  Benjamin  Furbush  of 
Lebanon,  Trip  Mosher  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  Stephen  PhUbrick  of  New 
Hampshire,  Stabard  Turner,  and  Joseph  Halho,  who  obtained  their  titles 
to  their  lands  from  Charles  Vaughan,  R.  G.  Shaw,  and  Reuel  Williams, 
the  proprietors. 

Rome  was  incorporated  in  1803.  The  surface  is  broken  and  uneven, 
wath  some  high  elevations  of  land.  There  are  two  large  ponds  partly  lo- 
cated here,  one  of  which  is  called  Long  pond,  the  other  Great  pond. 
Their  waters  abound  in  trout,  perch,  and  pickerel.  At  the  outlet  of  Great 
pond,  which  is  the  line  between  Rome  and  Belgrade,  there  is  a  factory, 
which  annually  manufactures  from  100,000  to  150,000  gross  of 
spools  for  thread.  Agriculture  is  the  chief  employment  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. One  half  of  the  town  is  good  tillage  land,  the  other  half  is  rather 
rocky  and  unproductive.  The  farmers,  however,  as  a  general  thing, 
succeed  in  making  a  good  living.  There  are  tw^o  religious  societies  — 
Free-wUl  Baptist  and  Christian ;  eight  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools ;  one  post-office ;  two  stores,  one  grist-mill,  one  saw- 
mill, and  one  shingle  mill.     Population,  830 ;  valuation,  ^79,097. 

RoxBURY,  Oxford  county,  adjoins  Rumford  on  the  south,  and  is  thirty 
miles  north  from  Paris.  It  was  incorporated  in  1838,  and  is  watered  by 
Swift  brook,  a  branch  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  which  flows  through 
its  centre.  The  surface  is  elevated,  and  there  is  some  good  soil.  Tim- 
ber is  plentifully  distributed  over  its  lands.  There  are  five  school  dis- 
tricts, with  five  schools  ;  one  post-office,  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-mill, 
and  one  shingle  mill.     Population,  246 ;  valuation,  $15,929. 

Rumford,  Oxford  county,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Androscog- 
gin river,  fifty-one  miles  from  Augusta  and  twenty  from  Paris.  It 
was  granted  by  Massachusetts  to  Timothy  Walker,  Jr.  and  his  associ- 
ates, of  Concord,  N.  H.,  to  make  up  losses  which  they  and  their  ances- 
tors sustained  in  maintaining  the  controversy  with  the  town  of  Bow 
growing  out  of  the  purchase  of  Concord.  This  town  was  first  called 
New  Penacook  to  distinguish  it  from  Penacook,i  N.  H.  Jonathan 
Keyes,  and  his  son  Francis,  came  here  from  Massachusetts,  in  June, 
1782 ;  and,  a  few  years  later,  Philip  and  David  Abbott,  Jacob,  Benjamin, 
and   David   Farnum,^   Benjamin    Elliott   and   wife,    Benjamin  Lufkin 

'  Baxter's  History  of  Concord. 

^  Mrs.  Jax;ob  Farnum,  who  has  attained  the  age  of  ninety-four,  and  Mrs.  David  Farnum 
eighty-eight  years  old,  are  both  still  living  here :  also  Samuel  Akley,  a  Revolutionary  pen- 
sioner, and  a  soldier  in  General  Knox's  regiment  of  artillery,  now  ninety-six  years  old. 


MAINE TOWN   OF   KUMFORD.  287 

and  wife,  Stephen  Putnam  and  wife,  John  Martin,  Daniel  Martin,  and 
Kimball  Martin,  became  permanent  residents.  The  above  principally 
came  from  Concord,  N.  H.  The  settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their 
lands  from  Timothy  Walker  and  associates,  or  their  descendants. 

Rumford  was  incorporated  in  February,  1800.  The  surface  is  very 
level ;  and  on  the  rivers  are  some  fine  intervals.  Some  portions  lie  in 
large  swells,  rising  almost  to  mountains.  The  only  elevations  worthy 
of  notice  are  the  White  Cap  and  Glass-face  mountains,  the  former  of 
which  rises  six  hundred  feet,  and  the  latter  four  hundred  feet,  above  the 
surrounding  country,  both  noted  for  their  large  growth  of  blueberries. 
The  former  annually  yields  some  thousand  bushels  of  the  finest  berries 
produced  in  the  State,  and  is  the  resort  of  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  per- 
sons per  day,  during  the  blueberry  season.  The  soil  is  very  fertile, 
owing  doubtless  to  the  disintegration  of  the  neighboring  limestone. 

There  are  four  rivers  passing  through  or  near  Rumford,  the  Andros- 
coggin, Ellis,  Concord,  and  Swift,  the  latter  of  which  divides  the  town 
from  Mexico.  Besides  these,  there  are  various  other  streams,  on  which 
are  erected  mills  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  The  Rumford  falls 
are  the  grandest  of  any  in  New  England.  They  are  produced  by  the 
bounding  waters  of  the  great  Androscoggin,  as  they  sportively  leap  over 
abrupt  and  craggy  ledges  of  granite,  and  dash  their  spray  high  in  air. 
There  are  at  present  three  or  four  waterfalls  at  this  place,  while,  an- 
ciently, there  must  have  been  others  of  greater  magnitude,  for  large 
holes  are  seen  worn  high  upon  the  rocky  banks,  where  the  waters  have 
not  run  in  modern  times.  The  whole  pitch  is  now  from  160  to  170  feet. 
The  third  fall,  having  a  nearly  perpendicular  descent  of  eighty-four  feet, 
immediately  arrests  the  attention  of  the  traveller.  In  1833,  Rufus  Wig- 
gin  and  Nathan  Knapp  built  a  stone  flume  around  the  head  of  this  fall, 
to  divert  the  water  to  their  mills.  After  its  completion,  Mr.  Knapp 
stepped  on  to  the  wall,  to  see  if  it  was  tight,  when  thirty  feet  of  it  were 
forced  over  by  the  water,  and  he,  being  precipitated  in  an  unbroken  de- 
scent to  the  bottom,  was  drowned.  His  body  was  found  the  next  spring 
at  Livermore,  some  twenty  miles  down  the  river.  There  are  now 
located  on  these  falls  ah  excellent  flour  mill,  with  two  sets  of  burr- 
stones  ;  a  saw-mill,  a  shingle  machine,  and  an  axe  factory,  employing 
some  ten  hands,  and  producing  very  fine  axes.  About  three  miles 
north  of  Rumford  Point  village,  on  the  farm  formerly  owned  by 
Samuel  Lufkin,  there  is  a  paint  mine,  where  a  mineral  spring  has 
deposited  the  ochreous  red  oxide  of  iron.  The  paint  is  capable 
of  being  -wnrought  advantageously  for  the  manufacture  of  red 
ochre,  since  the  quantity  is  large,  and  is  constantly  forming  by 
gradual  deposition  from  the  water  of  the    spring.     Near  this  mine  is 


288  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

a  good  supply  of  bog  iron  ore.  On  the  farm  of  Alonzo  Holt,  black  lead, 
or  plumbago,  has  been  found  in  considerable  quantities.  Limestone 
abounds  in  several  places,  but  more  particularly  at  Eumford  falls.  It  is 
of  very  good  quality,  and  would  yield  a  profitable  return,  if  worked. 

There  are  seven  stores,  one  tannery,  two  superior  gi-ist-mills,  each 
having  two  or  three  sets  of  burr-stones ;  six  saw-mills,  six  blacksmith's 
shops,  three  shops  for  the  manufacture  of  cabinet  work  ;  and  three  wheel- 
wright shops,  in  which  are  manufactured  wagons,  sleighs,  and  other 
articles.  A  year  or  two  since,  a  steamboat  was  built  just  below  Rum- 
ford  falls,  which  was  to  run  from  the  foot  of  the  falls  to  Canton,  to 
connect  with  a  railroad  at  that  place.  There  are  four  small  villages  — 
Rumford  Corner,  Rumford  Point,  Rumford  Centre,  and  East  Rumford ; 
three  churches  —  owned  by  the  Congregationalists  and  Methodists,  but 
occupied  by  other  denominations;  four  post-offices — Rumford,  Rum- 
ford Point,  Rumford  Centre,  and  East  Rumford;  and  thirteen  school 
districts,  with  twenty-six  schools.  Population,  1,375;  valuation,  in 
1856,  $165,150. 

Saco,  York  county,  is  a  seaboard  town,  situated  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Saco  river.  It  was  originally'  granted,  by  the  Plymouth  Com- 
pany, to  Thomas  Lewis  and  Captain  Richard  Bonython,  by  patent, 
bearing  date  February  12,  1629,  (old  style,)  and  is  described  as  "  that 
tract  of  land  lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  Swanckadocke  (Saco)  river, 
containing,  in  breadth,  from  northeast  to  southwest,  along  by  the  sea, 
four  miles  in  a  straight  line,  and  extending  eight  miles  up  into  the 
main  land."  The  patentees  took  passage  for  the  New  World  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  on  the  28th  of  June,  1631,  took  legal  possession  of 
their  grant ;  but  as  to  the  number  of  colonists  who  accompanied  them, 
or  the  precise  date  when  the  settlement  was  commenced,  informa- 
tion is  not  given,  —  there  being  no  records  of  the  town  affairs  kept 
until  1653,  when  the  inhabitants  passed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

About  this  date,  commissioners  were  sent  here  from  Massachusetts, 
with  fall  powers  to  arrange  all  matters,  local  as  well  as  general,  in  this 
province,  as  they  thought  proper.  It  Avas,  among  other  things,  "  or- 
dered that  Saco  shall  be  a  township  by  itself,  and  always  shall  be  a  part 
of  Yorkshire,  and  shall  enjoy  the  privileges  of  a  town,  as  others  have 
and  do  enjoy."  It  seems,  however,  that  Saco  was  not  represented  in 
the  general  court  until  1659,  and  not  again  until  1675,  the  year  in 
which  it  was  totally  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  which  was  the  last  time 
during  that  century. 

Some  time  during  the  seventeenth  century,  the  grant  of  Richard  Vines, 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    SACO.  289 

now  Biddeford,  was  added  to  the  territory  of  Saco,^  and  was  retained 
until  1718,  when  the  last  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  both  sides  of  the 
liver  was  held,  under  the  old  name  of  Saco.  A  petition  was  gotten  up 
at  this  meeting  for  the  division  of  the  town,  when  that  part  of  Saco  on 
the  west  side  of  Saco  river  was  set  off,  and  incorporated  under  the  title 
of  Biddeford,^  so  named  from  a  town  in  England,  from  whence  some  of 
the  settlers  came.  That  part,  however,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
being  but  sparsely  populated,  was  only  a  sort  of  plantation,  having  no 
corporate  authority,  except  that  given  by  the  order  of  the  Massachusetts 
commission  in  1653.  It  remained  thus  until  1762,  upwards  of  a  cen- 
tury, when,  there  being  a  sufficient  number  of  inhabitants,  the  general 
court  was  petitioned  by  them  for  an  act  of  incorporation,  which  was 
granted  in  the  month  of  June  of  that  year,  by  which  the  name  was 
changed  to  Pepperrellborough,  in  memory  of  General  PepperreU.  This 
name  never  seemed  to  be  fully  satisfactory  to  the  people,  though  they 
retained  it  till  1805,  when  it  was  abolished,  and  the  ancient  name  of 
Saco  reestablished.  Since  that  period,  no  event  has  occurred  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  be  added  to  the  history. 

Saco  has  been  generally  prosperous,  and  is  now  a  thriving  place. 
The  surface,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  generally  even,  and  most  of  the  land 
is  capable  of  being  cultivated.  There  is  one  vLUage,  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Saco  river,  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  created  into  a 
city,  and  much  larger  even  now  than  some  that  already  possess  a 
city  government.  The  river  between  Saco  and  Biddeford  is  spanned 
by  four  bridges,  one  of  which  is  the  railroad  bridge  of  the  Portsmouth, 
Saco,  and  Portland  Railroad,  which  crosses  north  of  the  village.  The 
principal  business  is  manufacturing.  The  York  corporation  have  erect- 
ed five  mills  for  the  manufacture  of  colored  cotton  goods,  running  thirty- 
five  thousand  spindles  and  eight  hundred  looms,  employing  two  hundred 
and  fifty  males  and  nine  hundred  females,  and  turning  out  six  million 
yards  annually.  The  pay-roll  of  this  large  establishment  averages 
$20,000  monthly.  Very  fittle  is  done  here  in  the  lumber  business,  — 
there  being  but  two  saw-mills,  which  manufacture  principally  lumber 
for  boxes.  Ship-building  is  not  very  extensive.  There  are,  however,  a 
number  of  small  vessels  owned  here,  which  are  mostly  employed  in  the 
coasting  trade. 

'  Josselyn,  in  his  voyages,  published  in  1G72,  says:  "Saco  adjoins  Winter  harbor, 
[Biddeford,]  and  both  make  one  scattering  town  of  large  extent,  well  stored  with  cattle, 
arable  land  and  marshes,  and  a  saw-mill." 

^  "  November  14,  1718.  —  On  petition  of  H-  Scammon,  et  ah.,  that  part  of  Saco  on  the 
•west  side  of  Saco  river  was  set  off,  and  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Biddeford."  — 
Records  of  the  General  Court. 

vol.  I.  25 


« 

290  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

There  are  tw^o  banks  in  Saco  —  the  York  and  the  Manufacturer's  — 
with  a  capital  of  $100,000  each ;  one  public  library,  the  Athenajum ; 
one  academy;  nine  churches  —  one  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  one 
Unitarian,  one  Episcopal,  one  Methodist,  two  Free-will  Baptist,  one 
Universalist,  and  one  Roman  Catholic;  nine  school  districts,  with 
twenty-three  schools;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  5,798;  valua- 
tion, ^2,239,831. 

Sagadahoc  County  is  bounded  by  Cumberland,  Lincoln,  Kennebec, 
and  Androscoggin  counties,  and  by  the  ocean.  Being  comparatively  of 
diminutive  size, —  scarcely  three  hundred  square  miles,  including  its 
waters,  —  wonder  is  naturally  excited,  upon  inspecting  the  map,  as  to 
the  necessity  for  such  a  county.  As  its  territory  was  wholly  within 
Lincoln  county,  the  seat  of  which  was  Wiscasset,  a  good  deal  of  incon- 
venience was  experienced,  by  people  belonging  to  towns  upon  the  west 
side,  in  crossing  the  river  for  county  business,  there  being  no  bridge 
below  Gardiner.  To  remedy  this  difficulty  as  far  as  possible,  eleven 
towns,  —  namely,  Arrowsic,  Bowdoin,  Bowdoinham,  Georgetown,  Wool- 
wich, Perkins,  Phipsburg,  Richmond,  Topsham,  West  Bath,  and  the 
city  of  Bath,  —  were  set  off,  by  an  act  passed  April  4,  1854,  from  the 
parent  county  to  form  Sagadahoc ;  and  to  the  inhabitants  was  referred 
the  selection  of  a  county  seat,  upon  which  they  chose  Bath.  The  name 
of  the  county  is  of  Indian  origin,  and  was  formerly  applied  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Kennebec  river,  being  thought  to  signify  "  flowing  out  of  the 
waters."  With  a  single  exception  —  Bowdoin  —  the  above  towns  are 
all  upon  either  the  ocean,  bay,  or  river. 

The  county  belongs  to  the  middle  judicial  district,  the  law  term  of 
which  is  held  at  Augusta.  The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court, 
for  civil  and  criminal  business,  commence  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April 
and  3d  Tuesday  of  August ;  and  for  civil  business  exclusively  on  the 
3d  Tuesday  of  December.     Population,  21,669  ;  valuation,  $5,597,710. 

Salem,  Franklin  county,  situated  fifteen  miles  to  the  north  of  Farm- 
ington,  was  formed  of  parts  of  Freeman,  Phillips,  and  No.  4,  in  the  first 
range,  Bingham's  or  the  "  Million  Acres "  Purchase,  and  is  very  conven- 
iently situated.  Benjamin  Heath  2d,  from  Farraington,  made  the  first 
"  chopping,"  about  1815,  to  which  he  and  John  Church  1st  and  Samuel 
Church  removed  in  1817,  and  they,  with  Messrs.  Double  and  Hayford, 
were  the  first  settlers  in  the  place.  It  was  incorporated  in  1823  by 
the  name  of  North  Salem,  which  was  afterwards  changed  by  leaving  off 
the  "  North."  It  is  drained  by  the  westerly  branch  of  the  Seven  Mile 
brook,  which  empties  into  the  Kennebec  at  Anson.      The  soil  is  free  and 


MAIXi; TOWN   OF   SANFORD,   ETC.  291 

productive.  Here  is  a  valuable  mill  privilege,  at  which  is  situated  a 
village,  containing  two  stores,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  starch  factory,  and 
several  other  operations. 

The  inhabitants  have  no  meeting-house ;  but  meetings  on  the  Sab- 
bath are  sustained  a  part  of  the  time,  principally  by  the  Methodists  and 
Free-will  Baptists.  There  are  nine  school  districts,  with  five  schools ; 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  454 ;  valuation,  $60,029. 

Sanford,  York  county,  comprised  a  part  of  the  tract  of  land  along  the 
Saco  river,  purchased  in  1661,  by  Major  William  Phillips,  of  the  Indian 
sagamores  Fluellen,  Captain  Sunday,  and  Hobinowell.  This  pur- 
chase was  confirmed  by  Gorges,  in  1670,  to  the  major,  or  his  son, 
Nathan ;  and  September  29,  1696,  Mrs.  Phillips  devised  the  township 
to  Peleg  Sanford,  a  son  of  her  former  husband,  and  from  him  it  de- 
rived its  name.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  about  the 
year  1740  ;  and  February  23, 1768,  the  town  was  incorporated.  In  1794, 
Sanford  lost  a  part  of  its  territory  by  the  incorporation  of  Alfred. 
Sanford  is  generally  even,  and  is  watered  by  Mousam  river,  which 
has  its  source  in  a  pond  in  Shapleigh,  and  flows  through  the  entire  town. 
There  are  two  villages  ;  six  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  three 
Baptist,  and  one  Free-will  Baptist ;  sixteen  school  districts,  with  seven- 
teen schools;  three  factories,  seven  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  three 
shingle  machines,  three  clapboard  machines;  one  bank,  the  Mousam 
River,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000 ;  and  three  post-offices,  —  Sanford, 
South  Sanford,  and  Springvale.  The  York  and  Cumberland  Rail- 
road, now  in  process  of  construction,  will  pass  through  the  town.  Pop- 
ulation, 2,330 ;  valuation,  $334,654. 

Sangerville,  Piscataquis  county,  lies  west  of  Penobscot  river,  and 
was  formerly  known  as  No.  4,  in  the  sixth  range  of  townships  north  of  the 
Waldo  Patent.  It  was  settled  in  1806,  by  Phineas  Ames  ;  and  was,  for 
some  time  after,  called  Amestown.  It  was  incorporated  June  13,  1814, 
taking  its  name  from  Calvin  Sanger,  an  early  and  large  proprietor; 
and  at  that  time  contained  foi-ty  families,  among  whom  were  Samuel 
M.  Clanathan,  Walter  Leland,  Ebenezer,  Nathaniel,  John,  and  William 
Stevens,  John  and  Ebenezer  Causley,  EDis  Robinson,  Edward  Magoon, 
Phineas,  Daniel,  and  Samuel  Ames,  Nathaniel  Stevens,  Jr.,  Thomas 
Riley,  Aaron  Woodbury,  and  Samuel  and  James  Waymouth. 

Sangerville  is  a  beautiful  township,  and  is  in  a  thriving  condition. 
Its  surface  cannot  be  called  mountainous ;  yet  it  is  so  elevated  betw^een 
the  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  rivers,  that  the  waters  of  its  three  ponds 
meet  the  ocean  by  both  of  these  streams.     There  are  four  church  edi- 


292  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

fices two  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Methodist ; 

thirteen  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  three  post- 
offices  —  Sangerville,  South  Sangerville,  and  East  Sangerville;  four 
tanneries,  four  shingle  mills,  three  saw-miUs,  and  two  grist-mills.  Pop- 
ulation, 1,267;  valuation,  $192,300. 

Scarborough  is  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Cumberland  coun- 
ty, _  having  Portland  upon  the  northeast,  and  Saco  upon  the  north- 
west. The  first  settler  was  one  Stratton,  who  located  on  a  couple  of 
islands,  both  called,  until  receritly,  Stratton's  islands.  In  1681,  the  tract 
of  land  now  forming  Scarborough  was  granted  to  Captain  Thomas 
Cammock,  a  nephew  of  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  to  whose  influence,  in 
all  probability,  he  was  indebted  for  obtaining  the  patent  to  so  valuable 
a  territory.  Captain  Cammock  was  the  first  legal  proprietor  in  Scar- 
borough, having  received  his  grant  of  1,500  acres,  situated  between 
Black  Point  and  Spurwink  rivers,  from  the  Plymouth  Council.  He 
soon  after,  however,  disposed  of  his  grant,  and  went  to  the  West  Indies, 
where  he  died,  in  September,  1643.  For  three  years  after  Cammock's 
settlement  at  Black  Point,  there  was  no  other  part  of  the  grant  occu- 
pied, except  by  Indians.  The  majority  of  those  who  settled  were  men 
of  small  means,  were  unable  to  purchase  land,  and  hence  were  com- 
pelled to  become  the  tenants  of  Cammock. 

The  next  principal  settlement  was  at  Blue  Point,  now  a  part  of  Saco ; 
Richard  Foxwell,  Henry  Watts,  George  Deering,  Nicholas  Edgecomb, 
Hilkiah  Bailey,  Edward  Shaw,  and  Tristram  Alger  being  the  earliest 
settlers.  The  third  principal  settlement  was  that  made  at  a  place  called 
Dunstan,  which  was  settled  by  two  brothers,  named  Andrew  and  Arthur 
Alger,  who  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  of  the  Indians  residing  at 
this  place,  and  retained  their  possession  of  it  by  virtue  of  their  Indian 
title.  The  settleinent  at  Black  Point  seemed  to  increase  more  rapidly 
than  the  other  two,  and  soon  became  one  of  the  most  flourishing  and 
important  places  on  the  coast.  Its  excellent  situation,  both  for  farming 
and  fishing,  induced  many  to  settle  here,  in  preference  to  any  other  part.^ 
Its  growth  was  very  rapid  for  those  days,  and  has  rarely  been  equalled 
in  the  same  section  of  country  since  that  time.  Thirty-eight  years  prior 
to  1671,  Captain  Cammock's  house  was  the  only  one  at  Black  Point; 
and  in  1791,  about  a  century  afterwards,  there  were  2,235  inhabitants  in 

'  Josselyn  saj-s,  in  1G71,  "  Six  miles  to  tlie  eastward  of  Saco,  and  forty  miles  from 
Gorgeana  (York),  is  seated  the  town  of  Black  Point,  consisting  of  about  fifty  dwelling- 
houses,  and  a  magazine  or  doganno,  scatteringly  built.  They  have  a  store  of  neat  cattle, 
and  horses  near  upon  seven  or  eight  hundred,  much  arable  and  marsh  land,  salt  and 
fresh,  and  a  corn  mill."  —  Josselyn's  Voyages,  p.  200. 


MAINE  —  TOWN  OF  SCARBOROUGH.  293 

the  settlement.^  Henry  Josselyn,  brother  of  the  distinguished  voyager, 
arrived  in  1634.  He  acted  as  chief  agent  for  Mason  at  Piscataqua,  in 
which  capacity  he  officiated  till  Mason's  death  in  1635,  when  he  re- 
moved, and  settled  at  Black  Point  the  same  year.  He  became  largely 
interested  in  lands  in  the  settlement,  and  became  somewhat  distin- 
guished as  a  politician.^  John  Josselyn,  the  voyager,  resided  here  a  few 
years  with  his  brother,  Henry. 

Scarborough  received  its  name  and  bounds  by  an  order  from  the  com- 
missioners of  Massachusetts,  who  were  appointed  in  May,  1658,  to  take 
the  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Maine  under  their  jurisdiction,  and  re- 
ceive from  said  inhabitants  a  pledge  that  they  would  recognize  the 
authority  of  Massachusetts.  The  "  articles  of  submission  "  were  eleven. 
Number  seven  reads  thus :  "  That  those  places  which  were  formerly 
called  Black  Point,  Blue  Point,  and  Stratton's  Island,  thereunto  adja- 
cent, shall  henceforth  be  called  by  the  name  of  Scarborough ;  the  bound 
of  which  town,  on  the  western  side,  beginneth  where  the  town  of  Saco 
endeth,  and  so  runs  along  on  the  western  side  of  the  river  Spurwink, 
eight  miles  back  into  the  country."  The  name  was  given  in  remem- 
brance of  old  Scarborough,  England.  The  Indian  name  was  "  Owas- 
coag,"  and  signifies  a  place  of  much  grass.  In  1659  or  1660,  John 
Libby  settled  here.  He  was  the  first  of  the  name  in  Scarborough,  and 
probably  the  first  in  New  England.  He  came  from  Broadstairs,  Kent 
county,  England,  remained  here  for  many  years,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  men  in  the  settlement.  He  is  the  common  ancestor  of 
the  large  number  of  individuals  who  bear  the  name  and  reside  in  this 
vicinity.     He  died  in  1682. 

In  1675,  this  town,  and  the  settlements  for  some  distance  around,  were 
attacked  simultaneously  by  the  Indians.  Fortunately,  apprehending  a 
collision  with  the  natives,  Massachusetts  had,  a  short  time  previous, 
sent  down  a  small  detachment  for  the  protection  of  the  Scarborough 
settlements.  This  detachment  was  placed  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Scottow,  and  stationed  at  his  garrison  on  the  Neck ;  and  before 
the  close  of  King  Philip's  war,  was  increased  by  an  additional  force  of 
130  English,  and  forty  friendly  Indians,  which  force  scoured  the  coast  as 
far  eastward  as  Casco.  The  Indians,  however,  had  scattered  themselves 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  English  were  unable  to  bring  them  to  an 

'  As  late  as  1 791 ,  the  census  returns  show  a  very  slight  difference  in  population  be- 
tween Portland  and  Scarborough.  The  returns  for  the  two  towns  stood  thus :  Portland, 
2,240;  Scarborouirh,  2,235.  Compare  these  figures  with  those  of  1850,  and  note  the 
difference. 

"  He  resided  here  until  1GG8,  when,  according  to  Williamson,  he  removed  to  Pem- 
aquid,  where  he  remained  until  1675,  when  he  removed  to  the  Plymouth  Colony. 

25* 


294  HISTORY    AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

engagement ;  and,  after  remaining  at  the  garrison  house  of  Henry  Josse- 
lyn  at  Black  Point  for  a  short  time,  the  detachment  returned  again  to 
Massachusetts.    This  was  a  very  unfortunate  proceeding  ;  for  no  sooner 
had  the  Indians  heard  of  the  departure  of  the  Massachusetts  force  than 
they  made  a  descent  upon  the  garrison  at  Scarborough,  and  captured  it. 
The  inhabitants,  fortunately,  having  previously  abandoned  the  town,  the 
Indians  remained  in  the  neighborhood  but  a  short  time.     The  Indian 
troubles  becoming  more  and  more  complicated,  the  Massachusetts  gov- 
ernment sent  down  in  June,  1677,  two  hundred  friendly  Indians  and 
about  forty   English  soldiers  to  protect  the  settlements.     They  were 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Benjamin  Swett  and  Lieutenant  Rich- 
ardson, and  came  to  an  anchor  off  Black  Point.     Captain  Swett,' being 
informed  of  the  presence  of  Indians  in  the  vicinity,  landed  a  detach- 
ment of  his  men,  which,  being  joined  by  some  of  the  inhabitants,  con- 
sisted of  ninety  in  all.     They  started  the  next  day,  June  29,  in  pursuit 
of  the  marauders ;  but  had  not  proceeded  far   before  they  were   am- 
bushed, and  a  bloody  hand-to-hand  fight  ensued.      Captain   Swett  dis- 
played great  presence  of  mind  and  great  personal  courage ;   and   his 
efforts  to  bring  off  the  dead  and  wounded  from  the  field  and  convey 
them  to  the  rear — upon  which  the  savages  hung  with  desperate  fury — 
were  truly  commendable.     He  was   several  times   severely  wounded; 
and,  being  exhausted  by  fatigue  and  the  loss  of  blood,  he  was  grappled 
by  the  savages,  thrown  to  the  ground,  and  barbarously  cut  in  pieces. 
Sixty  out  of  the  ninety  men  who  departed  on  this  expedition  were  left 
dead  or  wounded  on  the  field,  and  the  remaining  thirty  succeeded  in 
making  good  their  retreat  to  the  fort. 

Li  1681,  the  work  of  erecting  the  great  fortification  at  Black  Point 
Avas  commenced,  —  a  work  rendered  necessary  for  the  greater  security 
of  the  inhabitants  from  the  attacks  of  Indians,  to  which  they  were  more 
or  less  daily. exposed.  It  was  the  largest  and  strongest  fortification  ever 
built  here  ;  and  the  remains  of  it  are  still  to  be  seen.  During  the  several 
Indian  wars,  the  inhabitants  were  so  harassed  by  the  attacks  of  the 
Indians,  that  the  settlements  at  Scarborough  and  its  vicinity  were  broken 
up,  the  settlers  driven  from  their  comfortable  homes,  and  compelled  to 
seek  new  dwelling-places  less  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  savages. 
The  precise  date  of  the  second  settlement,  after  the  evacuation  of  1690, 
is  not  known,  but  is  supposed  to  have  been  about  1702  or  1703.  The 
new  settlers  were  a  little  band  of  seven  persons,  who  came  from  Lynn 
m  a  sloop,  and  who,  for  at  least  a  year,  were  the  only  inhabitants.  A 
peace  had  been  concluded  with  the  French  and  Indians  ;  and  these  set- 
tlers came  here,  in  all  probability,  under  the  expectation  that  this  peace 
would  be    permanent ;    but  they,  in  common  with  other  pioneers  in  the 


MAINE TOWN    OF    SCAKBORODGH.  295 

newly  revived  settlements  around  them,  were  sadly  disappointed.  In 
August,  1703,  a  band  of  five  hundred  French  and  Indians,  under  the 
command  of  Beaubarin,  a  Frenchman,  made  a  sudden  descent  upon  the 
settlements  along  the  coast  from.  Casco  to  Wells.  They  attacked  the 
fortification  at  this  place,  which  was  garrisoned  by  only  the  little  band 
from  Lynn.  The  assaulters  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  and  demanded  a  sur- 
render of  the  fort ;  but  the  garrison,  though  small  in  numbers,  were  not 
deficient  in  courage,  and  refused  to  surrender,  or  treat  with  the  enemy 
on  any  terms.  The  whole  force  of  five  hundred  French  and  Indians 
then  surrounded  the  fort,  and  commenced  the  work  of  undermining.  The 
prospects  of  the  gallant  band  within  the  fort  were  now  gloomy  indeed, 
and  the  courage  of  some  began  to  fail.  They  then  thought  that  it 
would  be  advisable  to  abandon  the  defence ;  but  Captain  John  Larrabee, 
whose  courage  and  presence  of  mind  did  not  forsake  him  in  this  hour 
of  danger,  immediately  assumed  the  command,  solemnly  declaring  he 
would  shoot  down  the  first  man  who  mentioned  the  word  "  surrender." 
He  then  made  every  preparation  to  give  the  enemy  a  warm  reception, 
as  soon  as  they  should  reach  the  cellar  of  the  fort,  and  calmly  awaited 
the  result.  Before,  however,  the  Indians  had  completed  half  the  dis- 
tance they  had  to  dig,  a  heavy  rain  storm  came  on,  which  continued 
two  days.^  The  soil  gave  way  under  the  influence  of  the  excessive  rains, 
and  filled  up  a  large  portion  of  the  excavation,  so  that  the  assailing 
party  were  now  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  garrison,  which  harassed 
them  so  much  that  they  became  disheartened,  and  departed  in  search  of 
easier  prey,  leaving  the  brave  commander  of  the  fort  and  his  compan- 
ions as  undaunted  as  they  were  unharmed.  Soon  after  this  event,  set- 
tlers again  began  to  come  in,but  so  slowly  that  no  town  government 
was  organized  until  1720.  For  many  years  the  settlers  paid  little  or  no 
attention  to  agriculture,  —  depending  on  the  salt  marshes  for  hay  for 
their  cattle  during  the  winter ;  and,  for  their  own  support,  looked  as 
much  to  the  sea  as  to  the  land. 

During  the  eleven  years  of  Queen  Anne's  war,  Scarborough  was  the 
scene  of  many  tragic  acts.  No  pitched  battles  were  fought  by  large 
forces  of  Indians  or  English ;  but  a  continued  guerilla  warfare  was  sus- 
tained between  small  squads  of  Indians  and  some  of  the  more  daring 
of  the  settlers.  There  were  two  men  living  here  who  particularly  dis- 
tinsuished  themselves  in  this  kind  of  warfare.  Their  names  were 
Charles  Pine  and  Richard  Hunniwell,  both  of  whom  were  bitter  enemies 
of  the  Indians,   who  often  had  occasion  to  experience  their  vengeance 

'  An  accident  like  this  occurred  at  Thomaston,  when  the  Indians  made  an  attack  on 
the  garrison  at  that  place.     (See  Thomaston.) 


296  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

with  terrible  effect.  One  or  two  well  authenticated  traditions  have 
come  down  to  us,  and  the  narration  of  them  here,  as  illustrating  the 
unhappy  state  of  things  existing  in  this  neighborhood,  may  not  be  out  of 
place.  On  a  time,  when  the  Indians  were  holding  their  nightly  pow-wows 
in  an  old  shell  of  a  house,  standing  on  Plummer's  Neck,  Pine,  always 
ready  to  improve  every  occasion  for  a  trial  of  his  skill  as  a  marksman, 
took  his  two  guns  with  him,  well  loaded,  and  made  his  way  to  the  old 
house.  Climbing  up  among  the  beams,  he  secreted  himself,  and  silently 
awaited  the  result  of  his  adventure.  Soon  after  dark,  he  heard  the  ex- 
pected Indians  whistling  in  the  woods  around  him  ;  and,  on  peeping 
out  through  the  crannies  of  his  hiding-place,  saw  about  twenty  of  them 
coming  up  to  the  old  house.  He  was  now  three  miles  from  the  garri- 
son, and  as  that  was  the  nearest  aid  he  could  hope  to  obtain,  he  ran 
great  risk.  He  was  not  a  man,  however,  who  was  easily  frightened,  so 
he  remained  perfectly  quiet  till  the  two  foremost  of  the  Indians  had 
entered  the  door-way,  when  he  fired  and  killed  them  both.  On  seeing 
tw'o  of  their  number  killed,  the  rest  of  the  Indians  took  to  flight,  not 
even  waiting  to  examine  the  bodies  of  their  fallen  comrades.  Pine,  satis- 
fied that  he  would  not  be  molested,  came  down  from  his  hiding-place, 
and,  taking  the  guns  of  the  murdered  Indians  with  him,  proceeded  to 
the  garrison  with  as  much  expedition  as  possible. 

HunniweU  was  a  more  ferocious  and  irreconcilable  foe  of  the  Indians, 
and  was  known  as  the  "  Indian  killer."  Pine's  cruelty  resulted  more 
from  a  love  of  adventure  than  from  any  decided  hatred  he  bore  to  his 
savage  enemies.  Hunniwell's  detestation  was  such,  that  he  would 
murder  them,  whenever  and  wherever  he  could  get  the  opportunity. 
This  is  doubtless  to  be  attributed  to  a  desire  to  revenge  the  death  of  his 
wife  and  child,  whom  the  Indians  are  said  to  have  murdered.  There 
are  many  traditions  respecting  him ;  but  one  will  suffice.  At  one 
time,  while  mowing,  he  observed  some  Indians  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  who  soon  recognized  him  as  the  "  dreaded  HunniweU."  The 
Indians,  seeing  his  gun  standing  by  a  stack  of  hay  some  distance  from 
him,  determined  to  entrap  him ;  and  one  of  them  volunteered  to  per- 
form the  hazardous  duty.  Crawling  up  under  cover  of  the  bank  of  the 
river,  the  savage  eluded  discovery,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  spot 
where  the  gun  was  placed,  unperceived  by  HunniweU,  who  continued 
at  work,  apparently  unconscious  of  his  approach.  When  the  Indian 
had  got  up  within  a  few  yards  of  HunniweU,  he  pointed  the  gun  to- 
wards him,  and  called  out,  saying,  "  Now  me  kill  you,  HunniweU ! " 
Scarcely  had  these  words  been  uttered  before  HunniweU  sprang  towards 
him,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  You  infernal  dog !  if  you  fire 
at   me,    I   will   cut   you   in   two   with    this    scythe  !  "      He    did    fire, 


MAINE TOWN    OF    SCARBOROUGH. 


297 


however,  as  Hunniwell  approached,  but  the  latter  escaped  unharmed, 
the  charge  passing  over  his  head ;  and,  as  the  gun  was  heavily 
loaded,  it  kicked  terribly,  throwing  the  Indian  on  his  back,  from  which 
posture  he  never  rose  again,  Hunniwell  having  carried  out  his  threat 
to  the  letter.  After  finishing  his  bloody  work,  he  took  the  head  of  the 
murdered  savage,  and,  putting  it  on  a  pole,  exhibited  it  to  the  aston- 
ished gaze  of  the  Indians  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  calling  loudly 
to  them  to  come  over  and  share  the  same  fate.  This  inveterate  Indian 
destroyer  was  finally  murdered  by  the  savages,  in  the  autumn  of  1710. 

Another  story  is  told  of  one  James  Libby,  a  descendant  of  the  first 
settler  of  that  name,  \vhich,  having  more  of  the  comic  than  the  tragic 
about  it,  will  perhaps  be  a  fitting  close  to  these  exciting  traditions  : 
"  Mr.  Libby  had  a  inare,  to  which  he  was  much  attached,  and  of  whose 
speed  he  was  continually  boasting.  Riding  out  a  few  mUes  one  day, 
and  finding  himself  in  the  neighborhood  of  Indians,  he  turned  towards 
the  garrison.  An  Indian  immediately  sprang  from  the  thicket  as  he 
passed,  and  gave  him  chase.  Libby,  not  being  a  courageous  man  save 
when  out  of  danger,  urged  his  mare  to  her  utmost  speed.  The  path 
was  clear,  and  the  ground  even ;  and,  for  a  while  the  contest  seemed  to 
be  doubtful.  At  length  the  Indian  had  gained  so  far  upon  the  horse  as 
actually  to  put  his  hand  upon 

the  rump  of  the  animal ;  and  _ 

in  a  moment  more  Mr.  Libby  _  _ 

and  his  favorite  mare  would  ^ 
have  been  captured.  At  this 
juncture,  a  brother  of  his 
who  commanded  the  garri- 
son, and  one  of  his  comrades, 
appeared,  at  sight  of  whom 
the  intrepid  Indian  let  his  prey 
escape.  The  sight  of  Libby, 
with  his  eyes  almost  starting 
from  their  sockets,  his  body 
thrust  forward  on  the  horse's 
neck,  and  his  legs  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  mare,  to  keep 
them  from  the  reach  of  his 
pursuer,    so   convulsed    his    brother 


Libby  pursued  by  the  Indian. 


that 
The 


and  comrade  with  laughter, 
neither  of  them  could  steady  their  muskets  to  fire  at  the  Indian. 
savage  took  advantage  of  this  opportune  circumstance,  and  escaped  to 
the  woods.  From  that  day  forth,  Libby  was  never  heard  to  boast  of 
the  speed  of  his  favorite  mare." 


298  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

In  1719,  the  number  of  settlers  had  so  increased  that  it  was  thought 
expedient  to  organize  a  town  government ;  and,  in  March,  1720,  the 
proprietors  met  together  for  that  purpose.  The  records,  which  had  been 
taken  to  Boston  for  safety  during  the  Indian  troubles  of  1690,  Avere 
again  delivered  to  the  town  agent.  Few  places  in  New  England  suf- 
fered so  much,  in  proportion  to  the  population,  as  Scarborough,  during 
the  first  and  second  Indian  wars.  About  one  hundred  deaths  are  re- 
corded as  having  occurred  here  during  those  contests,  by  savage  hands ; 
and  many  others  must  have  taken  place,  of  which  no  account  can  be 
obtained. 

After  the  peace  of  1749,  the  inhabitants  severally  returned  to  their 
wonted  occupations,  and  were  soon  established  again,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  that  undisturbed  quiet  and  prosperity  with  which  they  had  been 
favored  prior  to  the  wars.  For  many  years,  the  lumbering  business 
engaged  the  whole  attention  of  the  inhabitants.  Saw-mills  were  erected 
on  every  available  spot,  until  ten  or  twelve  were  in  successful  operation. 
From  this  time  there  seems  to  have  been  no  event,  worthy  of  historical 
note,  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  people  of 
Scarborough  were  not  found  wanting,  either  in  expressions  of  opinion, 
votes  of  supplies,  or  in  prompt  action.  A  company  of  fifty  men  was 
raised,  and  marched  to  Massachusetts,  where  it  joined  the  continental 
army  then  stationed  at  Cambridge,  soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
Most  of  the  able-bodied  men  in  town  served  some  portion  of  the  time 
dm-ing  the  war.  In  addition  to  this  service,  a  large  number  of  the  in- 
habitants were  engaged  in  the  disastrous  expedition  to  Bigaduce 
(Castine),  in  1799.  From  the  close  of  the  Revolution  up  to  the  present 
time,  the  condition  of  the  town  has  been  one  of  almost  uninterrupted 
prosperity.  Its  history  for  this  period  is  but  the  simple  record  of  the 
blessings  attendant  upon  honest  labor,  and  the  quiet  pleasures  incidental 
to  life  at  a  country  fireside. 

Scarborough  is  an  agricultural  town  of  large  extent,  with  broad  salt 
marshes  ;  and  has  three  villages  —  Dunstan's  Corner,  Scarborough  Cor- 
ner, and  Blue  Point,  which  is  partly  in  Saco.  It  has  some  mechanical 
operations  in  an  ordinary  way,— among  them  an  edge-tool  manufactory, 
a  carding-machine,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and  shingle  mill.  It  has  four 
religious  societies  —  two  Free-will  Baptist,  a  Methodist,  and  Congrega- 
tionalist;  eleven  school  districts,  with  twenty-one  schools ;  and  one  post- 
office.  Communication  is  had  with  most  of  the  large  cities  by  means 
of  the  Portland,  Saco,  and  Portsmouth  Railroad,  which  has  a  station  at 
West  Scarborough,  and  one  at  a  place  called  Oak  Hill.  Scarborough 
is  the  native  place  of  Rufus  King,  New  York ;  William  King,  first  gov- 
ernor of  Maine ;  and  Cyrus  King,  member  of  Congress  —  aU  brothers. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   SEARSMONT,   ETC.  299 

Scottow's  hill,  in  this  town,  is  rendered  famous  as  the  place  where  the 
signal-fires  of  old  were  Ughted,  and  where  the  beacon  telegraphed  to 
the  surrounding  country  the  approach  of  danger.  Population,  1,837; 
valuation,  $386,549. 

Searsmont,  Waldo  county,  originally  formed  a  part  of  the  Waldo 
Patent,  and  afterwards  fell  into  the  hands  of  Sears,  Thorndike,  and 
Prescott,  the  large  land  proprietors.  The  first  efforts  at  settlement  were 
made  in  1804,  and  the  town  was  surveyed  in  1809.  It  was  incorporated 
February  5,  1814,  taking  its  name  from  the  first  named  of  its  three  pro- 
prietors. The  soil  is  productive,  and  there  are  several  beautiful  ponds. 
Searsmont  has  two  villages  —  Searsmont  and  North  Searsmont,  having 
each  a  post-office;  two  church  edifices — Baptist  and  Methodist;  fifteen 
saw-mills,  two  grist-mills ;  and  twelve  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools.     Population,  1,693 ;  valuation,  $201,760. 

Searsport,  Waldo  county,  was  formerly  comprised  in  the  town  of 
Prospect,  from  which  it  was  set  off"  and  incorporated  in  1845.  David 
Sears,  mth  Thorndike  and  Prescott,  was  the  principal  proprietor  under 
the  Waldo  Patent,  and,  on  his  death,  it  descended  to  his  son,  David 
Sears,  of  Boston.  All  that  now  remains  in  the  possession  of  the  family 
is  Brigadier's  island,  which  is  owned  by  David  Sears,  Jr.,  a  resident  of 
Boston.  This  island  comprises  about  one  thousand  acres,  seven  hun- 
dred of  which  are  covered  with  wood.  It  is  two  miles  long  by  one 
broad,  and  makes  a  delightful  summer  residence  for  the  proprietor. 
About  the  year  1830,  a  company  of  fishermen  wished  to  purchase  the 
island,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  fishing  depot,  and  offered 
$25,000  therefor. 

The  surface  of  Searsport  is  uneven ;  but  back  from  the  river  there  is 
quite  a  large  quantity  of  farming  land.  There  is  a  village  located  on 
the  Penobscot,  which  is  a  landing-place  for  steamers  plying  on  the  river. 
Some  very  fine  thorough-bred  stock,  cattle,  and  sheep  are  now  being 
raised.  The  inhabitants  are  largely  interested  in  ship-building  and  nav- 
igation. David  Sears,  Sr.,  recently  presented  the  town  with  the  sum  of 
$1,000,  which  was  appropriated  to  the  erection  of  a  town-hall.  There 
are  four  church  edifices,  Methodist,  Baptist,  and  two  Congregational ; 
eleven  school  districts,  with  fourteen  schools ;  and  two  post-ofRces  — 
Searsport  and  North  Searsport.    Population,  2,208  ;  valuation,  $502,819. 

Seavillb,  Hancock  county,  is  composed  of  five  small  islands,  sit- 
uated in  Ellsworth  bay,  at  the  mouth  of  Union  river.  It  was  formerly 
a  part  of  the  town  of  Mount  Desert,  from  which  it  was  set  off  and  in- 


300  HISTORT   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

corporated  in  1838.  The  first  settler  in  this  vicinity  was  one  Chris- 
topher Bartlett,  from  Rhode  Island,  who  came  here  about  ninety  years 
since,  the  descendants  of  whom  in  the  fifth  generation  are  still  residing 
in  this  town.  The  names  of  the  principal  islands  of  which  Seaville  is 
composed  are  Bartlett's,  Hardwood,  and  Robinson's.  Bartlett's  island 
contains  about  six  hundred  acres,  half  of  which  is  suitable  for  farming, 
while  the  other  part  is  rooky ;  and  has  on  the  east  side  a  good  harbor. 
Hardwood  island  has  two  hundred  acres,  most  of  which  was,  till  re- 
cently, covered  with  wood,  though  the  soil  is  excellent.  Robinson's 
island  has  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  The  people  are  en- 
gaged in  cultivating  the  soil,  and  in  sea-going.  There  are  four  school 
districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population  in  1857,  160 ; 
valuation  for  the  same  year,  $29,780. 

Sbbago,  Cumberland  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  eighty,  and 
from  Portland  thirty,  miles.  The  early  history  of  Sebago  is  blended 
with  that  of  Baldwin,  it  having  been  the  northerly  part  of  the  grant 
made  in  1774,  by  the  colonial  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  to  Whit- 
temore,  Lawrence,  and  their  associates,  the  survivors  of  John  Fitch  and 
Company.  In  1826,  twenty-four  years  from  the  incorporation  of  Bald- 
win, the  act  was  passed  for  dividing  it  into  two  townships.  The  first 
town-meeting  after  the  incorporation  was  held  on  the  13th  day  of 
March  of  that  year.  In  1830,  by  act  of  the  legislature,  a  part  of  Den- 
mark was  added  to  Sebago.  Those  of  the  early  settlers  who  devoted 
their  energies  to  the  permanent  improvements  needful  in  so  rough  a 
country,  have  left  enduring  monuments  to  their  memory. 

The  prosperity  of  Sebago,  in  its  general  interests,  has  been  as  great 
as  could  be  expected  under  the  circumstances.  The  addition  made  to 
its  territory  falls  far  short  of  what  it  has  lost.  In  forming  Naples,  some 
four  thousand  seven  hundred  acres  have  been  taken  from  the  north- 
eastern portion  of  Sebago.  Nearly  one  thousand  acres  were  added  in 
the  portion  transferred  from  Denmark  ;  and  four  lots  of  one  hundred 
acres  each  have  been  added  to  the  southeast  corner,  from  Baldwin, 
since  the  first  division  of  the  town.  It  has  always  been  a  severe  tax 
upon  the  people  to  make  and  maintain  the  roads  over  its  hilly  surface, 
and  among  its  granite  rocks,  as  well  as  to  build  the  bridges  over  its 
rapid  streams.  Intemperance  in  this,  as  well  as  in  other  new  towns  in 
Maine,  was  once  very  prevalent,  and  did  much  to  retard  its  prosperity. 
The  divided  and  unsettled  state  of  its  religious  affairs  for  a  number  of 
years  has  operated  against  its  prosperous  development;  but  with  all 
these  disadvantages  there  has  been  substantial  progress. 

The  surface  of  Sebago  is  very  uneven,  and  generally  rocky';  but  the 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   SEBEC.  301 

soil  is  strong,  and  there  are  many  good  farms  within  its  limits.  Pine 
to  some  extent,  and  large  quantities  of  the  other  kinds  of  timber  usually 
found  in  the  forests  of  Maine,  are  still  standing.  The  rivers  and  streams 
furnish  abundant  water-power ;  and  the  location  of  Sebago,  on  the 
west  shore  of  Sebago  lake,  aft'ords  convenient  facilities  for  sending  pro- 
duce to  the  seaboard  by  the  Oxford  and  Cumberland  canal.  A  light 
draft  steamer  daily  passes  across  the  lake  in  summer,  conveying  pas- 
sengers from  Portland  through  this  and  its  connecting  rivers  to  Bridgton, 
en  route  for  the  White  Mountains.  The  improvement  of  late  years  in 
education,  morals,  temperance,  and  in  productive  industry,  inspires  the 
hope  of  still  better  things  in  the  future.  The  town  raised  in  the  year 
1856  for  repair  of  roads  and  bridges,  f  1,500 ;  for  support  of  schools, 
^600 ;  for  the  support  of  the  poor,  and  tqwn  charges,  f  200.  It  is  free 
from  debt,  with  a  small  surplus  of  funds  in  the  treasury.  There  are 
three  churches  —  one  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  one  Free-will 
Baptist ;  ten  school  districts,  with  eighteen  schools ;  a  town-house ;  and 
two  post-offices — Sebago  and  Sandy  Beach.  Population,  850;  valu- 
ation, ^70,162. 

Sebec,  Piscataquis  county,  is  situated  at  the  end  of  Sebec  pond,  and 
is  distant  eighty-seven  miles  from  Augusta,  and  ten  from  Dover.  The 
original  settlers  were  Ezekiel  Chase,  Biley,  James,  and  Jonathan  Lyford, 
Jeremiah  Moulton,  and  others.  Mr.  Chase  came  from  what  is  now 
called  Bingham,  in  this  state ;  the  Lyfords  from  Canterbury,  N.  H.,  and 
Mr.  Moulton  also  from  New  Hampshire.  The  first  settlement  was 
made  in  September,  1803,  when  Chase  moved  his  family  into  town. 
The  Messrs.  Lyford  followed  the  next  spring,  and  Mr.  Moulton  and 
others  soon  after.  Sebec  was  owned  by  Richard  Pike,  Philip  Coombs, 
and  the  Messrs.  Coffin,  of  Newburyport,  from  whom  the  settlers  obtained 
the  titles  to  their  lands.  The  Indiannameof  the  lake  was  Sebecco,  from 
which  the  town  derived  its  name. 

Sebec  was  incorporated  in  1812.  The  surface  is  mainly  uneven. 
There  are  a  few  intervals  on  the  Piscataquis  river,  which  make  very 
good  farms.  Sebec  lake  is  twelve  miles  long,  and  from  one  to  three 
miles  wide.  Sebec  river  empties  the  water  of  said  lake  into  the  Piscai> 
aquis  river,  some  five  miles  from  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  in  Milo.  Pis- 
cataquis river,  the  centre  of  which  is  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
town,  divides  Sebec  from  Atkinson.  There  are  three  small  ponds  near 
the  centre,  lying  north  and  south,  which  empty  into  the  Piscataquis  by 
three  distinct  streams ;  also  a  number  of  smaller  streams,  which  empty 
into  the  Sebec  river  and  lake,  one  of  which  is  of  sufficient  volume  to 
propel  machinery. 

VOL.  I.  26 


302  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

At  the  outlet  of  the  Sebec  lake  there  is  a  small  village,  having  a 
woollen  factory,  saw-mill,  tannery,  and  a  number  of  machine. shops. 
This  village  has  suffered  very  much  by  fire,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and 
woollen  factory  having  been  burnt  within  a  few  years.  There  is  an- 
other small  place  of  business,  in  which  are  tu^o  stores  and  some  ma- 
chine shops.  Agriculture  is  the  principal  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants. 
There  is  but  one  church  edifice,  which  is  occupied  by  the  Congrega- 
tionalists,  Baptists,  and  Methodists  alternately;  two  post-offices — Se- 
bec and  South  Sebec;  and  ten  school  districts,  with  sixteen  schools. 
Population,  1,223 ;  valuation  for  1856,  §115,000. 

Sedgwick,  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Hancock  county,  was 
one  of  six  townships  granted  by  Massachusetts,  in  1761,  to  David 
Marsh  and  three  hundred  and  fifty-nine  others.  It  was  provided  that 
these  townships,  w^hich  were  to  be  each  six  miles  square,  should  be 
located  in  a  regular  contiguous  manner  between  the  Penobscot  and 
Union  rivers.  The  grantees  individually  bound  themselves  in  the  penal 
sum  of  £50  to  fulfil  the  conditions  of  the  grant,  which  were,  to  settle 
each  township  with  sixty  Protestant  families  within  six  years  after  ob- 
taining the  king's  approbation,  to  fit  for  tillage  three  hundred  acres  of 
land,  to  erect  a  meeting-house,  and  to  settle  a  minister.  If  the  grantees 
failed  to  execute  their  portion  of  the  contract,  Sedgwick  and  the  other 
townships  were  again  to  become  the  property  of  Massachusetts. 

In  1763,  some  settlements  having  been  made  by  Captains  Goodwin 
and  Reed,  and  John  and  Daniel  Black,  at  what  was  known  as  Naskeag 
point,  and,  a  few  years  later,  by  other  persons  in  other  parts  of  the  town, 
the  general  court,  in  1789,  quieted  their  fears  of  ejectment  by  grantino- 
each  settler  a  lot  of  one  hundred  acres.  The  settlement  of  Sedo-wick 
progressed  slowly;  and  January  12,  1789,  it  was  incorporated,  and 
named  in  honor  of  Major  Robert  Sedgwick.  In  1817,  five  thousand 
acres  were  taken  off  to  form  Brooksville ;  and  again,  in  1849,  about  two 
fifths  of  the  remaining  twenty-two  thousand  acres  were  taken  off  to  form 
the  town  of  Brooklin. 

Sedgwick  is  quite  brolien,  and  in  some  parts  ledgy.  It  is  drained  by 
Benjamin  river,  which  forms  the  dividhig  line  between  Sedgwick  and 
Brooklin;  and  in  the  western  part  there  is  a  pond.  Sedgwick  can  boast 
of  two  excellent  harbors,  to  which  vessels  of  one  thousand  tons  may 
have  ingress  and  egress  without  difficulty.  There  are  five  ship-yards, 
owned  by  different  individuals,  in  which  are  built  about  three  vessels 
per  annum,  which  are  employed  in  the  coasting,  fishing,  and  West  India 
trades.  The  inhabitants  are  principally  engaged  in  agriculture  and  sea- 
going.    The  clam  and  other  fisheries  yield  an  annual  revenue   of  up- 


MAraE TOWN   OF   SHAPLEIGH.  303 

wards  of  $15,000,  which  is  increasing  every  year.  There  are  two  small 
villages  in  Sedgwick  ;  three  post-offices  —  Sedgwick,  North  Sedgwick, 
and  West  Sedgwick ;  ten  schools  and  ten  districts,  and  two  church  edi- 
fices, both  occupied  by  the  Baptists.  The  Congregationalists  have  a 
society,  but  no  meeting-house  ;  at  present  they  worship  at  a  place  called 
Dodge's  Hall.     Population,  1,235;  valuation,  §119,748. 

Shapleigh,  York  county,  adjoins  Alfred  on  the  west,  and  was  for- 
merly called  Hubbardston.  Its  territory  was  a  part  of  the  original  pur- 
chase obtained  of  the  Indian  chief.  Captain  Sunday,  by  Francis  Small, 
of  Scarborough,  who  conveyed  an  undivided  portion  of  the  tract  to 
Major  Shapleigh.i  The  original  deed  of  Small  was  found  in  1770,  and 
the  descendants  of  the  two  tenants  in  common  made  partition,  August 
5,  1771,  when  the  territory  comprised  in  this  township  fell  to  the  claim- 
ants of  Shapleigh.  Doubts  afterwards  arising  whether  it  might  not  be 
without  the  limits  of  the  original  purchase  from  the  sagamore,  and  in  or- 
der that  the  title  might  not  be  disputed,  the  inhabitants  obtained  a  con- 
firmation of  the  grant  from  the  state,  October  30, 1782.  The  first  efforts 
at  settlement  were  made  in  the  year  1772,  when  a  saw  and  grist  mill 
were  erected  by  Simeon  Emery.  In  1773,  Joseph  Jellison  and  his  son 
moved  in,  and  were  soon  after  followed  by  James  Davis,  William  Stan- 
ley, George  Ham,  and  others.  Settlements  were  prosecuted  with  much 
vigor,  so  that  in  1778  there  were  over  forty  families  here. 

Shapleigh  was  incorporated  March  5,  1785,  taking  its  name  from  its 
original  owner.  Nearly  one  fourth  of  its  surface  are  plains,  lying  in  the 
north  and  northeast  part ;  the  remainder  is  divided  into  precipitous  hills, 
pleasant  swells,  meadows,  and  extensive  ponds  of  water.  Little  Ossi- 
pee  river,  having  its  source  in  Balch  pond  in  this  town,  forms  the  north- 
ern boundary,  and  Salmon  Falls  river  the  western  boundary.  Ponds  and 
streams  of  water  are  abundant,  the  principal  of  which  are  Square  pond 
and  Long  pond.  The  land,  generally  speaking,  is  suitable  for  cultiva- 
tion, requiring,  however,  attention  and  care.  There  are  many  beautiful 
landscapes,  equal  to  any  in  the  state.  In  1830,  Acton  was  set  off  from 
Shapleigh,  and  in  1844  a  portion  of  the  northeast  corner  was  annexed 
to  Newfield.  The  town  contains  three  villages  —  North  Shapleigh, 
Emery's  Mills,  and  Ross's  Corner;  five  churches  —  three  Baptist,  one 
Methodist,  and  one  Congregational ;  fifteen  school  districts,  with  tsventy- 

'  This  tract  was  supposed  to  embrace  Parsonsficld,  Shapleigh,  a  part  of  Limerick,  New- 
field,  Limin"ton,  and  Cornish.  The  three  first  were  assigned  to  the  Shapleigh  claimants; 
the  three  latter  to  the  Small  claimants.  Some  disputes  were  afterwards  raised  as  to  the 
justness  of  this  decision ;  the  Shapleigh  proprietors  claiming  one  half  of  Newfield  and 
Cornish. 


304  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

three  schools;  five  saw-mills;  two  grist-mills;  several  other  mechanical 
works  ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Shapleigh,  North  Shapleigh,  and  fioss's 
Corner.     Population,  1,848 ;  valuation,  !&201,771. 

Shirley,  in  the  western  part  of  Piscataquis  county,  was  incorporated 
in  1834.  It  formerly  contained  much  timber,  which,  having  been  mostly 
cleared  off,  leaves  the  inhabitants  to  turn  their  attention  to  agriculture, 
for  which  the  town  is  well  adapted.  It  is  watered  by  the  higher 
branches  of  the  Piscataquis  river,  on  which  are  erected  mills  for  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  Stages  pass  daily  between  Bangor  and  that 
favorite  summer  resort,  Moosehead  Lake.  There  are  three  school  dis- 
tricts, with  three  schools;  a  post-office,  a  grist-mill,  a  saw-mill,  and  a 
shingle-mill.     Population,  250  ;  valuation,  $38,012. 

Sidney,  in  the  county  of  Kennebec,  situated  on  the  western  side  of 
Kennebec  river,  is  the  next  town  north  of  Augusta.  It  originally  con- 
stituted a  part  of  Vassalborough,  from  which  it  was  set  off  and  incor- 
porated January  30,  1792,  being  named  in  honor  of  the  renowned  Eng- 
lish republican,  Algernon  Sidney.  The  earliest  settlements  were  made 
along  the  river,  and  upon  the  borders  of  Snow's  pond,  in  1774.  Sidney 
contains  twenty  thousand  acres,  of  w^hich  one  thousand  is  bog,  but  the 
rest  excellent  soil  for  grain  and  grass.  This  is  one  of  the  best  agricul- 
tural towns  in  Maine,  and  the  inhabitants  are  nearly  all  indcpt'ndent 
farmers.  There  is  a  considerable  portion  of  the  primeval  forest  of 
beech,  birch,  and  maple  yet  standing  in  the  central  part. 

There  are  three  stores  and  two  blacksmith  shops ;  two  churches  of 
the  Baptist  denomination,  one  of  the  Free-will  Baptists,  one  of  the 
Methodists,  one  of  the  Friends,  and  one  Union  house,  occupied  by  the 
Congregationalists  and  Free-will  Baptists.  The  streams  here  are  small, 
with  no  good  mill  privileges ;  yet  there  are  some  half  dozen  small  saw- 
mills located  upon  them,  which  are  operated  during  the  spring  freshets, 
and  a  grist-mill,  that  runs  a  short  time  in  the  spring  and  fall.  There  is 
a  mutual  fire  insurance  company,  which  was  chartered  in  1856  ;  but 
no  other  corporation,  and  no  large  manufactories.  The  only  litcraiy 
institutions  are  the  public  schools,  of  which  there  are  twenty,  with  a 
large  attendance  of  pupils  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  people.  There 
are  three  post-offices  —  Sidney,  North  Sidney,  and  East  Sidney.  Popu- 
lation, 1,955 ;  valuation,  §458,556. 

Skowhegan,  Somerset  county,  lies  on  the  north  bend  of  the  Kennebec 
river.  The  territory  comprising  this  town  was  originally  a  part  of 
Canaan,  from  which  it  was   separated  February  5,  1823,  and  incorpo- 


MAINE TOWN    OF    SMITHFIELD,    ETC.  305 

rated  under  the  name  of  Millburn.  This  name  it  bore  until  the  year 
1836,  when,  through  the  efforts  of  many  of  its  citizens,  the  one  it  now 
bears  was  substituted  in  its  place.  Skowhegan  is  an  Indian  word,  and 
signifies  "  a  place  to  watch."  In  ancient  days,  it  was  noted  as  a  "  place 
to  watch"  and  catch  salmon,  and  other  varieties  of  fish.  Skow- 
hegan has  an  area  of  19,071  acres,  forty-eight  of  which  are  covered 
with  water,  and  324  devoted  to  roads.  There  are  five  churches  —  a 
Baptist,  a  Congregationalist,  a  Methodist,  a  Christian,  and  a  Univer- 
salist ;  eleven  school  districts,  one  post-office  ;  a  tannery,  one  grist-mill, 
two  shingle  mills,  one  marble-worker,  and  four  carriage  builders.  Pop- 
ulation, 1,756 ;  valuation,  $331,370. 

Smitiipield,  in  the  southern  part  of  Somerset  county,  was  incorpo- 
rated February  20,  1840.  It  was  formed  from  parts  of  Mercer  and 
Dearborn,  and  the  whole  of  the  territory  called  East  Pond  Plantation. 
It  is  watered  by  a  handsome  sheet  of  water,  called  Milk  pond.  The 
soil  is  good,  its  inhabitants  industrious  ;  and,  from  its  location,  the  town 
obtains  a  good  market  for  its  surplus  productions.  It  has  a  few  saw- 
mills, and  manufacturing  establishments ;  tw^o  church  edifices  (Free- 
will Baptist),  eleven  school  districts,  with  twenty-one  schools;  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  873 ;  valuation,  §77,058. 

Smyrna,  Aroostook  county,  fifteen  miles  west  from  Houlton,  em- 
braces an  area  of  23,040  acres,  and  is  yet  but  sparsely  settled.  It  was 
incorporated  in  1839.  It  has  six  school  districts,  with  seventy-two 
scholars.     Population  in  1850,  172;  valuation,  §8,121. 

Solon,  Somerset  county,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  the  Kennebec  river, 
due  north  from  Norridgewock,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  inter- 
vening town  of  Madison.  The  first  settler  was  Wilfiam  Hilton,  of 
Wiscasset,  who  moved  here  during  the  fall  of  1782,  and  purchased  five 
hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  river,  in  the  southwest  part.  Mr.  Hilton 
lived  on  this  farm  for  sixty-four  years,  raised  a  family  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  died,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  respected  as  a 
man  of  integrity  and  worth.  The  next  year,  1783,  William  Hunnewell, 
from  Wiscasset,  moved  to  a  farm  adjoining  Hilton's;  and  in  1787-8, 
Calvin  and  Luther  Pierce,  from  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  Moses  Chamber- 
lain and  Jonathan  Bosworth,  from  Easton,  Mass.,  Eleazer  Whipple, 
and  Joseph  Maynard,  settled  on  the  river,  in  the  northwest  part.  In 
1798-9,  the  south  part  was  settled  by  James,  Jonas,  and  Nathan  Jewett, 
from  Groton,  Mass.,  and  Jonas  Heald  and  Caleb  Hobart,  from  Pepperell. 

Solon  was  incorporated   February  23,  1809,   and  organized  on  the 

26* 


306  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

27th  of  March  following.  The  surface  is  undulating,  ^vith  rich,  alluvial 
land  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  Near  the  centre  is  a  high  elevation 
of  land,  called  Parkman's  hill.  The  only  pond  worthy  of  notice  is  the 
Wesserunset,  situated  in  the  northeastern  part,  covering  an  area  of 
about  five  hundred  acres.  This  pond  is  the  head  of  the  east  branch  of 
a  stream  bearing  the  same  name,  which  falls  into  the  Kennebec,  and 
forms  the  western  boundary.  Carritunk  falls,  on  the  Kennebec,  are  sit- 
uated about  a  mile  from  the  north  hne  of  the  town,  and  have  a  descent 
of  twenty  feet.  The  scenery  in  the  vicinity  of  the  falls  is  picturesque 
and  romantic.  Fall  brook  enters  the  Kennebec  two  miles  south  of  the 
north  line,  and  flows  through  Solon  village,  affording  valuable  mill  sites. 
There  are  already  situated  on-  this  stream  two  saw-mills,  one  flour- 
mill,  one  shovel-handle  manufactory,  two  fulhng  and  carding  machines, 
and  two  blacksmith's  shops.  The  principal  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants 
is  agriculture,  in  which  the  majority  of  the  population  are  engaged,  and 
from  which  they  reap  a  profitable  return.  Grain  and  hay  are  the  sta- 
ple productions.  There  are  four  churches —  Congregationalist,  Baptist, 
Methodist,  and  Universalist,  two  of  which  have  church  edifices.  The 
one  situated  at  the  village  is  occupied  by  the  above-mentioned  denomina- 
tions in  rotation  ;  the  one  at  South  Solon  by  the  Congregationalists. 
The  town  has  one  hundred  dwelling-houses  and  shops,  six  stores,  one 
hotel,  one  tannery,  two  lawyer's  oflices,  two  post-offices  —  one  at  Solon, 
and  one  at  South  Solon ;  seven  school  districts,  with  thirteen  schools, 
and  a  high  school,  which  is  in  a  prosperous  condition.  Population, 
L,419 ;  valuation,  $179,706. 

Somerset  County  is  one  of  the  enormous  counties  of  the  state,  em- 
bracing an  area  of  three  thousand  eight  hundred  square  miles.  It  was 
the  northerly  portion  of  Kennebec  county,  and  was  established  March  1, 
1809,  its  southern  boundary  then  running,  as  now,  south  of  Detroit, 
Pittsfield,  Canaan,  Fairfield,  Smithfield,  Mercer,  and  as  far  west  as 
the  west  line  of  Phillips  in  Franklin  county.  Hancock  was  then  upon 
its  east,  and  Oxford  —  four  years  its  senior  —  upon  the  west.  It  gave 
to  Franklin  the  towns  of  Industry,  New  Vineyard,  Strong,  Avon,  Phil- 
lips, Freeman,  Salem,  Kingfield,  and  three  and  a  half  townships  north  of 
these  towns;  to  Piscataquis  two  ranges  of  townships,  and  to  Aroostook 
six  townships.  It  now  has  one  hundred  and  eleven  townships,  twenty- 
nine  of  which  are  settled  and  incorporated.  Norridgewock  has  always 
been  the  shire  town.  The  upper  portion  of  the  county  is  drained  by 
the  head  waters  of  the  St.  John  river  and  the  west  branch  of  the  Pe- 
nobscot. The  Kennebec,  the  principal  river,  has  its  rise  in  Moosehead 
lake.     It  flows  centrally  through  the  county,  and  receives  several  small 


MAINE TOWN    OF   SOUTH   EEEWICK.  307 

streams  in  its  course.  The  surface  is  varied,  and  there  are  several  small 
ponds,  such  as  Brassua,  Wood,  Attean,  Long,  Allen,  etc.,  interspersed 
over  its  territory,  all  of  which  are  fine  sheets  of  pure,  clear  water,  well 
filled  with  the  various  species  of  fresh  water  fish.  Agriculture  is  the 
leading  pursuit.  The  productions  are  principally  wheat,  corn,  and  pota- 
toes. The  county  belongs  to  the  middle  judicial  district,  the  law  terms 
of  which  are  held  at  Augusta.  The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial 
court,  for  both  civil  and  criminal  business,  commence  on  the  third  Tues- 
days of  March,  September,  and  December.  Population,  35,581 ;  valua- 
tion, $4,935,697. 

South  Berwick,  York  county,  adjoins  Quampheagen  falls,  extending 
as  far  as  Salmon  falls.  It  was  originally  a  part  of  Kittery,  and  was 
settled  simultaneously  with  Strawberry  bank,  now  Portsmouth.  It  was 
called  "  the  Parish  of  Unity."  Berwick  was  separated  from  Kittery  in 
1700,  and  South  Berwick,  taken  from  Berwick,  was  incorporated  in 
1814.  It  includes  all  the  lands  within  the  first  territorial  parish,  and  a 
small  part  of  York,  lying  north  of  Agamenticus,  since  annexed.  Among 
the  first  settlers  were  Humphrey  Chadbourne,  Shapleigh,  Heard,  Frost, 
and  Emery,  —  all  ambitious  and  enterprising,  — the  first  of  whom 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  of  the  Indians  to  commence  a  permanent  set- 
tlement.^ 

In  1675,  the  dwelling-house  of  John  Tozier,  at  this  settlement,  was 
attacked  by  a  party  of  Indians,  led  on  by  Andrew  of  Saco  and  Hope- 
hood  of  Kennebunk,  two  daring  warriors.  Tozier  was  absent  on  an 
expedition  to  Saco  with  Captain  Wincoll,  and  his  family  was  left  with- 
out any  male  protector.  Circumstances  often  make  heroines  as  well  as 
heroes  ;  and  in  this  case  the  courage  and  coolness  of  a  girl,  eighteen 
years  of  age,  were  most  singularly  exemplified.  She  saw  the  approach  of 
the  Indians,  and,  shutting  the  door  of  the  house,  kept  it  closed  till  it  was 
cut  in  pieces  by  the  tomahawks  of  the  savages,  and  the  family  had  es- 
caped from  the  dwelling.  Foiled  in  their  intentions,  the  Indians 
wreaked  their  vengeance  on  the  heroic  girl,  and,  leaving  her  for  dead, 
started  with  all  haste  after  the  family.  Two  of  the  children  they  over- 
took, and  one  of  them,  being  too  young  to  travel,  was  immediately 
killed ;  the  other  they  kept  with  them  six  months.  The  girl,  who  was 
left  for  dead,  revived  after  the  departure  of  the  Indians,  and,  going  to 
the  garrison  at  Salmon  falls,  was  healed  of  her  wounds,  and  lived  for 
many  years. 

The  day  following,  (September  25,)  a  large  party  of  Indians  set  fire 
to  the  buildings  of  Captain  "Wincoll,   near  Salmon  falls,  and  were  pur- 

"^  Upon  part  of  tliis  land  the  academy  is  located. 


308  HISTORY   AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

sued  by  the  men  belonging  to  the  garrison ;  but  darkness  put  an  end 
to  the  pursuit.  October  7,  of  the  same  year,  the  place  was  again  at- 
tacked, and  a  man  and  two  youths  were  shot.  Nor  was  this  all ;  on 
the  16th  of  the  same  month,  about  one  hundred  Indians  assailed  the 
house  of  Richard  Tozier,  killing  him  and  taking  his  son  captive.  Nine 
men,  sent  by  the  commander  of  the  garrison,  Lieutenant  Roger  Plais- 
ted,  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  were  surprised,  and  three 
of  them  killed.  Plaisted  and  twenty  of  his  men,  while  bringing  in  the 
bodies  for  interment,  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  been  concealed  behind  some  logs,  and  a  fierce 
conflict  ensued.  The  contest  was  unequal,  and  all  the  men  except 
Plaisted,  his  eldest  son,  and  one  of  the  garrison,  made  their  escape. 
Plaisted  would  not  surrender,  although  frequently  urged  to  do  so,  and 
fought  with  almost  unexampled  courage,  till  he  was  all  but  cut  to  pieces 
with  the  hatchets  of  his  enemies.  His  son  and  his  fellow-soldier  also 
fell  nobly  supporting  the  heroic  man.  Another  son,  engaged  in  the 
contest,  died  a  few  weeks  after,  of  his  wounds. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  (1775),  two  full  companies  marched 
from  Berwick  to  the  scene  of  action,  one  being  commanded  by  Captain 
Philip  Hubbard,  and  the  other  by  Captain  Daniel  Wood.  The  latter 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major ;  and  Captain  Ebenezer  Sullivan, 
brother  of  General  John  and  Governor  James  Sullivan,  succeeded  to 
the  command.  Berwick  has  the  honor  of  having  furnished  as  many 
men,  in  proportion  to  the  population,  to  fight  the  battles  of  independ- 
ence, as  any  other  town  in  the  state. 

The  principal  river,  a  branch  of  the  Piscataqua,  was  called  Newicha- 
wannock.  Quampheagen  landing  is  at  the  head  of  tide  navigation 
upon  this  river,  and  here  is  the  factory  of  the  Portsmouth  Company. 
The  Great  Works  river  rises  in  Berwick,  and  flows  circuitously  into  the 
above-named  branch  at  Yeaton's  mills,  below  Quampheagen.  It  re- 
ceived its  name,  because  two  Englishmen,  named  Leders,  purchased 
of  the  town  of  Kittery  five  hundred  acres  of  land  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  including  the  Falls  and  the  "  Great  hole,"  where  they  erected  a  mill 
of  eighteen  saws.  The  first  settlers  were  attracted  to  this  heritage, 
because  it  was  one  dense  forest  of  pine,  hemloclc,  and  oak,  and  because 
of  the  facilities  afforded  for  lumbering.  They  had  no  taste  for  agricul- 
ture or  the  fisheries ;  but,  in  process  of  time,  lumbering  failing,  their 
successors  took  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  and  they  soon  found  that 
the  soil  was  strong  and  retentive.  They  inclosed  gardens,  planted 
orchards,  and  cultivated  fruit,  vegetables,  corn,  and  the  grains ;  but  hay 
is  the  staple.  The  lands  of  the  late  Judge  Hayes,  (who  was  a  skilful 
farmer,)  furnish  a  small  part   of  the  view  given  in  this  article,  and  ex- 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   SOUTH  BERWICK.  309 

hibit  some  of  the  results  of  scientific  agriculture.  The  trade  of  South 
Berwick  was  early  quickened  by  the  wood  and  lumber  business,  which 
was  pushed  into  the  interior  towns.  Ship-building  was  carried  on  ad- 
vantageously. Merchants  built  their  own  vessels  and  employed  them, 
and  a  profitable  interchange  of  commodities  with  the  West  Indies  gave 
employment  to  many  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  manufacturing  interests  of  South  Berwick  are  considerable. 
The  company  at  Great  Works  manufactures  woollen  goods;  the  Ports- 
mouth company  at  Quampheagen  has  250  hands,  and  manufactures 
cotton  goods  ;  and  the  company  at  Salmon  Falls,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  has  two  large  mills  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
cloth.  The  magnificent  estabfishments  at  Dover  and  Great  Falls  are 
within  four  mUes  of  this  place.  Three  of  the  principal  railroads  pass 
through  the  limits  of  the  town.  The  Portsmouth,  Saco,  and  Portland 
Railroad  and  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad  meet  at  the  junction  in 
South  Berwick,  on  the  margin  of  Great  Works  river,  twelve  miles  from 
Portsmouth,  and  six  mUes  from  Dover.  A  cross  railroad  is  now  com- 
pleted, diverging  at  Brock's  crossing  on  the  Eastern  road,  ten  miles 
from  Portsmouth,  and  extending  near  the  factories  of  Great  Works, 
Quampheagen,  and  Salmon  Falls, to  Great  Falls,  a  distance  of  sbc  miles, 
where  it  connects  with  railroads  leading  to  Rochester,  Alton,  and  Wake- 
field. 

South  Berwick  has  five  churches:  one  Congregational,  —  which  has 
been  in  existence  more  than  a  century  and  a  half,  over  which  John 
Wade  was  settled  in  1702,  and  Jeremiah  Wise,  his  successor,  in  1707, 
who  continued  as  pastor  till  his  death,  in  1756,  —  two  Baptist,  one 
Methodist,  and  one  Free-will  Baptist.  Some  of  the  most  prominent 
men  who  have  lived  and  died  in  this  town  during  the  present  century, 
were  Colonel  Jonathan  Hamilton,  Hon.  John  Lord,  John  Cushing,  Esq., 
General  Ichabod  Goodwin,  Timothy  Ferguson,  Esq.,  Hon.  William  A. 
Hayes,  and  Hon.  C.  N.  Cogswell. 

Berwick  Academy  (a  view  of  which  is  given  on  the  next  page), 
located  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  upon  commanding  ground,  which 
was  the  gift  of  the  late  Benjamin  Chadbourne,  was  incorporated  in 
1791,  and  endowed  with  a  township  of  land.  Samuel  Moody  was  the 
first  preceptor.  The  grounds,  which  are  adorned  with  hedges  and 
shrubbery,  are  inclosed  with  a  substantial  wall.  A  building  of  chaste 
architectural  appearance,  designed  by  Richard  Upjohn,  of  New  York, 
has  recently  been  erected.  There  is  also  a  large  and  commodious 
boarding-house.  The  institution  is  under  the  supervision  of  a  board 
of  fourteen  trustees,  at  the  head  of  which  is  Francis  B.  Hayes,  of 
Boston.     There  are  three  scholarships  in  the  institution,  each  of  which 


310 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEA?    ENGLAND. 


provides  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum  for  a  meritorious  graduate  of 
the   academy  while   in   college.       The  school   is  under    the   charge   of 


Berwick  Ac;u]emy. 

one  of  the  most  skilful  teachers  and  its  prospects  are  at  present  more 
auspicious  than  at  any  former  period. 

There  are  in  town  sixteen  school  districts,  with  an  attendance  of  750 
scholars;  two  banking  institutions  —  the  South  Berwick  Bank,  with  a 
ca]5ital  of  $100,000,  and  the  South  Berwick  Savings  Institution ;  a 
mutual  fire  insurance  company,  and  one  post-olhce.  Population, 
2,593 ;  valuation,  er319,409. 

SouTiiPORT  is  an  island  at  the  mouth  of  Shecpscot  river,  and  belongs 
to  Lincoln  county.  It  formerly  belonged  to  Boofhbay,  from  which  it 
was  set  off  and  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Townsend,  February  12, 
1842.  This  name  was  changed  to  the  present  one,  June  12, 1S50.  The 
inhabitants  are  mostly  fishermen ;  and  have  thirty-five  vessels,  averaging 
eighty  ions  each,  employed  in  this  branch  of  business.  Soutliport  has 
one  church  edifice,  which  belongs  to  the  Methodists;  five  school  dis- 
tricts, with  five  schools ;  and  one  post-olllce.  Population,  543  ;  valua- 
tion, §37,126. 


South  Tiiomaston  is  situated  in  the  extreme  easterly  part  of  Lincoln 
comity,  and  extends  into  the  Atlantic  on  the  south  in  the  form  of  a 
peninsula,  and  into  Penobscot  bay  on  the  east  in  the  form  of  a  high 
bluff  or  iiroinontory.  The  first  permanent  setth^r  was  Elisha  Snow, 
who  came  from  Brunswick  in  1767.  He  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  Wes- 
saweskeag  stream,  at  the  site  of  which  has  si)rung  up  the  largesi  village 
in   South   Thomaston.      Snow  was  soon  followed  by  Lieutenant  ]\Iat- 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    SOUTH    TIIOMASTON. 


311 


thews,  Richard  Keating,  John  Bridges,  and  James  and  Jonathan  Obcr- 
toii.  In  1773,  Joseph  Coombs,  a  young  man  who  had  but  recently 
attained  his  majority,  came  here,  and  erected  another  saw-mill  in  close 
proximity  to  the  one  Snow  had  built ;  and  soon  after,  in  comj^any  with 
Snow,  erected  a  grist-mill.  The  Indian  name  of  this  place  was  Wes- 
saweskeag,  which  signifies  "  a  land  of  wonders."  The  name  was  con- 
tracted by  the  settlers  at  first  to  "  Weskeag,"  afterwards  to  "  Keag,"  and 
finally  it  has  degenerated  to  "  Gig,"  which  is  a  familiar  appellation  at 
the  present  time.  The  settlements  at  Wessaweskeag,  —  which  included 
South  Thomaston,  Thomaston,  E-ockland,  St.  George,  Warren,  Gush- 
ing, Friendship,  and  other  places,  —  were  known  in  earlier  times  as 
Upper  and  Lo\ver  St.  George.  South  Thoinaston  \vas  incorporated 
from  Thomaston  in  1848. 

The  Baptist  church  of  South  Thomaston,  with  one  exception,  is  the 
oldest  one  of  that  denomination  which  was  established  between  the 
Kennebec  and  Penobscot  bay,  having  been  constituted  June  27,  1784, 
under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  Isaac  Case.  A  meeting-house  was 
erected  by  this  society  in  1796,  which  vi^as  enlarged  and  improved  in 
1847.  It  is  the  only  church  edifice  in  South  Thomaston.  In  April, 
1784,  Elisha  Snow,  the  first  settler,  was  baptized,  and,  September  27, 
1794,  was  settled  as  sub-pastor  of  this  church.  In  1808,  he  became 
senior  minister,  and  continued  thus  till  removed  by  death,  January  30, 
1832,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years. 

The  surface  is  rough  and  rocky  along  the  coast,  but  back  some  dis- 
tance there  is  some  good 
land,  which  has  been  laid  -^^s^^     ^  _  ^ 

out   in    farms.     It    is  wa-  w  — ^   -=^ 

tered  by  the  Wessawes- 
keag stream,  which  sup- 
plies many  good  mill-sites. 
Owl's  Head,  a  view  of 
which  is  here  given,  is  a 
high,  rocky  bluff"  projecting 
into  Penobscot  bay,  and 
has  a  light-house  on  its 
summit,  as  seen  in  the  en- 
graving, making  it  a  noted  sz 
landmark  for  seamen  ap- 
proaching this  coast.  There 
are  three  villages — Keag, 
Owl's  Head,  and  Ingraham's  Hill;  the  two  latter  having  chiefly  sprung 
up  since  1850.     Ship-building  is  the  leading  occupation  ;  but,  owing  to 


Oivrs  UoaJ. 


312  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

a  general  depression  in  this  business,  it  fell  off  in  1857.  In  1854,  there 
were  built  five  ships,  three  barques,  and  three  schooners.  There  are 
twelve  school  districts,  and  eighteen  schools  ;  two  post-offices  ■ —  South 
Thomaston  and  Owl's  Head;  one  set  of  mills,  consisting  of  a  gi-ist- 
rnill,  two  planing  machines,  one  up  and  down  saw,  one  circular  saw, 
and  one  shingle  machine ;  five  stores,  a  sail-loft,  a  cigar  manufactory, 
two  shoemaker's  shops,  and  one  carpenter's  shop.  Population  in  1850, 
1,420,  which  has  probably  increased  about  200 ;  valuation  for  1857, 
$406,401. 

Springfield,  Penobscot  county,  lies  east  of  Lee,  on  the  road  from 
that  place  to  Calais.  It  was  first  settled  in  1830.  The  first  trader  was 
James  Butterfleld,  who  is  still  living,  and  doing  an  extensive  and  profita- 
ble business.  Springfield  was  incorporated  in  1834,  at  which  time  it 
contained  about  three  hundred  inhabitants.  From  various  causes,  the 
population  since  that  time  has  increased  but  slowly.  One  of  the  main 
drawbacks  was,  that  the  town,  soon  after  its  incorporation,  became  in- 
volved in  debt  to  the  amount  of  $6,000,  or  about  one  fourth  of  the 
whole  taxable  property.  This  burden  was  imposed  upon  the  people  by 
the  location  of  two  county  roads,  when  but  one  was  necessary,  which 
has  ever  since  retarded  the  prosperity  of  the  town.  By  the  excellent 
management  of  the  officers,  however,  this  debt  is  now  nearly  extin- 
guished. 

The  north  half  of  the  township  was  granted  by  the  legislature  to 
Foxcroft  academy,  and  was  sold  by  the  ti'ustees  to  parties  in  Bangor 
for  thirty-one  cents  per  acre.  It  was  heavily  timbered  with  pine  and 
spruce,  immense  quantities  of  which  have  been  taken  from  it,  and  much 
still  remains.  The  south  half  was  sold  by  the  state  to  settlers  and  others, 
and  contains  some  of  the  best  land  in  Maine.  In  1837,  the  state  offered 
a  bounty  on  wheat,  and  Springfield  took  the  prize  —  Samuel  C.  Clark 
having  produced  that  year  1,340  bushels  of  wheat,  besides  435  bushels 
of  other  grain,  making  1,775  bushels  in  the  whole.  Agriculture  is  the 
principal  pursuit.  Notwithstanding  the  financial  embarrassments,  a 
large  number  of  the  inhabitants  are  in  independent  and  easy  circum- 
stances, not  one  of  Avhom  brought  his  wealth  Avith  him.  The  good 
buildings  and  well-cultivated  farms  prove  that  the  people  have  not 
labored  in  vain. 

Public  worship  has  generally  been  sustained  on  the  Sabbath.  A 
large  and  elegant  meeting-house,  which  will  cost  some  f  2,500,  is  nearly 
completed,  and  will  be  dedicated  shortly.  It  will  be  an  ornament  to  the 
place.  The  common  schools  are  well  cared  for,  and  for  several  years  a 
high  school  was  sustained.     There  are  eight  school  districts ;  two  Free- 


MAINE  —  TO-^VN   OF   STANDISH.  313 

will  Baptist  churches;    one  grist-mill;    two  saw-mills;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  583 ;  valuation,  $29,422. 

Standish,  Cumberland  county,  on  the  line  of  York,  is  equal  to  eight 
miles  square,  including  a  large  portion  of  Sebago  lake,  and  an  island  of 
five  hundred  acres.  The  territory  composing  it  was  granted  April  30, 
1750,  in  one  township,  not  in  two,  as  has  been  erroneously  stated,^  to 
Captain  Humphrey  Hobbs  and  Moses  Pearson  and  their  respective 
companies  for  military  services  in  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  and  was  laid 
off  next  to  Gorham,  one  of  the  Narraganset  townships ;  and  it  was  pro- 
vided that  they  should  "  take  associates  of  the  Cape  Breton  soldiers,  so 
called,  and  not  exclude  the  representatives  of  those  who  were  dead,  so 
as  to  make  the  whole  number  of  grantees  120 ;  sixty  of  whom  were  to 
settle  in  distinct  famiUes  within  three  years,  and  sixty  more  within  seven 
years ; "  and  they  w^ere  to  give  bonds  to  the  treasurer  of  the  province 
that  each  man  should  build  a  house  sixteen  feet  by  eighteen,  and  seven 
feet  shed,  and  clear  up  five  acres  of  land.  Jabez  Fox,  Ezekiel  Gushing, 
and  Enoch  Freeman  were  a  committee  to  receive  and  transmit  the 
bonds  to  the  treasurer. 

The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1760.  Rev.  John  Thompson,  the 
first  minister,  was  ordained  in  October,  1768,  and  remained  until  1783. 
At  the  time  of  his  ordination,  the  number  of  families  in  the  plantation 
did  not  exceed  thirty.  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  however,  there 
were  considerable  accessions  of  persons  who  removed  hither  to  escape 
the  ravages  of  the  enemy. 

Among  the  noticeable  incidents  in  the  history  of  this  town  is  the 
effect  caused  by  the  following  missive  to  the  almost  petrified  inhabitants, 
which  appears  upon  the  journal  of  the  house  of  representatives,  dated 
February  19,  1783 :  "  On  representation  that  the  plantation,  called 
Pearsontown,  neglected  to  apply  to  be  incorporated  only  to  avoid 
paying  taxes,  they  being  qualified  therefor,  —  Resolved,  that  Mr.  Stephen 
Longfellow,  Jr.,  notify  the  inhabitants  of  said  plantation  to  show  cause, 
etc.,  on  the  first  "Wednesday  of  next  June,  why  they  should  not  be  incor- 
porated into  a  town."  They  did  "  show  cause,"  —  not  against  incorpo- 
ration, but,  in  the  language  of  injured  innocence,  why  they  should  not  be 
subjected  to  the  provisions  of  an  ex  post  facto  \z.vf.  The  general  court 
had,  November  1,  1782,  passed  a  general  act  providing  a  more  effectual 
method  for  collecting  taxes  in  unincorporated  plantations,  and  had  also, 
it  seems,  following  up  the  spirit  of  the  resolution  just  quoted,  in  1784, 
ordered  an  assessment  of  taxes  upon  this  plantation  from  the  year  1764, 

'  Williamson,  vol.  Ii.,  p.  284. 
VOL.  I.  27 


314  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

a  period  of  twenty  years.  This  act  brought  out  an  appeal  from  the 
inhabitants,  not  surpassed  in  earnestness  by  the  remonstrances  of  the 
colonies  against  the  exactions  of  the  mother  country.^  They  further 
asked  for  incorporation.  This  solemn  appeal  caused  the  hearts  of  the 
lawmakers  to  relent;  and  an  act  was  immediately  passed  to  abate  £571 
18s.  from  the  sum  previously  ordered,  being  the  amount  of  taxes  up  to 
1780,  arid  to  stay  execution  on  the  remainder  for  six  months.  The 
town  was  incorporated  November  30,  1785,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
named  from  respect  to  the  courage  and  character  of  Miles  Standish. 
Edmund  Mussey  was  the  first  representative  to  the  legislature,  in  1806. 
Much  of  the  land  consists  of  pine  plains ;  but  there  is  good  farming 
land,  which  is  well  watered  by  Sebago  lake  and  little  streams  connecting 
with  it.  There  are  four  villages,  known  as  Standish  Corner,  Steep 
Falls,  Bonnie  Eagle,  and  East  Standish,  each  of  which  has  a  post-office ; 
eight  saw-mills,  and  two  grist-mills;  six  church  edifices  — two  Metho- 
dist, two  Free-will  Baptist,  a  Unitarian,  and  a  Congregational;  six- 
teen school  districts,  and  an  academy.  Population,  2,290;  valuation, 
$329,206. 

Starks,  Somerset  county,  lies  on  the  west  side  of  the  Kennebec  river, 
at  its  junction  with  the  Sandy  river.  James  Waugh,  of  Townsend, 
Mass.,  was  the  first  settler,  who,  prior  to  his  removal,  had  resided  for 

'  A  petition  dated  September  27,  1784,  signed  by  Jobn  Sanborn,  George  Freeman, 
Jonathan  Philbrick,  Daniel  Lowell,  and  Daniel  Hasty,  "  in  the  name  of  the  plantation," 
was  presented  to  the  legislature.  They  say :  "  Your  petitioners  are  ready  to  declare 
that  they  have  not  even  a  wish  to  be  excused  from  their  full  and  just  proportion  of  public 
burdens,  according  to  their  utmost  abilities,  and  that  they  had  no  such  object  in  view  in 
their  late  application.  It  was  their  humble  opinion,  and  they  beg  leave  to  say  it  is  their 
serious  opinion  still,  that  the  hardships  they  have  suffered  in  bringing  forward  a  settlement 
in  the  midst  of  a  howling  wilderness,  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  native  savages, 
Indians,  and  wild  beasts,- — twenty  miles  to  the  nearest  market,  —  to  which  they  make 
their  way  through  roads  almost  impassable  at  firet,  and  which  required  vast  labor  to 
render  them  comfortably  passable,  —  your  petitioners  say  it  is  their  serious  and  unshaken 
opinion  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  plantation,  induced  by  poverty  to  settle  in  a  desert, 
and  subdue  overgrown  forests,  —  destitute  to  this  time  of  the  conveniences,  and  frequently 
of  the  necessaries,  of  life,  have  borne  a  burden  full  equal  to  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  commonwealth,  taking  into  the  account  the  small  assistance  they  have  afforded  in 
■men  and  supplies  in  the  late  war.  Few,  if  an)',  persons  in  the  plantation  could  have  had 
any  knowledge  of  such  taxes,  as  most  of  them  were  residents  of  other  and  distant  places, 
where  they  paid  taxes  for  a  number  of  years  after  the  levy  of  a  part  of  these  taxes. 
Tour  petitioners  confess  themselves  perfectly  confounded  at  the  prospect  of  a  burden 
sufficient  to  crush  them  and  their  unhappy  families  to  ruin.  They  are  still  resolved, 
however,  to  confide  in  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  representatives  of  the  body  of  the 
people." 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    ST.  ALBANS,   ETC.  315 

some  years  in  Clinton.  The  history  of  the  arrival  of  this  settler  is 
briefly  this :  Hearing  that  the  New  Plymouth  Company  were  making 
liberal  offers  for  the  encouragement  of  settlers,  he  thought  he  would 
avail  himself  of  this  favorable  opportunity  to  secure  a  home ;  and,  in 
1772,  with  his  knapsack,  dog,  and  gun,  started  up  the  Kennebec  in 
pursuit  of  a  farm.  He  ascended  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Sandy  river, 
and,  near  it,  selected  a  lot.  In  1774,  he  returned,  accompanied  by  three 
of  his  neighbors,  who  brought  with  them  their  famUies,  all  of  whom 
forthwith  turned  their  attention  to  clearing  the  lands  and  building  suit- 
able habitations.  In  1790,  only  sixteen  years  subsequent  to  the  arrival 
of  Waugh  and  his  three  comrades,  there  M^ere  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  persons  within  the  limits  of  the  town. 

Starks  was  incorporated  February  28,  1795,  and  received  its  name 
from  Major-Generai  John  Stark,  the  hero  of  Bennington.  It  contains 
an  area  of  seventeen  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres ;  of 
which  three  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  are  in  roads,  and  two  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  twenty-four  in  waste  lands.  '  It  is  drained  by 
Sandy  river.  The  level  appearance  and  general  fertility  of  the  soil 
lying  upon  this  river  are  subjects  of  frequent  remark  and  commenda- 
tion. Agriculture  is  the  leading  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants.  Starks  is 
advancing  in  its  industrial  enterprises,  and  in  all  that  adds  to  the 
prosperity  and  dignity  of  a  town.  There  are  two  church  edifices,  both 
occupied  by  the  various  religious  denominations  alternately ;  thirteen 
school  districts,  with  twenty-four  schools ;  several  saw-mills  and  grist- 
mills;  one  tannery;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,446  ;  valuation, 
$211,276. 

St.  Albans,  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Somerset  county,  con- 
tains an  area  of  23,040  acres.  It  was  sold  by  the  state  of  Massachu- 
setts, in  1799,  to  John  Warren  of  Boston,  and  was  very  soon  after 
settled.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  June  14,  1813.  The  sur- 
face is  undulating.  Water  is  supplied  by  Indian  pond,  and  by  a  stream, 
that  forms  its  outlet,  falling  into  the  Sebasticook.  The  town  has  one  vil- 
lage, centrally  situated,  two  religious  societies  —  Congregational  and 
Free-will  Baptist;  fifteen  school  districts,  and  sixteen  public  schools; 
two  saw-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  and  one  post-office.  The  occupation 
of  the  inhabitants  is  principally  agriculture,  the  products  of  which  form 
the  main  portion  of  the  trade  of  the  town.  Population,  1,792 ;  valu- 
ation for  1857,  $200,000. 

St.  George,  a  peninsula  in  the  eastern  part  of  Lincoln  county,  is 
bounded  on  the  southeast  by  the  ocean,  and  on  the  west  by  St.  George's 


316  HISTORY  AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

river.  It  originally  comprised  a  part  of  Gushing.  It  is  stated  that  a 
settlement  was  commenced  here  by  two  families,  as  early  as  1635  ;  but, 
for  want  of  encouragement,  little  further  progress  was  made,  and  it  was 
known  for  a  long  time  merely  as  an  English  frontier.  When  this  sec- 
tion of  country  was  first  settled,  this  peninsula  was  noted  for  the 
immense  flocks  of  wild  ducks,  geese,  and  other  waterfowl,  that  had 
their  haunts  on  it,  and  on  the  adjacent  islands  in  the  bay;  in  killing 
which  the  natives,  as  well  as  the  English,  had  rare  sport. 

During  Lovewell's  war,  in  the  spring  of  1724,  St.  George  was  the 
scene  of  a  most  tragic  encounter  between  the  whites  and  natives. 
Captain  Winslow,  a  descendant  of  the  governor  of  that  name,  having 
been  left  in  charge  of  the  fort  at  Thomaston,  time  hanging  heavily  on 
his  hands,  proposed  taking  a  pleasure  excursion  down  the  river  to  the 
islands.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  May  11,  the  weather  being 
fine,  he  selected  a  party  of  sixteen  from  the  garrison  to  accompany  him, 
and  proceeded  in  a  couple  of  staunch  whale-boats  to  the  scene  of  the 
intended  rendezvous.  It  was  said  by  those  Indians  who  saw  them,  that 
they  had  a  fine  time  in  shooting  fowl  on  the  islands ;  and  the  sport 
must  have  been  enticing,  as  they  did  not  set  out  on  their  return  till  the 
evening  of  the  next  day.  While  on  their  homeward  voyage,  they  were 
attacked  by  a  large  party  of  Indians  in  ambush  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  and  every  one  of  them  murdered ;  leaving  only  their  savage  ene- 
mies to  relate  the  story  of  their  melancholy  fate.  Cotton  Mather 
preached  a  funeral  sermon  on  the  death  of  young  Winslow  and  his 
companions,  in  which  he  commemorated  the  event  in  fitting  terms. 

St.  George  was  incorporated  in  1803.  It  has  superior  facilities  for 
navigation,  and  a  large  number  of  vessels  are  employed  in  the  lumber 
and  coasting  trade,  and  in  the  prosecution  of  that  lucrative  branch  of 
business  —  the  fisheries.  Ship-building  is  carried  on  to  some  extent, 
averaging  three  or  four  vessels  annually.  The  town  has  three  Baptist 
societies  ;  eighteen  school  districts,  with  thirty-four  schools ;  a  number 
of  stores,  a  grist-mill,  five  ship-builders,  and  t^vo  post-offices  —  St. 
George  and  Tenant's  Harbor.     Population,  2,217 ;  valuation,  $233,820. 

Stetson,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Penobscot  county,  contains 
an  area  of  23,040  acres.  It  is  a  town  of  recent  settlement,  and  was  in- 
corporated in  1831.  The  surface  is  quite  level,  and  the  soil  good  for 
agricultural  purposes.  It  is  watered  by  two  ponds,  one  lying  near  the 
centre,  having  its  outlet  in  Newport  pond,  and  the  other  in  the  southern 
part.  The  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  Railroad  passes  across  the  south- 
west corner.  Stetson  has  one  village  ;  an  academy ;  one  church  edi- 
fice —  Union  ;  eight  school  districts,  and  seven  schools  ;  a  tannery,  doing 


MAINE TOWN    OF    STEUBEN,    ETC.  317 

a  large  business;  one  saw-mill,  one  grist-miU,  and  two  post-ofHces  — 
Stetson  and  East  Stetson.     Population,  885  ;  valuation,  $78,987. 

Steuben  is  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  in  the  southwesterly  part  of 
Washington  county,  and  was  Number  4  of  the  six  second  class 
townships  granted  in  1762  by  Massachusetts  to  an  association  of  peti- 
tioners ;  but,  the  grantees  failing  to  comply  with  the  terms  upon  which 
the  grant  had  been  made,  it  reverted  to  the  state,  and  a  new  grant  was 
made  August  26,  1794,  to  Thomas  Ruston.  On  the  27th  of  February, 
1795,  Steuben  was  incorporated,  receiving  its  name  in  honor  of  the  cel- 
ebrated Baron  Steuben.  The  progress  of  the  settlement,  notwithstand- 
ing its  advantageous  location  for  commerce,  was  slow.  The  surface  is 
uneven,  and  the  soil  hard  and  rocky.  The  leading  pursuit  of  the  inhab- 
tants  is  seafaring.  A  number  of  vessels  are  owned  here,  varying  from 
six  hundred  tons  downwards.  Steuben  has  one  village,  two  church 
edifices  —  Methodist  and  Universalist ;  four  saw-miUs ;  two  grist-mills ; 
a  few  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard  machines;  eleven  school  districts, 
with  eighteen  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,122 ;  veilua- 
tion,  1119,136. 

Stockton,  Waldo  county,  lies  on  the  west  side  of  Penobscot  river, 
having  a  shore  of  about  eight  miles,  and  is  fifty-two  miles  from  Au- 
gusta. It  was  incorporated  from  Prospect,  March  13, 1857,  up  to  which 
time  the  history  of  both  is  almost  identical.  The  soil  is  generally  of  a 
good  quaUty,  and  the  surface,  of  which  there  are  about  eighteen  square 
miles,  level.  There  are  no  rivers  coursing  through  the  territory,  and 
there  is  but  one  pond,  known  by  the  name  of  Tide  Mill.  Sandy  Point, 
Fort  Point  cove,  and  Cape  Jellison  are  good  harbors,  affording  suffi- 
cient depth  of  water  for  the  largest  merchant  vessels  that  sail  on  the 
Penobscot,  with  excellent  anchorage  accommodations.  A  light-house, 
erected  in  the  year  1837,  stands  on  Fort  Point,  which  has  an  elevation 
of  123  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  has  a  fixed  light,  the  lamps 
being  about  eighty-seven  feet  from  the  ground. 

There  are  three  villages,  two  of  which  —  Hichborn's  Corner  and 
Sandy  Point — are  of  considerable  size;  the  other  is  but  a  small  settle- 
ment of  four  or  five  families,  near  Tide  Mill  pond.  The  Universalists 
and  Congregationalists  are  the  principal  religious  denominations,  the 
former  having  two  church  edifices,  and  the  latter  one.  There  are  twelve 
schools,  each  of  which  has  a  good  school-house;  two  post-offices — 
Stockton  and  Sandy  Point;  twelve  stores,  with  a  capital  of  $16,000; 
four  saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  two  lath  mills,  one  carding-macliine, 

27* 


318  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

one  cloth-dressing  mill,  one  tannery,  four  ship  yards,  six  blacksmith's 
shops,  and  several  other  small  mechanic  shops.  Population,  by  esti- 
mate, about  1,800 ;  valuation,  at  the  time  of  the  separation  from  Pros- 
pect, $232,000. 

Stoneham  is  a  small  town  in  Oxford  county,  occupying  the  place  of  a 
wedge  between  Lovell  and  Albany.  It  was  incorporated  in  1834,  and 
has  some  trade  in  manufactured  lumber,  such  as  boards,  shingles,  shooks, 
and  hoops.  There  are  two  saw-mills,  and  two  stave  mills  ^ — the  lat- 
ter of  which  are  used  in  manufacturing  red  oak  staves  for  cigar  boxes ; 
one  village  —  East  Stoneham ;  six  school  districts,  with  the  same  num- 
ber of  schools  ;  and  one  post-ofEce,  situated  at  the  village.  Population, 
484 ;  valuation,  $25,390. 

Stow,  Oxford  county,  is  seventy-five  miles  from  Augusta,  and  thirty 
from  Paris.  The  original  settlers  were  Isaac  James,  Micah  and  Simeon 
Abbott,  from  Andover,  Mass.,  William  Howard  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  and 
Samuel  Farrington  of  Fryeburg,  Me.  The  first  settlement  was  com- 
menced in  1770.  The  Abbotts  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  in  part 
from  the  proprietors  of  Fryeburg,  in  part  from  William  Steele  of  Con- 
cord, N.  H.,  and  in  part  from  Judge  Phillips  of  Andover,  Mass. ;  and 
Mr.  Howard  obtained  his  from  Jonathan  Robinson  of  Fryeburg.  Stow 
was  a  part  of  the  Pequawket  tract,  so  called  from  a  tribe  of  Indians  who 
resided  within  its  limits. 

Corporate  privileges  were  conferred  on  Stow  in  1834.  The  surface  is 
rather  uneven,  but  not  broken.  Speckled  mountain  is  situated  in  the 
northern  part,  and  Great  and  Little  Cold  rivers  supply  abundance  of 
water.  Agriculture  is  the  principal  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants.  There 
are  one  village,  one  post-office  ;  one  church,  owned  by  the  Methodist  de- 
nomination ;  and  eight  school  districts,  with  thirteen  schools.  Popula- 
tion, 471 ;  valuation,  in  1856,  $65,525. 

Strong,  Franklin  county,  lies  directly  north  of  Farmington,  on  the 
Sandy  river,  and  was  formerly  known  as  Middletown.  The  first  settle- 
ment was  made  as  early  as  1784,  by  William  Read,  from  Nobleborough, 
in  this  state,  who  was  followed  by  Edward  Flint,  John  Day,  David  and 
Joseph  Humphrey,  Jacob  Sawyer,  William  Hiscock,  Benjamin  Dodge, 
Timothy  Merry,  Ehab  Eaton,  Peter  Patterson,  Robert  McLeary,  and  one 
Ellsworth,  all  from  the  same  place  or  vicinity.  Richard  Clark  and 
Joseph  Kersey  settled  about  1792.  The  township  was  purchased  of  the 
state  by  an  association  of  individuals,  of  whom  William  Read  was  one, 
and  who  acted  as  their  agent  in  the  purchase  and  survey  of  the  town. 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    SULLIVAN.  319 

The  state  reserved  one  lot  for  a  Mr.  Pierpole,  on  virhich  he  had  settled, 
after  leaving  Farmington  falls.  He  put  up  the  second  framed  house, 
where  he  remained  till  1801,  when  he  left,  and  went  to  Canada  with  his 
family.  The  inhabitants  of  this  town,  as  well  as  those  located  higher 
up  the  river,  frequently  had  to  go  to  Winthrop  to  mill,  and,  for  some 
years,  were  compelled  to  use  mortars. 

Strong  was  incorporated  January  31,  1801,  taking  its  name  from 
the  circumstance  of  the  act  of  incorporation  being  the  first  act  of  the 
kind  which  bore  the  signature  of  Caleb  Strong,  governor  of  Massachu- 
setts. It  embraces  a  territory  of  seven  miles  from  north  to  south, 
and  five  from  east  to  west.  The  soil  is  strong  and  fertile,  though  the 
surface  is  somewhat  uneven.  It  has  a  considerably  large  pond  in  the 
eastern  extremity,  at  the  outlet  of  which  stand  a  saw-mill  and  a  clover- 
mill.  There  is  a  grist-mill  on  the  Sandy  river ;  and  on  the  northeast 
branch  of  the  Sandy  river  are  a  grist-mill,  saw-mill,  fulling-mill,  carding- 
machine,  starch  factory,  tannery,  and  various  kinds  of  mechanic  shops, 
and  a  very  pretty  village.  Just  below  this  village,  a  bridge  crosses  the 
Sandy  river.  A  meeting-house  is  situated  at  the  northeast  branch  of 
the  Sandy  river,  one  at  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  and  one  in  the  east- 
erly section,  all  of  which  are  chiefly  occupied  by  the  Episcopal  Meth- 
odists. There  is  another  meeting-house  in  the  northeast  part,  owned 
and  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists.  There  are  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts, with  fourteen  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Strong  and  East 
Strong.     Population,  1,008 ;  valuation,  ^169,091. 

Sullivan,  Hancock  county,  which  previous  to  its  incorporation  was 
called  New  Bristol,  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  northern  side  of  French- 
man's bay.  The  township  was  granted  to  David  Bean  and  associates, 
in  1761,  by  the  colonial  government  of  Massachusetts,  on  condition  that 
the  grant  should  be  ratified  by  the  king  within  eighteen  months.  It 
was  sent  out  accordingly,  but  the  king  refused  to  comply  with  the 
request  The  first  settlers  came  from  York,  and  arrived  here  in  1762, 
among  whom  we  find  the  names  of  Simson,  Bragdon,  Sullivan,  Bean, 
Preble,  Gordon,  Blaisdell,  Johnson,  Card,  and  Hammond.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolution,  nearly  two  thirds  of  these  settlers  moved 
back  to  York,  from  which  county  they  never  returned.  The  principal 
object  which  had  attracted  them  hither  was  the  lumber  trade.  In  1798, 
the  settlers  made  application  to  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  to 
secure  then-  lands.  In  1800,  the  legislature  passed  resolutions  granting  to 
each  of  the  settlers  one  hundred  acres  by  each  man's  paying  into  the 
public  treasury  the  sum  of  five  dollars.  Those  who  moved  back  to  York 
put  in  a  claim  for  damages  sustained,  and  the  legislature  granted  them 


320  HISTORY  AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

fifty  acres  each.  After  these  lots  were  appropriated  to  the  settlers,  there 
remained  about  nine  thousand  acres,  which  the  resolve  gave  to  Bow- 
doin  and  Williams  Colleges.  The  Indian  name  of  the  town  was 
Wakeag,  signifying  "  a  seal." 

Li  1789,  Sullivan  was  incorporated,  the  name  being  given  in  compli- 
ment to  one  of  the  original  settlers.  The  surface  is  very  uneven,  but 
the  soil  is  generally  good,  and  adapted  to  the  raising  of  hay,  grain,  and 
other  agricultural  products,  to  which  considerable  attention  is  paid. 
Some  little  attention  is  devoted  to  manufactures,  as  well  as  to  ship- 
building. In  the  eastern  part  are  two  streams,  which  furnish  water- 
power  for  several  mills,  at  which  a  considerable  amount  of  lumber  is 
manufactured.  Sullivan  has  one  church  edifice,  occupied  by  the  Bap- 
tists, Methodists,  and  Universalists ;  seven  school  districts,  with  seven 
schools ;  and  two  post-offices,  Sullivan  and  East  Sullivan.  Population, 
810 ;  valuation,  $107,255. 

Sdmnek,  Oxford  county,  is  situated  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Oxford 
hills,  having  Peru  on  the  north,  Hartford  on  the  east,  Buckfield  on  the 
south,  and  Paris  and  Woodstock  on  the  west.  Sumner  was  originally 
united  with  Hartford,  under  the  respective  names  of  East  and  West 
Butterfield ;  but,  in  1798,  it  was  separately  incorporated,  and  the  name 
of  Sumner  given  to  it,  from  Governor  Increase  Sumner.  The  first  set- 
tlement was  made  in  1783,  in  the  southeast  part,  by  Increase  Robinson 
and  Noah  Bosworth.  Most  of  the  first  settlers  came  from  Plymouth 
county,  Mass.,  and  were  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Among  the  earliest 
settlers  were  Increase  and  Joseph  Robinson,  Simeon  Barrett,  Noah 
Bosworth,  Hezekiah  Stetson,  John  Briggs,  John  Crockett,  Benjamin 
Heald,  Mesech  Keen,  Barney  Jackson,  and  Oliver  Cummings.  They 
obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  the  state  of  Massachusetts. 

The  first  blow  struck  by  the  axe,  in  what  is  now  the  centre  of  the 
town,  was  by  Oliver  Cummings,  from  Dunstable.  The  first  settlers, 
among  other  privations,  were  compelled  to  go  to  Turner,  a  distance  of 
ten  miles  by  "  a  spotted  line,"  to  miU,  carrying  their  grain  on  their 
backs.  Increase  Robinson  afterwards  erected  a  saw-mill  and  a  grist- 
mill, the  first  of  which  has  been  rebuilt,  and  the  last  replaced  by  a 
shingle  machine  and  starch  factory,  besides  which  there  are  two  saw- 
mills, two  grist-mills,  one  shingle  machine,  one  clover-mill,  and  one 
powder-mill.  The  surface  is  somewhat  broken  and  uneven.  A  por- 
tion of  Black  mountain,  noted  for  its  large  growth  of  blueberries,  is 
located  in  Sumner;  as  also  three  ponds,  known  by  the  names  of 
Pleasant,  Labrador,  and  North  ponds.  Twenty  Mile  river,  which  has 
its  rise  in  Franklin  plantation,  passes  through  to  Buckfield ;  and  the 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   SURRY,   ETC.  321 

east  branch  of  this  river,  having  its  rise  in  Peru  and  emptying  its 
waters  into  Twenty  Mile  river  in  Buckfield,  divides  this  town  from  Hart- 
ford. There  is  one  village,  called  Jackson.  The  inhabitants  are  en- 
gaged, for  the  most  part,  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

There  are  five  religious  societies  in  Sumner,  namely,  Congregational, 
Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  only  the  two 
former  of  which  have  meeting-houses.  There  are  fourteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  twenty-six  schools ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Sumner,  West 
Sumner,  and  East  Sumner.     Population,  1,151 ;  valuation,  f  168,070. 

Surry  is  situated  in  the  southerly  part  of  Hancock  county,  on  Patten 
bay.  The  earliest  settlers  were  John  Patten,  Hopkinson  Flood,  An- 
drew Flood,  Leonard  Jarvis,  Wilbraham  Swett,  Matthew  Ray,  James 
Ray,  Samuel  Joy,  Isaac  Lord,  James  McFarland,  and  Hezekiah  Cog- 
gins,  who  came  mainly  from  the  w^estern  part  of  the  state.  They  set- 
tled here  about  the  year  1785.  The  town  was  incorporated  March  21, 
1803.  Stephen  Conary,  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  is  a  resident  of 
this  town.  He  was  wounded  in  the  hand  by  the  accidental  explosion 
of  a  musket,  while  opposing  the  landing  of  a  party  of  British  soldiers  on 
the  shores  of  Wiscasset. 

Surry  has  an  area  of  about  21,025  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is  con- 
siderably broken.  It  is  well  watered  by  two  ponds,  lying  between  Surry 
and  Ellsworth,  called  Patten's  ponds  —  Patten's  stream  being  the  outlet ; 
also  one  near  the  line  between  Surry  and  Penobscot,  called  Toddy 
pond.  The  productive  industry  of  the  town  is  about  equally  divided 
between  agriculture,  ship-building,  and  the  lumber  business.  During 
the  past  ten  years,  thirty  vessels,  of  different  sizes  and  models,  have  been 
built,  averaging  two  hundred  tons  each.  There  are  two  societies  — 
Methodist  and  Baptist,  each  having  a  house  of  public  worship ;  also 
one  small  village,  situated  at  the  head  of  Patten's  bay,  at  which  there  is 
a  post-office ;  eight  school  districts,  with  seventeen  schools ;  one  grist- 
mill, two  saw-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  and  three  ship-builders.  Popula- 
tion in  1850,  1,189;  valuation  for  1856,  from  the  assessors'  books, 
$132,588. 

SwANVlLLE  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Waldo  county,  and 
formed  a  part  of  the  Waldo  Patent.  It  was  formerly  known  as  the 
plantation  of  Swan.  The  petition  for  incorporation  was  presented  by 
James  Leach  and  thirty-seven  others,  in  November,  1816,  and  set  forth 
that  they  had  one  hundred  ratable  polls,  fifty-six  legal  voters,  and  fifty- 
eight  soldiers  enrolled  in  the  militia ;  that  Mr.  Sullivan,  the  present  pro- 
prietor, had  appointed  an  agent  to  make  conveyance  to  settlers,  who  had 


322  HISTOKT  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

recently  made  many  purchases,  and  the  settlement,  in  consequence,  was 
rapidly  increasing.  The  petition  was  allowed  February  19,  1819.  The 
face  of  the  country  in  Swanville  is  not  very  level ;  but  the  soil  is  toler- 
ably productive.  There  is  one  village,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Mills. 
There  are  six  school  districts,  with  nine  schools ;  one  post-office,  three 
saw-mills,  and  two  blacksmith's  shops.  No  church  edifice  has  yet  been 
erected ;  but  religious  meetings  are  sometimes  held.  Population,  944 ; 
valuation,  $102,999. 

Sweden,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Oxford  county,  forty-five 
miles  northwest  from  Portland,  and  sixty-seven  southwest  from  Augusta, 
formed  a  part  of  the  grant  made  to  Captain  Lovewell's  little  company, 
by  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  for  services  in  the  Indian  wars, 
and  was  called  the  Pequawket  country,  from  the  Pequawket  Indians,  (a 
branch  of. the  Sokokis  tribe,)  who  lived  here.  The  first  settlement  was 
made  by  Samuel  Nevers,  from  Burlington,  Mass.,  in  1794.  He  was 
followed,  in  1795-6,  by  Benjamin  Webber  from  Bedford,  Jacob  Stevens 
from  Rowley,  Andrew  Woodbury  and  Micah  Trull  from  Tewksbury, 
and  Peter  Holden  from  Maiden,  Mass.  Nevers  and  Trull,  Mrs.  Holden 
and  Mrs.  Woodbury,  were  still  living  in  January,  1857,  at  a  good  old 
age,  and  on  the  farms  they  originally  occupied,  whilst  their  compan- 
ions in  the  privations,  dangers,  and  hardships  of  a  pioneer  life,  have 
within  the  last  few  years  been  gathered  to  their  fathers.  Nevers  is  now 
in  his  ninety-first  year.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  embarked  on  board 
the  Rider- Rally,  Captain  Baldwin,  a  vessel  fitted  out  in  Boston  as  a 
privateer  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  which  was  captured  by 
the  British  brig  Chatham.  He  was  impressed  into  the  British  service, 
where  he  remained  about  one  year,  when  the  vessel  put  in  to  New  York, 
and  he  effected  his  escape. 

Sweden  was  incorporated  in  the  year  1813.  The  soil  is  good  for 
farming  purposes,  and  is  particularly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  grains. 
Kezar  river  crosses  the  west  part,  and  on  the  northeast  are  two  ponds,  by 
which  the  town  is  drained.  There  are  eight  school  districts,  with  eight 
schools,  one  church  (Congregational),  and  one  post-office.  Population, 
696 ;  valuation,  $124,268. 

Temple,  in  the  south  part  of  Franklin  county,  lies  west  of  Farmington 
and  north  of  Wilton,  and  takes  its  name  from  a  town  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, from  which  many  of  the  early  settlers  emigrated.  Temple  was 
formerly  known  as  No.  1  of  Abbot's  purchase ;  and  the  first  settle- 
ments were  commenced  about  1796.  Joseph  Holland  and  Samuel 
Briggs  were  the  first  two  who  moved  into  the  place.     They  were  soon 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   THOMASTON.  323 

followed  by  James  Tuttle,  Moses  Adams,  John  Kenney,  Jonathan 
Ballard,  William  Dniry,  Asa  Mitchell,  Samuel  Lawrence,  Gideon  and 
George  Staples,  and  others.  Mr.  Tuttle,  who  settled  at  the  centre  of  the 
town,  was  soon  succeeded  by  Benjamin  Abbot,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  useful  and  respected  citizens  in  the  place.  He  died  in  1823,  aged 
fifty-three. 

Temple,  at  the  commencement  of  the  settlement,  was  owned  by 
Benjamin  Phillips  of  Boston,  but  was  surveyed  and  settled  under  the 
agency  of  Jacob  Abbot,  late  of  Brunswick,  in  this  state,  who  subse- 
quently purchased  the  residue  of  Mr.  Phillips's  eastern  lands.  Temple 
was  incorporated  June  20,  1803.  It  is  somewhat  mountainous,  embrac- 
ing quite  a  portion  of  the  Blue  ridge  ;  but  the  land  is  good  for  grazing. 
The  best  of  sheep  are  raised  here.  It  is  watered  principally  by  the 
Starling  or  Davis  Mill  stream,  on  which  there  are  a  grist-mill  and  some 
two  or  three  saw-mills,  a  starch  factory  and  machine  shop. 

There  are  two  meeting-houses  —  Congregational  and  Methodist. 
Stated  meetings  have  been  continued  from  the  period  of  the  first  settle- 
ment by  these  societies,  and  also  by  the  Free-will  Baptists.  Temple 
has  nine  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  —  Temple  Mills.  Popula- 
tion, 785 ;  valuation,  $72,550. 

Thomaston,  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Lincoln  county,  on  St. 
George's  river,  is  bounded  on  the  north  and  east  by  the  city  of  Rock- 
land, on  the  south  by  St.  George  and  Gushing,  and  on  the  west  by  War- 
ren, and  originally  belonged  to  the  Muscongus,  afterwards  known  as  the 
Waldo  Patent.  The  first  information  of  this  place  dates  as  far  back  as 
1630,  at  which  time  a  trading-house  was  erected  by  the  proprietors  on 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  for  the  purpose  of  traffic  with  the  natives. 
No  attempt,  however,  was  made  to  settle  it  for  nearly  a  century  subse- 
quent to  that  period.  In  1719-20,  two  strong  block-houses  were 
erected ;  and  the  old  trading-house,  which  was  situated  directly  in  front 
of  the  spot  where  the  residence  of  the  late  General  Knox  now  stands, 
was  remodelled,  being  made  into  a  sort  of  fort,  the  large  area  between 
this  and  the  block-house  being  inclosed  with  palisades.  These  improve- , 
ments  were  made  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  the  immigration  of 
settlers,  assuring  them,  as  it  would,  of  security  in  case  of  attack  from 
the  Indians.  As  a  still  further  inducement,  the  proprietors  built  a  double 
saw-mill  on  a  stream  ever  since  known  as  Mill  Creek ;  erected  thirty 
frames  for  dwellings,  and  maintained  a  garrison  of  twenty  men,  under 
command  of  Captain  Thomas  Westbrook.^ 

'  Report  of  Committee  of  General  Court,  1731.     Waldo's  petition  to  Gov.  Belcher. 
Mass.  MS.  Papers,  vol.  cxiv.,  pp.  116-152. 


324  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  Indians  regarded  this  preparation  for  a  settlement  by  the  English 
as  an  unwarrantable  encroachment  upon  their  rights,  and  as  an  attempt 
to  wrest  from  them  the  fairest  portion  of  their  eastern  possessions. 
They  earnestly  protested  against  these  proceedings;  in  reply  to  which, 
the  English  asserted  that  they  (the  Indians)  had  sold  the  land  to  Gov- 
ernor Phips,  the  deed  having  been  signed  by  one  of  their  chiefs,  Madock- 
awando.  In  reply  to  this,  the  Indians  maintained  that  the  Madocka- 
wando,  and  Sheepscot  John,  who  signed  the  deed,  were  not  Penobscot 
Indians,  one  belonging  to  Machias,  and  the  other  in  the  vicinity  of  Bos- 
ton ;  consequently,  these  chiefs  had  disposed  of  what  did  not  rightfully 
belong  to  them,  and  the  deed  was  therefore  nuU  and  void.  These  rep- 
resentations, however,  failed  to  convince  the  English,  and  they  refused 
to  give  the  Indians  any  further  compensation  than  that  which  had  been 
paid  them  by  Governor  Phips  through  Madockawando. 

The  Indians,  failing  to  persuade  or  frighten  the  English  to  abandon 
their  designs,  determined  on  attacking  the  infant  settlement.  The 
government,  anticipating  the  attack,  accepted  the  proposition  of  the 
proprietors  to  make  this  a  public  fortress,  and  sent  down  a  force  of 
forty-five  men  with  cannon,  and  aU  the  necessary  munitions  of  war.^ 
On  the  15th  of  June  of  that  year  (1722),  the  Indians  made  a  descent 
upon  the  place,  burning  the  saw-mill,  setting  fire  to  a  sloop  in  the  har- 
bor, and  destroying  all  the  houses  and  frames,  that  had  been  erected  but 
a  short  time  before.  They  then  made  a  vigorous  assault  upon  the  fort 
and  block-houses,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  and  hazard  that 
the  garrison  saved  them  from  destruction.^  The  Indians  retired  for  a 
short  time  only  to  rally  again  in  greater  force.  In  July,  only  a  few 
weeks  later,  they  renewed  the  attack,  and  prosecuted  the  siege  with  un- 
remitting perseverance  for  twelve  days ;  ^  but  they  were  unable  to  alarm 
the  garrison  until  they  had  made  considerable  progress  in  undermining 
one  side  of  the  fort,  when,  fortunately,  heavy  rains  came  on,  causing  the 
banks  of  the  trenches  to  cave  in  upon  the  besiegers,  and  forcing  them 
to  abandon  the  enterprise.  During  this  siege  the  Indians  lost  twenty 
of  their  number,  while  the  garrison  lost  but  five. 

This  failure,  instead  of  dispiriting  the  savages,  seemed  to  spur  them 
on  to  renewed  exertions  ;  and,  on  the  28th  December,  1723,  they  made 
another  onslaught  upon  the  fortress,  continuing  the  siege  for  thirty  days, 
at  the  end  of  which  Captain  Westbrook,  who  had  previously  been  suc- 
ceeded in  the  command  of  the  place  by  Captain  Kennedy,  came  to  the 

'■  Mass.  Rec.  x.,  p.  380.     Com.  Rep.  1812,  p.  60. 
'  Report  of  Committee  of  General  Court,  1731. 

'  AVilliamson's  Hist  Maine,  vol.  ii.,  p.  115.  —  Eaton,  in  Annals  of  Warren,  saya  the 
attack  was  made  Aumst  14. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   THOMASTON.  325 

rescue,  and  put  the  Indians  to  flight.^  Even  this  did  not  damp  their 
ardor,  and  still  another  effort  was  made  the  following  year  to  seize  the 
fortress ;  but  this  also  proving  unsuccessful,  all  further  attempts  were 
abandoned. 

In  1729,  Waldo  had  engaged  a  clergyman  and  120  families  to  come 
here  and  settle ;  but,  owing  to  the  proceedings  of  Colonel  David 
Dunbar,  who  enjoyed  a  brief  authority  in  this  province,  they  did  not 
arrive  as  soon  as  they  intended,  and  the  settlement  of  the  place  was 
again  deferred.  In  1732,  it  was  visited  by  Governor  Belcher,  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  from  the  Indians  their  wants  and  their  grievances, 
and  of  making  such  provision  for  them  as  might  be  necessary.  He  lis- 
tened to  their  several  complaints,  assuring  them  of  redress ;  and,  after 
distributing  presents  among  them  and  drinking  the  king's  health,  he 
departed.  In  a  subsequent  message  to  the  legislature,  he  pronounced  a 
high  eulogium  upon  the  soil,  rivers,  and  natural  advantages  of  the 
country ;  and,  among  other  things,  recommended  the  rebuilding  of  the 
fort,  it  being  then  in  a  state  of  decay,  and  there  being  an  abundance  of 
good  stone  and  lime  to  aid  in  its  erection.^ 

Not  at  all  discouraged  by  the  past  frustration  of  his  plans,  Waldo 
succeeded,  in  1735,  in  entering  into  an  engagement  with  twenty-seven 
persons  to  settle  on  his  lands  on  the  St.  George ;  but  they,  having  but 
recently  arrived  from  Europe  and  not  being  acquainted  with  the  man- 
agement of  new  lands,  accomplished  but  little  in  the  way  of  hus- 
bandry. Waldo,  however,  continued  with  renewed  activity  to  make 
improvements  on  his  settlements.  He  erected  a  grist-mill  on  the  river 
in  1740,  —  a  strong  proof  that  the  settlers  had  made  some  progress  in 
agriculture,  and  were  beginning  to  raise  a  sufficiency  of  grain  to  supply 
themselves  A\dth  bread.  Harassing  conflicts  with  the  Indians  made  fre- 
quent inroads  upon  the  settlement  for  some  time  after.  Nothing  of  a 
permanent  character  seemed  to  exist  here  until  the  arrival  of  Mason 
Wheaton,  who  settled  on  Mill  river  in  1763. 

There  are  various  opinions  concerning  the  derivation  of  the  name  the 
town  bears.  Williamson,  the  historian  of  Maine,  says,  it  was  named 
in  honor  of  Major-General  John  Thomas  of  Massachusetts,  an  officer 
in  the  American  army,  who  died  at  Chamblee  in  the  early  part  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Others  say  it  was  named  from  Thomaston,  in  Ire-, 
land,  from  whence  some  of  the  original  settlers  came.  The  town  was 
incorporated  in  1777.  General  Peleg  Wadsworth  and  Major-General 
Henry  Knox  were  residents  of  this  town. 

'  Hutchinson's  History,  vol.  ii.,  p.  276. 

'  Indian  Conference  of  1 732 ;  and  "Waldo's  petition. 

VOL.  I.  28 


326  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  surface  is  gently  undulating,  and  drained  by  Oyster  and  Mill 
rivers  and  Weskeag  stream,  the  latter  of  which  forms  a  part  of  the 
eastern  boundary.  There  are  some  fine  farms  in  Thomaston ;  and, 
were  it  not  that  the  inhabitants  are  extensively  engaged  in  quarrying, 
lime-burning,  and  ship-building,  there  might  be  many  more.  There  are 
several  valuable  quarries  of  limestone;  but  they  are  not  worked  as 
extensively  as  formerly,  Rockland  having  taken  the  lead  in  this  branch 
of  business.  The  inhabitants,  therefore,  are  turning  their  attention 
more  exclusively  to  ship-building.  The  state  prison  is  located  here. 
The  following  statistics  will  doubtless  prove  interesting:  Whole  num- 
ber received  since  July  2,  1824,  1,186;  discharged  on  expiration  of  sen- 
tence, 845 ;  on  writ  of  error,  one ;  pardoned,  205 ;  died,  29 ;  escaped 
and  not  retaken,  9;  removed  to  insane  hospital,  4;  number  remaining, 
December  31,  1856,  93.  There  are  only  one  village,  extending  over  a 
large  part  of  the  town;  one  post-office;  five  societies  —  two  Baptist, 
one  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Unitarian,  each  of  which, 
except  the  Methodist,  has  a  house  of  public  worship.  There  are 
a  few  Catholics  in  town ;  but  they  have  no  resident  priest,  though  they 
have  services  occasionally.  There  are  two  banks,  doing  business  on  a 
capital  of  5!50,000  each ;  one  steam  mill ;  an  iron  foundery ;  one  news- 
paper establishment ;  two  public  libraries ;  and  one  post-office.  Popula- 
tion, 2,723  ;  valuation,  in  1858,  $2,124,023. 

Thorndike,  situated  in  the  northwest  of  Waldo  county,  is  bounded 
west  by  Unity,  north  by  Troy,  east  by  Jackson,  and  south  by  Knox,  and 
formed  a  part  of  the  Waldo  Patent.  It  was  originally  called  Lincoln 
plantation,  and  the  petition  for  incorporation  was  dated  May  4,  1818, 
and  signed  by  Joseph  Shaw,  Joseph  Higgins,  and  Stephen  Jones. 
It  was  requested  in  the  petition,  that  the  name  should  be  called  New 
Gorham,  but  it  came  from  the  legislators'  hands,  February  15,  1819, 
with  the  name  of  Thorndike,  given  to  it  in  honor  of  the  principal  pro- 
prietor. 

The  face  of  the  country  in  Thorndike  is  quite  broken,  and  the  soil 
requires  more  than  ordinary  attention  to  make  it  productive.  It  is 
watered  by  a  tributary  of  the  Sebasticook,  which  flows  through  in  a 
northwest  direction,  and  by  the  head  waters  of  Marsh  river,  which  rises 
in  this  town,  and  flows  easterly,  falling  into  the  Penobscot.  There  are 
two  church  edifices  —  Free-will  Baptist  and  Quaker;  ten  school  dis- 
tricts, with  ten  schools ;  two  post-ofl[ices  —  Thorndike  and  East  Thorn- 
dike ;  five  country  retail  stores;  and  three  saw-mills.  Population, 
1,029 ;  valuation,  $141,604. 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    TOPSFIELD,   ETC.  327 

TOPSFIELD,  situated  in  the  north  part  of  Washington  county,  on  the 
second  range  north  of  Bingham's  Penobscot  purchase,  was  incorporated 
in  1838.  It  is  a  fine  location  for  new  settlers  and  others,  who  wish  to 
retire  from  the  world  and  live  in  seclusion.  A  small  Baptist  church 
was  organized  here  in  1840.  Topsfield  has  one  post-ofiice ;  four  school 
districts,  and  four  schools,  with  an  aggregate  of  ninety  scholars.  Pop- 
ulation, 268 ;  valuation,  $26,642. 

TOPSHAM,  Sagadahoc  county,  is  about  ten  miles  long  and  four  miles 
wide,  and  contains  25,000  acres.  It  is  very  pleasantly  located  on  the 
easterly  side  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  and  the  first  attempt  at  settle- 
ment was  made  about  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Three 
men,  accompanied  by  their  families,  arrived  here  about  that  time; 
the  names  of  whom,  save  one  (who  was  called  Gyles),  are  now  unknown. 
Stimulated  by  the  prospect  of  gain,  their  designs  appear  to  have  been 
to  traffic  with  the  natives,  rather  than  make  this  their  permanent  abode. 
One  of  them  built  a  house  and  resided  at  Fulton's  point,  another  at  the 
head  of  Muddy  river,  and  the  third  —  Gyles  —  on  Pleasant  point,  at 
each  of  which  places,  not  many  years  since,  the  cellars  and  the  rude 
chimneys  of  their  dwellings  w^ere  clearly  traceable. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  settler  at  Fulton's  point  arrived 
several  years  prior  to  the  others ;  for  it  is  stated,  that,  in  1750,  there  was 
a  tree  upward  of  one  foot  in  diameter  growing  in  the  cellar.  There  is 
also  a  tradition  asserting  that  this  settler  lived  for  some  time  on  ap- 
parently friendly  terms  with  the  natives;  but  having,  on  one  occasion, 
been  absent  in  quest  of  provisions,  the  Indians  massacred  his  family  and 
burnt  his  house.  He  returned;  but,  fearing  he  might  share  the  same 
fate  as  he  supposed  had  befallen  his  family,  he  went  to  Europe.  Both 
the  other  families  were  murdered  by  the  natives.  Gyles  and  his  wife 
were  shot  while  gathering  their  crops  ;  and  the  children  were  taken  into 
captivity,  all  of  whom,  except  a  son,  were  ransomed  by  the  officers  at 
the  garrison  of  Fort  George.  The  son  alluded  to  was  detained  in  cap- 
tivity for  three  years,  when  he  made  his  escape,  and  for  some  years 
afterward  was  commander  of  the  garrison  at  Brunswick,  where  he  com- 
posed an  account  of  his  captivity,  published  a  few  years  since  by  S.  G. 
Drake  of  Boston,  entitled  "  Tragedies  of  the  Wilderness."  The  ter- 
rible fate  which  befell  these  pioneers  deterred  others  from  venturing 
within  the  precincts  of  Topsham  for  many  years  subsequent  to  their 
death.  About  the  year  1730,  a  few  families  took  up  their  residence 
here ;  and  from  this  period  a  settlement  has  been  maintained,  though 
for  several  years  many  perils  and  dangers  fell  to  the  lot  of  those  who 
moved  into    the  town.     The  inhabitants  did  not  feel  wholly  secure  from 


328  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  attacks  of  the  savages  till  after  the  peace  of  Versailles  in  1763, 
when  they  began  to  look  forward  to  brighter  days.  From  the  discour- 
aging aspects  thus  presented,  the  population  increased  but  slowly,  and 
in  1750  there  were  but  eighteen  families  in  Topsham,  most  of  whom 
were  Scotch-Irish.  From  this  time  the  population  gradually  increased, 
and  in  1764  the  town  was  incorporated. 

The  surface  is  made  up  of  hills  and  ravines,  but  there  is  a  good 
proportion  of  arable  land.  Some  of  it  is  sandy,  and  not  very  produc- 
tive. The  water-power  of  the  Androscoggin  river  is  sufficient  for 
several  factories,  —  there  being  three  falls  within  the  space  of  half  a 
naile,  —  most  of  which  is  wholly  unemployed.  Topsham  was  cele- 
brated formerly  for  its  business  in  ship-building;  but  at  the  present 
time  it  has  been  entirely  discontinued.  Lumbering  was  also  prosecuted 
to  a  considerable  extent ;  but  it  likewise  has  greatly  diminished. 
The  Sagadahoc  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Society,  which  erected 
its  building  here  in  1856,  promises  to  be  very  serviceable  to  the  com- 
munity and  the  farming  interest  generally.  The  structure  is  com- 
modious and  the  grounds  well  laid  out,  with  accommodations  for 
the  exhibition  of  stock.  It  is  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  the  railroad 
station.  The  town  is  easy  of  access  by  the  Kennebec  and  Port- 
land Railroad,  which  passes  through,  half  a  mile  below  the  village, 
at  the  falls  of  the  Androscoggin.  Topsham  contains  one  village ; 
three  church  edifices  • —  Baptist,  Congregational,  and  Free-will  Bap- 
tist ;  ten  school  districts,  and  thirteen  schools,  consisting  of  primary, 
grammar,  and  high  schools ;  one  planing  and  five  saw  mills ;  one  blind 
factory ;  one  grist-mill ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  2,010 ;  valu- 
ation for  1857,  $822,611. 

Tremont,  Hancock  county,  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  Mount 
Desert  island,  was  formerly  a  portion  of  that  town,  from  which  it  was 
detached  and  incorporated  June  3,  1848,  by  the  name  of  Mansel,  which 
was  changed  to  the  present  one  August  8,  same  year.  It  contains 
within  its  limits  the  islands  called  Moose,  Gott's,  and  Langley's.  The 
general  characteristics  of  the  soil  are  similar  to  those  of  the  parent  town. 
Its  trade  is  principally  in  fish  and  lumber.  The  town  has  one  Union 
meeting-house,  thirteen  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of 
schools;  two  saw-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  four  blacksmith's  shops, 
and  three  post  offices  —  Tremont,  Southwest  Harbor,  and  Seal  Cove. 
Population,  1,600  ;  valuation,  $150,000. 

Trenton,  Hancock  county,  on  the  sea-coast  bet\^'een  Union  river  and 
Frenchman's  bay,  was  formerly  known  as  No.  1  of  the   six    second- 


MAINE TOWN    OF    TRESCOTT,    ETC.  329 

class  townships  granted  by  Massachusetts  in  1762.^  It  was  confirmed 
to  Paul  Thorndike  and  others,  June  21, 1785 ;  and  the  first  settlement,  of 
which  we  can  find  any  account,  was  made  in  1763.  At  Trenton  point, 
however,  there  are  appearances  of  a  settlement  commenced  some  time 
anterior  to  this,  probably  by  the  French.  Trenton  was  incorporated 
February  16,  1789.  Its  surface  is  undulating,  but  the  soil  is  not  under 
cultivation  to  any  great  extent,  the  people  being  principally  engaged  in 
lumbering  and  fishing.  It  is  watered  by  Jordan's  river,  which  divides  it 
into  Eastern  and  Western  Trenton.  There  are  twelve  school  districts ; 
three  pos1>offices  —  East  Trenton,  Trenton  Point,  and  West  Trenton ; 
and  two  church  edifices,  both  Baptist.  There  have  been  four  Baptist 
churches  formed  in  Trenton  —  the  First  Trenton,  in  1809 ;  the  West 
Trenton  and  Third  Trenton,  in  1839 ;  and  the  East  Trenton,  in  1844. 
Population,  1,205  ;  valuation,  $148,720. 

Trescott,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Washington  county,  formerly 
called  No.  9,  is  bounded  northeasterly  by  Lubec,  southeasterly  by  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  and  southwesterly  by  Whiting.  It  was  incorporated 
February  7,  1827.  It  comprises  the  harbors  of  Moose  Cove,  Bailey's 
Mistake,  and  Haycock ;  is  flourishing  in  trade  and  navigation ;  con- 
tains eight  school  districts,  -wdth  ten  schools ;  and  five  saw-mills  and  one 
grist-mill.     Population,  782 ;  valuation,  $62,349. 

Troy,  Waldo  county,  is  thirty-nine  miles  northeast  from  Augusta, 
and  twenty  from  Belfast.  The  original  settlers  were  Henry  Warren, 
Charles  Gerrish,  Charles  Gerrish,  Jr.,  Enoch  Bagly,  Enoch  Bagly,  Jr., 
Jonathan  Bagly,  Christopher  Varney,  John  Smart,  Andrew  Bennett, 
John  Rogers,  James  Work,  Nehemiah  Fletcher,  Hanson  Whitehouse, 
Francis,  Charles,  and  Thomas  Hollraan,  and  Joseph  Green,  most  of 
whom  came  from  different  parts  of  this  state,  and  settled  here  from 
1801  to  1813.  The  first  clearing  was  made  about  the  year  1801  by 
John  Rogers,  who  acted  as  agent  for  the  proprietor.  After  this  date 
the  plantation  was  rapidly  filled  up  by  an  industrious  and  thrifty  popu- 
lation. The  first  settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their  lands  from  General 
Bridge  of  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  and  from  Benjamin  Joy  of  Boston,  Mass., 
who  owned  about  seven  eighths  of  the  land.  Bridge's  claim  was  a 
transient  one,  and  subsequently  fell  into  the  hands  of  Benjamin  Joy  and 
Jonathan  C.  Hastings  of  Boston.  When  the  settlement  was  organized 
into  a  plantation,  it  received  the  name  of  Bridgestown,  in  honor  of 
General  Bridge,  who  erected  the  first  mill. 

'  Williamson  says  tliat  the  original  grant  was  dated  January  27,  1764. 

28* 


330  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Troy  was  incorporated,  in  1812,  by  the  name  of  Kingville,  since  which 
time,  by  legislative  enactments,  it  has  borne  the  names  of  Joy,  Mont- 
gomery, and  latterly,  Troy.  The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  rising  into 
large  swells,  with  table-lands  and  valleys,  all  of  which  are  very  fertile. 
There  is  a  large,  dry  bog  in  the  northwest  part,  which  may  at  some 
future  day  be  made  useful  as  a  fertiUzer.  There  are  a  number  of  small 
streams,  which  are  materially  aflfected  by  drought.  Several  mills  are 
erected  on  these  streams ;  but  their  business  is  necessarily  small,  on  ac- 
count of  being  compelled  to  cease  operations  during  the  dry  season. 
In  the  western  part,  however,  there  is  water-power  for  mills  and 
machinery,  furnished  by  the  Carlton  stream,  which  is  formed  by  a  union 
of  small  streams,  —  being  the  inlet  of  the  Twenty-five-mile  pond.  The 
town  is  drained  by  branches  of  the  Sebasticook  river.  Agriculture  is  the 
chief  employment  of  the  inhabitants.  There  is  but  one  meeting-house 
in  town,  which  is  open  to  all  denominations.  The  only  regularly  organ- 
ized religious  society  is  that  of  the  Methodist  denomination.  Other 
denominations  hold  meetings  at  the  free  meeting-house,  town-house, 
and  school-houses.  There  are  twelve  schools,  having  an  average  attend- 
ance of  about  six  hundred  and  nine  scholars  ;  and  one  post-office.  Pop- 
ulation, 1,484  ;  valuation  for  1856,  $172,212. 

Turner,  Androscoggin  county,  lies  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Andros- 
coggin river,  ten  miles  above  Lewiston  Falls  village.  It  is  ten  miles 
long  from  north  to  south,  is  about  four  miles  wide  on  the  north,  and  six 
miles  on  the  south.  The  original  grant  was  made  by  the  general  court 
of  Massachusetts,  in  1735,  to  Major  James  Warren  and  others,  sur- 
vivors of  Captain  Joseph  Sylvester's  company,  for  their  services  in  the 
expedition  against  Canada  in  1690 ;  but,  upon  running  the  boundary 
line  between  the  provinces  of  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  their  town- 
ship was  found  to  be  within  the  limits  of  the  latter  state,  and  their 
claim  consequently  void.  On  the  representation  of  these  facts  by 
Charles  Turner  and  others,  agents  for  the  claimants  under  the  original 
grantees,  the  general  court,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1768,  made  up  for  the 
loss  by  a  grant  of  the  present  territory,  under  the  name  of  Sylvester 
Canada,  on  the  usual  conditions  for  making  a  settlement;  but,  throuo-h 
the  remissness  of  the  proprietors,  no  attempt  was  made  to  improve 
their  grant  until  1774.  During  the  next  year  only  three  families  had 
arrived;  but  they  continued  to  move  in  from  year  to  year,  until,  in  1784, 
the  settlement  numbered  thirty  families.  William  and  Chandler  Brad- 
ford, and  a  Mr.  Copeland,  were  among  the  first  settlers.  Turner  was 
incorporated  July  7,  1786,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  the  gentleman 
alluded  to  above  as  having  so  successfully  represented  the  rights  of  the 
original  grantees. 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    UNION.  331 

It  is  a  farming  town,  and  will  probably  remain  such  for  many  years 
to  come.  The  inhabitants  are  in  good  circumstances,  though  few  are 
actually  wealthy.  There  are  four  or  five  villages,  all  of  which,  if  consol- 
idated, would  make  quite  a  business  place.  As  they  are  now,  they 
present  but  a  meagre  and  scattering  appearance.  Turner  possesses  a 
large  amount  of  water-power,  a  portion  of  which,  at  present,  is  wholly 
unoccupied,  the  balance  being  brought  into  service  in  propelling  three 
grist-mills,  five  saw-mills,  and  mills  for  various  other  purposes.  All  the 
mills  at  the  principal  village  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  spring  of 
1856. 

Mr.  Turner  was  the  first  settled  minister,  and  Allen  Greely  was  the 
second.  There  are  five  religious  denominations  —  the  Congregational, 
the  Baptist,  and  the  Universalist  (having  two  societies),  the  Free-will 
Baptist,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  all  of  which,  except  the  last  named, 
occupy  one  church  edifice  alternately.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Society  now  worships  in  a  private  hall,  and  have  preaching  on  almost 
every  Sabbath.  There  is  a  ministerial  fund  of  $360,  which  is  an- 
nually divided  among  the  different  religious  denominations  having 
settled  pastors,  in  proportion  to  their  respective  numbers.  There  are 
nineteen  school  districts,  with  forty  schools ;  and  four  post-offices,  called 
Turner,  East  Turner,  North  Turner,  and  North  Turner  Bridge.  Pop- 
ulation, 2,537 ;  valuation,  $418,832. 

Union,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Lincoln  county,  originally  embraced 
an  area  of  34,560  acres.  It  was  included  in  the  Waldo  Patent,  and  was 
purchased  of  the  Waldo  heirs  by  Dr.  John  Taylor  of  Lunenburg,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1774,  "for  the  consideration  of  £1,000,  lawful  money." 
Taylor  commenced  the  settlement  the  same  year  he  made  the  purchase, 
offering  such  inducements  to  settlers,  that,  in  a  few  years,  the  whole 
tract  was  lotted  and  taken  up  ;  and  on  the  20th  of  October,  1786,  it 
was  incorporated.  It  then  contained  nineteen  families,  nearly  all  of 
whom  had  emigrated  from  Massachusetts.  There  are  many  pleasant 
reminiscences  connected  with  the  history  of  the  early  settlers,  which, 
were  this  the  proper  place,  might  be  profitably  related.  They  were 
devout  Christians,  and,  being  isolated,  made  every  effort  to  cultivate 
those  feelings  of  friendly  intercourse  which  make  life  blessed. 

Union  and  Dresden  are  the  best  agricultural  towns  in  the  county. 
The  picturesque  varieties  of  hill  and  dale,  water  and  woodland,  render 
the  scenery,  in  the  summer  season,  truly*  beautiful.  There  are  five 
ponds,  three  of  which  lie  partly  in  other  towns ;  and  some  two  or 
three  streams,  besides  the  St.  George's  river,  by  Avhich  the  town  is 
drained;    also,  four  villages,  known    as    Union  Common,  East  Union, 


332  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

North  Union,  and  South  Union ;  three  post-offices  —  Union,  North 
Union,  and  East  Union;  four  churches  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  Congre- 
gationalist,  and  Universalist,  the  latter  of  which  own  a  part  of  the 
Baptist  meeting-house;  two  carriage  factories,  one  edge-tool,  one 
shovel-handle,  and  one  woollen  factory;  and  fourteen  school  districts, 
with  the  same  number  of  schools.  Population,  1,974;  valuation, 
$341,621. 

Unity  is  situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  Waldo  county,  thirty-five 
miles  from  Augusta.  It  formerly  belonged  to  the  Plymouth  Patent, 
and  its  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1782.  It  was  in- 
corporated June  22,  1804;  the  harmony  of  feeling  on  political  ques- 
tions at  the  time  finding  expression  in  its  name.  The  soil,  in  some 
parts,  is  tolerably  productive;  but,  as  a  whole,  farming  is  not  a  very 
profitable  business.  Unity  is  watered  by  Twenty-five-mile  pond,  which 
lies  between  it  and  Burnham.  The  town  has  one  village ;  four  church 
edifices  —  Congregational,  Quaker,  Methodist,  and  Union ;  thirteen 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  four  saw-mills,  four 
grist-mills,  four  shingle  machines,  two  or  three  tanneries ;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  1,557 ;  valuation,  ^236,034. 

Vassalborough,  Kennebec  county,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  Kennebec 
river,  and  joins  Augusta  on  the  northeast,  extending  along  the  river  ten 
miles.  It  was  settled,  about  1760,  by  emigrants  chiefly  from  Cape  Cod. 
Williamson  says  that,  in  1768,  Vassalborough  contained  but  ten  fami- 
lies ;  and,  in  1771,  the  year  it  was  incorporated,  the  inhabitants  voted 
"to  raise  .£30  lawful  money,  for  the  support  of  a  minister  and  other 
necessary  charges."  At  that  time  the  area  of  the  town  was  much  larger 
than  now,  Sidney,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  being  included  within 
its  boundaries.  It  continued  thus  until  January  30,  1792,  when  Sidney 
was  set  off". 

The  surface  is  beautifully  diversified,  and  the  soil  excellent.  Taber 
hill  and  Cross  hill  are  the  only  two  eminences.  Webber  pond  is  a  large 
body  of  water,  lying  a  short  distance  from  the  centre.  Part  of  China 
lake  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  town.  The  water-power  is  excellent. 
The  principal  business  is  the  manufacture  of  woollen  goods,  and  tan- 
ning. At  East  Vassalborough  village  are  two  grist-mills,  a  saw-mill,  a 
woollen  factory,  and  a  large  amount  of  machinery  otherwise  employed. 
At  North  Vassalborough  is  a  woollen  manufactory,  which  produces 
about  $300,000  worth  of  goods  annually,  employing  about  two  hundred 
operatives.  For  many  years  the  tanning  business  Avas  carried  on  very 
considerably,  and  is  still  prosecuted  to  some  extent.      There  are  eight 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   VEAZIE,   ETC.  333 

church  edifices,  two  occupied  by  the  Friends,  the  most  numerous  de- 
nomination, one  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  two  Methodist,  and  two 
Union ;  also,  twenty-three  school  districts,  one  academy,  and  the  Oak 
Grove  Seminary,  owned  and  directed  by  the  Friends ;  three  thriving  vil- 
lages ;  and  six  post-offices  —  Vassalborough,  Brown's  Corner,  East 
Vassalborough,  North  Vassalborough,  Seward's  Mills,  and  South  Vas- 
salborough.    Population,  3,099 ;  valuation,  $648,288. 

Veazie,  Penobscot  county,  is  a  small  town  on  the  west  side  of  Pe- 
nobscot river,  taken  from  Bangor  and  incorporated  March  26,  1853. 
It  was  named  in  honor  of  General  Samuel  Veazie,  and  is  about  two 
miles  square.  It  has  a  very  pretty  village.  The  principal  business  is 
the  manufacture  of  lumber.  It  has  one  public-house ;  two  church  edi- 
fices, owned  by  the  Congregationalists  and  Baptists ;  one  school  dis- 
trict, with  four  schools ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  800 ;  valu- 
ation, $255,231. 

Vienna  is  situated  in  the  northwest  part  of  Kennebec  county,  twenty- 
two  miles  from  Augusta.  It  was  surveyed,  in  1792,  by  Jedediah  Prescott, 
and,  September  25,  1800,  thirty-five  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  — 
then  called  Wyman's  Plantation  —  petitioned  for  incorporation,  repre- 
senting the  plantation  to  contain  sixty  ratable  polls.  Among  the  sign- 
ers were  Noah  Prescott,  Joseph  Chapman,  Timothy  White,  Abel  Whit- 
tier,  and  John  Carr.  A  remonstrance  was  made  by  several  other  of  the 
inhabitants,  on  the  ground  that  "  the  petitioners  were  inhabitants  of  a 
place  known  to  them  by  the  name  of  Goshen,  a  tract  of  land  wide 
from  them  by  nature's  laws,"  and  that  Chester  was  conveniently  accessi- 
ble for  religious  and  town  purposes.  This  remonstrance,  however,  was 
ineffectual,  and  the  town  was  incorporated  February  20,  1802,  Jedediah 
Prescott  being  authorized  to  call  the  first  meeting.  The  face  of 
Vienna  is  uneven,  there  being  several  hills  interspersed  through  it,  while 
on  the  eastern  side  lies  Thomas's  or  Gilman  mountain,  which  extends 
into  Rome.  The  soil  is  generally  fertile.  Kimball,  Kidder's,  Graves's, 
Egypt,  and  McGurdy  ponds  lie  in  different  parts  of  the  town;  and 
Flying  pond,  a  considerable  body  of  water,  is  situated  on  the  southerly 
line.  There  are  two  villages  —  Vienna  and  North  Vienna ;  two 
churches —  Free-will  Baptist  and  Methodist;  nineteen  school  districts, 
and  one  post-office ;  also  a  peg  factory,  propelled  by  steam,  one  grist- 
mill, two  saw-mills,  three  shingle  machines,  and  three  blacksmith's 
shops.     Population,  851 ;  valuation,  $126,125. 


334  HISTORY   AND   DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ViNAL  Haven,  Waldo  county,  is  what  was  known  in  the  early  history 
of  New  England  as  the  South  Fox  Island,  taking  that  name  from  the 
number  of  silver-gray  foxes  found  here.  It  was  a  favorite  place  of 
resort  for  the  early  voyagers,  on  account  of  its  "  safe  and  convenient 
harbors."  A  permanent  settlement  was  not  established  until  1765,  and 
even  then  the  inhabitants  did  not  enjoy  an  undisturbed  quiet.  During 
the  progress  of  the  Revolution,  the  English  at  Castine  impressed  many 
of  the  islanders  into  their  service  in  erecting  fortifications  there,  while 
others  escaped,  leaving  their  houses  and  effects  to  be  reduced  to  ashes 
by  the  plundering  soldiery.  On  the  conclusion  of  peace,  the  inhabitants 
returned  to  the  island,  and  obtained  from  Massachusetts  valid  titles  to 
their  lots.  Seventy-two  of  the  number  purchased  the  entire  island, 
north  and  south,  from  the  commonwealth,  for  £246. 

This  town,  including  North  Haven,  contains  an  area  of  16,527  acres. 
It  has  a  bold  shore,  with  good  harbors  on  every  side,  running  in  between 
projecting  bluffs.  It  was  incorporated  June  25,  1789.  The  surface  of 
the  island  is  very  broken ;  not  more  than  one  third  of  it  being  suitable 
for  cultivation.  Some  fishing  and  coasting  vessels  have  been  built  here, 
but  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  timber,  the  business  was  long  since 
given  up.  The  leading  pursuit  of  the  inhabitants  is  fishing.  There  are 
two  light-houses  on  the  island,  both  of  which  are  single  lights ;  also  a 
small  village  called  Carver's  Harbor,  having  a  post-office.  Population, 
1,252 ;  valuation,  $103,921. 

Waldo,  Waldo  county,  Hes  north  of  Belfast,  the  northwest  corner 
of  Belfast  touching  the  southwest  corner  of  Waldo.  It  contains  about 
eleven  thousand  six  hundred  acres.  When  Waldo  plantation  was  or- 
ganized, July  6, 1821,  it  consisted  of  the  so-called  «  Three  Mile  Square," 
or  "  Six  Thousand  Acre  Tract,"  only,  which  was,  in  September,  1800, 
set  off  on  execution  from  the  goods  and  estate  of  Brigadier-General 
Waldo  of  Boston,  deceased,  to  Sarah  Waldo,  administratrix  of  the  estate 
of  Samuel  Waldo,  of  Falmouth,  Maine,  deceased  ;  and,  according  to  the 
transcript,  was  nine  hundred  and  eighty  rods  square,  and  was  appraised 
at  $8,000  by  Robert  Houston,  James  Nesmith,  and  Daniel  Clary,  of 
Belfast,  The  first  clearing  on  this  tract  was  made  in  1798,  near  the 
southeast  corner,  one  hundred  rods  from  the  Belfast  line,  by  William 
Taggart,  and  a  Mr.  Smith  from  New  Hampshire.  This  "  possession," 
as  it  was  called,  subsequently  had  several  owners ;  but  no  family  resided 
on  it  until  November,  1811,  when  Henry  Davidson  moved  in,  and  con- 
tinued thirty-six  years.  About  the  year  1800,  Jonathan  Thurston,  of 
Belfast,  made  an  opening  where  Hall  Clements  (who  came  here  in 
1822  or  1823)  now  resides,  and  his  family  was  the  first  on  the  tract     A 


MAINE TOWN    OF    WALDOBOROUGH.  335 

third  opening  was  made  where  Comfort  Whitcomb  now  resides,  in  1805, 
by  Josiah  Sanborn,  from  Exeter,  N.  H.  In  1809,  the  tract  was  surveyed 
by  Malcolm  and  Gleason  into  sixty  lots,  in  six  ranges  of  ten  lots  each. 
In  1810,  when  the  third  United  States  census  was  taken,  there  were  not 
probably  more  than  four  or  five  families  on  the  tract,  and  there  was  no 
return  made  of  these.  In  1824,  Waldo  plantation  was  enlarged,  by  the 
annexation  of  about  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighteen  acres 
from  Swanville,  which  that  town  made  no  effort  to  retain  ;  and,  in  1836, 
a  gore  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  lying  between  Knox  and 
the  "  Three  Mile  Square,"  was  annexed.  The  plantation,  thus  enlarged, 
constitutes  the  present  town. 

Waldo  was  incorporated  in  1845.  A  large  portion  of  the  land  is 
rocky,  uneven,  or  broken,  and  unfit  for  cultivation,  and  will  probably, 
for  many  generations,  be  reserved  for  the  growth  of  forest  trees.  There 
are,  however,  some  excellent  farms  and  prosperous  farmers.  At  the 
annual  cattle-shows  of  the  county,  a  fair  proportion  of  premiums  is 
awarded  to  Waldo.  It  is  watered  by  the  Passagassawaukeag,  or  Bel- 
fast river,  and  by  Wescott's  stream,  on  which  are  seven  saw-miUs,  one 
grist-mill,  and  some  shingle  machines. 

There  is  no  place  in  Waldo  that  can  with  propriety  be  called  a 
village ;  nor  is  there  any  extensive  manufactory  of  merchandise.  The 
Baptist  church,  which  existed  here  twenty-five  years  ago,  has  become 
extinct.  Ten  years  ago,  the  Free-will  Baptists  Were  in  a  prosperous 
state,  and  built  a  meeting-house.  Recently,  in  consequence  of  the 
death  of  one  prominent  member,  and  the  removal  of  some  others,  the 
church  seems  to  be  in  a  languishing  state,  and  their  meeting-house  has 
now  become  free  to  all  denominations.  There  is  a  small  society  of 
Methodists,  who  are  visited  by  a  circuit  preacher  once  in  two  weeks. 
In  December,  1847,  the  post-office  was  removed  one  mile,  to  the  head 
of  tide-water  in  the  city  of  Belfast,  three  miles  northwest  from  the 
court  house.  It  still  retains  the  name  of  Waldo  post-office.  In  this 
little  village  is  a  meeting-house;  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  R.  Munsell  is 
pastor  of  a  Congregational  church,  a  few  of  whose  members  reside  in 
Waldo.  There  are  three  stores,  one  tannery,  and  one  saw-mill,  stave 
and  shingle  machines,  and  sundry  mechanical  operations.  One  mile 
east  of  this,  at  a  place  called  The  Point,  at  the  head  of  sloop  navigation, 
are  four  stores,  which  do  extensive  business.  There  are  seven  school 
districts,  with  fourteen  schools.     Population,  812 ;  valuation,  $81,597. 

Waldoborotjgh,  Lincoln  county,  on  an  arm  of  the  sea,  for  many  years 
called  Broad  Bay,  was  included  within  the  Muscongus  or  Waldo 
Patent.     It  was  settled,  through  the  persevering  efforts  of  Waldo  and 


336  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  other  patentees  and  claimants,  by  Scotch-Irish  and  German  emi- 
grants, between  1733  and  1740.  Shortly  afterwards,  the  town  was 
attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  burned  to  ashes ;  and  those  not  toma- 
hawked were  carried  away  captives.  Immediately  after  the  ratification 
of  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  1748,  the  settlement  was  revived ; 
and,  in  1752-3,  Samuel  Waldo,  son  of  the  General,  visited  Germany, 
and  issued  his  proclamation,  promising  every  emigrant,  settling  upon 
his  father's  possessions,  one  hundred  acres  of  land ;  and  it  is  fair  to  pre- 
sume, that,  as  an  additional  incentive  to  emigration,  he  promised  them 
exemption  from  the  grasping  hand  of  capricious  landlords,  and  a  tolera- 
tion of  their  religious  and  political  opinions,  untrammelled  by  priestly 
surveillance. 

Influenced  by  such  encouraging  prospects,  about  1,500  people  removed 
from  Germany,  and  here  lived  in  contiguous  neighborhoods  till  1763—4, 
when  the  lands  on  the  west  side  of  Muscongus  river  were  claimed  by 
Drowne,  as  being  without  Waldo's  Patent.  They  submitted  to  pay 
for  their  lands  the  next  year,  but  very  soon  after  the  Brown  claim  was 
extended  over  the  same  lands.  Upon  the  settlement  of  the  Waldo  heirs 
with  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  they  (the  Waldo  heirs)  re- 
leased all  the  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  thus  the  German 
settlers  planted  there  by  Waldo  were  left  without  any  indemnity  or 
remuneration.  Displeased  with  such  treatment,  and  disappointed  in 
their  expectations,  three  hundred  families  sold  their  estates  for  the  most 
they  could  obtain,  and  removed  to  the  southwestern  part  of  Carolina, 
where  some  of  their  German  brethren  had  settled.  There  was,  however, 
a  large  and  flourishing  community  left  on  the  spot,  which  was,  in  1773, 
incorporated  into  a  town,  and  named  in  honor  of  General  Waldo. 
A  Lutheran  church  was  organized  on  the  arrival  of  the  German  set- 
tlers, and  a  minister  settled  in  1762.  In  1786,  Waldoborough  was 
made  a  shire  town,  and  remained  such  till  1800,  when  the  coru-ts  were 
removed  to  Wiscasset.  Conrad  Heyer,  the  first  male  citizen  of  Waldo- 
borough,  was  born  April  10,  1749,  and  died  February  19,  1856,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  106  years,  ten  months,  and  nine  days.  He  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  wont  to  relate  his  adventures  in  that 
struggle  with  peculiar  zest.  His  father  was  one  of  the  emigrants  brought 
over  fi-om  Germany  by  General  Waldo.  He  was  buried  on  the  17th 
of  June,  1856,  with  mihtary  honors.  The  funeral  obsequies  were  largely 
attended,  not  only  by  the  citizens  of  Waldoborough,  but  by  those  of 
adjoining  towns,  thus  exhibiting  the  respect  in  which  this  venerable  man 
was  held. 

The  surface  is  agreeably  diversified.  There  are  some  good  farms; 
but   generally  the   soil   is  not  very  productive.     Within    the  limits  of 


MAINE  —  COUNTY   OP   WALDO,   ETC.  337 

Waldoborough  are  several  islands,  the  names  of  which  are  Upper 
Narrows,  Hog,  Poland's,  Hadlock,  Hungry,  Otter,  Jones's,  Garden,  and 
several  smaller  ones.  Farming,  seafaring,  and  some  little  ship-building, 
engage  the  industrial  energies  of  the  people.  The  village  was  greatly 
injured  by  fire  a  few  years  since,  but  has  been  rebuilt.  The  new 
buildings  evince  much  improvement  upon  the  former  ones.  The  town 
is  drained  by  Muscongus  river,  which  has  a  sufficient  fall  to  be  made 
available  in  propelling  machinery.  Waldoborough  has  a  bank  with  a 
capital  of  f  50,000 ;  two  post-offices  —  Waldoborough  and  North  Wal- 
doborough ;  six  church  edifices,  —  two  Congregational,  one  Methodist, 
two  Baptist,  and  one  Lutheran ;  twenty-nine  school  districts,  with 
thirty-two  schools ;  fourteen  ship-builders,  two  carriage  builders,  six 
saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  two  carding-machines,  one  tannery,  and  two 
brickmakers.     Population,  4,199  ;  valuation,  $941,088. 

Waldo  County  has  the  Penobscot  bay  and  river  upon  the  east,  Pe-  • 
nobscot  county  upon  the  north,  and  Kennebec  and  Lincoln  counties 
upon  the  west ;  and  extends  somewhat  beyond  the  original  limits  of  the 
Waldo  Patent.  The  act  establishing  it  was  passed  February  7,  1827, 
giving  it  jurisdiction  over  "  all  that  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  county 
of  Hancock  lying  westward  of  the  Penobscot  bay  and  river,  with  the 
town  of  Islesborough  in  said  county,  and  the  towns  of  Camden,  Hope, 
Montville,  and  Palermo,  and  the  plantations  of  Appleton  and  Montville 
(now  the  towns  of  Appleton  and  Liberty),  in  the  county  of  Lincoln, 
and  the  towns  of  Freedom,  Unity,  Montgomery,  and  Burnham  in  the 
county  of  Kennebec."  By  act  of  January  22,  1828,  the  limits  of  this 
county  were  enlarged  eastward,  by  making  the  line  dividing  it  from 
Hancock  "  the  middle  of  the  channel  of  the  Penobscot  river  and  bay, 
commencing  in  the  middle  of  said  river,  at  the  northerly  line  of  the 
county  of  Waldo,  and  descending  the  same,  leaving  Orphan  island  on 
the  east,  and  Islesborough  on  the  west,  till  it  intersects  a  line  drawn 
due  east  from  the  southern  corner  of  this  county  of  Waldo."  It  has 
thirty-one  towns,  of  which  Belfast  is  the  shire. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  and,  in  some  parts,  mountainous.  The  chief 
eminences  are  Mounts  Waldo,  Knox,  and  Megunticook.  The  maritime 
interests  of  the  county  surpass  its  agricultural,  having  its  largest  side 
and  seven  of  its  leading  towns  upon  the  bay  and  river,  which  have 
attained  an  eminence  in  ship-building,  in  commerce,  and  in  the  fisheries, 
enjoyed  by  few  towns  on  the  coast  of  Maine.  The  principal  rivers  are 
the  Sebasticook,  Duck-trap,  Passagassawaulvcag,  Marsh,  and  Megunti- 
cook.    There  are  also  some  ponds. 

This  county  belongs  to  the  eastern  judicial  district  of  the  state,  the 

VOL.  I.  29 


338  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

law  terms  of  which  are  held  at  Bangor.  The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme 
iudicial  court  for  civil  and  criminal  business  commence  on  the  first 
Tuesdays  of  May  and  October;  for  civil  business  only,  on  the  first 
Tuesday  of  January.     Population,  47,230 ;  valuation,  $6,800,981. 

Waldo,  Lincolnshike,  or  Muscongus  Patent,  was  a  tract  of  land 
granted  by  the  crown  of  England,  in  1629,  to  Beauchamp  and  Leverett, 
in  joint  tenantry,  and  was  intended  to  embrace  thirty  miles  in  width  on 
both  sides  of  the  Penobscot  river.^  As  survivor,  Leverett  became  sole 
owner.  By  the  laws  of  England  transmitting  property  through  the 
oldest  son,  the  whole  patent  was  inherited  by  President  Leverett,  of 
Harvard  college,  great-grandson  of  the  patentee.  President  Leverett, 
by  deed,  divided  the  patent  into  ten  shares,  giving  one  share  to  a  de- 
scendant of  Governor  Bradford,  to  extinguish  some  interfering  claim 
held  by  him ;  and  another  to  Spencer  Phips,  son  of  Governor  Phips, 
in  extinguishment  of  his  Indian  title  to  some  part  of  this  tract,  which  he 
had  bought  of  Madockawando  for  a  mere  song.  The  other  eight  shares 
he  gave  to  his  sons-in-law.  The  holders  of  these  ten  shares  thencefor- 
ward assumed  the  name  of  the  "  ten  proprietors,"  and,  in  settling  with 
other  parties  who  held  claims,  these  "  proprietors  "  conveyed  one  hun- 
dred thousand  acres,  including  a  part  of  the  to^vn  of  Camden,  to  a  com- 
pany, which  took  the  name  of  "  the  twenty  associates.'' 

As  time  advanced,  danger  arose  that  the  title  to  the  patent  would  be 
vacated  for  some  defect ;  and  General  Waldo  was  therefore  sent  to 
England  to  get  the  patent  confirmed.  Waldo,  having  paid  out  fi-om  his 
private  funds  some  money  on  account  of  the  "  ten  proprietors,"  and 
having  charged  them,  besides,  a  pretty  round  sum  for  his  services,  on 
his  return  from  England  settled  with  the  "  ten  proprietors,"  and  obtained 
from  them  a  surrender  of  their  entire  interest  in  the  patent,  excepting 
only  one  hundred  thousand  acres,  which  was  to  be  run  out  by  them. 
Waldo  determined  to  make  the  most  of  his  bargain ;  and,  being  propii- 
etor  of  the  soil,  could  provide,  not  only  for  its  settlement,  but  at  the 
same  time  open  and  carry  on  a  lucrative  trade  with  the  natives.  In 
1758  he  obtained  the  cooperation  of  the  government  of  Massachusetts, 
so  far  as  the  protection  of  the  settlers  was  concerned,  and  under  Gov- 
ernor Pownal,  with  a  company  of  soldiers,  he  commenced  building  a 
fortification  on  what  is  called  Fort  Point,  in  the  present  town  of  Stock- 
ton. While  this  work  was  going  on,  Waldo  took  a  vessel  with  a 
party  of  the  soldiers,  and  sailed  up  the  Penobscot  as  far  as  he  could,  in 
quest  of  more  land.     Having  been  successful  in  extorting  from  the  "  ten 

'  See  Annals  of  Warren,  whicli  gives  a  mucli  larger  tract,  pp.  18,  19. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   WALES.  339 

proprietors "  a  large  tract,  by  simply  demanding  it,  he  was  thus  em- 
boldened to  extend  his  title  over  all  the  lands  that  joined  him.  Had  the 
Penobscot  been  navigable  to  its  source,  he  would  not  have  stopped 
till  he  had  reached  that;  but  as  he  could  proceed  no  further  than 
Eddington  bend,  he  stopped  there,  and  landed  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  where  he-fixed  in  the  earth  a  roll  of  sheet  lead  with  inscriptions 
thereon,  claiming  all  the  land  thus  far  as  being  within  his  patent.  On 
his  return  he  very  suddenly  died.  In  regard  to  that  part  of  the  patent 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  one  line  was  accidentally  omitted  in  the 
description,  which  left  it  so  indefinite  that  no  land  was  attempted  to 
be  held  in  that  locality. 

The  one  hundred  thousand  acres  which  the  "  ten  proprietors "  had 
reserved  for  themselves,  on  the  liquidation  of  the  claims  of  Waldo,  were, 
in  1772,  surveyed  by  one  Chadwick,  and  marked  and  bounded  for  them, 
on  the  south,  by  what  is  now  the  south  line  of  Frankfort,  extending 
north,  so  as  to  include  Hampden,  and  part  of  Bangor.  The  next  year 
the  front  lots  were  all  marked  off,  fifty  rods  wide  on  the  river,  and  a 
head  line  run,  averaging  one  mile  from  the  river.  All  the  heirs  of  Gen- 
eral Waldo,  with  the  exception  of  one  that  bore  his  name,  and  the  wife 
of  General  Knox,  were  tories  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  left  the 
country  at  that  period.  Their  shares  were  confiscated,  and  bought  in 
by  General  Knox.  After  the  war  was  over,  on  the  application  of  the 
General,  his  title  w^as  confirmed,  and  the  limits  of  the  Waldo  Patent 
defined  and  settled  in  such  a  manner,  that  more  than  half  of  the  land 
which  had  been  surveyed  by  Chadwick  for  the  "  ten  proprietors  "  fell 
outside  of  the  limits  of  the  patent.  To  indemnify  the  "  ten  proprietors  " 
and  gain  their  assent  to  this  settlement  of  the  limits  of  the  Waldo  pat- 
ent. General  Knox  gave  his  bond ;  and,  having  purchased  some  of  the 
shares  owned  by  that  company,  he  was  elected  as  their  clerk.  After 
that,  the  bond  was  never  found.  The  end  of  the  matter  was,  that,  under 
the  ten  grantees  of  President  Leverett,  a  tract  intended  to  embrace 
thirty  miles  wide,  on  both  sides  of  Penobscot  river,  embraced  only  about 
forty-three  thousand  acres,  including  what  is  now  Frankfort,  a  part  of 
the  town  of  Swanville,  and  a  part  of  Monroe. 

Wales,  Androscoggin  county,  is  bounded  north  by  Monmouth,  east 
by  Litchfield,  south  by  Webster,  and  west  by  Greene ;  being  only  four 
and  a  half  miles  long  and  four  wide.  It  was  settled  in  1773.  Among 
the  first  inhabitants  were  Samuel  Waymouth,  from  Berwick ;  Jonathan 
and  Reuben  Ham;  James  Wetherell,  John  Andrews,  and  John  Ham, 
from  Brunswick ;  and  Joseph  Small,  from  Limington,  —  at  whose 
house  the  first  plantation  meeting  was  held.     The  settlers  purchased 


340  HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

their  lands  of  proprietors  under  the  old  Plymouth  Company.  In  April, 
1803,  the  settlers  met,  organized  as  a  plantation,  and  chose  Joseph  Small 
clerk,  which  office  he  filled  thirty  years.  At  this  meeting  it  Avas  voted 
to  raise  $50  for  plantation  expenses,  $150  for  schools,  and  $150  for 
roads.  For  the  first  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  there  were  no  saw-mills  or 
grist-mills  within  twenty  miles ;  and  the  settlers  were  conspelled  to  carry 
their  bags  of  corn  on  their  shoulders  this  distance,  with  no  path  except 
marked  trees  to  guide  them.  The  only  meats  they  had  were  such 
as  they  could  procure  with  the  rifle  —  moose,  deer,  bear,  and  other 
game. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  but  not  broken.  There  are  two  elevations  of 
land,  one  in  the  southeast  part,  called  Hodgkins  hill,  which  rises  to  the 
height  of  six  hundred  feet;  the  other  in  the  southwest,  called  Sabattis 
mountain,  on  the  southeast  side  of  which  is  a  cave,  called  the  "  Devil's 
den."  In  this  cave  are  found  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  red  ochre. 
How  far  the  cave  extends  is  not  known.  Sabattis  pond  lies  partly  in 
this  town;  but  there  is  no  stream  of  water  of  sufficient  capacity  for 
mills.  The  soil  is  good,  and  adapted  to  any  crop ;  and  agriculture  is 
becoming  the  chief  occupation  of  the  settlers.  There  are  seven  school 
districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools,  and  two  church  edifices  — 
one  occupied  by  the  Baptists,  the  other  by  Baptists,  Free-will  Baptists, 
Methodists,  and  Universalists ;  one  post-office,  one  carriage  manufac- 
tory, and  one  marble  shop.     Population,  612 ;  valuation,  $111,632. 

Waltham,  Hancock  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  Union 
river,  opposite  Mariaville.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the 
year  1805  or  1806,  by  Samuel  Ingalls,  Lebbeus  and  Eben  Kingman, 
Ebenezer  Jordan,  and  others.  The  progress  of  it  has  been  very  slow. 
It  was  incorporated  in  1831.  The  town  has  two  saw-mills,  one  church 
edifice  (Baptist),  two  schools,  with  an  average  attendance  of  eighty-two 
scholars,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  304 ;  valuation,  $41,881. 

Waeren,  Lincoln  county,  on  both  sides  of  St.  George's  river,  at  the 
head  of  navigation,  was  originaUy  known  as  the  "  Upper  town  of  St. 
George,"  and  belonged  to  the  Muscongus,  afterwards  the  Waldo  Patent, 
The  first  settlement  was  begun  under  the  auspices  of  Waldo,  the  pro- 
prietor, in  1736,  at  which  time,  says  Eaton,  "  with  the  exception  of  a 
trading  house,  mill,  and  fort,  which  had  been  erected  on  the  banks  of 
the  St.  George,  one  hundred  and  five  years  previous,  no  marks  of  civil- 
ization existed,  and  no  inroads  were  made  upon  that  unbroken  forest, 
which  over  the  whole  country  sheltered  the  moose  and  the  Indian  alike 
from  the  scorching  suns  of  summer  and  the  howling  storms  of  winter." 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OP   WASHINGTON.  341 

Waldo  made  a  similar  contract  with  the  settlers  here  to  that  made  by 
him  for  the  settlement  of  Thomaston ;  and,  in  the  summer  of  1736,  forty- 
seven  persons,  having  cast  lots  for  their  possessions,  located  themselves. 
Waldo  furnished  the  inhabitants  with  provisions,  and  they  occupied 
themselves  principally  in  getting  out  cord-wood  and  staves,  and  some- 
times in  hunting  and  fishing.  Agriculture  was  not  much  prosecuted, 
the  people  understanding  but  little  about  the  management  of  new  lands. 
A  spirit  of  harmony  prevailed  among  them,  which  some  of  our  modern 
settlements  would  do  well  to  emulate.  In  1752,  the  town  received  an 
accession  to  its  numbers  by  the  arrival  of  some  German  emigrants ;  and 
from  year  to  year  the  numbers  were  augmented  —  English,  Scotch, 
Irish,  and  Germans  being  among  the  settlers. 

Warren  was  incorporated  in  November,  1776,  taking  its  name  from 
General  Joseph  Warren,  who  fell  so  gloriously  at  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  The  surface  is  broken,  having  some  considerable  eminences,  the 
most  notable  of  which  are  Mount  Pleasant  and  Crawford  mountain,  the 
former  commanding  an  extensive  view  of  the  neighboring  towns,  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  Penobscot  bay,  and  its  islands.  The  soil  is  variable  in 
character,  but  amply  rewards  the  labors  of  the  husbandman.  Lime- 
stone and  granite  are  found  in  abundance,  and  are  extensively  quarried. 
The  town  is  drained  by  Back  river,  and  by  Little,  Southwest,  and 
Crawford's  ponds.  The  coasting  trade  was  formerly  a  branch  of  busi- 
ness much  followed ;  but  latterly  it  has  almost  entirely  ceased.  Ship- 
building, however,  has  steadily  advanced,  as  well  in  the  number,  as  in 
the  size  and  quality,  of  the  vessels.  Between  the  years  1770  and  1850, 
there  were  built  224  vessels,  varying  from  fifty-three  to  1,127  tons  bur- 
den. Agi-iculture  and  ship-building  are  now  the  principal  pursuits,  and 
the  facilities  for  their  prosecution  are  of  the  best  kind.  There  are  four 
religious  societies,  Congregational,  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Free-will 
Baptist;  twenty  school  districts,  with  nineteen  schools;  an  academy, 
endowed  by  a  grant  of  half  a  township  of  land ;  a  post-office ;  also  a 
woollen  factory,  and  other  mechanical  works.  Population,  2,428 ;  val- 
uation, $707,730. 

Washington  is  situated  in  the  northerly  part  of  Lincoln  county, 
thirty-five  miles  easterly  from  Augusta,  a  part  of  it  formerly  being 
included  within  the  Hmits  of  the  Plymouth  Patent,  and  a  part  under  the 
Waldo  Patent.  It  was  made  up  of  the  "  westerly  part  of  Union,  and 
several  gores  and  strips  of  land  adjacent  thereto,"  and  was  incorporated 
by  the  name  of  Putnam,  upon  the  petition  of  thirty-eight  of  the  inhab- 
itants, February  27,  1811.  Among  the  petitioners  were  Mark  Hatch, 
James  Laughton,  John  Bowmin,  David  Colamy,  John  Laughton,  Ben- 

29* 


342  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

jamin  Speed,  William  Starrett,  Thomas  Nelson,  James  Daggett, 
Samuel  Stickney,  and  Sanford  Rtioades,  most  of  whom  were  probably 
early  settlers.  The  name  was  changed  to  Washington,  January  31, 1823. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  rocky.  It  is  watered  by  a 
large  pond,  and  a  branch  of  the  Muscongus  river,  which  takes  its  rise  in 
this  pond.  The  town  is  purely  agricultural,  having  no  more  trade  or 
mechanical  business  than  is  requisite  for  the  ordinary  wants  of  the 
place.  It  has  one  viUage,  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congrega- 
tional, and  Union;  twelve  school  districts;  and  three  post-offices  — 
Washington,  South  Washington,  and  North  Washington.  Population, 
1,756 ;  valuation,  ^143,560. 

Washington  County  originally  made  the  whole  eastern  frontier  of 
Maine,  having  been  established  by  the  same  act  that  spoke  Hancock 
county  into  existence,  June  25,  1789.  Its  western  boundary  was  the 
eastern  line  of  Hancock.^  It  was  bounded  "  south  and  southeast  by 
the  sea  or  western  ocean,  on  the  north  by  the  utmost  northern  limits  of 
this  commonwealth,  and  easterly  by  the  river  Saint  Croix ;  comprehend- 
ing all  the  lands  within  this  commonwealth  to  the  eastward  of  the  line 
of  the  county  of  Hancock  aforesaid,  including  all  the  islands  on  the  sea- 
coast  of  said  easternmost  county."  In  1839,  it  surrendered  to  Aroostook 
all  the  territory  "  north  of  the  north  line  'of  the  fourth  range  of  town- 
ships, north  of  the  lottery  townships."  ^  The  area  of  the  county  is 
about  twenty-seven  hundred  square  miles.  It  had,  by  the  census  of  1790, 
a  population  of  2,758.  Its  sea-coast  extends  for  about  fifty  miles,  and 
abounds  in  bays  and  inlets,  which  afford  excellent  harbors.  It  is  drained 
by  the  Schoodic,  the  St.  CroLx,  and  the  east  and  west  Machias  rivers, 
and  contains  numerous  lakes,  the  most  important  of  which  are  the 
Schoodic  and  the  Baskahegan.  The  surface  is  undulating,  and  the  soil 
back  from  the  seashore  is  fertile.  The  people  are  beginning  to  show  an 
active  interest  in  railroad  enterprise,  which  has  materially  aided  the 
growth  of  some  of  the  older  counties.  Machias  was  made  the  shire 
town  at  a  time  when  it  was  the  only  corporate  town  in  the  county,  and 
has  continued  to  be  the  county  seat.  At  the  time  of  organization,  the 
terms  set  for  the  common  pleas  and  court  of  sessions  were  in  June  and 
September  for  both  this  and  Hancock  counties ;  but  all  matters  happen- 
ing in  either,  whereof  the  supreme  judicial  court  had  cognizance,  were 
to  be  heard  and  ti-ied  at  their  annual  term  at  Pownalborouffh. 

The  county  now  belongs  to  the  eastern  judicial  district,  the  law  terms 
for  which  are  held  at  Bangor.     The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial 

'  See  Hancock  county,  ante,  pp.  151-2. 
"  See  Aroostook  county,  ante,  p.  33. 


MAINE — TOWN   OF   WATERBOUOUGH,   ETC.  343 

court  commence  at  Machias  on  the  first  Tuesdays  in  January  and  Octo- 
ber, and  tiie  fourth  Tuesday  in  April.  Population,  38,811 ;  valuation, 
^5,244,431. 

Waterboeough,  York  county,  is  a  part  of  a  tract  of  land  purchased 
by  William  Phillips  in  1661^,  of  the  Indian  sagamores  Fluellen,  Hob- 
inowell,  and  Captain  Sunday.  John  Smith  made  a  settlement  in  1768, 
the  first  of  which  any  thing  definite  is  known.  In  1770  there  were  eight 
famUies  here,  those  of  John  Smith,  John  Scribner,  Robert  Harvey,  Alex- 
ander JeUison,  William  Deering,  Scammon  Hodsdon,  William  Philpot, 
and  William  Nason,  who  came  from  Scarborough  and  Berwick,  and 
from  New  Hampshire,  all  of  whom  lived  in  log  huts.  Colonel  Josiah 
Waters  of  Boston,  and  others,  claimed  this  town  under  an  old  Indian 
deed,  and  in  1771-2  sent  Moses  Banks  to  lot  and  survey  the  same  ;  but 
the  Revolution  commencing  shortly  after,  and  part  of  the  original  pro- 
prietors turning  tories,  nothing  further  was  done  till  1784,  when  Colonel 
Waters  had  the  plantation  surveyed,  and  sold  the  lots  to  118  actual  set- 
tlers for  twenty-five  cents  to  one  dollar  per  acre.  Waterborough  was 
originally  known  as  Massabesick  plantation,  which  name  it  retained  till 
its  incorporation,  March  6,  1787.  It  was  made  a  shire  town  of  York 
county  in  1790,  and  the  courts  of  common  pleas  and  sessions  were 
holden  here  till  their  removal  to  Alfred  in  1807.  The  first  church  was 
organized  in  1780. 

Waterborough  contains  26,491  acres.  The  land  lies  mostly  in 
swells  or  ridges  running  from  north  to  south,  which  were  covered 
with  white,  red,  and  yellow  oak,  beach,  maple,  and  birch.  There  are 
large  tracts  of  pine  plain,  on  which  was  formerly  a  heavy  growth  of  tim- 
ber, now  cleared.  This  land  is  quite  barren,  and  of  little  value,  while 
that  on  the  swells  is  equal  to  any  in  the  county.  Ossipee  mountain, 
lying  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  is,  with  one  exception,  the  highest  in 
the  county,  and  is  a  station  for  the  United  States  coast  survey.  There 
are  several  ponds,  covering  about  one  thousand  acres,  there  being  con- 
siderable meadow  land,  originally  flowed  by  beaver  dams  upon  the 
streams  which  flow  into  them.     The  people  are  engaged  in  farming. 

There  are  two  villages  —  Waterborough  and  Waterborough  Centre ; 
two  church  edifices — Baptist  and  Free-will  Baptist;  fifteen  school  dis- 
tricts, with  fom-teen  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Waterborough  and 
Waterborough  Centre.     Population,  1,989 ;  valuation,  ^200,332. 

Waterford,  Oxford  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  fifty-seven  miles, 
and  from  Paris  fourteen  miles.  David  McWaine,  who  arrived  in  1775, 
from  Bolton,  Mass.,  was  the  first  settler,  and  for  five  or  six  years  was 


344  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  only  person  in  town.  Among  those  who  settled  subsequently  were 
four  brothers  by  the  name  of  Hamlin,  five  or  six  brothers  named  Brown, 
and  four  families  named  Jewett,  Saunders,  Chaplin,  and  Greene,  who 
came  from  Rowley,  Mass.  The  other  settlers  came  principally  from 
Bolton,  Haverhill,  and  Stow.  The  titles  to  the  lands  were  obtained 
from  the  proprietors,  Jonathan  Houghton,  Henry  Gardiner,  David 
Sampson,  Jonathan  Whitcomb,  and  others. 

Waterford  was  incorporated  in  January,  1797.  The  surface  is  rather 
uneven  and  somewhat  mountainous,  but  the  land  is  good  for  agricul- 
ture, which  engrosses  most  of  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants.  There 
are  tw^elve  ponds  —  Thomas's  pond,  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  contain- 
ing 484  acres ;  Long  pond.  Bear  pond,  Island  pond.  Bog  pond.  Moose 
pond,  containing  182  acres;  Duck  pond,  Pappoose  pond,  and  four 
ponds  known  as  the  Kezar  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  contains  124 
acres.  The  only  river  of  any  size  is  Crooked  river ;  and  the  only  hills 
of  any  note  are  the  Tyrum,  Bear,  and  Hawk,  each  of  which  is  some 
five  hundred  feet  in  height.  There  are  three  villages  ;  three  church  edi- 
fices —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  three  post-offices  — 
Waterford,  North  Waterford,  and  South  Waterford ;  and  fifteen  school 
districts,  with  twenty-four  schools.  Population,  1,448;  valuation, 
$263,096. 

Waterville,  Kennebec  county,  —  the  early  history  of  which  is  em- 
bodied in  that  of  Winslow,  from  which  it  was  taken  and  incorporated 
in  1802,  —  lies  on  the  west  side  of  the  Kennebec  river,  and  is  six  miles 
long  by  a  little  more  than  six  wide,  having  quite  an  irregular  western 
boundary.  It  has  two  villages,  called  respectively  Waterville  and  West 
Waterville.  The  former  contains  about  twenty-five  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, is  situated  on  a  fine  alluvial  plain  at  the  head  of  boat  navigation 
and  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  villages  in  the  state.  The  west  villa o-e 
lies  on  the  outlet  of  Snow's  pond,  which  is  partly  in  Belo-rade.  The 
surface  generally  is  rolling,  and  the  soil  good.  Agriculture  is  the  lead- 
ing pursuit,  though  considerable  lumber  is  manufactured  at  the  east  vil- 
lage, besides  some  manufacturing  in  axes,  hoes,  and  scythes  at  the  west 
village.  A  paper-mill  and  foundery  on  Emerson's  stream  (which  runs 
from  Snow's  pond),  are  doing  a  moderate  business.  There  is  a  fine 
fall  of  water  of  about  twenty  feet  on  the  Kennebec,  situated  at  the 
east  village,  called  Ticonic  falls ;  but  this  privilege  is  as  yet  but  par- 
tially improved.     Richmond  lake  and  JMcGrath's  pond  fie  on  the  west. 

There  are  two  post-offices,  one  at  each  village;  six  church  edifices 

two  Baptist,  two  Universalist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Free-will 
Baptist;  fourteen  school  districts, -wdth  twenty-two  schools;  an  academy 


MAINE  - 


-TOWN    OF    WAYNE. 


345 


cast  village. 


Waterville  College  was  chartered 


and  college,  both  in  the 
in  1820,  and,  though  the  state  has  done  but  little  for  its  endowment,  pri- 
vate individuals  have  contributed  largely  to  its  funds,  and  furnished  it 
the  means  for  conducting  with  success  a  liberal  system  of  education. 
It  has  educated  many  of  our  public  men ;  and,  from  its  central  position, 
seems  destined  to  exert  an  important  influence  upon  the  educational 


interests  of  the  state.  There  are  three  banks  —  the  Ticonic  Bank,  Wa- 
terville Bank,  and  People's  Bank,  having  an  aggregate  capital  stock  of 
$350,000.  In  the  summer  season,  a  small  steamboat  plies  between 
Waterville,  Augusta,  and  Gardiner;  while  three  railroads,  the  Androscog- 
gin and  Kennebec,  Penobscot  and  Kennebec,  and  Somerset  and  Kenne- 
bec, concentrate  here.  The  village  is  well  supplied  with  public-houses, 
has  many  fine  residences,  and  several  blocks  of  buildings  for  business 
purposes.  A  weekly  paper  is  published,  called  the  Eastern  Mail.  Pop- 
ulation, 3,964;  valuation,  $1,018,362. 


Wayne,  Kennebec  county,  is  situated  about  sixteen  miles  northwest 
of  Augusta,  and  was  first  settled  by  Reuben  Wing,  Reuben  Besse,  Job 
Fuller,  Samuel  Norris,  Isaac  Dexter,  and  others,  who  came  from  Sand- 
wich, JMass.,  aljout  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  These  settlers, 
as  was  ilien  the  custom,  located  themselves  in  close  proximity  to  the 
meadows,  so  that  they  might  easily  procure  grass  for  their  cattle.     They 


346  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

purchased  their  land  from  the  Plymouth  Company.  The  township  was 
called  New  Sandwich  until  its  incorporation  in  1798,  when  it  received 
its  present  name,  in  honor  of  Anthony  Wayne,  a  general  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. When  it  was  first  settled,  —  although  adjoining  the  thrivmg 
town  of  Winthrop,  — it  was  considered  as  beyond  the  pale  of  civihza- 
tion,  and  the  Botany  Bay  of  the  state.  Rev.  David  Thm-ston  gives 
an  anecdote,  in  his  history  of  Winthrop,  of  an  itinerant  fiddler,  who 
came  into  that  town  to  pursue  his  profession ;  which  being  particularly 
obnoxious  to  the  inhabitants,  he  was  warned  by  the  sheriff  to  leave 
instanter.  But  the  poor  vagabond,  at  his  wits'  end,  inquired  whither 
he  should  go.  The  sheriff  replied  — "Get  out  of  the  world!  go  to 
Wayne ! "  However  truly  this  may  have  applied  to  Wayne  then,  at 
the  present  day  it  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  flourishing  towns 
in  the  county. 

The  surface  is  uneven  and  broken,  particularly  in  the  southern  part, 
which  is  also  very  rocky ;  notwithstanding  which,  the  soil  is  good  for 
farming,  and  the  inhabitants  are  active  in  developing  its  agricultural 
resources.  The  water-power  is  excellent,  there  being  a  chain  of  four 
ponds,  commencing  with  Flying  pond  in  the  south  part  of  Vienna,  all 
flowing  into  Wing's  pond  (which  has  its  outlet  in  Androscoggin  pond) 
in  Wayne  village.  There  are  two  important  places  of  business  — 
Wayne  village,  at  the  outlet  of  Wing's  pond,  and  North  Wayne  village, 
at  the  outlet  of  Lovejoy's  pond.  At  the  former  there  are  ntiills  and 
manufactories  of  various  descriptions;  three  churches  —  one  Methodist, 
one  Baptist,  and  one  Free-will  Baptist;  five  stores,  and  several  me- 
chanic shops.  The  village  is  very  pleasantly  situated,  and  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition.  At  North  Wayne  village  is  situated  the  North  Wayne 
scythe  manufactory,  which  annually  turns  out  a  large  quantity  of 
scythes,  and  gives  employment  to  a  considerable  numbef  of  workmen. 
Here  also  is  a  Methodist  church.  This  village  is  situated  about  three 
miles  northeast  from  Wayne  village,  and  is  a  thriving  place.  There 
are  fourteen  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Wayne  and  North 
Wayne.     Population,  1,367  ;  valuation,  §233,339. 

Webster,  Androscoggin  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  twenty- 
seven  miles,  and  was  first  settled,  about  1774,  by  Robert  Ross,  from 
Brunsmck,  who  located  on  the  shores  of  the  stream  which  bears  his 
name.  The  next  settlement  was  made  a  short  time  after,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  by  one  Mora,  said  to  have  been  a  deserter  from  the 
American  army.  The  place  is  still  known  as  Mora's  meadow,  and  is 
upon  land  owned  by  Eliphalet  S.  Bryant.  About  the  same  time,  Timo- 
thy Weymouth,  from  Berwick,  settled,  and  built  a  miU  for  Jesse  Davies. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   WELD.  347 

Edmund,  Nahura,  and  Jonathan  Weymouth,  John  Henry,  Timothy 
Tibbetts,  Foster  Wentworth,  Abner  and  Ephraim  Jordan,  Levi  Temple, 
James  Maxwell,  William  True,  Phineas  Spofford,  Elias  Moody,  and 
Edmund  Weymouth,  Jr.,  made  settlements  about  1780.  The  lands  first 
settled,  as  well  as  all  within  the  territorial  limits  of  Webster,  were 
finally  decided  to  be  within  the  grant  made  to  the  Plymouth  Colony  in 
1629.  Webster  was  originally  within  the  territorial  limits  of  Bowdoin, 
which  was  divided,  and  the  western  part  incorporated,  with  the  name  of 
Thompsonborough,  June  22,  1798.  This  name  was  changed  to  Lisbon, 
by  act  of  legislature,  February  20,  1802 ;  and,  March  7,  1840,  Lisbon 
was  divided,  and  the  northern  part  incorporated,  with  the  name  of 
Webster. 

Captain  Jeremiah  Nowell,  a  native  of  Webster,  was  the  captain  of 
the  vessel  which  carried  Jerome  Bonaparte  and  his  wife  —  Miss  Patter- 
son, of  Baltimore  —  to  France,  and  brought  the  latter  and  her  child  back 
to  America. 

The  surface  and  soil  are  various.  Along  the  Sabattis  river  are  very 
considerable  elevations  and  depressions.  The  rock  formation  is  chiefly 
gneiss,  impregnated  with  iron,  which  crops  out  upon  its  greatest  eleva- 
tions. For  the  most  part,  the  intermediate  elevations  consist  of  drift, 
varying  in  depth  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  feet.  In  the  southern  part, 
'  on  the  eastern  margin  of  the  Sabattis  river,  lies  a  level  tract  of  consid- 
erable extent,  consisting  of  clay,  portions  of  which  are  formed  of  alluvial 
deposits.  Mount  Sabattis  lies  in  the  northwestern  part,  on  the  line  of 
division  of  Webster  and  Wales,  and  was  occupied,  during  1853  and 
1854,  as  a  station  of  the  Coast  Survey.  The  completion  of  the  railway 
from  Portland  to  Lewiston  gives  the  industtial  resources  of  Webster 
means  for  development,  and  will  make  its  fine  farming  lands  and  exten- 
sive Avater-power  substantial  elements  of  wealth.  Sabattisville  is  the 
principal  and  only  village.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Baptist, 
Free-will  Baptist,  and  Union ;  eleven  school  districts,  with  twenty 
schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Webster  and  Sabattisville.  Popula- 
tion, 1,110 ;  valuation  for  1856,  $257,289. 

Weld,  Franklin  county,  formerly  known  as  No.  5,  or  Webb's  Pond 
Plantation,  is  a  large  town,  containing  about  forty-eight  square  miles, 
and  is  about  ten  miles  from  the  court-house  in  Farmington.  It  was 
settled  about  1800.  Nathaniel  Kittredge,  Caleb  Holt,  James  Houghton, 
Abel  Holt,  and  Joseph  and  Abel  Russel,  were  among  the  first  settlers. 

Weld  was  surveyed  by  Samuel  Titcomb,  surveyor  to  the  state. 
It  was  lotted  by  Philip  BuUen,  in  1797,  and  originally  purchased  of  the 
state  by  Jonathan  Phillips,   of   Boston.     Sales  to  settlers  were  com- 


348  HISTORY  AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

menced  by  Jacob  Abbot,  of  Wilton,  N.  H.,  who,  in  1815,  purchased, 
in  company  with  Benjamin  Weld,  of  Boston,  Mr.  Phillips's  unsold 
lands  in  Maine.  Mr.  Abbot  proceeded  to  the  settlement  of  this 
and  other  towns,  and  procured  the  location  of  the  Coos  road,  by  the 
state,  from  Chesterville,  through  Wilton,  Carthage,  and  Weld,  passing 
the  notch  by  Mount  Metallic,  thence  through  Byron  and  East  Andover 
to  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Abbot  died  at  Brunswiclv,  in  1820,  aged  sev- 
enty-four. He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  late  Jacob  Abbot,  who 
died  in  Farmington,  January  21,  1847,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 

The  town  was  incorporated  February  2,  1816,  and  derived  its  name 
from  Mr.  Weld,  then  one  of  the  owners.  Webb's  pond  is  a  consider- 
able body  of  water.  Webb's  river  rises  from  this  pond,  and,  running 
southerly  through  Carthage,  falls  into  the  Androscoggin  at  Dixfield  vil- 
lage. The  land  around  the  pond  is  level,  but  ranges  of  mountains  hem 
it  in,  and  impart  a  picturesque  and  romantic  aspect  to  the  landscape 
scene.  On  the  south  is  seen  Bear  mountain,  in  Carthage ;  on  the  east. 
Mount  Blue,  the  summit  of  which  is  2,360  feet  above  Webb's  pond,  and 
nearly  4,000  feet  above  the  sea;  on  the  north  is  Mount  Metallic, and  on 
the  west  is  Ben  Nevis.  There  is  a  considerable  village  on  the  eastern  side 
of  Webb's  pond,  on  the  Coos  road,  known  as  Holt's  village,  where  there 
are  two  or  three  traders,  a  good  grist-mill,  a  blacksmith's  shop,  tannery, 
carding-machine,  and  several  good  dvsrelhng-houses.  About  two  miles 
above,  on  the  same  road,  there  is  another  village,  containing  a  town- 
house,  starch  factory,  saw-miU,  store,  and  blacksmith's  shop.  A  Con- 
gregational church  was  early  organized  in  the  town,  of  which  David 
Sterret  was  the  first  pastor.  They  have  a  convenient  meeting-house  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  Rev.  Lemuel  Jackson,  from  Greene, 
opened  a  religious  meeting  in  1804,  and  a  Baptist  church  was  consti- 
tuted in  1809.  Various  preachers  have  since  labored  in  the  place.  Two 
hundred  members  have  been  received  since  its  formation,  and  about  one 
fourth  of  that  number  remain.  A  small  Free-will  Baptist  church  has 
recently  been  organized.  There  are  eleven  schools,  having  an  attend- 
ance of  about  425  scholars  ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  995  ;  val- 
uation, $92,232. 

Wellington,  Piscataquis  county,  is  distant  from  Augusta  sixty  miles, 
and  from  Dover  twenty.  The  first  settlement  was  made  about  1814, 
by  James  Knowles,  who  came  from  New  Hampshire,  and  located  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  The- 
same  spring,  David  Staples,  from  Newfield,  settled  on  the  west  side 
of  the  town ;  and  the  ensuing  summer  James  B.  Potter  and  John  Ward, 
from  Bowdoin,  located  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town.     In  1818, 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   WELLS.  349 

James  Davis  and  Elisha  Boston,  from  Shapleigh,  also  settled  in  the 
southwest  part.  These  were  soon  followed  by  others,  and  the  set- 
tlement progressed  rapidly.  The  town  being  a  part  of  what  was 
called  the  Bingham  Purchase,  the  settlers  obtained  the  titles  to  their 
lands  of  Black,  an  agent  of  Bingham's  heirs.  This  purchase  subse- 
quently fell  into  the  hands  of  a  Mr.  Bridge,  and  the  town  was  called 
Bridge's  town,  until  its  incorporation,  in  1828,  under  its  present  name. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  being  diversified  by  hills  and  valleys.  In  the 
northern  part  there  is  a  hill  of  greater  size  than  the  rest,  called  by  the 
inhabitants  Ball  mountain.  Higgins's  stream,  the  only  one  of  any  size, — 
having  a  saw-mill  erected  on  it,  —  runs  through  the  town.  The  inhab- 
itants are  chiefly  employed  in  agriculture.  The  only  other  manufac- 
tory in  town  is  a  sash,  blind,  door,  and  furniture  factory,  which  has  a 
steam-engine.  Wellington  possesses  one  church  edifice,  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  Free-wiU  Baptists ;  one  post-office ;  and  eleven  schools. 
Population,  600 ;  valuation,  |45,000. 

Wells,  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  in  York  county,  was  first  settled  by 
persons  from  Exeter,  N.  H.,  it  is  believed  about  the  year  1640,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  statement  of  Folsom,  the  title  was  derived  from  the  In- 
dians.i  One  Wawa,  a  noted  Indian  chief,  resided  here  about  1750,  and 
pretended  to  claim  the  territory  in  Wells,  and  that  of  adjoining  towns. 
It  formerly  comprised  Avithin  its  limits  the  territory  of  Kennebunk,  and 
contained  forty  thousand  acres,  one  thousand  of  which  is  salt  marsh.  It 
was  formerly  a  portion  of  the  possessions  of  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges, 
who,  in  1641,  presented  five  thousand  acres  of  it  to  Thomas  Gorges, 
deputy  governor  of  Maine  and  mayor  of  Gorgeana.  He  was  permitted 
to  select  whatever  portion  he  pleased,  and  made  choice  of  the  tract  near 
the  small  river  Og^nquit,  in  the  southwesterly  part  of  Wells.  A  por- 
tion of  this  tract  —  about  four  or  five  hundred  acres — was  conveyed  by 
Gorges,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1643,  to  Rev.  John  Wheelwright  (brother- 
in-law  of  the  celebrated  Anne  Hutchinson),  who  had  been  banished  , 
from  Massachusetts  for  his  antinomian  principles;  and  another  grant 
was  made  by  Gorges,  July  14,  1643,  to  Wheelwright,  Henry  Boad,  and 
others.     The  former  tract  lay  along  the  shore  eastward  of  Ogunquit 

'  John  Wadlow,  or  Wadleigh,  removed  from  Saco  to  Wells  before  1649,  to  -whom  an 
Indian,  named  Thomas  Chabinoke,  devised  "  all  his  title  and  interest  to  Namps-cas-coke, 
being  the  greatest  part  of  Wells,  upon  condition  that  he  should  allow  one  bushel  of  In- 
dian corn  annually  to  '  Old  Webb,' "  (his  mother).  This  tract  extended  from  the  sea  as 
far  up  as  the  Great  falls  on  Cape  Porpoise  [Mousam]  river,  and  from  Negunket  to  Ken- 
nebunk river.     This  title  proved  valid.  —  Folsom,  p.  120. 

VOL.  I.  30 


350  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NE^y   ENGLAND. 

river,  and  the  latter  between  that  river  and  the   Kennebunk.     The  land 
was  parcelled  into  lots  by  Boad  and  Edward  Rishworth. 

Wheelwright  settled  here  about  1643,  as  did  also  Mr.  Storer  and 
Francis  Littlefield,  who  immediately  began  a  regular  plantation.  In 
July,  1653,  Wells  submitted  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts,  and 
twenty  of  her  citizens  took  the  freeman's  oath  of  allegiance.  Among 
the  names  were  Samuel  Austin,  John  J.  Barrett,  John  Barrett,  Henry 
Boad,  Joseph  Bowles,  John  Buck,  Nicholas  and  William  Cole,  Joseph 
Emerson,  John  Gooch,  WiUiam  Romans,  Ezekiel  Knight,  Arthur, 
Francis,!  Thomas,  and  Edmund  Littlefield,  Francis  Littlefield,  Jr., 
Thomas  Millot,  and  John  Smith.  The  plantation,  called  by  the  Indians 
Webhannet,  was  created  into  a  town  at  the  same  time,  and  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty-six.  Wells  was  visited  by  the 
Indians  under  command  of  Mogg,  October  18,  1676,  who  ordered  the 
garrison  to  capitulate;  which  was  imperatively  refused  by  the  com- 
mander. No  attempt  was  made  to  attack  the  fort,  but  two  persons 
were  killed  and  one  wounded,  while  thirteen  of  the  cattle  were  de- 
stroyed. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  1692,  the  place  was  again  attacked.  The  in- 
habitants at  the  time  were  dispersed  among  the  fortified  houses,  and 
Storer's  fort  had  only  fifteen  men,  under  command  of  Captain  Con- 
verse, for  its  defence.  The  day  previous  (the  9th  of  June),  however, 
ammunition,  provisions,  and  fourteen  men,  fortunately  arrived  in  two 
sloops.  The  alarm  of  approaching  danger  was  given  the  same  day  by 
the  cattle,  which  ran  precipitately  from  the  woods,  in  a  bleeding  condi- 
tion ;  and  Captain  Converse  immediately  gave  orders  for  all  to  prepare 
for  defence,  —  the  whole  night  being  passed  under  the  greatest  anxiety. 
On  the  morning  of  the  10th,  John  Diamond,  a  passenger  in  one  of  the 
sloops,  was  captured  by  Indian  spies  ;  and  shortly  afterwards  about  five 
hundred  French  and  Indians  appeared,  under  the  command  of  M.  Bur- 
nifFe,  General  Labrocree,  and  a  few  other  Frenchmen,  attended  by 
Madockawando,  Egeremet,  Moxus,  Warumbee,  and  several  other  saga- 
mores. Having  learnt  the  strength  of  the  garrison  from  Mr.  Diamond, 
they  were  certain  of  victory,  and  went  so  far  as  to  portion  out  the 

'  Francis  Littlefield  came  from  England,  and  his  parents,  supposing  him  dead,  named 
.  another  son  Francis,  who,  in  process  of  time,  also  sought  his  fortune  in  the  New  World, 
■and  came  to  Wells,  when  he  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  that  the  brother,  thought 
to  be  dead,  was  still  hale  and  hearty.  He  took  up  a  farm  near  the  one  occupied  by 
Francis  the  elder ;  and  a  short  time  after,  two  other  brothers  settled.  From  them,  all 
of  those  who  bear  the  name  are  supposed  to  have  descended  —  no  less  than  sixty-eight 
of  whom  are  legal  voters  of  Wells. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   WELLS.  351 

spoils.  They  immediately  attacked  the  fort,  and  sustained  the  assault 
during  the  day ;  while  another  party,  having  in  the  mean  time  constructed 
a  breastwork,  endeavored  to  destroy  the  sloops,  which  were  set  on  fire 
several  times  by  means  of  fire-arrows.  The  crews,  however,  succeeded 
not  only  in  extinguishing  the  flames,  but  in  keeping  up  such  a  steady 
fire  that  the  enemy  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  breastwork.  Many 
other  attempts  were  made  to  destroy  the  sloops,  but  they  were  all  equally 
unavailing ;  while  a  continual  fire  from  the  small  arms  was  sustained, 
with  cries  of  "  Surrender !  surrender ! "  which  were  received  by  the 
crews  with  derision.  At  night  the  enemy  asked,  "  Who's  your  com- 
mander ?  "  to  which  was  replied,  "  We  have  a  great  many  commanders." 
"  You  lie  ! "  cried  an  Indian ;  "  you  have  none  but  Converse,  and  we'll 
have  him  before  morning ! " 

The  next  morning,  July  11,  which  was  Sunday,  a  party  of  six  men, 
who  had  been  sent  to  Newichawannock  by  Captain  Converse  a  few 
hours  before  the  enemy  appeared,  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort,  and 
were,  as  a  consequence,  very  much  exposed  to  capture ;  but  the  corporal 
having  by  stratagem  impressed  the  Indians  with  the  belief  that  Con- 
verse w^as  near  them,  they  fled,  and  he  and  his  men  succeeded  in  enter- 
ing the  fort  unharmed.  The  French  and  Indians  this  day  concentrated 
their  whole  force,  and  began  to  move  with  great  precision  towards  the 
fort,  when  one  of  Captain  Converse's  soldiers  sighed  a  surrender.  "  Utter 
that  word  again,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  you  are  a  dead  man! —  All  lie 
close,  —  fire  not  a  gun  till  it  will  do  execution!"  The  enemy  came  for- 
ward with  a  steady  step,  and  gave  three  shouts,  when  the  entire  force 
opened  into  three  ranks,  and  fired  all  at  once.  The  cannon  (some  of 
which  were  twelve-pounders),  and  the  small  firearms  from  the  fort,  re- 
turned a  perfect  blaze  of  fire ;  and  the  repulse  was  so  complete  that  the 
attack  was  not  renewed.  Many  of  the  women  in  the  garrison  handed 
ammunition,  and  several  of  them  fired  the  cannon  at  the  enemy. 
The  enemy,  thwarted  in  their  designs  upon  the  fort,  made  a  vigorous 
effort  by  means  of  a  fire-float  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  long,  filled  with 
combustibles,  to  destroy  the  sloops,  which  had  wellnigh  succeeded,  when 
a  counter  breeze  sprang  up,  and  they  were  thus  saved  from  destruction. 

The  enemy  were  completely  disappointed  in  every  effort  made,  and 
they  could  hope  for  no  success  in  attempting  to  undermine  the  garri- 
son, in  consequence  of  the  level  nature  of  the  ground.  Not  one  in  the 
fort  was  killed,  and  only  one  of  the  mariners.  A  flag  of  truce  was  sent 
by  the  leaders,  who  offered  Captain  Converse  the  most  seducing  terms, 
all  which  he  refused.     A  short  conversation  then  ensued,^  after  which 

^  2  Slather's  Magnalia,  pp.  532-536 ;  2  Hutchinson's  Hist,  p.  67. 


352  HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION   OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  Indian  holding  the  flag  of  truce  fled.  A  few  shots  were  indulged 
in  till  dusk,  and,  about  ten  o'clock,  the  enemy  evacuated  the  town. 
Probably  this  was  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  sieges  during  the  war, 
and  has  scarcely  a  parallel.  Several  of  the  enemy  fell,  among  whom 
was  Labrocree;  and  the  Indians,  to  avenge  his  death,  put  John  Dia- 
mond to  torture.  "  They  stripped,  scalped,  and  maimed  him ;  slit  his 
hands  and  feet  between  the  fingers  and  toes ;  cut  deep  gashes  in  the 
fleshy  parts  of  his  body,  and  then  stuck  the  wounds  full  of  lighted 
torches,  leaving  him  to  die  by  piecemeal  in  the  agonies  of  consuming 
fire."  In  August,  1703,  Wells,  which  had  been  thus  bravely  defended, 
was  again  attacked,  and  with  such  desperation  that,  in  a  short  time,  it 
sustained  a  loss  of  thirty-nine  in  killed  and  prisoners,  besides  many 
wounded.  In  1712,  Wells  probably  would  have  met  with  further  injury, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  strong  arm  of  Massachusetts,  which  was  then 
most  opportunely  extended  for  her  relief. 

A  church  was  early  gathered,  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Wheelwright, 
who  was  much  beloved  by  his  flock.  The  first  Congregational  church 
was  organized  in  1701,  being  the  second  in  the  state ;  and,  about  the 
year  1780,  a  society  of  Baptists  was  organized.  Since  1812,  two  socie- 
ties of  Free-will  Baptists  have  been  formed.  Courts  were  holden  at 
Wells  from  time  to  time  for  nearly  half  a  century ;  and  it  was  repre- 
sented in  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  for  three  years,  from  1653 
to  1676.  At  the  session  of  Congress  in  January,  1824,  a  grant  of  f  5,000 
was  made  to  WeUs,  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  main  harbor  ;  and, 
the  year  following,  the  money  was  expended  in  erecting  a  pier  eight 
hundred  feet  in  length. 

Wells  has  a  variety  of  soil,  though  its  general  character  is  sandy. 
Almost  one  fifth  of  the  whole  town  may  be  considered  waste  land,  being 
barren  heaths,  ledges,  and  pitch-pine  plains.  The  salt  marsh,  too,  is  gen- 
erally considered  poor,  the  average  crop  of  hay  not  exceeding  half  a  ton 
per  acre ;  though  experiments  have  been  made  upon  it  sufficient  to 
demonstrate  that,  when  subdued,  it  will  prove  valuable.  Though  a 
number  of  the  inhabitants  are  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  it 
is  doubtful  if  a  sufficient  supply  of  corn  and  grain  can  be  raised  to 
supply  home  consumption.  The  principal  article  of  export  is  wood, 
which  is  for  the  most  part  sent  to  Boston,  Salem,  and  Newburyport. 
Considerable  ship-timber  has  been  cut,  and  vessels  of  various  sizes  have 
been  constructed  in  years  past.  Water  is  abundant,  there  being  nine 
small  rivers  or  brooks  coursing  through  the  town  in  various  directions, 
which  afford  water-power  a  part  of  the  year  for  thirteen  saw-mills,  five 
grist-mills,  four  shingle  machines,  and  one  fulling-mill.  There  are  eight 
churches  —  two  Congregational,  two  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  and  three 


MAINE TOWS   OF    WESLEY,    ETC.  353 

Free-will  Baptist ;  sixteen  school  districts,  with  sixteen  schools ;  one 
steam  saw-mill,  and  three  post-offices  —  Wells,  Wells  Depot,  and  Ogun- 
quit.  The  Portland,  Saco,  and  Portsmouth  Railroad  has  a  station  in 
Wells ;  and  many  persons,  during  the  summer  months,  take  advantage 
of  the  accommodation  thus  afforded  to  visit  Wells  beach,  a  delightful 
resort.     Population,  2,945 ;  valuation,  ^428,628. 

Wesley,  twenty-five  miles  from  Machias,  is  situated  in  the  central 
part  of  Washington  county,  among  the  forests,  and  can  scarcely  be  said 
to  be  within  the  pale  of  civilization.  It  was  incorporated  in  1833,  and 
has  one  church  (Methodist),  four  school  districts,  with  four  schools ;  and 
one  post-office.     Population,  329 ;  valuation,  $29,743. 

West  Bath,  Sagadahoc  county,  is  a  small  town  detached  from  Bath, 
and  incorporated  February  14,  1844.  It  has  neither  village  nor  post- 
office  ;  but  contains  one  church  (Methodist),  five  school  districts,  one 
saw-mill,  one  grist-mill,  one  clapboard  machine,  one  shingle  machine, 
and  one  lath  machine.     Population,  603 ;  valuation,  $88,645. 

Westbeook,  Cumberland  county,  was  a  part  of  Falmouth,  to  which 
it  belonged  until  1814,  when  it  was  set  off"  and  incorporated.  It  con- 
tains about  15,000  acres,  and  is  a  very  beautiful  town,  the  surface  being 
moderately  diversified  with  swells.  It  is  watered  by  Presumpscot  river. 
Westbrook  has  three  villages  —  Saccarappa,  Stroudwater,  and  Wood- 
ford's Corner,  all  of  which  are  places  of  considerable  business  ;  but  the 
first  named  is  the  principal.  The  Westbrook  Seminary,  situated  on 
Stevens's  Plains,  is  well  patronized,  and  a  highly  successful  institution. 
The  Presumpscot  canal  passes  through  the  western  part  of  Westbrook, 
and  affords  excellent  facilities  for  the  transportation  of  merchandise,  as 
does  also  the  York  and  Cumberland  Railroad.  The  Portland  Manufac- 
turing Company  have  a  mill  at  Saccarappa  for  malting  sheetings,  stripes, 
and  ducks,  which  runs  six  thousand  spindles.  The  Cumberland  Paper- 
Mills,  running  fourteen  engines,  employ  120  hands,  manufacturing  one 
thousand  tons  of  paper  annually:  value,  ^250,000.  There  are  five 
church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one  Free-will  Baptist,  and  two 
Universalist ;  seventeen  school  districts;  and  two  post-offices — Stevens's 
Plains,  and  Saccarappa.     Population,  4,852 ;  valuation,  $1,201,922. 

West  Gardiner,  Kennebec  county,  lies  west  of  Gardiner  city,  from 
which  it  was  set  off"  and  incorporated  August  8,  1850.  The  inhabitants 
were  moved  to  petition  for  a  separate  organization  from  the  fact  that 
they  would  be  more  conveniently  situated  for  town  business  and  other 

30* 


354  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

matters.  The  first  town  meeting  was  held  August  21,  1850.  Its  his- 
tory, up  to  that  period,  is  so  interwoven  with  that  of  Gardiner  as  to 
leave  no  room  for  comment ;  and,  during  the  subsequent  seven  years, 
nothing  of  importance  has  occurred.  The  people  are  industrious, 
thrifty,  and  contented.  The  territory  contained  in  West  Gardiner 
amounts  to  about  ten  thousand  acres,  and  its  general  appearance  is  of 
a  rural  character.  Cobbossee  Contee  stream  flows  in  on  the  northern 
limits,  and  Cold  stream  from  the  north,  while  Cobbossee  Contee  river 
forms  most  of  the  eastern  boundary.  There  are  three  church  edifices  — 
two  Free-will  Baptist,  and  one  Baptist;  eight  school  districts,  with 
sixteen  schools;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,260;  valuation  of 
real  and  personal  property  for  1858,  $710,459. 

Weston,  lying  in  the  extreme  southeastern  portion  of  Aroostook 
county,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  northeast  of  Augusta  and 
about  ninety  miles  northeast  from  Bangor,  was  formerly- known  as  the 
Hampden  Academy  grant,  having  been  incorporated  March  17,  1835. 
It  was  settled  soon  after  1820,  by  William  Batterfield  and  Dr.  Otis 
Smith.  The  soil  of  Weston  is  of  a  good  quality,  but  as  yet  has  been 
neglected,  and  much  of  it  remains  to  be  improved.  Baskahegan  river 
passes  through  its  southwestern  corner,  and  Grand  lake,  an  extensive 
body  of  water,  forms  its  eastern  boundary.  Roads  pass  through  it, 
leading  to  the  principal  points  of  trade.  Manufacturing  is  not  a  very 
prominent  branch  of  business  —  there  being  but  three  carpenters,  one 
lumber  dealer,  and  one  carriage  manufacturer  in  the  town.  Agriculture, 
for  the  most  part,  seems  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  people.  Weston 
has  a  Methodist  society,  six  school  districts,  with  six  schools ;  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  293 ;  valuation,  $28,140. 

Westport,  Lincoln  county,  is  an  island  situated  in  Sheepscot  river, 
between  Woolwich  and  Boothbay,  and  was  formerly  known  as  Jere- 
misquam.  It  is  eleven  miles  long  and  about  a  mile  wide,  and  origi- 
nally formed  a  part  of  Edgecomb,  from  which  it  was  set  off  and  incor- 
porated in  the  year  1828.  The  surface  is  uneven.  The  principal  pur- 
suit of  the  inhabitants  is  sea-going.  The  town  has  one  church  edifice, 
occupied  by  the  Methodists  and  Free-will  Baptists  ;  six  school  districts, 
with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  three  saw-mills,  four  grist-mills, 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  761 ;  valuation,  $101,511. 

Whitefield,  in  the  western  part  of  Lincoln  county,  contains  an  area 
of  29,000  acres.  It  was  claimed  by  the  Plymouth  proprietors  ;  but  they 
failed  to  establish  a  right  thereto.     It  was  settled,  about  1770,  by  Irish 


MAI\E  —  TOWN   OF   WHITING,   ETC.  355 

Roman  Catholics,  and  was  then  the  western  part  of  Ballstown,  now 
Jefferson,  to  which  it  remained  attached  till  June  19,  1809,  when  it  was 
incorporated,  receiving  its  name  in  memory  of  the  celebrated  Rev. 
George  Whitefield.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
many  of  the  veterans  of  the  struggle  for  the  independence  of  the  colo- 
nies settled  in  Whitefield,  and  cleared  away  its  immense  forests  of  pine 
and  oak  timber,  the  latter  of  which  was  used  for  ship-building.  The 
lumberirig  business  was  successfully  prosecuted  for  a  time ;  but  it  has 
somewhat  diminished  at  the  present  writing,  and  the  inhabitants  are 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Whitefield  is  watered  by  Sheepscot  river,  and  the  head  waters  of 
East  River.  On  the  Sheepscot  are  some  excellent  mill  privileges ;  but 
they  are  not  improved  to  such  an  extent  as  they  might  be,  for  the  want 
of  capital  and  enterprise.  There  are  three  small  villages  —  Whitefield, 
North  Whitefield,  and  Cooper's  Mills,  —  each  of  which  has  a  post- 
office  ;  four  church  edifices  —  two  Union,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Roman 
CathoUc ;  eighteen  school  districts,  and  thirty-five  schools ;  four  single 
saw-mills,  and  one  gang  saw-mUl ;  four  grist-mills ;  and  about  six 
shingle  machines.     Population,  2,160  ;  valuation,  ^278,160. 

Whiting,  Washington  county,  is  situated  at  the  head  of  Machias 
bay,  eleven  miles  from  Machias,  and  was  incorporated  in  1825.  Lum- 
bering has  been  an  important  employment,  but  it  has  latterly  declined. 
The  town  has  one  village,  one  grist-mill,  five  saw-mills,  one  church 
(Congregational),  six  school  districts,  with  six  schools;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  470  ;  valuation,  $61,260. 

Whitneyville,  Washington  county,  lies  four  mUes  above  Machias, 
on  Machias  river,  and  was  originally  contained  in  Machias,  from  which 
it  was  incorporated  February  10,  1845.  It  is  small  in  territorial  extent, 
and  has  one  school  district  and  one  post-office.  Population,  519 ;  val- 
uation, $86,052. 

Williamsburg,  Piscataquis  county,  is  an  uneven,  rough  township,  and 
is  particularly  noted  for  its  excellent  roofing  slate.  It  was  incorporated 
in  1820,  and  has  been  on  the  retrograde  ever  since.  It  has  a  post-office, 
and  three  school  districts.     Population,  134 ;  valuation,  $22,018. 

Wilton  is  the  largest  town,  excepting  Farmington,  in  Franklin 
county,  and  joins  Farmington  on  the  east.  It  is  eight  miles  from  the 
court  house  in  that  town,  and  thirty -two  miles  northwest  from  Augusta. 
The  first  settlement  was  made  at  the  place  now  called  East  Wilton,  in 


356  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

1789,  by  Samuel  Butterfield,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Henry  Butter- 
field,  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  came  through  the  woods  from  Farm- 
ington  in  search  of  a  location  on  which  to  build  a  mill.     After  exploring 
the  stream  for  some  distance,  Samuel  fixed  upon  the  spot  where  the  dam 
of  the  Wilton  factory  ^low  is,  and  directed  Henry  to  commence  chop- 
ping  the   trees,  and   clearing   a   spot   on   which   to    haul   the    timber. 
These  were  the  first  trees  cut.    The  township  had  been  previously  granted 
by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  to  Captain  Tyng  and  his  company,  of 
Concord,  Massachusetts,  for  destroying  an  Indian  by  the  name  of  Harry. 
It  was  explored  in  1785,  by  Solomon  Adams  and  others,  located  by 
Samuel  Titcomb,  surveyor  for  the  state,  and  lotted  by  Solomon  Adams 
in  1787.     The  explorers  called  it  Harrytown,  in  memory  of  the  ill-fated 
Indian ;     but  the  first   settlers  called  it   Tyngtown,  in  memory  of  the 
grantee.     Samuel    Butterfield   erected   a   saw   and   grist  mill   at   East 
Wilton,  and  settled  in  Wilton  in  1790.     With  him  Isaac  Brown  was 
contemporaneous ;  and  William  Walker,  Ammial  Clough,  Joseph  Web- 
ster, Silas  Gould,  Ebenezer  Eaton,  Josiah  Perham,  Ebenezer  Brown, 
Joshua  Perley,  and  Josiah  Blake  soon  followed.    Henry  Butterfield,  who 
in  1789  cut  the  first  trees  within  the  fimits  of  this  town,  is  stLU  living 
at  East  Wilton,  having  attained  a   good  old  age.     In   his  long  and 
eventful  life  he  has  seen  a  territory,  which  he  entered  through  a  pathless 
forest,  converted  into  fertile  and  fruitful  fields,  dotted  over  with  beautiful 
habitations.     Captain  Hammon  Brown,  the  first  male  child  born  here,  is 
still  living. 

Wilton  was  incorporated  in  1803.  In  the  southerly  part  is  Wilson 
pond,  a  fine  sheet  of  water,  two  miles  in  length,  and  some  half-mile  in 
width.  From  this  pond  issues  a  stream,  which  runs  north  and  northeast 
through  the  town  until  it  enters  Farmiiigton,  and  thence  empties  into 
the  Sandy  river.  On  this  stream  are  two  villages,  Wilton  Upper  Vil- 
lage and  East  Wilton.  The  Upper  Village  is  situated  upon  the  high 
land  surrounding  the  outlet  of  the  pond,  whilst  the  stream  goes  pitching 
and  foaming  upon  either  side  of  the  street  for  about  150  rods,  aflbrdino- 
water-power  for  almost  any  amount  of  machinery.  It  has  ten  stores 
two  taverns,  and  a  large  number  of  shops  where  the  various  mechanical 
occupations  are  carried  en.  East  Wilton  is  a  beautiful  village,  having 
two  or  three  stores,  several  mechanic  shops,  and  other  business  interests. 
Wilton  Factory,  which  has  done  a  large  business,  and  the  Farmers'  and 
Mechanics'  Tool  Factory,  are  located  in  this  village.  At  the  outlet  to 
Varnum's  pond  in  the  north  part  are  a  grist-mill  and  a  saw-mill. 
There  are  five  rehgious  societies  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  Uni- 
versalist,  and  tw^o  Free-will  Baptist,  each  of  which  has  a  church 
edifice ;  twenty   school  districts,   with   thirty-nine    schools  ;   four   post- 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OP    WINDHAM.  357 

offices  —  Wilton,  East  Wilton,  North  Wilton,  and  East  Dixfield. 
Capital  invested  in  trade,  ^100,000 ;  in  manufactures,  $50,000 ;  annual 
proceeds,  $75,000.  Wilton  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  railroad 
from  Portland  to  Farmington,  recently  completed,  runs  directly  through 
the  town.     Population,  1,909 ;  valuation,  -$320,566. 

Windham,  Cumberland  county,  extends  down  the  Presumpscot  river 
to  Saccarappa  Falls,  and  was  granted  by  Massachusetts,  December, 
1734,  to  Abraham  Howard,  Joseph  Blaney,  and  fifty-eight  others,  be- 
longing to  Marblehead.  In  June,  1735,  the  town  was  located,  and  the 
lots  laid  out  and  disposed  of  to  the  proprietors,  —  those  designated  as 
"  the  home  lots  "  being  so  laid  out  as  to  protect  them  from  the  ravages 
of  the  Indians.  Some  disputes  arose  between  Windham  and  Gray 
and  Falmouth  regarding  the  boundary  lines ;  but  they  were  finally 
amicably  settled,  after  much  embarrassment  and  expense  to  all  parties. 
After  this,  the  grantees  made  many  improvements,  such  as  building 
bridges,  locating  roads,  and  erecting  a  meeting-house.  It  was  first 
called  New  Marblehead,  which  it  retained  until  its  incorporation  in 
1762,  when  it  received  its  present  name,  from  a  town  in  the  county 
of  Norfolk,  England.  Captain  Thomas  Chute  was  the  first  settler, 
having  arrived  July  30,  1737.  He  was  shortly  after  followed  by 
William  Mayberry,  John  Farrar,  Stephen  Manchester,  and  Abraham 
Anderson :  all  of  these,  and  many  of  those  that  subsequently  settled, 
came  from  Marblehead,  Mass.  Settlements  were  commenced  under 
the  most  discouraging  aspects ;  but  the  settlers  had  dared  the  dangers, 
and  they  were  not  the  men  to  flinch  when  obstacles  presented  them- 
selves. 

In  the  spring  of  1744,  a  substantial  fort  was  erected  in  the  centre 
of  the  settlement,  by  order  of  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  to 
protect  the  settlers  from  the  threatened  attacks  of  the  Indians.  This 
fort  was  furnished,  at  the  expense  of  the  town,  with  two  swivel  guns  and 
the  necessary  ammunition.  The  inhabitants  remained  within  its  walls 
from  1745  to  1751,  which  was  a  period  of  great  suffering  and  danger. 
During  this  time  none  of  the  inhabitants  lost  their  lives  by  the  hands  of 
the  Indians,  though  one  (William  Maxfield)  was  wounded,  and  four 
(William  and  Joseph  Knight,  WiUiam  Bolton,  and  Seth  Webb)  were 
taken  prisoners,  who,  after  a  short  time,  were  released.  From  1751  to 
1754,  the  inhabitants  enjoyed  a  short  respite  from  the  harassing  warfare 
of  the  Indians,  and  came  forth  from  the  garrison,  erected  new  buildings, 
and  made  many  improvements,  while  there  was  a  visible  increase  in 
the  population.  These  "  good  times"  were  of  short  duration,  however. 
Peace  had  scarce  found  a  comfortable  abiding  place,  ere,  frightened  by 


358  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  voice  of  war,  she  again  (1754)  unfolded  her  wings  and  took  her 
flight.  The  inhabitants  put  their  settlement  in  a  good  state  of  de- 
fence—  converting  three  dwelling-houses  into  garrisons,  which,  with  the 
fort  already  mentioned,  were  sufficient  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers. 
In  February,  1756,  the  Indians  surprised  and  made  prisoner  of  Joseph 
Knights,  who  escaped  from  them,  and  rendered  efficient  service,  by 
giving  warning  to  several  of  the  settlements  of  the  approach  of  the 
Indians.  The  last  and  principal  attack  of  the  savages  on  Windham 
was  made  May  14,  1756,  by  Poland,  king  of  the  Rockomeca  tribe,  and 
about  twenty  of  his  followers.  On  the  morning  of  that  day,  Ezra 
Brown  and  Ephraim  Winship  left  the  fort,  accompanied  by  four  men 
and  four  boys  as  a  guard,  for  the  purpose  of  working  on  Brown's 
lot.  To  reach  the  lot,  they  had  to  travel  through  a  wood;  and 
Brown  and  Winship,  being  some  distance  in  advance,  were  fired  upon 
by  the  Indians,  when  Brown  was  shot  dead  and  Winship  severely 
wounded,  —  the  Indians  taking  their  scaljjs.  Four  of  the  party  (two 
men  and  two  boys)  in  the  rear,  hearing  the  report,  hastened  back  to  the 
fort,  while  the  others  —  Abraham  Anderson,  Stephen  Manchester, 
Timothy  Cloudman,  and  Gershom  Winship,  the  two  latter  lads  —  de- 
termined to  pursue  the  Indians  and  avenge  their  companions,  or  perish 
in  the  attempt.  The  little  party  soon  came  upon  the  savages,  -w^ho, 
seeing  them,  sought  concealment  behind  the  trees.  The  result  of  the 
contest  was,  that  Poland  the  king,  and  two  of  his  followers,  were  killed 
by  the  little  band  of  Spartans,  when  the  Indians  retreated,  leaving 
behind  them  several  trophies.  Subsequently,  several  men  from  the  fort 
fell  in  with  another  Indian  laden  with  booty  in  the  shape  of  a  quarter 
of  beef,  at  whom  they  fired  some  shots  for  the  purpose  of  making  him 
sun-ender  the  beef  and  himself;  but  not  taking  the  hint,  he  fell  a  victim 
to  his  cupidity,  or  stupidity ;  for  he  was  brought  to  the  ground  by 
another  shot,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  afterwards  died.  The  danger 
of  Indian  depredations  having  abated,  the  people  indulged  again  in 
those  ]>ursuits  which  go  to  make  up  the  sum  of  happiness  in  this  world, 
in  which  they  remained  undisturbed  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revo- 
lution, when  the  councils  of  war  were  siibstituted  for  those  of  peace. 
The  people  of  Windham  brought  with  them  into  the  contest  that  zeal 
which  alone  can  spring  from  the  consciousness  of  being  engaged  in  a 
just  cause.  Officers  were  chosen  to  impart  military  instruction,  ammu- 
nition and  military  accoutrements  purchased,  the  ordnance  belonging  to 
the  town  put  in  proper  condition,  and  every  thing  done,  with  their 
moderate  means,  to  advance  the  cause  locally  and  generally.  Many 
men  from  this  town,  under  command  of  Captain  Richard  Mayberry, 
served  through  the  campaign  of  1777  till  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  in 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OF    V/INDSOR.  359 

October  of  that  year.  No  less  than  seventy-one  men  performed  service, 
and  $2,280  in  silver  money  were  given  by  the  town  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  war. 

Windham  has  agricultural  advantages  of  a  good  order,  —  the  soil 
being  loamy  and  easily  worked.  There  are  inexhaustible  quarries  of 
granite  in  the  south  part.  The  inhabitants  are  mainly  engaged  in  cul- 
tivating the  soil.  The  principal  stream  is  the  Presumpscot,  which  has 
ten  falls  lying  partly  in  Windham,  affording  excellent  water  power 
for  mills  and  manufactories,  seldom  affected  by  freshets  or  drought. 
Black,  Galley  Wright's,  and  Inkhorn  broolvs,  are  in  the  south  part. 
Pleasant  river  has  many  advantageous  mill  seats ;  and  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town  there  are  several  ponds.  Duck  pond,  in  the  east,  is  partly 
in  Windham  and  partly  in  Westbrook.  Little  Sebago  pond,  part  of 
which  lies  here  and  part  in  Gray,  is  of  considerable  magnitude,  a  portion 
of  which  was  drained  of  its  waters  by  the  making  of  an  artificial  outlet 
at  the  south  end.  In  June,  1814,  this  outlet  increased  to  such  size  that 
the  waters  did  much  damage,  carrying  away  a  number  of  mUis  and 
bridges  on  Pleasant  and  Presumpscot  rivers,  and  doing  other  damage. 
Windham  contains  six  villages  —  Little  Falls,  Oak  Hill,  Great  Falls, 
Windham  Centre,  Windham  Hill,  and  the  Upper  Corner ;  six  churches 
—  two  Congregational,  one  Friends',  two  Baptist,  and  one  Universalist ; 
eighteen  school  districts,  with  thirty-fom  schools ;  two  social  libraries ; 
eight  saw-mills,  one  corn  and  flour  mill,  two  shingle  miUs,  one  fulling- 
mill,  two  carding-machines,  one  w^ooUen  factory,  one  keg  factory, 
one  chair-stuff  manufactory,  two  tanneries,  and  a  powder  factory 
having  eight  or  ten  mUls.  There  are  three  post-ofiices  —  Windham 
Centre,  South  Windham,  and  North  Windham.  Population,  2,380; 
valuation  for  1850,  $407,708  ;  valuation  for  1857,  $1,021,698. 

Windsor,  Kennebec  county,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  Kennebec  river, 
and  joins  Augusta.  It  belonged  to  the  Plymouth  Patent,  and  Reuel 
Williams  was  the  principal  agent.  Its  first  settlement  was  commenced 
in  1790  by  Walter  Dockindoff,  Thomas  Labalister,  Prince  Keen, 
Samuel  Pierce,  John  Linn,  Dr.  Stephen  Barton,  Benjamin  and  Joseph 
Hilton,  Joseph  Linscott,  and  Joseph  Trask.  The  act  of  incorporation 
was  passed  March  3,  1809,  when  the  town  received  the  name  of  Malta, 
which  was  changed  to  Gerry  in  1820,  and  to  the  present  one  in  1822. 
Joseph  Trask,  Jr.,  was  born  October  30,  1790,  and  was  the  first  native 
citizen  of  Windsor.  Quite  an  excitement  was  created  here  in  1809,  by 
the  murder,  on  the  8th  of  September,  of  Paul  Chadwick,  employed  by 
the  proprietors  of  the  Plymouth  Patent  to  survey  Windsor,  which  they 


360  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

claimed  as  part  of  their  territory,  and  whose  authority  the  settlers  gen- 
erally were  determined  not  to  recognize.^ 

Windsor  is  laid  out  perfectly  square,  and  its  surface  is  hilly,  but  not 
mountainous.  From  some  of  its  highest  elevations  very  pretty  views 
are  obtained  of  the  surrounding  scenery.  The  principal  stream  is  the 
western  branch  of  the  Sheepscot,  which  passes  through  from  north  to 
south,  affording  excellent  water  privileges  for  mills  and  factories.  The 
Barton  brook  is  the  next  in  size,  besides  which  there  are  the  Harriman, 
Colburn,  Dearborn,  and  Cotton  brook's,  and  several  other  smaller 
streams :  there  are  also  seven  ponds.  The  southerly  end  of  Three  Mile 
pond  lies  in  Windsor.  When  the  first  settlement  was  commenced,  the 
town  was  remarkable  for  the  quantity  and  quality  of  its  pine  and  oak 
timber,  and  its  hemlock  and  hard  wood.  As  a  consequence,  lumbering 
formed  the  main  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  for  a  number  of  years. 
Saw-mills  were  erected  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  many  of  which 
have  discontinued  their  operations  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of 
timber.  At  the  present  time,  agriculture  takes  the  lead  over  other 
pursuits ;  and  since  it  has  gained  favor,  Windsor  has  steadily  increased 
in  wealth  and  importance,  —  showing  that  the  soil  is  susceptible  of  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  which  is  well  improved. 

The  most  thickly  settled  points  are  South  Windsor,  Pope's  Mills,  and 
Taylor's  Corner.  There  are  three  churches  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  and 
Union ;  thirteen  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  two 
post-offices  —  Windsor  and  South  Windsor ;  three  saw-mills,  four 
shingle  mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  clothing  mill  and  carding-machine, 
and  three  pubhc-houses.     Population,  1,793  ;  valuation,  $260,427. 

Winn,  Penobscot  county,  lies  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Penobscot 
river,  north  of  Lincoln,  at  the  junction  of  the  Mattawamkeag  river.  It 
is  a  new  town  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Upper  Pe- 
nobscot, and  has  borne  the  name  of  Five  Islands.  Winn  was  incorpo- 
rated March  21, 1857,  and  named  from  John  Winn  of  Bangor,  a  principal 
proprietor.  It  contains  22,040  acres.  It  has  two  schools,  with  sixty-five 
scholars ;  and  one  post-office.     Population,  111 ;  valuation,  $12,000. 

WiNSLOW,  Kennebec  county,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Kennebec  river 
eighteen  miles  above  Augusta,  formerly  embraced  the  territory  of  Wa- 
terville,  —  having  been  laid  out  on  both  sides  of  the  Kennebec  river,  and 
then  containing  seventy-two  square  miles.     The  beautiful  and  grand 

'  See  Kennebec  Purcliase,  ante,  p.  170. 


MAINE  —  TOWN   OF   WINSLOW.  361 

Falls  of  Ticonic  (anciently  Teconnet,  signifying  the  junction  of  the  two 
rivers,  [Kennebec  and  Sebastieook]  )  — the  flats  favorable  to  the  planting 
of  Indian  corn — the  fish  and  game  with  which  the  waters  and  woods 
abounded  —  all  these  presented  features  which  made  the  site  of  this 
town  a  favorite  abiding-place  for  the  aborigines.  The  same  natural 
advantages  readily  att^cted  the  attention  of  the  white  settler.  The  first 
farming  ever  attempted  here  -was  made  upon  the  flat  below  Fort  hill, 
by  Morris  Fling,  about  the  year  1764,  and  was,  for  a  long  time  after  the 
settlement,  known  as  Fling's  field.  The  whole  region,  at  the  time  of 
Fling's  arrival,  was  a  dense  pine  forest.  In  those  days  there  was  no 
bridge  over  the  Kennebec,  no  dam  on  the  Ticonic  falls,  no  bridge  across 
the  Weskerangan ;  the  only  habitations  or  signs  of  improvement  being  a 
large  block-house  on  the  heights,  and  two  on  Fort  hUl  proper. 

In  1676,  tinder  the  direction  of  a  council  of  war  then  sitting  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, Abraham  Shurt,  of  Pemaquid,  met  the  Indians  here  for  a 
parley,  and  exerted  his  powerful  influence,  as  he  did  at  Pemaquid,  to 
prevent  the  ravages  of  King  Philip's  war,  then  extending  over  all  the 
eastern  settlements.  He  was  received  by  the  Indians  in  the  "  great  wig- 
wam," or  fort ;  but  he  was  unsuccessful  in  his  efforts  to  ward  off  the 
terrible  blow;  hence  nearly  a  century  elapsed  before  any  considerable 
settlement  was  made  here.  Winslow  was  incorporated  in  1771,  and 
received  its  name  in  honor  of  General  John  Winslow,  who  had  com- 
mand of  the  expedition  employed  in  the  erection  of  Fort  Halifax.  The 
inhabitants  first  met  in  a  municipal  capacity.  May  23,  1771,  in  the  fort, 
where  most  public  meetings  were  held  for  many  years  afterwards. 

Among  the  ancient  public  buildings  in  this  town  was  Fort  Halifax,  a 
portion  of  which  is  now  standing,  but  is  fast  going  to  decay.  It  was 
erected  on  the  point  of  land  between  the  rivers  Kennebec  and  Sebasti- 
eook, in  1754,  by  Governor  Shirley,  of  Massachusetts,  and  was  the  last  of 
the  line  of  forts  on  the  Kennebec  river,  built  as  defences  during  the  French 
and  Indian  war.  There  were  no  settlers  here  at  the  time  of  its  erection; 
and  though  it  was  of  no  real  benefit  to  the  section  of  country  in  which 
it  was  situated,  it  served,  in  a  measure,  as  a  protection  and  safeguard  to 
the  settlements  in  the  vicinity  of  Massachusetts,  and  those  further  down 
the  river,  from  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  who  entertained  a 
wholesome  dread  of  a  company  of  soldiers  coming  out  upon  them  from 
the  fort.  There  is  no  evidence  that  this  fort  was  ever  attacked  by  the 
Indians  ;  in  fact,  they  did  not  dare  to  make  a  direct  assault,  but  occasion- 
ally attempted  to  cut  off  supplies.  The  balls  which  were  found  in  it 
were  fired  by  friendly  guns,  which  is  evident  from  the  fact,  that  most  of 
them  were  in  the  first  story  and  a  few  in  the  yard  side,  —  at  which  place 
there  were  no  port-holes,  —  whereas,  in  the    second  story,  where  the 

VOL.  I.  31 


362 


HISTORY    AXD    DESCRIPTION^    OF   NEW    ENGLAKD. 


Fort  IlaliCix. 


majority  of  the  soldiers  were  most  likely  to  be,  and  where  they  surely 
would  have  been  in  case  of  an  attack, -there  were  no  bullet-holes  what- 
ever. The  fort  was  never  at- 
tacked by  the  French,  —  the 
only  enemy  who  could  have 
\  captured  it,  —  for  the  reason 
'  that  they  were  called  to  more 
A  unportant  fields  of  action. 
Two  years  previous  to  the 
close  of  the  war,  the  fort  was 
garrisoned  by  130  men  under 
Captain  William  Lithgow, 
and,  after  him,  Captain  Eze- 
kiel  Pattee,  commanded.  At 
the  peace  of  Paris,  1763,  it 
was  abandoned.^ 

There  is  but  one  village  in 
Winslow,  and  that  is  of  very 
limited  size.  It  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Sebasticook  with  the 
Kennebec  river,  half  a  mile  below  Ticonic  falls ;  and,  being  well  shaded, 
possesses  rare  natural  beauty.  At  the  falls  there  is  a  natural  dam,  ^vhich, 
at  a  trifling  expense,  might  be  raised  so  as  to  give  a  water-power  of  al- 
most unlimited  extent;  and,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  a  canal  might 
easily  be  excavated  even  as  far  as  the  Sebasticooli",  with  waste  ways  at 
suitable  distances  to  return  the  waters  again  to  the  Kennebec ;  thus  fur- 
nishing sites  for  a  large  manufacturing  business,  perfectly  safe  from  Hoods, 
and  as  enduring  as  the  rocks  on  which  they  would  rest.  The  Somerset 
and  Kennebec  Railroad,  from  Augusta  to  Winslow,  built  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Kennebec,  crosses  the  river  at  the  falls.  In  the  vicinity  are 
considerable  tracts  of  land,  which  are  yet  uncleared.  The  Mile  brook,  a 
stream  valuable  for  manufacturing  purposes,  is  the  outlet  of  China  pond, 
and  falls  into  the  Sebasticook  a  mile  above  its  mouth.  There  is  some 
waste  land  in  (own;  but  much  of  the  soil  is  perhaps  not  exceeded  by 
any  in  New  England.  The  original  settlers  came  from  Massachusetts. 
The  Puritanic  descent  of  tlie  injiabitants  is  aljundantly  apparent  from 
the  intelligence,  taste,  and  industry  to  be  found  on  every  hand.  There 
are  four  houses  for  public  worshiji  —  one  Congregational,  two  Mc^tho- 
dist,  and  one  Baptist.     The   town   has  a  post-office,  and  sixteen  school 


'  The  rorncr-ptone  of  this  fort  was  recently  c.xliumcd,  ami  ilepositcil  in  tlie  stale-liouse 
at  Augusla.  It  beai-s  the  following  inscription:  —  "This  cojixei:  |  stone  i,ai]>  I  isy 
DIRECTION  I   OF  GoVERNOK  |   SlIIULEY.      175-t." 


MAINE  —  TOWN    OP    WINTHROP.  363 

districts,   witii    twenty-nine    schools.      Population,    1,796  ;     valuation, 
^00,000. 

WiNTHROP,  Kennebec  county,  originally  caUed  Pondtown,  lies  on  the 
west  side  of  Kennebec  river,  and  was  formerly  included  in  the  Kennebec 
Purchase.  The  south  line  of  the  town  was  five  miles  long,  the  west 
line  nine  miles,  and  the  north,  seven  miles.  What  the  eastern  boun- 
dary was,  is  unknown.  The  first  settler  is  supposed  to  have  been 
Timothy  Foster,  in  1765,  who  located  his  tent  by  the  great  pond,  on 
the  lot  now  owned  by  Jacob  Robbins.  The  next  was  Squier  Bishop, 
in  1767.  Soon  after,  the  families  of  Foster,  Fairbanks,  Stanley,  and 
PuUen  were  settled  near  Bishop.  For  a  long  time  these  people,  having 
been  used  to  cultivated  farms  only,  suffered  intensely,  and  must  have 
perished  but  for  the  abundance  of  game  and  wild  fruit.  They  soon 
received  a  lesson  in  baclcwoods  life,  however,  in  witnessing  the  manage- 
ment of  three  brothers,  —  Nathaniel,  William,  and  Thomas  Whittier,  — 
who  felled  some  twenty  acres  of  timber,  burned  it  off,  and  planted  theix 
corn  without  ploughing,  to  the  no  small  curiosity  of  the  other  settlers. 
After  1769,  settlers  poured  in  rapidly,  and  the  township  began  to  show 
the  progress  of  civilization. 

The  first  saw-mill  was  built  in  1768,  on  the  stream  where  now  stands 
the  cotton  factory,  by  John  Chandler,  who,  soon  after  its  completion, 
erected  a  grist-mill.  To  get  the  mill-stones  from  the  river  is  said  to 
have  taken  "  the  whole  strength  of  the  settlement  nearly  a  week."  For 
building  these  miUs,  he  received  a  grant  of  four  hundred  acres,  in  two 
lots  of  two  hundred  acres  each,  one  near  the  pond,  and  the  other  where 
he  should  choose  in  the  province.  The  first  road  was  cut  through  and 
cleared  out  to  the  "  Hook,"  now  Hallowell.  Previous  to  this,  the  settlers 
travelled  by  a  guide  of  spotted  trees.  These  guide-paths  afterwards 
became  roads.  The  first  tax  levied  in  town  was  paid  by  a  bounty  on  a 
wolf's  head,  by  Benjamin  Fairbanks,  in  1784. 

Winthrop  was  incorporated  in  April,  1771 ;  and  the  first  town  meet- 
ing was  held  on  the  20th  May  in  that  year,  at  the  inn  of  Squier  Bishop. 
Soon  after  this,  Nathaniel  Fairbanks  built  a  tannery  near  Deacon  Met- 
calf 's,  and  afterw^ards  carried  on  business  at  the  village.  In  1791,  Cyrus 
Baldwin  built  a  fulling-mill  where  the  woollen  factory  now  stands, 
which  passed  through  the  hands  of  Benjamin  Allen,  Liberty  Stanley, 
and  John  Cole ;  the  latter  also  had  a  blacksmith's  shop,  with  a  trip- 
hammer in  operation.  In  1806,  Nathaniel  Perley  opened  a  canal  from 
North  pond  and  erected  a  grist-mill.  This  he  afterwards  sold  to  the 
Cotton  Manufacturing  Company.  The  Winthrop  Woollen  and  Cotton 
Manufactory  was  incorporated  in  1809,  and  went  into  operation  in  1814. 


364  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  first  man  who  made  cider  in  this  town  was  Ichabod  How,  who,  in 
the  absence  of  a  mill  or  press,  pounded  a  quantity  of  apples  in  a  sap- 
trough,  and  extracted  the  juice  by  means  of  a  cheese-press,  thus  obtain- 
ing a  few  gallons,  with  which  he,  and  his  neighbors  for  a  long  distance 
round,  made  merry  in  a  great  gathering.  The  first  movement  towards 
schools  was  in  1774.  Little  was  done,  however,  until  1782,  on  ac- 
count of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  which  seemed  to 
swallow  up  every  other  care,  when  X20  were  appropriated  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  the  town  was  divided  into  six  school  districts.  The  first 
school  was  taught  by  Benjamin  Brainard,  in  the  house  of  Benjamin 
Fairbanks. 

Winthrop  contains  25,540  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is  rather  uneven ; 
the  land  is  of  a  good  quality,  and  well  wooded.  It  is  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  the  different  grasses  and  grains,  and  to  fruit  raising.  Some 
of  the  scenery  is  beautiful.  From  the  town-house,  when  the  air  is 
favorable,  the  hills  in  Dixmont,  seventeen  miles  west  of  the  Penobscot, 
and  a  section  of  the  White  Mountains,  are  plainly  visible.  In  the  west- 
ern part  lies  Mount  Pisgah,  which  extends  nearly  across  that  portion  of 
the  town.  South  pond,  a  large  body  of  water,  is  partly  here  ;  as  is  also 
North  pond.  Berry  and  Narrows  pond,  two  smaller  bodies  of  water, 
lie  within  the  limits  of  Winthrop,  and  Cobbossee  Contee  Great  pond 
covers  a  large  surface  in  the  eastern  section.  There  are  two  oil-cloth 
factories,  a  factory  for  making  window  blinds  and  sashes,  a  woollen  fac- 
tory, a  bank,  incorporated  in  1853,  with  a  capital  of  ^75,000 ;  a  cele- 
brated water-cure  establishment,  and  an  agricultural  society,  incorpo- 
rated in  1818.  The  first  chiu-ch  in  town  was  built  in  1774,  and  the  first 
preacher  was  Thurston  Whiting.  There  are  now  a  Congregational, 
Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Universalist  church,  and  a  meeting-house  be- 
longing to  the  Society  of  Friends ;  ten  school  districts,  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Winthrop  and  East  Winthrop.  Population,  2,154 ;  valuation, 
^500,757. 

WiscASSET,  Lincoln  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Sheepscot 
river,  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  is  the  shire  town  of  the  county. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1663,  by  George  Davie,  who,  accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Bradford,  lived  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  point  where 
the  jail  now  stands.  He  purchased  of  the  Indians  a  tract  of  several 
hundred  acres,  embracing  within  its  limits  the  present  village  of  Wis- 
casset ;  and  during  the  summer  of  that  year,  he,  assisted  by  his  brother 
and  two  other  persons,  erected  several  buildings,  and  made  improve- 
ments of  various  kinds,  as  well  as  encouraged  the  location  of  otlier  set- 
tlers.    On  the  breaking  out  of  King  Philip's  war,  in  1675,  the  people 


MAINK TOWN    OF    WISCASSET.  365 

were  obliged  to  leave  their  homes,  and  flee  to  a  place  of  greater  secu- 
rity ;  and,  for  nearly  sLxty  years  afterwards,  the  town  was  entirely  de- 
populated. 

Robert  Hooper  came  here  with  his  family,  consisting  of  four  persons, 
in  1730,  and  may  be  considered  the  first  settler.  He  was  a  man  of 
energy  and  determination,  and  soon  erected  a  small  but  comfortable 
dwelling,  by  the  side  of  a  large  rock,  on  the  eastern  side  of  where  Water 
street  now  runs.  At  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  acres  of 
land,  which  the  Davies  had  cleared  more  than  half  a  century  before,  the 
whole  country  was  a  wilderness.  Hooper  brought  with  him  a  few  arti- 
cles of  furniture,  a  small  stock  of  cattle,  and  a  number  of  fruit-trees, 
which  went  far  towards  comfort  in  such  an  inhospitable  neighborhood. 
For  nearly  four  years  this  hardy  pioneer  toiled  on,  unaided  and  alone, 
in  his  wilderness  home.  In  1734,  Michael  Seavey,  Robert  Groves, 
Sheribiah  Lambert,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Foye,  immigrated 
from  Rye,  N.  H.  Josiah  Bradbury,  Nathaniel  Rundlett,  Richard  Hol- 
broolc,  Colonel  Kingsbury,  and  Benjamin  Holbrook  arrived  about  the 
same  time  ;  and,  a  few  years  later,  John  Young,  and  three  others,  by  the 
name  of  Taylor,  Boynton,  and  Chapman,  settled  on  the  Cross  river, 
about  two  miles  south  of  Wiscasset  point.  Being  men  of  energy,  they 
soon  went  to  work  in  good  earnest  in  clearing  away  the  lands.  From 
this  time  forward,  the  settlement  progressed  steadily,  additions  being 
made  to  its  numbers  every  year ;  and,  in  1740,  it  had  become  a  planta- 
tion of  thirty  families,  numbering  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons. 

About  the  year  1743,  a  fortification  —  some  reUcs  of  which  are  yet 
to  be  seen — ■was  erected  on  the  hill  near  the  residence  of  Captain 
Wilham  H.  Clark.  It  is  related  of  this  fort,  that  in  the  latter  part  of 
September,  1744,  a  party  of  twenty  Indians  arrived  before  it,  in  a  dense 
fog,  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  it.  The  only  inhabitants  in  it  at  the 
time  were  two  women  and  a  girl,  the  men  being  at  work  in  the  fields, 
some  distance  off.  Discovering,  as  the  mist  cleared  away,  their  savage 
enemies,  they  barricaded  the  doors,  and,  disguising  their  voices,  called  to 
a  number  of  imaginary  persons  to  put  the  place  in  a  state  of  defence. 
The  Indians,  believing  that  there  was  a  large  force  within  the  fort,  be- 
came alarmed,  and  abandoned  their  design.  The  fort  was  thus  saved 
by  stratagem,  adding  another  to  the  numerous  instances  already  on 
record,  of  the  presence  of  mind  and  heroism  of  the  women  of  those 
early  days.  In  the  summer  of  1745,  a  man,  who  had  been  at  work  on 
the  Seavey  farm,  while  returning  to  the  garrison,  and  being  about  sixty 
rods  distant,  was  shot  dead  by  an  Indian  concealed  in  the  forest.  Soon 
after  this,  in  order  to  secure  better  accommodation  to  all  the  inhabi- 
tants, two  block-houses  were  built,  —  one  on  what  is  now  called  Brim- 

31* 


366  HISTORY    AND    DESCMPTIOX    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

stone  hill,  and  the  other  on  Seavey's  hill,  —  about  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  distant  from  each  other.  No  remains  of  either  of  these  block- 
houses are  now  to  be  seen. 

The  attention  of  the  settlers  was  very  early  directed  to  ship-building 
and  maritime  pursuits.  Timber  for  masts  and  spars  was  very  plenty ; 
and,  being  in  good  demand,  it  became  a  very  important  branch  of  busi- 
ness, the  land  being  cleared  up  for  the  sake  of  its  valuable  timber,  rather 
than  for  agricultural  purposes.  The  settlement  was  incorporated  in 
1760,  by  the  name  of  Pownalborough,  in  honor  of  Governor  Pownal  of 
Massachusetts,  and  embraced  within  its  limits  Alna  and  Dresden.  It 
was  incorporated  under  its  present  name  in  1802.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  the  town  having  no  defences,  the  British  sloop-of-war 
Rainboio  came  up  the  river,  anchored  in  the  harbor,  and  laid  the  town 
under  contribution  to  furnish  supplies  for  the  ship ;  threatening  the 
place  with  destruction,  and  the  inhabitants  with  the  halter,  if  they 
refused.  There  was  no  alternative  but  a  compliance  with  their  de- 
mands ;  for,  being  entirely  destitute  of  any  ariuament,  they  w^ere  wholly 
at  the  mercy  of  the  invaders. 

On  the  conclusion  of  peace,  the  business  of  Wiscasset  with  foreign 
ports  became  very  extensive ;  and  at  home  the  place  was  the  chief  mart 
of  trade  for  the  entire  country  around.  She  then  saw  her  palmiest 
days.  Most  of  her  inhabitants  were  more  or  less  interested  in  navi- 
gation, and  her  marine  floated  on  every  sea  ;  but  the  embargo  of  1807 
on  shipping,  being  laid  at  an  unfortunate  time,  dealt  a  stunning  blow 
to  her  business  and  prosperity,  the  destruction  of  which  was  completed 
by  the  war  of  1812 ;  and,  to  this  day,  the  town  has  never  succeeded  in 
retrieving  its  fallen  fortunes. 

Wiscasset  has  a  most  excellent  harbor.  A  United  States  surveying 
commission,  in  1813,  strongly  recommended  to  the  navy  department 
the  propriety  of  establishing  a  navy  yard  here.  The  river  spreads  out 
into  a  broad  bay,  and  becomes  admirably  fitted  for  such  a  purpose. 
One  hundred  of  the  largest  sized  vessels  can  anchor  here  in  from  twelve 
to  twenty  fathoms  of  water.  Vessels  rarely  find  difficulty  in  enterino- 
this  port ;  and,  when  Boston  harbor  is  frozen  over  as  far  as  the  Castle 
the  harbor  at  Wiscasset  is  perfectly  free  from  ice.  A  high  bridge  has 
been  thrown  across  the  river,  directly  above  the  harbor,  which  has  a 
draw  of  thirty-four  feet,  through  which  vessels  of  1,000  tons  pass  with- 
out difficulty.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  hilly,  making  a  view  of  it  very 
interesting  and  romantic.  It  is  drained  by  Sheepscot  river,  Monsweao- 
stream,  and  Ward's  broolc,  the  two  latter  falling  into  Monsweag  bay. 
Gardner's  pond  lies  partly  here  and  partly  in  Dresden.  Judge  Bailey, 
Abiel  Wood,  son  of  General  Wood,  Judge  Orchard  Cook,  and  John  D. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    WOODSTOCK,    ETC.  367 

McCrate,  citizens  of  this  town,  have  each  represented  the  people  of  this 
district  in  Congress.  There  are  three  churches  —  Episcopalian,  Meth- 
odist, and  Congregationalist ;  one  bank,  the  Mariner's,  with  a  capital  of 
$75,000;  one  village,  one  post-office,  six  school  districts,  with  eight 
schools ;  an  academy,  a  select  school,  a  court-house,  and  a  jail.  Popu- 
lation, 2,332 ;  valuation,  $605,096. 

Woodstock,  Oxford  county,  comprises  two  half  townships,  one  of 
which  \\ras  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  June  14,  1800,  to 
Dummer  Academy,  and  the  other,  February  7,  1807,  to  Gorham  Acad- 
emy. It  was  incorporated  February  7,  1815,  and  its  surface  is  moun- 
tainous. There  are  several  beautiful  ponds,  which  form  mill-streams, 
and  fall  into  the  Little  Androscoggin  river.  The  alluvial  lands  that 
skirt  the  ponds  and  streams  are  very  productive.  Hon.  Sidney  Perham 
is  a  resident  of  this  town.  Woodstock  contains  two  villages  —  North 
Woodstock  and  Bryant's  Pond;  three  church  edifices — Universal ist. 
Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  eleven  school  districts,  and  twenty  schools  ;  five 
saw-mills,  three  clapboard  machines,  three  shingle  machines,  one  carriage 
manufactory,  one  sash  and  door  manufactory,  and  two  post-offices  — 
Woodstock  and  North  Woodstock.  Population,  1,012;  valuation  for 
1857,  ®165,000. 

Woolwich,  Sagadahoc  county,  lies  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Kennebec 
river,  twelve  miles  above  its  mouth,  and  was  first  settled  by  Edward 
Bateman  and  John  Brown  in  1638,  who,  the  next  year,  purchased  from 
Robin  Hood,  an  Indian  chief,  most  of  the  territory  of  which  the  pres- 
ent town  is  composed.  Subsequently,  a  large  portion  of  the  tract  was 
claimed  by  Thomas  Clark  and  Sir  Biby  Lake,  and  by  the  settlers  under 
them,  by  whom  mills  were  erected  as  early  as  1660.  In  the  second 
Indian  war,  the  settlers  were  murdered,  or  compelled  to  resign  their 
homes.  The  cellars  and  wells  then  constructed  are  still  pointed  out  as 
vestiges  of  this  ancient  settlement.  Persons  moved  in  again  about  1726, 
after  Cummer's  treaty  with  the  Indians,  soon  after  which  it  became  a 
precinct  of  Georgetown,  and  remained  such  till  its  incorporation  on  the 
20th  of  October,  1759.  Its  plantation  name  was  Nequasset,  and  its 
present  name  was  conferred  upon  it  after  Woolwich,  England,  —  the 
turns  and  courses  of  the  water  on  the  Thames  and  Kennebec,  near  a 
place  called  "  Fiddler's  Reach,"  situated  in  proximity  to  each  of  the 
towns,  beinff  almost  the  same.  The  titles  to  the  land  were  obtained 
either  by  actual  settlement  under  the  grantees  of  Robin  Hood,  or  else 
from  Thomas  Clark  and  Sir  Biby  Lake.  Sir  William  Phips,  the  first 
royal  governor  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  commander  of 


368  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEAV   ENGLAND. 

the  first  expedition  against  Canada,  about  1690,  was  a  native  of  Wool- 
wich, having  been  born  on  a  peninsular  projection  into  Monsweag  bay, 
in  the  southeast  part,  February  2,  1650. 

The  general  appearance  of  Woolwich  is  rough  and  broken,  though 
there  are  neither  very  large  hills  nor  very  ample  lowlands.  A  portion  of 
the  land  is  very  heavily  wooded,  the  timber  being  extensively  used  in 
ship-building.  The  soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  every  kind  of 
produce,  for  which  the  state  is  noted.  Woolwich  contains  twenty 
thousand  acres.  Nequasset  pond  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  lying 
near  the  centre,  two  miles  in  length,  and  alternating  from  a  half  to  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  width,  having  an  outlet  into  Nequasset  bay,  at  the 
southwest  part  of  the  town,  where  is  a  fall  sufficient  for  mills.  There 
are  four  small  villages  —  Day's  Ferry  and  Sagadahoc  Ferry,  near  the 
Kennebec ;  Nequasset,  at  the  foot  of  the  pond  of  that  name,  and  Mon- 
sweag in  the  eastern  part. 

The  inhabitants  are  principally  devoted  to  farming,  though  all  trades 
and  professions  are  represented.  Ship-building  is  carried  on  to  a  lim- 
ited extent  —  there  being  one  ship  yard  affording  business  the  greater 
part  of  the  time ;  two  saw-mills  and  two  grist-mills  are  in  operation  the 
most  of  the  year.  There  are  six  church  edifices  —  two  occupied  by  the 
Congregationalists,  two  by  the  Methodists,  one  by  the  Baptists,  and  one 
by  the  Free-will  Baptists ;  eight  school  districts,  with  the  same  num- 
ber of  schools,  and  one  post-oflfice.  Population,  1,420 ;  valuation, 
$346,365. 

Yarmouth  is  a  small  town  on  Casco  bay,  in  Cumberland  county.  It 
is  an  old  settlement  with  a  new  name,  having  formed  a  part  of  North 
Yarmouth  until  1849,  when  it  was  set  off  from  the  parent  town  and 
incorporated  by  its  present  name.^  There  are  two  large  villages,  called 
the  Corner  and  the  Falls.  The  trade  or  business  is  principally  of  a  com- 
mercial character  —  ship-building  and  navigation.  Hay,  potatoes,  and 
brick  are  the  principal  articles  of  exportation.  Yarmouth  is  watered 
by  Royall's  river,  which  runs  through  it  lengthwise,  and  affords  an  abun- 
dant water-power,  upon  which  are  located  several  saw-mills  and  grist- 
mills, one  cotton  factory,  and  five  tanneries.  The  other  manufacturing 
estabfishments  are  —  two  brick-yards,  which  manufactured,  in  1856, 
three  million  bricks;  two  potteries,  two  cabinet  factories,  two  \^'heel- 
■wright  shops,  four  estabfishments  for  building  boats,  and  one  for  mak- 
ing blocks  for  vessels,  one  wood-turning  establishment,  one  sash  and 
blind  factory,  and  one  plaster  mill.      Yarmouth  has  been  divided  into 

'  For  tbc  account  of  its  settlement,  see  North  Yarmouth. 


MAINE TOWN    OF    YORK.  369 

nine  school  districts,  having  sixteen  public  schools,  two  seminaries, 
and  an  institute.  There  are  four  church  edifices — Congregational, 
Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  and  one  post-office.  Population, 
2,144 ;  valuation  for  1857,  ^955,219. 

York  is  a  seaboard  town,  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  York 
county.  It  comprised  a  part  of  the  patent  granted  to  Sir  Ferdinando 
Gorges,  and  was  selected  by  him  as  the  seat  of  government  for  his 
Province  of  Maine.  On  the  10th  of  April,  1641,  while  then  a  wilderness, 
it  was  chartered  by  Gorges  as  a  borough,  the  boundaries  of  which  were 
"  to  extend  three  miles  east  and  west,  north  and  south,  from  the  church, 
chappell,  or  place  ordained  for  a  chappell  or  oratory,  belonging  to  the 
plantation  of  Agamenticus."  Over  this  borough,  Thomas  Gorges,  a 
cousin  of  Sir  Ferdinando,  was  appointed  mayor ;  with  Edward  God- 
•frey,  Roger  Garde,  George  Puddington,  Bartholomew  Barned,  Edward 
Johnson,  Arthur  Bradington,  Henry  Simpson,  and  John  Rogers,  as 
aldermen.  Edward  Godfrey  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
Roger  Garde,  recorder,  town  clerk,  etc.i  This  charter  was  in  existence 
but  one  year ;  for,  on  the  1st  of  March  following.  Gorges  issued  a  new 
one,  erecting  his  seat  of  government  into  a  city,  and  considerably  ex- 
tending its  boundaries,  which  are  thus  described :  "  From  the  beginning 
of  the  entrance  of  the  river,  commonly  called  and  known  by  the  name 
of  Agamenticus,  and  so  up  the  said  river  seven  English  miles,  and  all 
along  the  east  and  northeast  side  of  the  sea-shore  three  English  miles 
in  breadth  from  the  entrance  of  the  said  river,  up  into  the  main  land, 
seven  miles,  butting  with  the  seven  miles  from  the  sea-side  up  the  said 
river,  the  breadth  of  the  said  three  miles  opposite  thereunto." 

Its  name  was  changed  to  Gorgeana,  and  it  was  appointed  to  have  a 
corporation,  consisting  of  a  mayor,  twelve  aldermen,  and  twenty-four 
common  councilmen.  The  corporation  retained  the  name  of  Gorgeana, 
and  sometimes  Agamenticus,  until  about  the  year  1652,  when  the  Mas- 
sachusetts government,  supposing  that  the  charter  made  to  Sir  Henry 
Rossewell  and  others,  by  Charles  the  First,  included  New  Hampshire 
and  a  large  part  of  the  province  of  Maine,  sent  down  commissioners 
from  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  government  at  Agamen- 
ticus, naming  the  town  York,  and  the  territory  lying  east  of  Piscataqua 
river,  Yorkshire,  or  York  county,  the  boundaries  thereof  being  three 
miles  to  the  northward  of  Merrimac  river.     York  enjoyed  its  city  privi- 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  oath  drawn  up  by  Gorges,  to  be  administered  to  all 
freemen  ;  "  You  shall  true  liege  men  be,  and  true  faith  and  troth  bear  unto  our  Sover- 
eign lord  the  king,  his  heirs  and  successors,  and  unto  the  lord  proprietor  of  the  Province 
of  Maine,  his  heirs  and  assigns.     So  help  you  God." 


370  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

leges,  conferred  upon  it  under  the  name  of  Gorgeana,  until  1662,  when 
it  was  made  a  town,  —  an  apparent  falling  off  from  its  previous  dignity. 
In  1716  it  was  made  the  shire  town  of  York  county,  then  called  York- 
shire. 

The  settlements  in  the  plantation  of  Agamenticus  Avere  made  princi- 
pally on  the  sea-shore,  near  the  mouth  of  York  river ;  and  before  1641, 
the  commissioners  of  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  held  courts  of  justice  at 
a  place  called  Mount  Saco.  The  settlements  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river  increased  to  a  considerable  extent ;  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that,  before 
the  year  1740,  occasional  preaching  was  had  there  on  the  Sabbath. 

In  each  of  the  first  three  wars  with  the  Indians,  the  tribes  made  great 
efforts  to  destroy  the  place  entirely,  though  without  success.  Early  in 
the  morning  of  Monday,  February  5,  1692,  at  the  signal  of  a  gun  fired, 
the  town  was  furiously  assaulted  at  different  places  by  a  body  of  two 
or  three  hundred  Indians,  led  on  and  emboldened  by  several  Canadian 
Frenchmen,  all  of  the  marauders  having  marched  thither  upon  snow- 
shoes.  The  surprise  was  altogether  unexpected  and  amazing ;  and  con- 
sequently the  more  fatal.  A  scene  of  the  most  horrid  carnage  and  cap- 
ture instantly  ensued  ;  and,  in  one  half  hour,  more  than  150  of  the 
inhabitants  were  expiring  victims  or  trembling  suppliants  at  the  feet  of 
their  enraged  enemies.  Tlie  rest  had  the  good  fortune  to  escape  into 
Preble's,  Harman's,  Alcock's,  and  Norton's  garrisoned  houses,  the  best 
fortifications  in  town.  Though  well  secured  within  the  walls,  and 
bravely  defending  themselves  against  their  assailants,  they  were  several 
times  summoned  to  surrender.  "  Never !  "  said  they.  "  Never !  till  we 
have  shed  the  last  drop  of  blood."  About  seventy-five  of  the  people 
were  killed ;  yet,  despairing  of  conquest  or  capitulation,  the  vindictive 
destroyers  set  fire  to  nearly  all  the  unfortified  houses  on  the  northeast 
side  of  the  river,  which,  with  a  large  amount  of  property  left,  were  laid 
in  ashes.  Apprehensive  of  being  overtaken  by  avenging  pursuers,  the 
Indians  hastened  their  retreat  into  the  woods,  taking  with  them  as  much 
booty  as  they  could  carry  away.i  Nearly  a  hundred  of  these  unhappy 
people  were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  a  long  journey,^  aggravated  by 
a  thousand  hardships  and  sufferings,  —  severe  weather,  snow,  famine, 
abuse,  and  every  species  of  wretchedness.-^  ,So  late  as  the  year  1744, 
there  was  considerable  anxiety  felt  as  to  the  attacks  of  the  Indians ;  and 
it  was  customary  for  the  men  to  take  their  muskets  with  them  on  the 
Sabbath,  to  be  stacked,  during  the  time  of  service,  in  the  meeting-house. 

'  Williamson,  vol.  i.,  p.  G20. 

"  It  is  supposed  they  were  taken  to  Sagadahoc.  —  Williamson. 

'  Mather's  Magnalia,  vol.  n.,  p.  530. 


MAINE TOWN    OP   YORK.  371 

In  June,  1744,  during  the  morning  service,  there  was  an  earthquake ; 
and  the  men  in  the  gallery,  supposing,  from  the  rumbling  noise  and  the  ■ 
outcry  of  the  women,  that  the  Indians  had  made  an  attack  upon  the 
church,  seized  upon  their  guns,  hastened  down  stairs,  and  prepared  to 
discharge  them  upon  their  imaginary  foes  as  they  were  passing  the 
meeting-house  door. 

Prior  to  the  destruction  of  the  town  by  the  Indians  in  1692,  the  prin- 
cipal road  passed  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  over  the  Long  Sands  and 
the  Short  Sands,  to  a  point  of  land  which  retains  the  name  of  Betty 
Allen's  Point,  where  one  Elisha  Allen  conveyed  people  across  the  river. 
In  process  of  time  a  ferry  was  established,  where  the  toll-bridge  is  now 
built,  called  Trafton,  from  the  first  ferryman.  Another  was  established 
where  the  Great  Lower  Bridge,  erected  in  1761  by  Major  Samuel  Sew- 
all,  architect,  now  stands.  After  the  erection  of  this,  the  ferries  over  the 
river  were  discontinued.  The  meeting-house  used  for  public  worship  in 
1692  stood  on  the  northeast  side  of  Meeting-house  Creek,  within  gun- 
shot of  Harman's  garrison.  This  building  was  replaced  in  1719  by  a 
new  one,  more  commodious,  which  was  removed  in  1746,  and  the  pres- 
ent one,  which  was  finished  in  1748,  erected  on  the  same  ground. 

It  is  related  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Moody,  a  Calvinistic  minister,  who 
settled  here  in  1700,  that,  in  the  expedition  to  Louisburg  in  1745,  he  vol- 
unteered as  chaplain  to  General  Pepperrell.  Induced  in  some  measure 
by  the  example  of  this  divine,  three  full  companies  were  formed  in  the 
town,  and  embarked  in  the  campaign,  leaving  scarcely  a  sufficient  num- 
ber to  cultivate  the  soil.  Many  of  these  patriots  never  returned,  or 
when  they  did,  died  of  a  fever,  called  the  Cape  Breton  fever.  Mr. 
Moody,  it  is  supposed,  received  the  seeds  of  this  disease,  of  which  he 
died  in  November,  1747.  It  is  said  of  this  minister,  that,  in  his  natural 
disposition,  "  he  was  dogmatical  and  absolute,  and  very  irritable ;  greatly 
feared  and  beloved  by  the  people  of  his  charge;  over  whom  he  had  an 
uncommon  power." 

The  surface  is  broken,  and,  in  some  parts,  rocky ;  while,  along  the 
seashore,  it  is  marshy  to  a  considerable  extent.  To  the  northwest  there 
are  some  very  fine  farms,  which  are  worked  with  energy,  and  yield  a 
profitable  return ;  though,  on  the  whole,  but  a  small  portion  of  the  land 
is  fit  for  cultivation.  The  town  is  regularly  laid  out,  with  streets  inter- 
secting each  other  at  right  angles ;  the  buildings  on  which  are  comforta- 
ble and  neatly  constructed.  The  principal  harbor  is  at  the  mouth  of 
York  river,  having  water  sufficient  for  vessels  of  three  hundred  tons  bur- 
den. It  is  distant  about  six  miles  from  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  The  entrance 
to  this  harbor  is  difficult,  being  narrow  and  crooked.     Cape    Neddock 


372  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

cove,  four  miles  northeast  of  York  river,  is  navigable  about  a  mile  from 
the  sea,  at  full  tide  only,  —  the  sand-bar  at  its  mouth  preventing  vessels 
of  any  considerable  burden  passing  at  low  water.  Cape  Neddock  and 
Bald  Head  are  the  headlands.  The  former  is  a  little  to  the  south  of 
Cape  Neddock  river,  and  the  latter  forms  the  southeast  part  of  Wells 
bay.  At  the  end  of  this  cape,  a  small  hillock,  called  "  the  Nubble,"  is 
situated ;  and  nine  miles  southward  of  this  lies  Boone  island.  Agamen- 
ticus  mountain,  from  which  the  town  originally  took  its  name,  situated 
in  the  north  part,  is  a  considerable  elevation,  and  a  noted  landmark. 
The  United  States  Coast  Survey  have  erected  an  observatory  on  its 
summit,  the  prospect  being,  it  is  said,  one  of  the  grandest  in  the  coun- 
try. 

The  principal  business  of  the  inhabitants  is  agriculture.  Some  em- 
ploy themselves  in  navigation,  —  in  fishing,  coasti  ng,  and  voyaging  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world.  The  trade  and  commerce  of  the  inhabitants, 
for  a  considerable  period  after  the  destruction  of  the  place  in  1692,  were 
small  and  inconsiderable,  —  two  small  coasting  sloops  being  the  only 
vessels  owned  in  town  up  to  1740.  At  length,  great  exertions  were 
made  to  purchase  a  vessel  for  the  purpose  of  sending  her  to  the  West 
Indies ;  which  having  been  accomphshed  and  the  voyage  proving  suc- 
cessful in  a  pecuniary  way,  encouragement  was  given  to  further  essays  in 
this  line ;  and,  in  1756,  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  French  war, 
there  Avere  several  sloops  and  schooners  employed  in  the  coasting  trade 
to  Hahfax,  and  carrying  lumber  from  the  eastward  to  Boston.  Some 
of  these  vessels  were  also  employed  as  transports  to  Louisburg  and  Que- 
bec until  the  peace  of  1763.  Ship-building  was  carried  on  to  a  consid- 
erable extent  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution ;  but,  before  its 
close,  by  captures  and  disasters,  the  merchant  marine  of  the  town  was 
reduced  to  two  old  sloops.  On  the  acknowledgment  of  the  independ- 
ence of  the  United  States,  ship-building  again  revived,  and  many 
engaged  in  it  beyond  their  ability.  The  embargo  laws,  however,  put  a 
sto])  to  the  enterprising  spirit  which  had  been  infused  into  the  inhabi- 
tants, and  reduced  many  of  them  to  penury.  At  present,  the  ship-build- 
ing interests  are  in  a  good  condition,  the  shipping  in  1854  amounting 

to  1,825  tons,  enrolled  and  licensed.    There  are  four  churches  in  York 

two  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Methodist;  three  post- 
offices  —  York,  Cape  Neddock,  and  Scotland  ;  five  villages,  of  which 
York  village,  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  is  the  principal,  and  has  consid- 
erable trade ;  and  fourteen  school  districts,  with  thirty  schools.  Popu- 
lation, 2,980 ;  valuation,  ^516,609. 


MAINE  —  COUNTY   OP   YORK.  373 

York  County,  at  the  extreme  southwest  of  the  state,  is  renowned  for 
its  antiquity,  being  coeval  with  the  province  of  Maine,  chartered  to  Sir 
Ferdinando  Gorges,  April  3, 1639,^  —  thus  running  back  to  the  essayed 
establishment  over  the  territory  of  a  feudal  government  but  little  short 
of  absolute  royalty  in  all  its  appointments.  Then,  the  people  had 
hardly  a  shadow  of  the  right  of  self-government,  and  this  old  domain 
saw  the  judges  and  other  officers  appointed  by  the  lord  proprietor,  and 
removable  at  his  will,  the  regulation  of  the  courts  being  entirely  within 
his  pleasure.  But,  to  the  honor  of  the  people,  no  such  system  was 
accepted  by  them.  Sir  Ferdinando  proposed  to  divide  the  province 
into  four  counties  or  bailiwicks,  —  east,  west,  north,  and  south,  —  these 
into  eight  hundreds,  and  the  latter  into  parishes  and  tythings,  as  the  peo- 
ple should  increase  or  convenience  require ;  but  the  division  was  in 
fact  made  by  the  river  Kennebunk  into  two  districts  or  counties,  "  east 
and  west."  Without  any  formal  designation  on  the  part  of  the  court, 
these  counties  gradually  acquired  the  names  of  York  and  New  Somerset, 
for  the  former  of  which  the  inferior  courts  were  to  sit  at  Agamenticus, 
and  for  the  latter  at  Saco ;  but  a  general  court  for  the  whole  province 
was  to  be  held  annually  (June  25),  at  Saco.  This  court  was  composed  of 
seven  persons,  who  were  styled  "  Councillors  of  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges, 
for  the  preservation  of  justice  through  his  province."  The  inferior 
courts  had  no  jurisdiction  in  capital  felonies,  or  in  civil  actions  involving 
titles  to  land.  Among  the  prerogatives  claimed  by  the  court  was  the 
compulsion  of  all  parents  in  the  western  division  to  bring  their  unbap- 
tized  children  to  the  ordinance ;  and  whoever  should  refuse,  after  the 
settlement  of  a  minister  in  his  plantation,  and  after  "the  worshipful 
Thomas  Gorges  "  and  Edward  Godfrey  (the  deputy  governor  and  senior 
councillor  of  the  province)  "  should  enjoin  upon  him  the  duty,"  was 
to  become  answerable,  at  the  next  court,  for  contempt 

In  1646,  Alexander  Rigby,  who  had  become  the  purchaser  of  Lygo- 
nia,  or  the  Plough  Patent,^  and  thereby  involved  in  a  sharp  contest  with 
the  government  of  Gorges  on  the  question  of  jurisdiction,  received  in 
his  favor  the  judgment  of  the  governor-general  and  commissioners  of 
the  American  plantations,  to  whom  the  subject  had  been  referred,  by 
which  the  jurisdiction  of  Gorges  was  narrowed  down  to  Wells, 
Gorgeana  (York),  and  Piscataqua  (Kittery),  and  the  northern  Isles  of 
Shoals,  or  the  territory  between  the  Piscataqua  and  Kennebunk  rivers. 
Cleeves,  the  deputy-president  of  Rigby,  at  once  opened  a  court  at  Saco, 

1  The  first  volume  of  York  county  records  begins  in  1640 ;  and  the  volumes  are  num- 
bered regularly  down  to  the  present  time.  —  Williamson,  vol.  i.,  p.  283,  note. 
^  See  Plough  Patent,  ante,  p.  264. 
VOL.  I.  32 


374  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

at  which  place  and  at  Casco,  the  courts  were  held  until  their  virtual 
dissolution  by  the  death  of  Rigby  in  1650.  The  death  of  .both  Gorges 
and  Rigby,  the  fall  of  the  English  monarch,  the  succession  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  the  consequent  dissensions  and  alternation  of  strength  in  the 
provinces,  rendered  the  territory  of  Maine  easy  of  acquisition  by  Mas- 
sachusetts, which  regarded  it  with  a  wishful  eye.  Accordingly,  the  pur- 
chase of  Lygonia  was  completed  in  1652,  the  Gorges  patent  having 
previously  been  purchased  of  Sir  Ferdinando's  heir.  This  territory, 
extending  just  north  of  the  river  Presumpscot,  was  erected  into  a  county 
by  the  name  of  Yorkshire,  and  a  court  established,  to  be  holden  alter- 
nately in  Kittery  and  Agamenticus  (York),  at  appointed  times,  twice  a 
year,  by  such  magistrate  or  assistant  as  the  general  court  might  from 
time  to  time  designate,  aided  by  three  or  five  resident  associates  elected 
for  the  purpose  within  the  county.  The  jurisdiction  and  authority  were 
to  be  coequal  with  similar  courts  in  Massachusetts. 

After  the  restoration  of  monarchy,  the  state  encountered  some 
troubles  by  the  revival  of  claims  under  the  former  patents,  but  they 
were  again  quieted  by  the  purchase,  in  1677,  of  a  release  from  the 
Gorges  heirs  for  £1,250. 

A  county  by  the  name  of  Devonshire  was  formed  in  1674,  by  Massa- 
chusetts commissioners,  out  of  the  territory  between  the  Sagadahoc  and 
George's  rivers,  being  a  part  of  the  dominions  claimed  by  the  Duke  of 
York  under  his  patent ;  but  neither  the  name  nor  jurisdiction  seems  to 
have  been  long  retained.  The  French  and  Indian  wars  rendered  the 
province  desolate  until  early  in  the  next  century. 

In  1716,  the  general  court,  "  in  order  to  render  justice  commensurate 
with  its  jurisdiction,"  ordered  "  that  all  the  lands,  families,  and  settle- 
ments eastward  of  Sagadahock,"  within  the  limits  of  the  provincial 
charter,  be  annexed  to  Yorkshire ;  and  that  York  be  the  shire  town  for 
holding  aU  the  courts  and  keeping  the  registry  of  deeds.  In  1735,  the 
legislature  ordered  that  the  inferior  courts  should  be  holden  alternately 
in  January  and  October  at  York  and  Falmouth,  the  latter  thereby  be- 
coming the  half  shire  town,  at  which  time  the  county  appears  to  have 
acquired  the  name  of  York.  In  1760,  the  two  new  counties  of  Cum- 
berland and  Lincoln  being  established,  the  bounds  between  the  former 
and  York  were  made  to  run,  as  at  present,  northerly  of  Saco,  Buxton, 
and  Limington  to  the  point  where  the  northwest  line  of  "  Pearson- 
town"  (Standish)  intersects  the  river  Saco,  "and  from  thence  north  two 
degrees  west  on  a  true  course  as  far  as  the  utmost  northern  limits  of 
this  province."  This  northern  section  above  the  Great  Ossipee  was  cut 
off  to  make  up  a  portion  of  Oxford  county,  in  1805  ;  since  which  the 
bounds  of  this  once  great  jurisdiction  have  remained  undisturbed.      In 


MAINE COUNTY    OF    YORK.  375 

1802,  the  supreme  court,  which  had  for  the  two  previous  years  been  held 
at  Kennebunk,  was,  after  a  severe  contest,  removed  to  Alfred,  and,  at 
the  first  session,  the  bench  was  occupied  by  Judges  Dana,  Gushing,  and 
Thacher ;  but  the  courts  of  sessions  continued  to  be  held  at  several 
places  for  some  years  longer.  In  1807  they  ceased  at  Biddeford,  in 
1814  at  Waterborough,  and  in  1833  at  York,  thus  making  Alfred  the 
exclusive  shire  town. 

York  belongs  to  the  western  judicial  district,  the  law  terms  for  which 
are  held  at  Portland.  The  jury  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court 
commence  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of  January  and  April,  and  the  third 
Tuesday  of  September. 

The  county  contains  an  area  of  about  eight  hundred  square  miles. 
It  is  separated  from  New  Hampshire  chiefly  by  the  Piscataqua  and  Sal- 
mon Falls  rivers,  and  is  bounded  on  the  southeast  by  the  ocean,  which 
gives  it  the  advantage  of  several  good  harbors.  An  accurate  survey  of 
York  harbor  has  been  completed  under  the  superintendence  of  Professor 
Bache,  of  the  Coast  Survey.  Ship-building  and  maritime  pursuits  are 
on  the  decline,  the  attention  of  the  people  being  more  generally  given  to 
agriculture.  The  surface  is  somewhat  rough  and  uneven,  and,  along  the 
coast,  rocky.  The  county  is  watered  by  the  Saco  and  its  tributaries,  by 
the  Kennebunk,  Mousam,  Wells,  York,  and  Little  Ossipee  rivers,  besides 
those  before  mentioned,  and  some  ponds  of  greater  or  less  size.  It  can 
boast  also  of  Mount  Agamenticus,  some  680  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  is  traversed  for  about  thirty  miles  by  the  Portland,  Saco,  and 
Portsmouth  Railroad,  and  by  the  York  and  Cumberland  Railroad,  pro- 
jected from  Portland  to  Great  Falls,  N.  H.,  but  which  has  been  com- 
pleted only  eighteen  miles,  to  Hollis.  Population,  60,098;  valuation, 
^12,390,335. 


CHAPTER    V. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE— OUTLINES   OF  ITS  HISTORY. 

New  Hampshire  is  situated  between  the  parallels  of  42°  41'  and 
45°  11'  north  latitude,  and  between  the  meridians  of  70°  40'  and  72°  28' 
of  longitude,  west  from  Greenwich ;  or  between  4°  34'  and  6°  22'  east 
from  Washington.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Canada  East;  on 
the  east  by  the  State  of  Maine  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ;  on  the  south 
by  the  State  of  Massachusetts ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont, being  separated  from  it  by  the  Connecticut  river,  the  western 
bank  of  which  forms  the  dividing  line.  It  contains  an  area  of  9,280 
square  miles,  or  5,939,200  acres,  100,000  of  which  are  covered  with 
water.  For  the  sake  of  compactness,  four  distinct  divisions  will  be 
made  of  this  chapter:  1.  The  discovery  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the 
efforts  of  Mason  and  Gorges  at  settlement ;  the  long  controversy  re- 
garding the  Mason  claim ;  the  first  survey ;  the  settlement  of  the  boun- 
dary line ;  and  the  controversy  with  New  York  regarding  Vermont 
2.  The  arrival  of  Wheelwright ;  a  glance  at  the  period  from  the  union 
with  Massachusetts  in  1641  to  the  final  separation  in  1741 ;  the  set- 
tlement of  the  Scottish  emigrants.  3.  The  wars  with  the  Indians  and 
with  the  French  from  1675  to  the  conquest  of  Canada  in  1760.  4.  The 
American  Revolution ;  subsequent  history,  and  statistics. 

1.  The  Discovery  —  Efforts  at  Settlement  —  Mason  Controversy First 

Survey  —  Settlement  of  Boundary  —  Conflict  with  New  York. 

Though,  for  some  years  previous  to  1603,  European  vessels  had 
coasted  along  the  shore  of  New  Hampshire,  nothing  definite  was 
known  regarding  its  rivers,  its  harbors,  or  its  coast,  until  the  arri- 
val of  Captain  Martin  Pring,  sent  out  for  exploration,  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  some  merchants  of  Bristol,  England,  on  the  lOlh  of  April 
in  that  year,  with  two  ships,  the  Speedwell  and  Discoverer,  with  which 
he  entered  the  harbor  of  Portsmouth  and  explored  the  Piscataqua  for 
three  or  four  leagues.    Prominent  members  of  the  Plymouth  Council  were 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  377 

Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  who  became  its  president,  and  Captain  John 
Mason,^  who  was  appointed  its  secretary.  To  these  indefatigable  and 
persevering  men  New  Hampshire  is  indebted,  however  little,  for  the 
first  efforts  made  to  reclaim  it  from  its  primeval  condition,  and  to  people 
its  uninhabited  regions.  In  1621,  Mason  succeeded  in  obtaining  from 
the  council  a  grant  of  a  tract  extending  from  Naumkeag,  now  Salem, 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimack,  which  was  named  the  district  of  Mariana. 
Another  grant  was  made  the  next  year  to  Gorges  and  Mason  con- 
jointly,—  so  that  it  would  appear  that  these  adventurous  men  had  re- 
solved to  unite  their  fortunes,  —  which  comprised  all  the  lands  between 
the  rivers  Merrimack  and  Kennebec,  extending  back  to  the  great  lakes 
and  the  St.  Lawrence  river.  This  was  called  Laconia.  In  the  spring 
of  1623,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Company  of  Laconia,"  Gorges  and 
Mason,  with  several  merchants,  whom  they  had  induced  to  adventure 
with  them,  equipped  and  sent  over  an  expedition,  consisting  of  David 
Thompson,  and  William  and  Edward  Hilton,  fishmongers  of  London, 
"with  a  number  of  other  people,  in  two  divisions,"  one  division  of 
which,  under  Thompson,  settled  at  Little  Harbor  (on  the  Rye  side), 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Piscataqua;  while  the  other,  under  the  Hiltons, 
settled  on  Dover  neck,  the  extreme  south  point  of  the  town,  which  they 
called  Northam.  Prosperity,  however,  refused  to  smile  on  the  efforts 
of  the  company  of  Laconia ;  and,  for  many  years,  these  towns,  the  ear- 
liest settled  in  New  Hampshire,  hardly  advanced  from  their  embryo 
state,  and  were  little  more  than  stations  for  fishing. 

In  1629,  the  province  of  Laconia  was  divided  by  Mason  and  Gorges, 
the  former  obtaining  a  grant  in  his  own  name  of  the  territory  lying  be- 
tween the  Merrimack  and  the  Piscataqua,  extending  sixty  miles  into  the 
interior,  which  he  called  New  Hampshire,  in  remembrance  of  Hamp- 
shire in  England,  where  he  had  his  residence.  This  tract  was  divided, 
in  1631,  into  two  gi-ants,  called  the  Upper  and  Lower  Plantations, 
patents  having  be*i  taken  out  from  the  Plymouth  Company  for  the 
former,  —  which  included  Dover, — by  the  west  of  England  merchants, 
who  appointed  Thomas  Wiggin  as  their  agent ;  and  for  the  latter, 
—  which  in«luded  Portsmouth,  —  by  the  London  merchants,  with  whom 
Gorges  and  Mason  were  partners,  and  over  which,  subsequently,  Wal- 
ter Neal  was  appointed  governor.  Agriculture,  however,  was  neglected 
in  the  pursuit  of  objects  immediately  remunerative;  consequently,  these 

'  Captain  Mason  was  a  London  merchant,  but  bocame  a  sea-captain.  He  was  after- 
wards made  governor  of  Newfoundland,  whore  he  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of 
America,  which  led  him,  on  his  return  to  England,  into  a  close  attachment  to  those 
who  were  en<Taf;cd  in  its  discovery.  He  was  also  governor  of  Portsmouth,  in  Hamp- 
shire.—  Belknap,  p.  4. 

32* 


378  HISTORY    AXD    DESCIIIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

adventurers  made  but  slow  progress  in  improvemeut,  eventually  became 
disheartened,  and  many  of  them  abandoned  the  place  enUrely,  leaving 
Gorges  and  Mason  as  the  sole  proprietors  of  Portsmouth,  and  Lords 
Say  and  Brooke,  two  Puritan  noblemen,  as  large  proprietors  in  the  Dover 
plantation. 

In  1634,  Mason  and  Gorges,  whose  brilliant  visions  of  wealth  and 
fame  still  sustained  them,  attempted  to  revive  their  plantation,  and  sent 
over  "  a  fresh  supply  of  servants,  and  materials  for  building,"  appointing 
Francis  Williams  as  their  governor.  A  short  time  after  this,  (1635,) 
the  Plymouth  Company  surrendered  their  charter  to  the  crown,  it  having 
been  complained  of  as  a  monopoly  ;  and  though  Gorges  used  every 
species  of  argument  to  defend  it  from  the  allegation,  all  was  of  no  avail. 
Prior  to  this  event.  Mason  and  Gorges  secured  to  themselves  a  portion 
of  the  territory  thus  escheated  to  the  crown, —  Mason's  grant  compris- 
ing both  his  former  patents,  which  were  further  increased  by  a  purchase 
from  Gorges  of  a  tract  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  Piscataqua,  three 
miles  in  breadth  from  its  mouth  to  its  farthest  head,  including  a  saw- 
mill at  the  falls  of  Newichawannock.^  Our  brightest  visions  often  fail 
of  realization,  and  it  was  thus  with  Mason.  Just  at  a  period  when  the 
darling  schemes  which  he  had  nurtured  were  assuming  something  of  a 
tangible  shape,  he  was  removed  by  death,  and  his  American  estate, 
which  was  valued  in  the  inventory  at  £10,000  sterling,  was  left  by  will 
to  his  relatives.  After  his  death,  his  widow  and  executrix  sent  over 
Francis  Norton  as  her  "  general  attorney,"  to  whom  she  committed  the 
whole  management  of  her  late  husband's  estate.  The  expenses  so  far 
exceeded  the  income  that  she  was  unable  to  meet  the  demands,  and 
was  obliged  to  relinquish  the  care  of  the  settlement  Many  of  the  set- 
tlers removed  from  the  plantation,  while  those  who  remained  kept  pos- 
session of  the  buildings  and  improvements,  claiming  them  as  their  own. 
Thus,  that  \^^hich  had  but  a  few^  years  before  promised  so  much,  and 
had  cost  Mason  his  fortune,  was  lost  to  the  heirs.  These  events  hap- 
pened between  1638  and  1644.  The  heirs,  however,  had  no  idea  of 
giving  up  so  valuable  an  estate  without  an  effort,  and  a  series  of  suits 
were  instituted,  which  reached  through  a  number  of  years. 

In  1652,  Joseph  Mason  arrived  in  this  country  from  England,  with 
full  powers  from  the  executrix  to  adjust  and  superintend  the  interests 
of  her  deceased  husband.  He  found  the  lands  occupied  by  those  who 
were  nowise  disposed  to  surrender  them  ;  and,  the  temper  of  the  gov- 
ernment then  in  existence  being  adverse  to  his  claim,  he  gave  up  the 
estate  as  lost,  unless  the  home  government  should  interpose. 

'  Belknap,  vol.  I.  pp.  14,  15. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  OUTLINES   OF  ITS   HISTORY.  379 

« 

In  1660,  Robert  Tufton,  a  grandson  of  Captain  John  Mason,  had 
his  surname  changed  to  Mason,  and  laid  before  King  Charles  a  petition 
for  the  recovery  of  the  vast  possessions  of  his  ancestor,  in  which 
he  preferred  charges  of  usurpation  against  Massachusetts.^  The  king 
took  favorable  notice  of  it,  and  referred  it  to  his  attorney-general.  Sir 
Geoffrey  Palmer,  who  reported  that  "  Robert  Mason,  grandson  and  heir 
to  Captain  John  Mason,  had  a  good  and  legal  title  to  the  province  of 
New  Hampshire."  ^  Nothing  further  was  done  about  the  matter,  and  in 
1675,  when  the  colony  was  laboring  under  severe  distresses  from  the 
war  with  Philip,  Mason  again  petitioned  the  king  to  have  his  property 
restored,  who  referred  the  petition  to  Sir  William  Jones,  the  attorney- 
general  ;  and  he,  like  his  predecessor,  gave  a  favorable  opiniozi  of  the 
claim.  In  June,  1676,  Edward  Randolph,  a  kinsman  of  Mason,  arrived 
at  Boston,  with  a  letter  from  the  Privy  Council,  requiring  Massachusetts 
to  send  over  agents,  within  six  months,  to  answer  to  the  complaints  of 
usurpation  made  against  them  by  the  heirs  of  Mason  and  Gorges ;  and 
William  Stoughton  and  Peter  Bulkley  were  appointed,  in  September,  to 
act  in  that  capacity.  Accordingly,  a  hearing  was  had,  in  1677,  before  the 
Lords  Chief  Justices  of  the  King's  Bench  and  Common  Pleas,  who  de- 
cided that  Massachusetts  had  no  right  of  jurisdiction  over  New  Hamp- 
shire ;  and  though  they  did  not  give  an  opinion  as  to  Mason's  claim  to  the 
soil,  they  denied  his  right  of  government  over  the  territory.  It  was  de- 
cided also  that  Portsmouth,  Dover,  Exeter,  and  Hampton^  were  without 
the  bounds  of  Massachusetts.  The  attorney-general  also  reversed  his 
previous  opinion,  —  stating  that  no  court  in  England  had  cognizance  of 
the  case,  and  that  it  could  only  be  tried  in  the  section  of  country  in 
which  the  lands  were  situated. 

In  1679,  the  union  with  Massachusetts  was  dissolved,  and  a  new 
order  of  government  instituted  in  New  Hampshire.  In  1680,  Mason 
came  over  from  England,  with  a  mandamus  authorizing  him  to  take  a 
seat  in  the  council  of  the  new  government.  He  endeavored  to  persuade 
or  coerce  the  inhabitants  into  an  acknowledgment  of  his  claims,  assert- 
ing his  right  to  the  province,  and  assuming  the  title  of  "  lord  proprietor." 
His  transactions,  and  those  of  his  agents,  gave  such  offence  to  the 
inhabitants  that  they  appealed  for  protection  to  the  council,  who  .were 
not  baclvward  in  granting  it.  Mason  failing  to  attend  to  their  orders,  a 
warrant  was  issued  for  his  arrest ;  but  he  managed  to  escape  to  Eng- 
land.    During  the  administration  of  Edward  Cranfield,*  who  was  largely 

'  To  make  this  part  of  the  chapter  intelligible,  it  may  be  as  well  to  state,  that  on  the 
14th  of  April,  1641,  a  union  was  formed  by  New  Hampshire  with  Massachusetts. 
^  MS.  in  IMassachusetts  Superior  Court  files.  '  See  post,  p.  381. 

*  See  post,  p.  383. 


380  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 


• 


interested  in  the  claim,  tlie  most  stringent  measures  were  used  to  force 
the  people  into  making  purchases  of  Mason ;  but  they  were  found  obsti- 
nate and  unyielding.  To  dismiss  the  subject  in  a  very  few  words,  the 
contest  between  the  inhabitants  and  the  Masonian  claimants  continued 
to  increase  in  intensity,  — the  former  being  atone  time  in  the  ascendant, 
and  at  another  time  the  latter.  In  1688,  Mason  died,  and  the  property 
descended  to  his  two  sons,  who  sold  their  claim,  in  1691,  to  Samuel 
Allen  of  London.  The  case  lingered  on  till  1707,  when  the  British 
ministry,  taking  into  consideration  the  loyalty  of  the  people,  which  they 
were  rather  desirous  of  encouraging,  as  well  as  the  distresses  under  which 
they  labored  in  consequence  of  Queen  Anne's  war,  suspended  a  final 
decision  on  Allen's  claim ;  and  before  the  appeal  could  be  heard,  he 
died,  putting  an  end  to  the  suit,  which  his  heirs,  being  minors,  did  not 
renew.'  In  1746,  however,  the  surviving  heir  of  Mason,  availing  him- 
self of  some  legal  defect  in  the  sale  to  Allen,  revived  the  claim,  and 
disposed  of  his  title  to  the  soil  of  New  Hampshire  to  a  company  of 
twehe  gentlemen  in  Portsmouth,  who,  in  order  to  silence  the  apprehen- 
sions of  the  people,  filed  a  quitclaim  in  the  recorder's  office  to  all  the 
towns  previously  granted  and  settled,  and  also  made  new  grants  on 
reasonable  terms.  Thus  the  prejudice  which  was  at  first  excited  against 
them  gradually  died  out.  By  this  purchase  were  settled  the  long-vexed 
claims  which  had  been  pursued  with  such  unwavering  pertinacity 
by  the  Masonian  heirs,  and  resisted  with  equal  zeal  by  the  people  of 
New  Hampshire. 

In  1719,  the  first  plan  of  the  province  was  drawn,  in  compliance  with 
an  order  from  the  crown,  which,  however,  did  not  define  its  boundaries, 
only  suggesting  that  it  might  extend  as  far  westerly  as  Massachusetts,^ 
and  on  the  east  to  the  middle  of  Piscataqua  river,  as  far  up  as  the  tide 
Hows  in  the  Newichawannock  branch,  and  then  northwesterly ;  but 
whether  it  should  be  two  or  more  points  westward  of  north  was  left 
for  further  consideration.  In  1740,  the  long  controversy  respecting  the 
boundary  line  between  this  province  and  Massachusetts  was  terminated 
by  the  decision  of  the  crown  ;  and  in  1741,  in  conformity  to  the  royal 
determination  of  the  boundaries,  surveyors  were  appointed  and  com- 
missioned by  Governor  Belcher  to  "run  out  and  mark  the  lines."  The 
work  was  accomplished  during  the  months  of  February  and  March,  the 
boundaries  decided  by  1he  king  giving  to  New  Hampshire  a  territory 
of  fifiy  miles  in  length  by  fourteen  in  breadth  more  than  she  had 
claimed  ;  and,  if  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  province  of  New  York 
was  twenty  miles  east  of  Hudson  river,  it  gave  to  her  the  whole  terri- 

'  Bolknap,  vol.  i.,  p.  16G.  '  Penhallow's  MSS. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  381 

tory  of  the  present  state  of  Vermont,  sufficient  to  make  her  a  large  and 
powerful  province.'  From  this  decision  sprung  a  controversy  with  New 
York,  which  was  a  cause  of  ceaseless  litigation,  and  frequently  of  hostile 
encounters,  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  the  details  of  which,  more  properly 
belonging  to  Vermont,  will  be  found  at  length  in  the  leading  chapter  to 
that  state. 


II.  The  Arrival  op  Wheelwright —  Glance  at  the  Period  from  the  Union 
WITH  Massachusetts,  in  1641,  to  the  Final  Separation  in  1741  —  Set- 
tlement OF  THE  Scottish  Emigrants. 

At  the  date  of  the  elder  Mason's  death  in  1635,  two  settlements  had 
been  established  on  the  Piscataqua,  —  that  at  Portsmouth  and  the  one 
at  Dover.  The  former,  in  consequence  of  his  decease,  was  left  without 
any  leader,  at  a  time,  too,  when  one  was  much  needed.  The  Dover 
plantation  also  suffered  under  many  disadvantages,  and,  in  1633, 
measures  were  taken  for  its  resuscitation,  several  families  from  the 
west  of  England,  some  of  them  men  of  property,  being  brought  hither 
to  increase  the  colony.  Here,  it  may  almost  be  said,  the  first  settlement 
of  any  extent  was  made.  In  1638,  Rev.  John  Wheelwright,  an  exile 
from  Massachusetts,  with  several  of  his  church,  took  up  his  residence 
in  New  Hampshire,  where  he  had  purchased  a  tract  of  territory  thirty 
miles  square,  on  the  northern  side  of  Merrimack  river,  which  he  called 
Exeter.  Having  formed  themselves  into  a  church,  they  also  combined 
into  a  body  politic,  and  chose  rulers  and  assistants,  both  which  were 
elected  annually  and  sworn  into  office,  the  people  being  also  sworn  to 
obey  them.  The  laws  were  made  in  a  popular  assembly,  and  formally 
assented  to  by  the  people.  This  was  the  first  government  in  New 
Hampshire  founded  on  purely  democratic  principles,  and  was  the  germ 
of  that  government  which  has  continued,  with  but  triffing  alteration,  for 
more  than  two  hundred  years.  The  plantation  of  Hampton,  called  by 
the  Indians  Winnicumet,  was  formed  about  the  same  time,  and  was 
peopled  by  immigrants  from  Norfolk,  England,^  to  the  number  of  fifty- 
six.  Portsmouth  and  Dover,  the  two  oldest  settlements,  following  the 
example  of  Exeter,  formed  themselves,  in  1649,  into  separate  communi- 
ties. The  population  of  these  four  infant  "  republics  "  did  not  exceed 
one  thousand. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1641,  a  union  was  formed  by  New  Hampshire 

•  New  Hampshire  claimed  that  her  southern  boundary  should  be  a  line  commencing 
three  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimack,  and  running  due  west. 
'  Hampton,  at  this  time,  was  considered  as  belonging  to  Massachusetts. 


382  HISTORY   AND    DESCIUPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

with  Massachusetts,  and  continued  for  nearly  forty  years,  during  which, 
their  history  is  one.  To  consummate  this  union  required  very  impor- 
tant concessions,  —  a  concession  of  principle  on  the  one  side,  and  a 
humiliation  of  sectarian  pride  on  the  other.  The  original  settlers  of  the 
New  Hampshire  colony  were  high-church  Episcopalians,  who  at  home 
had  despised  and  persecuted  the  Puritans,  and  had  hardly  acquired  an 
affection  for  them  here,  especially  as  they  saw  the  Massachusetts  gov- 
ernment, with  its  expansive  tendencies,  breaking  over  its  original  con- 
fines, and  threatening  to  cover  them  with  the  broad  canopy  of  its  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  authority.  They  persistently  refused  to  submit  to 
this  jurisdiction,  except  on  condition  "  that  church  membership  should 
not  be  required  as  a  qualification  to  be  a  freeman,  or  to  sit  as  represent- 
ative in  the  general  court."  The  Puritans  had  too  much  foresight  to 
permit  this  law  to  prevent  an  extension  of  their  colonial  power,  and 
they  dispensed  with  it  in  its  application  to  New  Hampshire.  This 
was  regarded  as  a  most  extraordinary  concession  for  the  times,  and 
looked  upon  with  a  holy  horror  by  the  rigid  Calvinists,  who  foreboded 
only  schism,  and  other  grievous  evils,  from  such  toleration. 

Wheelwright,  finding  himself  again  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Massa- 
chusetts, removed,  in  1643,  over  the  lines  into  the  possessions  of  Sir  Fer- 
dinando  Gorges,  and,  with  some  of  his  adherents,  founded  the  town  of 
Wells,  Me.  Soon  after,  however,  following  the  example  of  Underbill, 
he  addressed  a  repentant  letter  to  the  Massachusetts  government,  which 
being  favorably  received,  the  sentence  against  him  was  revoked,  and  he 
returned  and  dwelt  first  in  Hampton,  and  afterwasds  in  Salisbury,  Mass. 
until  his  death. 

From  1640  to  1660,  the  upheaving  in  the  old  world,  — that  sent  Charles 
I.  from  a  throne  to  the  scaffold,  abolished  the  Star-Chamber,  inaua'u- 
rated  "  the  Commonwealth,"  and  restored  monarchy,  —  in  a  great  meas- 
ure withdrew  attention  from  the  colonies.  Apprehensions  beino-  enter- 
tained of  the  covetous  designs  of  the  Dutch,  the  encroachments  of  the 
French,  and,  possibly,  of  an  Indian  attack,  a  union  was  formed,  for 
mutual  protection,  by  the  four  New  England  colonies, —  Connecticut, 
New  Haven,  New  Plymouth,  and  Massachusetts  (including  New  Hamp- 
shire),—  which  lasted  for  nearly  half  a  century.  During  this  period, 
explorations  were  encouraged  by  the  landed  proprietors.  Surveying 
parties  were  sent  into  the  wilderness,  not  only  to  prepare  the  way  for 
its  settlement,  but  to  secure  in  advance  the  most  valuable  tracts  of 
land. 

In  1658  an  era  commenced,  in  which  delusion  blinded  the  eyes,  and 
persecution  rankled  in  the  hearts,  of  the  good  people  of  New  Eno-land. 
New  Hampshire  did  not  escape  receiving  two  spots  upon  the  pages  of  her 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  OUTLINES    OF   ITS   HISTORY.  383 

history,  —  1he  witchcraft  mania,  and  the  persecution  of  the  Quakers. 
In  the  former,  superstition  so  worked  upon  the  imagination  as  to  over- 
power common  sense  ;  and  in  the  latter,  religious  fanaticism  usurped  the 
better  part  of  man's  nature,  making  him  callous  to  the  teachings  of 
conscience  or  the  best  feelings  of  the  heart.  The  trial  of  Goodwife 
Walford,  in  March,  1658,  at  Portsmouth,  furnishes  an  instance  of  the 
curious  evidence  adduced  in  cases  of  witchcraft ;  ^  but  though  several 
cases  were  tried  in  this  state,  none  of  the  accused  suffered  death.  The 
penalties  which  the  laws  enforced  upon  the  Quakers  were  of  the  most 
sanguinary  character,  comprising  whipping,  imprisonment,  cutting  off  the 
ears,  boring  the  tongue  with  a  hot  iron,  and  banishment,  with  the  penalty 
of  death  if  they  returned.  In  1662,  three  Quaker  women  were  ordered 
to  be  stripped,  tied  to  a  cart,  and  publicly  whipped,  through  eleven 
towns  in  New  Hampshire,  each  receiving  ten  stripes  in  every  town, 
and  this  in  the  depth  of  winter.  This  cruel  order,  however,  was  not 
enforced  except  in  three  of  the  towns,  the  women  having  been  released 
in  Salisbury,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Walter  Barefoot.  No  pal- 
liation for  these  extreme  measures  can  be  advanced ;  and  they  are  the 
more  reprehensible  from  the  fact,  that  they  were  instituted  by  a  people 
w^ho  had  left  England  for  the  sake  of  their  religious  opinions. 

In  1679,  the  union  with  Massachusetts  was  dissolved  by  the  king, 
contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  inhabitants,  and  a  royal  government  insti- 
tuted. This  ■was  brought  about  mainly  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Robert  Mason,  for  the  testing  of  whose  claim  to  the  territory  of  New 
Hampshire  a  new  jurisdiction,  and  new  modes  of  trial  and  appeal,  were 
found  necessary.  With  a  view  to  conciliate  the  people,  a  president  and 
councillors  were  chosen  from  among  them,  the  president  being  John 
Cutts  of  Portsmouth.  The  king  also  permitted  an  assembly,  "  so  long 
as  he  might  find  it  convenient."  This  assembly  met  for  the  first  time 
March  16,  1680,  and  enacted  laws  compiled  from  the  Massachusetts 
code,  which  were  rejected  in  England  as  "  fanatical  and  absurd."  As 
has  been  shown  in  another  place,  this  government  was  strongly  averse 
to  the  interests  of  Mason,  who  obtained,  in  1682,,the  appointment  of 
Edward  Cranfield,  a  London  official,  as  governor.  To  him  Mason 
guaranteed,  by  a  mortgage  on  the  territory  of  the  province,  .£150  per 
annum,  and  other  valuable  perquisites.  As  a  consequence,  he  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  success  of  Mason's  claim,  and  instituted  a  series  of  the 
most  disgraceful  proceedings.  The  assembly  not  acting  in  concert  with 
his  ideas,  he  dissolved  it,  and  forthwith  popular  resentment  rose  high, 
and  resulted  in  a  rebellion,  at  the  head  of  which  was  Edward  Gove, 

'  See  Adams's  Annals  of  Portsmouth. 


384  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

who  was  found  guilty  of  high  treason,  and  sent  to  England,  but  there 
pardoned.  Cranfield  directed  the  people  to  take  out  leases  from  Mason, 
which  they  refused  to  do  ;  altered  the  value  of  money,  changed  the 
bounds  of  townships,  established  the  fees  of  office,  and  prohibited  ves- 
sels from  Massachusetts  entering  the  harbor  of  Portsmouth.  He  made 
himself  further  obnoxious  by  requiring  Mr.  Moodey,the  minister  of  Ports- 
mouth, to  administer  the  "  Lord's  Supper "  according  to  the  Liturgy, 
which  he  refused  to  do,  and  henceforth  incurred  the  governor's  dis- 
pleasure, and  imprisonment.  Numerous  other  acts  of  tyranny  he  en- 
deavored to  enforce  ;  but  he  found  the  people  less  tractable  than  he  had 
anticipated,  and  discovered  that  the  women  could  use  other  implements 
than  their  tongues  in  resisting  the  oppression  of  his  minions.  At  length, 
having  become  extremely  odious  to  the  province,  complaints  regarding 
his  unlawful  acts  were  made  to  the  home  government,  which  eventually 
decided  that  he  had  exceeded  his  instructions  in  three  points.  In  1685, 
he  went  to  Jamaica  and  from  thence  to  England,  and  was  afterwards 
appointed  collector  of  customs  at  Barbadoes.  Walter  Barefoot,  the 
deputy  governor,  succeeded  him,  —  who,  like  his  predecessor,  found 
untold  difficulties  in  his  government,  —  and  retained  the  position  tiU 
the  organization  of  the  new  government  over  New  England,  May  25, 
1686,  of  which  Joseph  Dudley  was  appointed  presid«it.  In  December, 
Dudley  was  superseded  by  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  whose  tyrannical 
administration  was  fitly  ended  by  his  imprisonment  and  subsequent 
removal,  as  a  prisoner,  to  England,  in  1690.  Thus  New  Hampshire  was 
left  without  a  governor,  and,  March  12,  a  union  was  again  formed  with 
Massachusetts,  which  continued  til!  1692,  when  Samuel  Allen,  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  Mason  title,  was  appointed  governor,  and  John  Usher,  a 
Boston  bookseller,  deputy;  the  latter  of  whom  assumed  the  reins  of 
power,  which  he  used  in  a  manner  not  very  satisfactory  to  the  people, 
being  pompous  and  overbearing.  He  was  superseded  in  January,  1698, 
by  William  Partridge,  in  the  absence  of  Allen.  Allen's  administration, 
which  commenced  early  in  the  summer  of  1698,  was  one  continued 
scene  of  altercation,  which  was  relieved  by  the  arrival,  July  31,  1699, 
of  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  as  governor  of  New  York,  Massachusetts, 
and  New  Hampshire.  For  a  period  of  forty-two  years^from  this  date. 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  had  but  one  governor,  though  each 
state  had  its  own  council,  its  o"ttm  assembly,  and  its  own  laws.  The 
people  had  anticipated  much  good  from  the  administration  of  this  dis- 
tinguished nobleman,  "  who,  though  faithful  to  the  king,  never  oppressed 
the  people ; "  but  he  was  removed  by  death,  about  two  years  from  his 
appointment,  March  5, 1701.  Joseph  Dudley  succeeded  him  as  gover- 
nor of  Massachusetts  and   New  Hampshire,  July  13,  1702,  and   Usher 


NEW   HAMPSUIRE OUTLINES    OF   ITS   HISTORY.  385 

was  again  appointed  deputy  the  next  year.  No  peculiar  event  of  im- 
portance occurred  during  the  administrations  of  George  Vaughan  as 
lieutenant-governor  in  1716,  John  Wentworthin  1717,  and  David  Dunbar 
in  1731,  save  what  will  be  found  in  the  previous  and  subsequent  divis- 
ions of  this  chapter.  With  the  decision  of  the  boundary  question  in 
1741,  the  union  with  Massachusetts  may  be  said  to  have  been  finally 
dissolved.  Bcnning  Wentworth  was  appointed  governor.  New  Hamp- 
shire now  embarked  on  a  career  of  her  own,  and  has  given  evidence, 
by  subsequent  events,  that  her  capacities  for  improvement,  in  every  con- 
cern which  goes  to  form  the  greatness  and  glory  of  a  people,  were  too 
little  appreciated  even  by  herself.  In  1767,  Benning  Wentworth  was 
removed  by  the  British  ministry  on  charges  of  neglect  of  duty,  and 
John  Wentworth,  his  nephew,  a  man  esteemed  by  the  people  on  account 
of  his  zeal  in  procuring  a  repeal  of  the  stamp  act,  was  appointed  in  his 
stead.  During  his  administration  occurred  those  stirring  scenes  and 
incidents  which  resulted  in  the  Revolution. 

Early  in  the  year  1719,  the  population  of  New  Hampshire  was 
increased  by  the  arrival  of  several  families  of  Scottish  emigrants,  whose 
ancestors,  by  royal  patronage,  had  removed  from  Argyleshire,  in  the  west 
of  Scotland,  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  to  the 
counties  of  Londonderry  and  Antrim,  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  Here, 
however,  persecution  reached  them  during  the  reigns  of  Charles  I.  and 
James  IL ;  and  henceforth  they  yearned  for  some  new  home,  where, 
while  they  might  escape  the  exactions  of  political  and  religious  oppres- 
sion, they  could  earn  a  living  by  honest  toil.  They  heard  that  the  New 
World  offered  such  advantages;  and,  encouraged  by  hopes  which  were 
not  altogether  unfounded,  one  hundred  and  twenty  families  set  sail  for 
the  promised  haven,  and  arrived,  some  at  Boston,  and  others  at  Portland, 
in  safety.  Sixteen  of  these  famiKes  settled  at  Londonderry,-'  who  were 
shortly  increased  by  many  others  from  home ;  and  from  them  have  sprung 
more  than  twenty  thousand  persons,  who  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every 
town  in  New  Hampshire,  and,  in  fact,  in  New  England.  These  emi- 
grants brought  with  them  all  those  striking  characteristics  which  dis- 
tinguished their  fathers,  and  which  have  won  for  them  imperishable 
fame  as  men  of  piety,  as  ardent  lovers  of  liberty,  as  heroes,  statesmen, 
scholars,  men  of  science,  and  men  of  honor.  From  them  have  sprung 
such  men  as  Stark,  Reed,  M' Clary,  Miller,  and  McNeil,  and  many  others 
among  the  most  distinguished  of  America's  sons. 

'  Sec  article  on  Londonderry. 

VOL.  I.  33 


;^S6  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


III.   The  Wars  with  the  Indians  and  with  the  Fkench,  from  1G75  to  the 
Conquest  of  Canada,  in  17G0. 

This  division  of  our  chapter  embraces  a  large  portion  of  the  history 
of  New  Hampshire,  as  it  does  of  most  of  the  New  England  States. 
From  1675  to  1760,  —  a  period  of  eighty-five  years,  —  the  intermissions 
of  peace,  like  gleams  of  sunshine  in  an  equinoctial  storm,  were  of  short 
duration  ;  —  a  harassing  contest  had  to  be  maintained  by  the  colonists, 
not  only  against  the  savage  warfare  of  the  Indian,  but  against  the  de- 
signing plans  of  the  French.  If  the  patient  endurance  of  every  suffer- 
ing, and  an  indomitable  perseverance  under  every  danger,  entitle  a  man 
to  a  home,  then  the  pioneers  of  New  England  nobly  won  theirs.  For 
nearly  fifty  years  the  Indians  had  left  the  white  man  unmolested  ;  but 
the  narrowed  limits  of  their  hunting-grounds  and  the  growing  power 
of  the  English  awakened  in  them  a  sense  of  their  condition,  and  a  feel- 
ing of  discontent  was  manifest,  which  Philip,  the  renowned  warrior  of 
Mount  Hope,  was  not  long  in  fanning  into  a  flame.^  Hostilities  com- 
menced in  June,  1675 ;  and  the  war  was  carried  into  New  Hampshire 
in  September,  by  an  attack  on  Somersworth.  The  settlers  were  filled 
with  dread,  and  betook  themselves  to  garrisons  for  protection.  Desola- 
tion and  death  swept  through  the  land,  and  it  was  feared  that  civiliza- 
tion would  have  to  succumb  to  barbarism,  when  fortune  favored  the 
colonists,  and  Philip  and  his  savage  compeers  met  with  a  disastrous  de- 
feat at  Rhode  Island.  His  death  soon  after,  at  the  hands  of  Captain 
Church,  was  the  harbinger  of  peace,  which  was  ratified  at  Casco  in 
1678.  During  this  war,  a  number  of  Indians,  who  had  come  to  con- 
firm a  peace,  were  taken  by  stratagem  by  Major  Richard  Waldron  of 
Dover,  several  of  them  hung,  and  others  sold  as  slaves  into  Africa.^ 
The  next  Indian  war,  known  as  King  William's  war,  commenced  in 
1689  and  lasted  till  1699.  Dover  was  first  attacked,  and  Major  Wal- 
dron, who  was  the  means  of  decoying  the  Indians,  was  most  brutally 
murdered.  The  depredations  extended  into  New  Hampshire,  Maine, 
Massachusetts,  and  even  New  York,  and  death  and  ruin  followed  in  the 
trail  of  the  Indian. 

Four  years  of  peace  ensued,  when  the  war  with  the  French  and  In- 
dians, commonly  called  Queen  Anne's  war,  burst  upon  the  settlers, — 
their  homes  were  desolated,  and  murder  and  rapine  were  every-day 
events.     In  1707,  an  attack,  in  which  two  companies  from  New  Hamp- 

'  The  Pcnacooks  did  not  take  part  in  this  war. 
Some  historians  think  Major  Waldron  should  not  be  held  responsible  for  this  act  of 
treachery. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  OUTLINES   OE   ITS   HISTORY.  387 

shire  took  an  active  part,  was  projected  against  Port  Royal,  but  met 
with  a  disastrous  termination.  A  second  expedition  to  that  locality  in 
1707  was  successful ;  but  a  very  formidable  one  against  Quebec,  in 
1711,  failed,  owing  to  a  quarrel  among  the  officers.  Hostihties  ceased 
October  29,  1712.  In  1723,  Lovewell's  war  commenced,  and  is  memo- 
rable for  the  contest  known  as  "  Lovewell's  fight,"  ^  one  of  the  most  des- 
perate ever  had  with  the  Indians.  This  war  was  ended  by  the  treaty  of 
Falmouth,  December  15,  1726. 

For  the  expedition  to  Louisburg,  in  1745,  the  merit  of  originating 
which  is  claimed  for  William  Vaughan  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire raised  £13,000,  and  furnished  five  hundred  men  (one  eighth  of 
the  land-force),  who  carried  a  banner,  bearing  the  pious  inscription  of 
Whitefield,  "  Nil  desperandum,  Christo  duce."  ^  Westmoreland,  Keene, 
and  Charlestown  suffered  during  this  campaign  from  the  French  and 
Indians.  Peace  followed  in  1748,  by  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle.^ 
In  1755,  New  Hampshire  furnished  five  hundred  men,  under  command 
of  Colonel  Blanchard  of  Dunstable,  for  the  service  against  Crown 
Point,  w^hich  was  increased  shortly  after  by  another  regiment  of  three 
hundred  men  under  Colonel  Peter  Gilman.  The  Indians  attacked 
many  of  the  frontier  settlements  during  this  campaign,  and  again  in 
1756,  when  another  expedition  was  projected  against  Crown  Point,  for 
which  a  regiment  under  Colonel  Meserve  was  raised.  This  year  were 
formed  the  celebrated  companies  of  rangers,  under  those  distinguished 
leaders,  Robert  Rogers,  and  John  and  William  Stark.  For  the  reduction 
of  Crown  Point,  in  1757,  another  regiment  of  New  Hampshire  men, 
again  commanded  by  Colonel  Meserve,*  was  furnished,  eighty  of  whom 
were  murdered  by  the  Indians,  after  the  capitulation  of  Fort  William 
Henry.  Eight  hundred  men  also  served  in  the  attempted  reduction 
of  Ticonderoga  by  Abercrombie ;  and  one  thousand,  under  Colonel 
Zaccheus  Lovewell,  brother  of  Captain  John  Lovewell,  the  hero  of 
Pequawket,  were  raised  in  1759,  and  participated  in  the  actual  reduc- 
tion of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  under  General  Amherst.  In 
the  caiTipaign  of  1760,  when  the  conquest  of  Canada  was  fully  com- 
pleted, eight  hundred  men,  under  Colonel  John  Goffe,  shared  the  honors 
of  the  siege.  This  ended  the  contest  with  France,  and  the  people 
turned  their  attention  to  their  peaceful  occupations. 

1  See  article  on  Fryeburg,  Me.,  ante,  p.  133. 

^  Nothing  is  to  be  despaired  of,  under  the  command  of  Christ. 

'  By  this  treaty,  Cape  Breton,  "  won  by  Americans,  was  given  up  to  the  French  by  the 
English." 

*  Colonel  Meserve  died  of  the  small-pox,  when  serving  at  the  reduction  of  Louisburg, 
in  1758. 


388  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 


IV.  The  American  Kevolution  —  Subsequent  History,  and  Statistics. 

The  events  which  were  the  precursors  of  the  American  Revolution 
are  familiar  to  all;  and  hence  a  reference  to  them  here  is  deemed  super- 
fluous. New  Hampshire  took  an  early  and  prominent  part  in  the  strug- 
gle ;  and  her  sons  brought  with  them  that  indomitable  will,  that  love  of 
liberty,  and  that  heroism,  which  had  characterized  them  in  preceding 
years,  and  which  has  clung  to  them  to  this  day.  The  men  of  New 
Hampshire  were  actively  engaged  on  every  battle-field  from  Bunker-hill 
down  to  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  in  1781 ;  and  at  Stillwater,  Sara- 
toga, Monmouth,  and  Bennington,  they  were  particularly  distinguished 
for  their  bravery.  The  enthusiasm  and  unanimity  were  everywhere 
unbounded,  as  will  be  noticed  in  future  pages.  John  Stark,  John  Sul- 
livan, Alexander  Scammel,  Enoch  Poor,  Andrew  M' Clary,  Joseph  Cilley, 
William  Gregg,  Thomas  Stickney,  Henry  Dearborn,  and  George  and 
James  Reed  were  prominent  officers  of  the  New  Hampshire  forces.  The 
province  furnished  18,289  men  for  the  revolutionary  struggle,  of  whom 
12,496  belonged  to  the  continental  army,  only  10,194  being  required  by 
Congress ;  besides  which  she  liberally  contributed  from  her  treasury. 

In  January,  1776,  a  temporary  government  was  formed  at  Exeter, 
consisting  of  a  house  of  representatives,  twelve  of  whom  were  chosen 
as  a  distinct  branch,  called  the  council,  with  power  to  elect  their  own 
president.  It  was  ordained,  that  no  act  should  be  valid  unless  passed  by 
both  branches ;  that  all  money  bills  should  originate  with  the  house  of 
representatives ;  that  the  secretary,  and  other  public  officers,  should  be 
chosen  by  the  two  houses  ;  that  the  present  assembly  should  continue  one 
year ;  and  that,  if  the  dispute  with  Great  Britain  should  continue,  pre- 
cepts should  be  issued  annually  to  the  several  towns  on  or  before  the 
first  day  of  November,  unless  Congress  should  direct  otherwise.  A 
committee  of  safety,  having  the  same  powers  as  had  been  given  by  the 
convention  in  the  preceding  year,  and  varying  in  number  from  six  to 
sixteen,  was  ap])ointed  at  every  adjournment,  to  sit  in  the  recess,  the 
president  of  which  was  to  be  the  president  of  the  council.^  During 
the  war,  Meshech  Weare  was  annually  elected  to  this  responsible 
office,  and  was  also  appointed  judge  of  the  superior  court.  The 
Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4,  1776,  was  signed,  on  the  part  of 
New  Hampshire,  by  Josiah  Bartlett,  William  Whipple,  and  Matthew 

'  This  form  of  government  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  made  bj'  an}'  of  the  colonies 
after  the  Revolution  commenced.  There  were  some  material  defects  in  it,  one  of  which 
was  tlio  want  of  an  executive  branch.  To  rcmedj'  this,  the  two  houses,  during  their 
session,  performed  executive  as  well  as  legislative  functions. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE — OUTLINES   OF   ITS   HISTORY.  389 

Thornton.  The  excitement  after  the  close  of  the  war,  hi  regard  to  the 
depreciation  of  paper-money,  reached  New  Hampshu-e ;  and  in  1786, 
while  the  assembly  were  in  session,  an  armed  party  from  the  northern 
part  of  Rockingham  county  marched  into  their  presence  and  en- 
deavored to  awe  the  assembly  into  granting  their  demands,  which  were 
of  the  most  extravagant  character.  General  John  Sullivan,  the  pres- 
ident, stated  the  reasons  why  the  petitions  could  not  be  granted,  as  also 
that  nothing  could  be  acceded  to  while  they  were  threatened  by  force 
of  arms.  The  belligerent  party  made  some  unimportant  demonstra- 
tions ;  but  at  the  cry  of  "  Bring  out  the  artillery  !  "  they  flew  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  did  not  appear  again  that  night.  The  next  morning,  forty  of 
them  were  arrested  by  a  company  of  horse ;  but  no  action  was  ever 
taken  against  them.  The  Federal  Constitution  was  discussed  in  a  con- 
vention, held  at  Exeter  for  the  first  time  on  the  second  Wednesday  of 
February,  1788,  which  adjourned  to  June  following,  in  consequence 
of  considerable  opposition  being  manifested  towards  the  instrument. 
When  the  convention  assembled  the  second  time,  after  four  days'  delib- 
eration, the  constitution  was  ratified  by  fifty-seven  to  forty-seven.  Great 
interest  was  manifested  in  the  proceedings,  not  only  by  the  people  of 
this  state,  but  by  those  of  other  states.  In  1789,  General  Washington 
visited  New  Hampshire.  In  1791,  a  tax  was  assessed  upon  every  town 
for  the  support  of  common  schools,  which  was  the  first  movement  for 
the  permanent  establishment  of  those  institutions  of  learning  which  are 
the  pride  and  glory  of  the  state.  Post-offices,  and  more  regular  com- 
munication with  the  various  towns,  were  also  provided  for  by  the  same 
legislature.  In  1792  the  first  bank  was  established,  at  Portsmouth,  with 
a  capital  of  ^200,000.  That  year,  the  state  constitution,  adopted  June 
2, 1784,  was  revised,  and  fifty  out  of  seventy-four  proposed  amendments, 
which  still  form  an  important  part  of  the  fundamental  law,  were 
adopted.  Though  many  events  occurred  during  the  remainder  of  the 
eighteenth  century  that  had  considerable  bearing  on  the  progress  and 
importance  of  the  state,  the  limited  space  of  this  chapter  will  not  admit 
of  particularization.  The  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  noted 
for  the  formation  of  the  Federal  and  Republican  parties.  In  1807,  the 
seat  of  government,  which  had  for  a  period  of  ninety-five  years  been 
permanently  fixed  at  Portsmouth,  was  transferred  to  Concord.  The  year 
1808  brought  a  period  of  severe  commercial  distress,  as  well  as  excite- 
ment, in  consequence  of  the  embargo  on  shipping. 

In  1812  the  war  with  England  commenced,  in  which  New  Hamp- 
shire exhibited  her  usual  zeal  and  patriotism.  Generals  Miller  and 
McNeil,  and  Major  Weeks,  were  distinguished  officers  in  the  war.  In 
1814  was  held  the  celebrated  Hartford  Convention,  in  which  two  New 

33* 


390  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Hampshire  delegates  were  present,  not  as  representatives  of  the  state, 
but  of  parties  in  the  counties  of  Cheshire  and  Grafton. 

In  1816,  the  famous  Dartmouth  College  controversy,  which  grew  out 
of  differences  between  the  president  and  board  of  trustees,  and  a  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  legislature  to  assume  the  control  of  its  affairs,  com- 
menced with  an  act,  on  the  part  of  the  latter,  to  amend  the  charter, 
passed  June  27,  1816.  By  the  royal  charter  of  December  13,  1769,  the 
government  of  the  college  had  been  vested  in  twelve  trustees.  This  act 
increased  the  board  to  twenty-one,  which  additional  number,  together 
with  any  existing  vacancies,  was  to  be  filled  by  the  governor  and  coun- 
cil. It  established  a  board  of  twenty-five  overseers,  also  to  be  appointed 
by  the  governor  and  council,  with  perpetual  succession  ;  a  treasurer  and 
secretaries ;  and  made  the  members  of  either  board  removable  at  the 
will  of  the  board,  and  the  officers  of  the  institution  at  the  will  of  the 
trustees  ;  changed  the  name  of  the  college  to  Dartmouth  University,  and 
authorized  the  governor  and  council  to  call  the  first  meeting  of  the  trus- 
tees and  overseers  the  26th  of  August  following.  The  trustees  refused 
to  accept  this  change  in  the  charter,  or  to  act  under  it,  and  at  once  com- 
menced proceedings  in  the  superior  court  to  test  the  validity  of  the  act, 
which  was  there  decided  against  them.  It  was  then  carried  up  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  where  the  distinguished  abilities 
of  Webster  and  Wirt  were  employed,  and  the  decision  of  the  state 
court  was  reversed,  as  directly  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts. 
The  final  decree,  although  correct  in  principle,  was  met  with  disfavor  by 
the  people  of  the  state. 

In  the  same  year  (1819)  was  effected  the  passage  of  the  Toleration 
Act,  which  was  received  with  great  rejoicing  by  the  friends  of  religious 
liberty,  placing  as  it  did  all  denominations  on  a  footing  of  equality. 

About  this  time  commenced  another  controversy,  which,  of  no  very 
great  importance  in  itself,  became  somewhat  signal  in  the  annals  of  the 
state.  This  related  to  that  portion  of  New  Hampshire  above  the  forty- 
fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  called  the  Indian  Stream  Territory,  em- 
bracing from  140,000  to  150,000  acres  of  land,  capable  of  being  converted 
into  good  farms.  As  appears  from  the  report  of  a  legislative  committee 
in  1824,  this  tract  was  inhabited  by  about  fifty-eight  settlers,  who,  with 
their  families,  made  a  population  of  285  persons,  having  about  847 
acres  under  improvement.  These  settlers  had  entered  at  different  periods 
since  1810,  claiming  under  certain  Indian  deeds,  the  principal  of  which 
was  that  of  Philip,  an  old  chief  of  the  St.  Francis  tribe,  dated  as  far 
back  as  1796.  The  general  government,  as  early  as  that  time,  prohib- 
ited purchases  of  land  from  the  Indians ;  but  it  was  claimed,  that  the 
grantors  living  wdthout  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States  made  this 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE OUTLINES    OF    ITS   HISTORY.  391 

case  an  exception  to  the  rule.  The  chief  objects  of  the  settlers  appeared 
to  be  to  get  possession  of  these  lands,  and  to  be  without  the  taxation  and 
jurisdiction  of  any  government.  Their  hope  was  that  neither  Great 
Britain  nor  the  United  States  Avould  lay  claim  to  the  tract,  owing  to 
the  difficulty  of  putting  a  construction  upon  the  clause  in  the  treaty  of 
1783  defining  the  boundary,  namely :  "  Along  the  highlands  which 
divide  the  rivers  emptying  themselves  into  the  St.  Lawrence  from  those 
falling  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  to  the  northwesternmost  head  of  Con- 
necticut river,  thence  down  the  middle  of  that  river  to  the  forty-fifth 
degree  of  north  latitude."  By  the  convention  of  1827,  the  question  of 
the  whole  northeastern  boundary  was  referred  to  the  king  of  the  Neth- 
erlands, whose  award  in  respect  to  this  part  of  the  line  threw  this  whole 
tract  upon  the  Canada  side.  But,  as  "  the  head  of  the  Connecticut," 
which  he  adopted,  did  not  approach  the  highlands,  the  people  of  New 
Hampshire  were  dissatisfied,  and,  as  the  award  Avas  rejected  by  the 
United  States,  the  whole  question  was  left  open  to  further  difficulty. 

In  1820,  the  state,  owing  to  the  settlers  here  resisting  process  issuing 
in  Coos  county,  of  which  the  tract  was  regarded  as  forming  a  part,  had 
asserted  a  title  and  jurisdiction,  by  a  resolution  directing  the  attorney- 
general  to  proceed  against  intniders;  and  again,  in  1824,  by  an  express 
declaratory  act,  in  which  also  it  released  title  to  every  actual  settler  of 
two  hundred  acres,  reserving,  of  course,  all  other  portions  to  itself. 
After  the  award  mentioned  above,  of  which,  however,  Great  Britain 
does  not  appear  to  have  taken  the  advantage,  the  difficulties  with  the 
settlers  increased,  on  account  of  their  resistance  of  process  for  levy  of 
taxes  in  Coos,  through  Canadian  influence,  as  it  was  alleged,  although 
there  is  no  evidence  that  the  provincial  government  was  implicated  in 
the  matter.  In  consequence  of  the  threatening  position  of  affairs,  the 
state  sent  troops  to  the  territory  in  1834  or  1835,  and  order  was  restored 
without  any  serious  conflict.  The  state  footed  the  bills ;  and,  in  1849, 
Congress  satisfied  the  state's  claim  by  paying  ^7,000.  The  next  year, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  recover  interest  on  this  sura  from  the  year 
1836,  which,  after  being  more  than  once  refused,  was  allowed  by  Con- 
gress in  January,  1852,  with  a  proviso  that  the  amount  should  not 
exceed  the  sum  of  $6,000.  But,  in  disposing  of  the  questions,  grow- 
ing out  of  the  claims  on  the  part  of  settlers  here,  resort  was  had  to  the 
superior  court  of  New  Hampshire.  In  a  decision  given  in  this  court  in 
1840,  by  Chief  Justice  Parker,  the  jurisdiction  asserted  by  the  state 
was  affirmed,  and  was  held  to  refer  back,  in  the  absence  of  any  subse- 
quent grant,  to  the  period  of  separation  from  Great  Britain,  and  conse- 
quently carried  with  it  all  title  to  the  lands.  This  decision  practically 
settled  the  question;  and  the  jurisdiction  thus  maintained  was  acquiesced 


392  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

in  by  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  in  the  Ashburton  treaty, 
made  the  next  year,  which  laid  down  the  line  as  claimed  by  this  state. 

In  1825,  the  legislature  authorized  the  appointment  of  commissioners 
to  ascertain,  survey,  mark,  and  renew  the  boundary  line  between  this 
state  and  Massachusetts,  which  was  completed  by  1829.  In  1827,  the 
same  was  ordered  with  regard  to  the  Maine  line,  which  was  also  com- 
pleted in  1829. 

Among  the  noticeable  events  in  the  history  of  the  state  was  the  sensa- 
tion produced  by  a  doctrine  persistently  maintained  in  her  courts,  and 
which  seemed  likely  to  produce  colhsion  between  national  and  state 
jurisdictions.  Several  suits  were  commenced  under  the  bankrupt  law 
of  1841,  raising  the  question,  whether  attachment  of  property  under  state 
process  secured  it  from  the  operation  of  this  law.  By  the  laws  of  New 
Hampshire,  an  attachment  constituted  a  lien  or  security  equally  valid 
with  a  mortgage.  The  bankrupt  act  gave  to  the  district  courts  of  the 
United  States  jurisdiction  of  "  all  cases  and  controversies  in  bankruptcy." 
In  the  ex  parte  case  of  John  S.  Foster,^  a  petitioner  in  bankruptcy, 
brought  in  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  Massachusetts, 
in  1842,  Judge  Story  held  that  an  attachment  on  mesne  process  gives 
the  creditor  only  a  sort  of  lien,  but  not  such  as  to  prevent  the  operation 
of  the  bankrupt  act ;  that  such  creditor  could  not,  by  a  mere  race  of  dili- 
gence, after  proceedings  in  bankruptcy  had  been  instituted,  overreach  and 
defeat  the  rights  of  the  other  creditors  ;  and  that  the  court  would,  if  nec- 
essary, grant  an  injunction  against  his  proceeding  further  in  the  suit  than 
to  protect  his  ulterior  rights  ;  in  other  words,  compel  him  to  await  the 
result  of  bankrupt  proceedings  before  he  could  get  a  decision  in  his  own 
case.  The  superior  court  of  New  Hampshire  thereupon  decided,  in  the 
case  of  Kittredge  v.  Warren,^  in  the  year  1844,  that  an  attachment  did 
constitute  a  lien  or  security  Avhich  took  the  property  out  of  the  general 
provisions  of  the  bankrupt  act ;  and  that  a  certificate  of  discharge  of  the 
bankrupt  could  not  operate  as  an  absolute  bar  to  the  further  maintenance 
of  the  action  by  the  attaching  creditor.  Reviewing  this  decision  in  the 
case  of  Bellows  v.  Peck,^  the  same  year,  Judge  Story  treated  it  as  a 
nuUity,  and  further  asserted  the  paramount  authority  of  the  United  States 
courts.  Immediately,  the  superior  court  of  New  Hampshire,  in  the  case 
of  Kittredge  v.  Emerson,*  more  fully  reviewing  its  own  and  the  counter 
decisions,  held  that  the  judgment  of  a  court  in  one  of  the  United  States, 
having  jurisdiction  of  a  cause,  is  binding  in  every  other  court  until 
reversed  by  a  competent  tribunal ;  that  the  judgment  or  order  of  a  court 

'  5  Law  Keporter,  55.  "  14  N.  II.  Rep.  509. 

»  7  Law  Reporter,  119.  <  15  N.  H.  Rep.  227. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  OUTLIXES   OF   ITS   HISTORY.  393 

having  no  jurisdiction  is  void  ;  that  the  courts  of  the  United  States  could 
not  treat  the  judgments  of  the  state  courts  as  nulhtics  ;  and  that  the  only- 
proper  remedy,  when  aggrieved  by  the  judgment  of  a  state  court,  is  by  a 
writ  of  error  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  The  court  fur- 
ther intimated  its  readiness  to  protect  its  own  proceedings  by  counter 
injunctions,  and  such  other  authority  as  might  be  required.  Another 
decision  ^  followed  upon  each  side,  not  essentially  varying  the  result. 
Though  the  danger  of  a  collision  of  more  than  words  had  been  immi- 
nent, a  ]Drudence  on  the  part  of  the  District  Court  prevented  it  from 
attempting  to  enforce  its  decrees.  In  1849,  the  case  of  Peck  v.  Jenness 
was  carried  by  writ  of  error  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  rulings  of  the  New  Hampshire  courts  were  sustained.^ 

New  Hampshire  has  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  judiciary,  in  spite 
of  the  constant  changes  in  the  organization  of  her  courts.  No  less  than 
seven  fundamental  alterations  have  been  made  since  the  year  1813. 
The  courts,  as  established  after  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  in  1791, 
were  the  superior  court  of  judicature,  consisting  of  a  chief  justice  and 
three  associates,  appointed  by  the  president  and  the  council ;  the  court 
of  common  pleas,  composed  of  four  judges,  appointed  in  the  same 
way,  to  hold  courts  in  each  county,  having  cognizance  of  all  suits  relating 
to  real  estate,  and  all  personal  actions  where  the  damages  claimed  ex- 
ceeded forty  shillings  ;  and  the  courts  of  general  sessions  of  the  peace, 
one  in  each  county,  to  be  conservators  of  the  peace,  to  punish  offenders, 
to  make  orders  for  raising  any  moneys  for  erecting  and  repairing  county 
buildings,  for  payment  of  jurors,  and  other  matters  connected  with  the 
administration  of  county  business. 

In  1813,  the  supreme  judicial  court  was  established  to  talce  the  place 
of  the  superior  court,  with  achief  justice,  and  two,  instead  of  three,  asso- 
ciate justices,  —  to  be  held  annually  in  every  couiity.  The  eastern  and 
western  circuits  were  organized,  and  the  circuit  court  of  common  pleas, 
with  a  chief  justice  and  two  associates,  in  place  of  the  common  pleas 
court  as  previously  constituted.  In  1816,  the  supreme  judicial  court 
was  abolished,  and  the  superior  court  and  the  common  pleas  restored. 
In  1819,  original  and  exclusive  jurisdiction  was  given  the  superior  court 
in  all  real  actions,  and  original  and  concurrent  jurisdiction  with  the 
common  pleas  in  all  personal  actions  above  fifty  dollars.  The  common 
pleas  were  to  have  final  and  conclusive  jurisdiction  in  all  personal 
actions  where  the  damages  did  not  exceed  twenty-five  dollars.  In  1820, 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  common  pleas  was  transferred  to  the   superior 

'  The  Cit.v  Bank  of  Now  Orleans,   7  Law  Rep.  553   (yoar  1844)  ;  Peck  et    al.  v. 
Jenness  ei  a/..,  8  Law  Rep.  344  (year  1845). 
-   7  Howard's  Rep.  G12. 


394  HISTOllY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

court,  and  a  court  of  sessions  created  in  place  of  tlie  common  pleas,  with 
a  chief  justice  and  four  associates,  and  two  persons  in  each  county  as 
associate  judges  for  that  county.  In  1824,  the  court  of  common  pleas 
was  restored,  and  all  the  powers  of  the  court  of  sessions  were  transferred 
to  it.  In  1832,  the  ordinary  business  of  the  superior  court  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  court  of  common  pleas,  of  which  the  superior  judges  were 
to  be  ex  officio  the  justices,  with  two  others  to  be  appointed  in  each 
county.  The  superior  judges  were  to  have  chancery  powers,  were  to 
hold  one  law  term  annually  in  each  county,  and  preside  at  the  county 
courts.     In  1841,  circuit  justices  of  the  common  pleas  were  estabhshed. 

This  system  continued  until  1855,  when  the  superior  court,  and  the 
common  pleas  with  its  circuit  justices  and  side  judges,  were  superseded 
by  the  supreme  judicial  court,  consisting  of  a  chief  justice  and  four  asso- 
ciates, and  the  common  pleas  court,  composed  of  a  chief  justice  and  two 
associates ;  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court  being  ex  officio  justices  of 
the  common  pleas,  and  having  authority  to  hold  terms  thereof  only  in 
cases  of  accident  and  necessity.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  common  pleas 
is  substantially  as  that  of  the  old  court ;  but  in  civil  actions,  where  the 
damages  claimed  do  not  exceed  one  hundred  dollars,  it  has  exclusive 
and  final  jurisdiction,  exceptions  in  matters  of  law  being  allowed  to  the 
supreme  court.  Where  the  damages  exceed  one  hundred  dollars,  an 
appeal  on  the  facts  lies  to  the  supreme  court.  The  court  of  common 
pleas  is  held  by  one  or  more  of  the  judges  twice  a  year  in  each  county. 
The  supreme  court  has  extensive  equity  jurisdiction,  and  exclusive  juris- 
diction in  all  criminal  cases,  except  in  cases  cognizable  by  justices  of 
the  peace  and  police  courts.  A  single  judge  of  the  supreme  court  holds 
a  jury  term  twice  a  year  in  each  county,  except  in  capital  eases,  which 
require  two  or  more  justices.  For  the  determination  of  questions  of 
law,  the  state  is  divided  into  five  judicial  districts,  (each  made  up  of  two 
counties,)  in  each  of  which  districts  two  terms  are  held  annually.  Three 
justices  constitute  a  quorum,  and  the  concurrence  of  three  is  necessary 
to  a  decision  in  law. 

By  the  constitution,  the  adoption  of  which  has  before  been  noticed, 
the  government  is  vested  in  a  governor,  a  council  of  five,  a  senate 
composed  of  twelve  members,  and  a  house  of  representatives,  —  all  to  be 
elected  arniually.  The  state  is  now  divided  into  five  councillor,  and 
twelve  senatorial,  districts.  Every  town  having  150  ratable  polls  may 
choose  one  representative,  with  the  allowance  of  an  additional  represent- 
ative for  every  three  hundred  additional  polls.  The  election  takes  place 
on  the  second  Tuesday  in  March,  and  the  government  year  begins  on  the 
first  Wednesday  in  June.  The  constitution  makes  it  the  duty  of  the 
selectmen  of  towns,  once  in  seven  years,  to  submit  to  the  inhabitants 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  OUTLINES   OF   ITS   HISTORY.  395 

thereof  the  question  of  a  revision  of  that  instrument,  failing  to  do  which, 
it  was  made  incumbent  upon  the  legislature  to  take  the  sense  of  the 
people.  This  body,  not  regarding  the  terms  of  the  article  as  restrictive, 
have  passed  resolves  much  oftener  for  the  purpose ;  but  the  people  have 
always  failed  to  see  any  necessity  of  calling  a  convention  until  1850. 
Among  the  proposed  alterations  in  1792  was  that  of  the  articles  which 
make  a  belief  in  the  Protestant  religion  essential  to  being  a  member  of 
either  of  the  three  coordinate  branches  of  government ;  but  the  people 
refused  to  accept  the  amendment.  At  the  last  convention,  these  amend- 
ments were  proposed  again,  but  shared  the  same  fate  as  in  1792.  In 
1852,  sixty  years  from  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  three  amend- 
ments only  of  a  large  numbeir  that  had  just  been  submitted  to  the  people 
were  declared  to  be  adopted.  These  effected  the  abolition  of  property 
qualifications  for  the  executive  and  legislative  departments. 

New  Hampshire  has  maintained  her  reputation  for  the  production  of 
heroic  and  talented  sons.  She  has  freely  given  them  to  the  service  of 
the  state,  learned  in  jurisprudence  and  diplomacy.  She  has  sent  them 
to  the  national  councils,  to  the  executive  chair  at  Washington,  and  to 
bless  her  sister  states  with  wise  counsel  and  high  administrative  ability. 
Although  her  greatest  and  most  lamented  son  sleeps  at  Marshfield, 
away  from  her  vales,  and  in  the  state  of  his  adoption,  she  has  yet  other 
sons  on  the  world's  wide  stage  who  will  not  dishonor  her  good  name, 
but  are  daily  bearing  testimony  to  her  noble  character  as  a  mother,  and, 
by  their  supereminent  ability  and  integrity,  increasing  the  estimation  in 
which  she  is  held. 

Having  dwelt,  perhaps,  too  long  on  the  recent  history  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  which,  happily,  no  tragical  or  remarkably  stinring  events  have 
occurred,  it  only  remains  to  add  the  statistics  of  her  population,  —  of  her 
natural  and  developed  resources, —  her  agriculture  and  manufactures, — 
her  railroads,  banks,  and  other  monuments  and  channels  of  industry 
and  wealth,  —  and  her  institutions  of  learning,  humanity,  and  religion. 

This  state  has  ten  counties  and  231  towns.  Of  the  towns,  six  were 
incorporated  before  the  year  1700,  188  within  the  next  century,  and 
thirty-seven  since  the  year  1800. 

As  no  general  enumeration  of  the  people  had  ever  been  made  prior 
to  1790,  the  estimates  for  earlier  periods  are  merely  conjectural,  being 
based  upon  the  ratio  of  increase,  and,  for  that  reason,  too  unreliable 
to  be  given  for  the  earliest  dates.  In  1701,  one  of  the  estimates  sets 
down  the  population  of  this  state  at  10,000;  in  1749,  at  30,000;  in 
1755,  at  34,000 ;  in  1775,  102,000,  of  which  number  629  were  slaves. 
The  ratio  of  increase  for  this  period  of  seventy-four  years  was  more 
than  twelve  per  cent,  annually.     In  1790,  there  were  141,111  whites, 


396  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

630  free  colored  persons,  and  158  slaves ;  in  1800,  182,898  whites, 
856  free  colored,  and  eight  slaves;  in  1810,  213,390  whites,  970  free 
colored.  No  slaves  were  reported  at  this  or  any  subsequent  census, 
except  one  in  1830,  and  this  return  was  probably  nominal.  In  1820, 
there  were  243,236  whites,  and  786  free  colored;  in  1830,  268,721 
whites,  and  604  free  colored ;  in  1840,  284,036  whites,  and  537  free 
f  olored ;  and  in  1850,  317,456  whites,  and  520  free  colored  ;  from  which 
it  appears,  that,  during  this  period  of  sixty  years,  the  increase  of  the 
white  population  has  been  about  125  per  cent.,  or  a  maximum  of  thirty 
per  cent.,  during  one  decennial  period,  while  there  has  been  a  constant 
decrease  in  the  colored  population  since  1810.  Of  the  population  by 
the  last  census,  258,132,  or  about  eighty-one  per  cent.,  were  born  within 
the  state ;  44,925,  or  fourteen  per  cent.,  in  other  states ;  and  14,257,  or 
about  four  and  a  half  per  cent.,  in  foreign  countries. 

In  the  New  Hampshire  Register  for  1858,  an  interesting  table  is 
given  of  the  twenty-two  towns  which  have  led  in  population  at  the 
several  enumerations  that  have  been  made,  exhibiting  striking  changes 
in  the  order  of  their  rank  at  successive  periods.  During  a  period  of 
eighty-three  years,  fifty-four  different  towns  have  been  included  within 
the  class  of  twenty-two ;  six  only  of  the  original  twenty-two  towns 
of  the  census  of  1767  are  retained  in  the  census  of  1850,  in  which 
latter  census,  a  town  heads  the  list  that  did  not  appear  at  all  in  the 
table  for  1830. 

In  the  financial  administration  of  affairs,  the  state  stands  in  the  first 
rank  of  commonwealths.  She  is  one  of  the  four  New  England  states, 
and  one  of  six  in  the  Confederacy,  that  has  no  absolute  or  contingent 
debt.  The  floating  debt,  June  2,  1857,  above  available  funds,  amounted 
to  $74,778.55.  The  receipts  for  1854-5  were  $179,488.18  ;  for  1855-6, 
$218,272.44;  for  1856-7,  $209,469.41;  the  expenditures  for  the  same 
years  were  respectively  $157,807.69,  $199,052.90,  and  $192,961.66. 
The  balance  of  cash  in  the  treasury  for  the  last  year  was  $16,507.75, 
with  ample  convertible  resources  for  extinguishing  all  indebtedness. 
Of  the  above  sources  of  income,  the  railroad  tax  was  a  large  item, 
being  for  the  three  years  mentioned  $61,480.01,  $54,356.32,  and 
$49,162.02. 

In  its  industrial  features.  New  Hampshire  is  by  no  means  inferior  to 
her  sister  states.  The  principal  occupation  of  the  people  is  in  subduino- 
a  hard,  silicious  surface,  and  extorting  from  its  reluctant  lap  the  bread  of 
toil.  While  this  state,  like  the  rest  of  New  England,  wears  upon  its 
face  coldness  and  sterihty,  it  compares  favorably  in  the  results  of  hus- 
bandry. In  1850,  it  had  29,229  farms,  2,251,488  acres  of  improved 
land,  and  only  1,140,926  acres  unimproved,  or  two  thirds  of  it  under 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  397 

cultivation ;  while  Maine  has  a  little  less  than  one  half  of  her  territory 
so  treated.  The  average  area  of  a  farm  was  116  acres,  and  its  value 
$1,890  ;  the  aggregate  cash  value  of  aU  the  farms  in  the  state  was 
$55,245,997,  with  $2,314,325  added  for  farming  implements  and  ma- 
chinery. New  Hampshire  is  as  far  behind  her  sister  Vermont  in 
the  aggregate  value  of  nearly  all  her  staples,  as  before  her  in  the 
number  of  acres  covered  with  granite.  The  value  of  live-stock  was 
$8,871,901;  of  meat  and  poultry,  $1,522,873.  There  were  raised 
185,658  bushels  of  wheat,  183,117  of  rye,  973,381  of  oats,  1,573,670 
of  corn,  3,207,236  of  potatoes,  598,854  tons  of  hay,  257,174  pounds  of 
hops,  6,977,056  of  butter,  3,196,563  of  cheese,  1,298,863  of  maple  sugar, 
and  1,108,476  pounds  of  wool.  Agriculture  is  receiving  more  attention 
as  a  science,  under  the  fostering  care  of  several  county  societies,  as 
also  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  which  was  incorporated  in  1850, 
and  has  enlisted  the  interest  of  learned  and  practical  men. 

But  Providence  intended  that  New  Hampshire,  with  her  vast  water 
power,  should  not  stand  in  the  rear  rank  of  industry ;  and  has  conse- 
quently called  forth  the  loom,  the  spindle,  and  forge  to  elaborate  their 
curious  and  ponderous  work,  their  products  of  utUity  and  beauty.  This 
state  ranks  the  seventh  in  the  amount  of  capital  employed  in  manu- 
factures, mining,  and  the  mechanic  arts,  having  $18,242,114  so  invested. 
The  operatives  number  14,103  males  and  12,989  females,  receiving 
$6,123,876  as  wages,  and  turning  out  an  annual  product  of  $23,164,503. 
There  are  $10,950,500  capital  employed  in  the  cotton  manufacture; 
83,026  bales  of  cotton  annually  consumed;  $4,839,429  as  the  value 
of  the  raw  material ;  2,911  male,  and  9,211  female  operatives,  with  an 
annual  product  of  $8,830,619  upon  capital  and  labor  invested.  In  the . 
cotton  manufacture.  New  Hampshire  has  the  second  place.  There  are 
$2,437,700  of  capital  employed  in  the  woollen  manufacture ;  3,604,100 
pounds  of  wool;  926  male,  and  1,201  female  operatives;  and 
$2,127,745  is  the  value  of  the  manufactured  articles.  In  the  iron 
manufacture  $232,700  is  employed,  and  the  annual  value  of  the  manu- 
factured article  is  $371,710.  These  returns  of  the  last  census  probably 
fall  short  of  the  real  amount ;  but  are  sufficient  to  indicate  the  spirit  of 
enterprise  which  has  accompanied  these  branches  of  industry  since  1840, 
at  which  time  manufacturing  operations  had  but  just  commenced. 

In  her  maritime  interests,  New  Hampshire  is,  with  one  exception  — 
Vermont  —  far  behind  all  the  other  New  England  States,  having  but 
eighteen  miles  of  sea-coast,  and  Portsmouth  as  her  only  port  of  entry. 
The  number  of  vessels  built  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1856,  was 
ten ;  the  tonnage  was  10,395  tons;  the  imports  were  valued  at  $24,339, 
and  the  exports  at  $5,275. 

VOL.  I.  34 


398  HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

New  Hampshire  has  631i  miles  of  railroad,  which  cost  $19,766,405, 
notwithstanding  at  the  outset  she  "set  her  face  like  a  flint"  against 
taking  private  lands  for  railroads  except  by  purchase.  When,  however, 
it  was  proposed  to  extend  a  road  from  Boston  around  the  corner  of  the 
state  into  Vermont,  then,  presto,  if  any  advantage  was  to  be  derived, 
she  was  ready  to  reap  it  with  others.  This  reluctance,  ostensibly  based 
upon  sound  principles  of  justice  and  economy,  but  really  perhaps  upon 
a  prevailing  feehng  of  opposition  to  any  corporate  monopolies,  gave 
rise  to  the  system  of  management,  still  pursued  by  the  state,  making  all 
railroad  corporations  which  are  unable  to  purchase  the  lands  over  which 
the  road  is  projected,  public  corporations.  By  a  statute  of  1844  and 
several  subsequent  ones,  a  board  of  railroad  commissioners  was  estab- 
lished, to  which  all  applications  for  roads  are  referable ;  and,  in  case 
they  think  the  public  good  requires  the  road,  and  the  governor  and  coun- 
cil concur  in  this  opinion,  a  lease  of  a  right  to  construct  and  use  the 
road,  running  for  a  term  not  less  than  one  hundred  nor  more  than  two 
hundred  years,  is  executed  by  the  governor  and  council  under  the  seal 
of  the  state,  at  the  end  of  which  term  the  right  reverts  to  the  state. 
The  state  may  terminate  the  lease,  and  resume  all  the  right  and  privi- 
lege of  the  corporation  in  any  road  at  the  end  of  twenty  years,  upon 
one  year's  notice,  and  paying  the  corporation  any  amount  in  the  cost  of 
construction  and  expenses  not  met  by  its  earnings,  and  ten  per  cent, 
interest  thereon.  The  lease  may  be  renewed  at  the  end  of  any  term,  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  original  lease  shall  have  been  obtained. 

There  are  fifty-two  banks,  with  a  capital  of  ^5,031,300  ;  twenty-two 
savings  institutions,  and  twenty  mutual  fire  insurance  companies. 
There  are  371  post-offices.  The  length  of  mail  routes  is  1,959  miles, 
on  which  is  an  annual  transportation  of  1,009,632  miles,  costing 
$47,946  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1856. 

A  good  system  of  education  is  being  rapidly  developed  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  much  attention  has  been  given  of  late  to  teachers'  institutes, 
twenty  of  which  were  held  in  the  ten  counties  of  the  state  in  the  year 
ending  with  July,  1858,  attended  by  1,900  teachers.  The  county  com- 
missioners of  schools  constitute  a  board  of  education,  the  office  of  school 
commissioner  having  been  abolished  in  1850.  The  school  report  for  the 
year  1857-8  gives  returns  from  232  towns.  The  number  of  districts 
was  2,343 ;  of  scholars,  96,199 ;  male  teachers,  1,031  ;  female  teachers, 
3,032;  volumes  in  school,  district,  or  town  libraries,  44,756.  The 
amount  raised  from  all  sources  for  the  support  of  public  schools  was 
$233,888.11,  or  $2.86  to  each  scholar;  of  which  $17,145.92  was  the 
amount  raised  by  towns  beyond  what  the  law  requires;  $15,833.31 
were  contributed  in  board,  fuel,  and  money  to  prolong  the  schools  beyond 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  399 

the  time  authorized  by  town  tax ;  ^7,527.94  were  the  income  of  local 
funds ;  $2,207.67  income  from  sm-plus  reveime ;  $23,690.32  income  of 
the  literary  fund  used ;  and  $3,667.96  were  from  the  railroad  tax. 

There  are  one  college,  three  theological  schools?,  one  medical  school, 
and  107  academies  and  private  schools.  The  total  annual  income  of 
the  college  was,  in  1850,  $11,000 ;  and  of  the  academies  and  private 
schools,  $43,202. 

For  another  class  oi  schools  of  regretted  necessity,  —  the  reformatory 
and  sanitary  institutions, — ^we  give  the  following  items.  The  State 
Prison,  since  its  establishment  in  1812,  has  received  1,057  convicts, 
of  whom  515  were  discharged,  342  were  pardoned,  sixty  died,  sixteen 
escaped,  and  two  were  removed  to  the  Insane  Asylum.  The  number 
received  daring  the  year  ending  May  31,  1858,  was  forty-nine,  making 
the  whole  number  in  prison  at  that  date  110.  The  receipts  and  earn- 
ings of  the  institution  for  the  year  were  $9,884.59 ;  the  expenses, 
^7,327.47.  The  whole  number  admitted  into  the  Insane  Asylum,  from 
its  opening  in  1843,  has  been  1,552,  of  whom  696  have  been  reported 
recovered,  295  partially  recovered,  236  unimproved,  158  deceased,  and 
169  remaining  under  treatment.  May  31,  1858,  ninety-seven  of  the  last 
number  being  received  during  the  year. 

The  legislature  of  1855  passed  an  act  establishing  the  House  of 
Reformation  for  Juvenile  and  Female  Offenders,  to  be  constructed  at 
a  cost  not  exceeding  ^15,000,  in  such  form  as  to  accommodate  125  boys 
and  twenty-five  females,  and  to  admit  of  enlargement  when  neces- 
sary. The  "  Stark  Farm,"  at  Manchester,  was  selected  as  a  site,  and 
the  main  building,  which  is  a  neat  brick  edifice,  was  completed  and 
dedicated  to  its  legitimate  use,  May  12,  1858. 

The  last  census  report  gave  to  New  Hampshire  626  churches  or 
religious  societies,  but  has  so  confused  some  of  the  denominations, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  rely  upon  it  for  details.^  The  latest  documents 
of  the  principal  denominations  return  190  orthodox  Congregational 
churches  or  societies,  eight  Presbyterian,  ninety-one  Methodist,  ninety- 
one  Baptist,  127  Free-will  Baptist,  seventy-three  Universalist,  sixteen 
Unitarian,  fourteen  Episcopal,  twenty-four  Christian,  fifteen  Friends, 
two  Shakers,  eleven  Roman  Catholic,  and  thirty-eight  Union  and  mis- 
cellaneous, making  a  total  of  seven  hundred.  The  total  value  of  cliurch 
property  probably  exceeds  one  and  a  half  million  dollars. 

But  last,  though  not  least,  may  be  noticed,  the  natural  scenery  of  the 

'  The  "  Con<;re"-ational,"  "  Unitarian,"  and  "  Orthodox  Congregational,"  are  set  down 
as  three  denominations,  with  no  churches  to  the  last  named,  and  onlj-  ten  in  the  United 
States;  while  the  Baptists  and  Free-will  Baptists  —  quite  distinct  in  their  faith  and 
order  —  are  thrown  into  a  heterogeneous  mass. 


400  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

state,  which  has  won  for  it  the  name  of  the  Switzerland  of  America.  It 
has  its  quiet  valleys,  and  romantic  and  pastoral  glens  ;  its  lakes,  streams, 
and  watercourses,  —  all  of  surpassing  loveliness.  No  one  who  has  lin- 
gered by  the  enchanted  shores  of  Lake  Winnepesaukee,  and  gazed  upon 
its  broad  expanse,  dotted  with  numerous  islands  and  gleaming  in  the  rays 
of  the  rising  and  setting  sun,  will  deny  the  appropriateness  of  its  name 
—  "  beautiful  lake  of  the  high  land."  The  principal  rivers  are  the  Con- 
necticut and  the  Merrimack;  the  latter,  with  its  countless  tributaries, 
furnishing  an  immense  water-power,  and  propelling  more  machinery 
than  any  other  river  or  stream  on  the  continent  of  America.  New 
Hampshire  has  also  its  hills  and  mountains:  the  latter  bold,  sublime, 
enduring  monuments  of  the  creative  power,  from  the  lofty  summits  of 
which  the  eye  surveys  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  enchanting  countries 
of  the  world.  From  Mount  Washington  and  its  majestic  compeers,  the 
prospect  is  noble  and  extensive,  only  bounded  on  the  one  hand  by  the 
dim  distance  of  the  ocean,  and  on  the  other  by  the  horizon  restmg  on  the 
land.  From  these  eminences,  rocks  piled  on  rocks  clothed  in  gigantic 
forest  growths  and  shrubbery,  —  placid  lakes,  embosoming  countless  ver- 
dant islets,  and  pleasant  valleys  and  farm-lands  in  the  highest  state  of 
cultivation, —  successively  meet  the  eye  ;  while  the  foaming  cataract  and 
the  leaping  cascade,  now  rushing  down  the  slopes  and  dashing  through 
the  vales,  now  subsiding  into  the  gently  gliding  streams,  and  anon  swell- 
ing into  rivers,  coursing  through  the  plains  and  winding  their  way  to  the 
sea,  —  all  serve  to  dissipate  the  weariness  of  the  traveller,  make  his  feet 
nimble  as  his  heart  is  gay,  and  develop  in  him  pedestrian  capacities 
which  he  never  dreamed  he  possessed,  —  to  lighten  the  toil  of  the  sturdy 
yeoman,  add  length  to  his  years  and  vividness  to  his  imagination,  and 
mould  the  sons  of  hard-handed  industry  into  the  poets,  orators,  and 
statesmen  who  direct  the  energies  of  a  vast  republic. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

ABOKIGINAL  TKIBES   OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

The  native  tribes  of  New  Hampshire  all  belonged  to  the  Abnaki 
nation ;  but  seem  to  have  had  a  separate  government,  and  independent  of 
those  who  lived  east  of  the  Piscataqua  river.  They  were  divided  into 
several  tribes.  Those  living  along  the  Merrimack  were  the  Agawams, 
the  Wamesits  or  Pawtuckets,  the  Nashuas,  the  Souhegans,  the  Nama- 
oskeags,  the  Penacooks,  and  the  Winnepesaukees.  At  the  source  of 
the  Connecticut  river  were  the  Cooash  Indians,  the  only  tribe  that  oc- 
cupied the  banks  of  the  river  when  discovered  by  the  whites.  There  is  a 
tradition,  that  a  great  many  tribes  besides  these  had  their  residence  along 
the  banks  of  this  river;  but  that  they  had  been  principally  extermi- 
nated in  the  wars  with  the  Mohawks,  and  by  the  plague  of  1616-17. 
Those  that  lived  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  were  the  Pequaquaukes, 
sometimes  called  Pequawkets,  who  inhabited  a  part  of  Maine;  the 
Ossipees,  the  Squamscotts,  the  Winnecowetts,  and  the  Piscataquas. 
The  population  of  these  tribes,  either  individually  or  collectively,  is  not 
known ;  in  fact,  there  is  no  certainty  that  an  estimate  of  their  numbers 
was  ever  made  by  any  authority  from  the  period  of  the  establishment  of 
the  first  colonial  governments. 

The  most  powerful  tribe  was  the  Penacooks,  who  occupied  the  tract 
of  land  known  by  that  name,  part  of  which  is  now  Concord ;  but  in 
process  of  time,  in  consequence  of  the  reduction  of  the  smaller  tribes  by 
war,  emigration,  and  the  influences  of  civilization,  those  who  occupied 
the  Merrimack  valley  were  merged  into  one  tribe,  and  were  called  indis- 
criminately Penacooks.  Namaoskeag  Avas  the  site  of  the  principal 
village,  as  is  evident  from  the  large  number  of  Indian  relics  there  found ; 
and  here  was  the  royal  residence  of  the  ancient  sagamores  of  the  Pena- 
cooks. At  the  mouth  of  the  Piscataquog  river  was  another  considerable 
village,  and  so  again  at  or  near  the  outlet  of  Lake  Winnepesaukee. 
There  were  other  and  smaller  settlements  along  the  Merrimack  as  far  as 
the  Souhegan  river;  and  in  Bedford,  on  Carthagena  island,  and  opposite 

34*  (401) 


402  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  mouth  of  the  Coos  river,  traces  of  Indian  villages  were  to  be  seen 
until  recently.  The  sites  of  the  villages  were  selected  with  regard  to 
the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  sufficiency  of  game,  and  the  quanitity  of 
fish  which  abounded  in  the  rivers  and  streams ;  nor  was  the  beauty  of 
the  surrounding  scenery  lost  sight  of,  as  can  be  seen  even  at  this  day ; 
the  changes  of  a  century  of  civilization  having  left  their  natural  beauties 
scarcely  impaired. 

The  sagamores  of  most  note  among  the  Penaeooks  were  Passacon- 
away,  Wonnalancet,  his  son,  and  Kancamagus,  usually  called  John 
Hodgkins,  his  grandson.  The  first  heard  of  Passaconaway  was  in  1627 
or  1628,  perhaps  earlier,  if  the  Conway  whom  Christopher  Levett  saw 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Piscataqua  in  1623  be  the  same  person,  as  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  case,  from  the  fact  that  when  Massachusetts  desired  to 
arrest  him  in  1642,  directions  were  given  to  proceed  to  Ipswich,  Rowley, 
and  Newbury,  —  sufficient  evidence  that  he  had  a  residence  at  each  of 
those  places.!  Passaconaway  had  a  great  influence  over  the  people  who 
acknowledged  his  sway.  Besides  being  a  powerful  warrior,  he  was  an 
expert  necromancer,  which  of  itself,  considering  the  superstitious  and 
untutored  minds  of  the  savages,  was  enough  to  win  for  him  the  highest 
veneration  and  the  greatest  awe.  He  died  prior  to  1669  ;  but  the  exact 
date  is  not  known.  He  lived  on  terms  of  the  greatest  intimacy  with  the 
English,  despite  the  encroachments  they  made  upon  his  lands ;  and  his 
last  wish  to  his  people  was  that  they  should  never  make  war  upon  the 
whites.  His  powers  of  eloquence  were  of  the  highest  order,  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  following  extract,^  which  is  made  from  his  farewell  address, 
delivered  before  a  vast  assemblage  of  his  followers  in  1660 :  — 

"  Hearken  to  the  words  of  your  father.  I  am  an  old  oak,  that  has 
withstood  the  storms  of  more  than  a  hundred  winters.  Leaves  and 
branches  have  been  stripped  from  me  by  the  winds  and  frosts,  —  my 
eyes  are  dim,  —  my  limbs  totter,  —  I  must  soon  fall !  But  when  young 
and  sturdy,  when  my  bow  no  young  man  of  the  Penaeooks  could  bend, 
—  when  my  arrows  would  pierce  a  deer  at  a  hundred  yards,  and  I 
could  bury  my  hatchet  in  a  sapling  to  the  eye,  —  no  wigwam  had  so 
many  furs,  no  pole  so  many  scalp-locks,  as  Passaconaway's.  Then  I 
delighted  in  war.  The  whoop  of  the  Penaeooks  was  heard  on  the 
Mohawk,  —  and  no  voice  so  loud  as  Passaconaway's.  The  scalps  upon 
the  pole  of  my  wigwam  told  the  story  of  Mohawk  suffering. 

"  The  oak  will  soon  break  before  the  whirlwind,  —  it  shivers  and 
shakes  even  now ;  soon  its  trunk  will  be  prostrate,  —  the  ant  and  the 

1  See  Winthrop's  Journal.  2  Potter's  Hist.  Manchester,  pp.  59-61. 


ABORIGINAL   TRIBES    OF   NEW   HAMPSHIRE.  403 

worm  will  sport  upon  it !  Then  think,  my  children,  of  what  I  say!  I 
commune  with  the  Great  Spirit  He  whispers  me  now :  '  Tell  your 
people,  Peace  —  peace,  is  the  only  hope  of  your  race.  I  have  given  fire 
and  thunder  to  the  pale-faces  for  weapons,  —  I  have  made  them  plen- 
tier  than  the  leaves  of  the  forest ;  and  still  shall  they  increase.  These 
meadows  they  shall  turn  with  the  plough,  —  these  forests  shall  fall  by 
the  axe,  —  the  pale-faces  shall  live  upon  your  hunting-grounds,  and  make 
their  villages  upon  your  fishing-places.'  The  Great  Spirit  says  this,  and 
it  must  be  so  !  We  are  few  and  powerless  before  them !  We  must 
bend  before  the  storm!  The  wind  blows  hard!  The  old  oak  trembles, 
its  branches  are  gone,  its  sap  is  frozen,  it  bends,  it  falls!  Peace  — 
peace,  with  the  white  man !  —  is  the  command  of  the  Great  Spirit ; 
and  the  w^ish  —  the  last  wish,  of  Passaconaway." 

Wonnalancet  was  chief  of  the  tribe  in  1669,  and  lived  on  terms  of 
the  greatest  intimacy  with  the  white  settlers.  He  preferred  peace  to 
war,  and  seems  to  have  been  impressed  very  strongly  with  the  advice  of 
his  father.  He  appears  to  have  been  of  a  most  amiable  disposition,  to  a 
much  greater  extent  than  many  of  his  more  civilized  neighbors.  He 
was  imprisoned  by  the  English  in  1642,  and,  though  subjected  to  many 
indignities,  he  never  offered  retaliation.  As  a  specimen  of  the  goodness 
of  his  heart,  it  may  be  said,  that,  in  1659,  he  sold  his  home  to  purchase 
the  liberty  of  his  brother  Nanamocomuck,  who  was  imprisoned  in  Bos- 
ton for  debt.  He  embraced  the  Christian  religion,  through  the  ministra- 
tions of  Mr.  Eliot,  in  1674,  and  is  said  to  have  lived  up  to  it  strictly. 
About  September,  1677,  Wonnalancet,  finding  the  lands  which  the 
English  had  granted  him  taken  possession  of,  retired  to  the  Indian  set- 
tlement of  St.  Francis.  The  last  that  is  heard  of  him  is  in  1696,  when 
he  was  placed  under  the  charge  of  Jonathan  Tyng  of  Tyngsborough. 
It  is  probable  that  subsequently  he  retired  again  to  St.  Francis,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

Wonnalancet  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Kancamagus,  about  May 
15,  1685,  shortly  after  the  removal  of  the  former  to  St.  Francis  for  the 
first  time.  This  chief  was  more  generally  known  as  John  Hodgkins, 
and  was  the  son  of  Nanamocomuck,  Passaconaway's  eldest  son.  He 
was  a  politic,  brave,  and  intelligent  man ;  but  under  his  chieftaincy  the 
Pennacooks  became  a  formidable  foe  to  the  English  settlers,  which  was 
owing,  in  a  measure,  to  a  want  of  respect  on  the  part  of  the  provincial 
authorities;  for  it  is  certain,  from  various  letters  sent  to  Governor  Cran- 
field,  that  Kancamagus  desired  to  retain  the  friendship  of  the  English. 
He  was  the  leader  of  the  massacre  at  Dover,  when  Major  Waldron  was  so 
brutally  murdered,  June  27,  1689,  and  took  part  in  several  other  attacks 
upon  the  English  settlements.     His  wife  and  children  were  taken  pris- 


404  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   f;NGLAKD. 

oners  by  the  English  in  September,  1690,  and  his  sister  was  slain.  The 
last  that  is  heard  of  him  is  in  1691,  when  he  signed  the  truce  of  Saga- 
dahoc, shortly  after  which,  it  is  supposed,  he  died. 

After  the  atTair  at  Dover,  the  Indians,  as  a  general  thing,  retired  from 
the  precincts  of  New  Hampshire ;  and  thus  the  ancient  royal  residence 
of  the  Pennacooks  became  comparatively  deserted.  The  place  at  Naraa- 
oskeag  was  occupied  as  late  as  1745  by  one  Indian,  named  Christian, 
who  was  employed  by  the  English  during  the  Indian  wars  as  a  scout, 
and  subsequently  retired,  with  others  of  his  tribe,  to  St.  Francis.  He 
was  afterwards,  however,  concerned  in  some  depredations  on  the  Eng- 
lish settlements,  and  was  one  of  those  who  decoyed  two  negroes  from 
Canterbury,  in  1752.  The  last  heard  of  him  was  in  1757,  when  he  was 
at  St.  Francis,  where  he  probably  died.  The  spot  occupied  by  Chris- 
tian's wigwam  is  still  shown  at  Amoskeag  Falls,  where  the  relics  of  his 
hearthstone,  —  his  pipes,  arrow-heads,  and  ornaments,  consisting  of 
bears'  teeth,  together  with  his  tomahawk,  —  have  been  brought  to  light. 

Thus  the  aboriginal  inhabitants,  who  held  the  lands  of  New  Hamp- 
shire as  their  own,  have  been  swept  away.  Long  and  valiantly  did 
they  contend  for  the  inheritance  bequeathed  to  them  by  their  fathers ; 
but  fate  had  decided  against  them,  and  it  was  all  in  vain.  With  bitter 
feelings  of  unavailing  regret,  the  Indian  looked  for  the  last  time  upon 
the  happy  places  where  for  ages  his  ancestors  had  lived  and  loved,  re- 
joiced and  wept,  and  passed  away,  to  be  known  no  more  forever.  The 
wild  beasts,  who  shared  with  him  the  forests,  and  were  molested  only 
when  required  to  minister  to  his  wants,  have  also  disappeared.  The 
forests  have  melted  away ;  and  the  broad  intervals,  slopes,  and  uplands, 
from  the  Piscataqua  to  the  Connecticut,  affording  sustenance  to  a  teem- 
ing population,  attest  the  change  that  a  century  has  wrought.  The 
waterfalls,  too,  have  been  made  to  resound  with  the  music  of  spindles 
and  of  wheels,  and  the  streets  have  become  marts  of  traffic.  Civiliza- 
tion has  followed  the  same  course  here  as  in  all  other  countries  reclaimed 
from  barbarism,  by  blotting  out  the  original  inhabitants  and  planting 
another  race.  The  native  tribes  of  New  Hampshire  fulfilled  their  mis- 
sion, and  passed  away.  We  too  shall  pass  away,  and  other  busy  feet 
will  tread  upon  our  graves,  as  thoughtless  of  us  as  we  are  now  of  the 
sleeping  dust  of  the  red  man. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

COimriES,   CITIES,  and  towns  of  new  HAMPSHIEE.i 

AcwORTH,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Sullivan  county,  is  forty-four 
miles  west  from  Concord.  It  received  its  charter  in  1766,  although  it 
was  not  permanently  settled  until  the  summer  of  1768,  when  three 
families,  —  Samuel  Harper,  William  Keyes,  and  John  Rogers,  —  with 
some  other  individuals,  principally  from  Londonderry,  N.  H.,  arrived. 
They  were  followed  the  year  after  by  some  families  from  Windham 
and  Ashford,  Conn.  As  the  settlement  of  Acworth  took  place  at  the 
time  of  the  commencement  of  the  difRculties  which  brought  on  the 
American  Revolution,  its  progress  in  wealth  and  population  was  very 
much  retarded.  At  the  close  of  the  contest,  however,  other  families 
were  added  to  those  already  in  town,  and  the  settlement  advanced. 

The  soil  of  Acworth  is  well  adapted  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture, 
which  is  generally  followed  by  the  inhabitants.  Cold  river,  affording 
several  mill  privileges,  is  the  only  stream  worthy  of  mention.  Large 
crystals  of  beryl  have  been  found,  and  the  town  has  become  somewhat 
celebrated  on  that  account.  There  are  two  villages —  Acworth  and 
South  Acworth ;  three  church  edifices  —  Consfregational,  Baptist,  and 
Methodist ;  thirteen  school  districts ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Acworth 
and  South  Acworth :  also,  the  Acworth  boot  and  shoe  company ;  five 
saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  one  woollen  factory,  one  bobbin  factory,  and 
one  peg  factory.     Population,  1,251 ;  valuation,  $439,392. 

Albany,  in  the  western  part  of  Carroll  county,  bounded  on  the  east 
by  Conway,  is  seventy-five  miles  from  Concord.  The  abundance  of 
otter  and  beaver  on  the  streams  in  Albany  rendered  this  place  a  fa- 
vorite resort  of  the  Indians,  who  considered  these  animals  rich  game. 
It  was  granted  in  1766,  by  the  name  of  Buxton,  to  Clement  March, 
Joseph  Senter,  and  others.      There  is,  however,  an  account,  which,  if 

'  "When  no  date  is  given,  it  will  be  understood,  that,  in  New  Hampshire,  the  population 
is  according  to  the  last  census ;  and  the  valuation  is  the  last  state  valuation  of  18i55. 

(405) 


406  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

authentic,  would  trace  its  first  settlement  to  a  much  earlier  period.i  The 
population  of  Albany  was,  for  quite  a  number  of  years,  very  insignifi- 
cant, owing,  it  is  presumed,  to  the  superstitious  fear  of  Chocorua's 
curse,  which,  it  was  supposed,  had  affected  the  cattle.  These  died  off  in 
large  numbers  from  some  cause  or  other,  which,  it  has  since  been  dis- 
covered, existed  in  the  water,  according  to  the  report  of  Professor  Dana, 
of  Dartmouth  College,  who  was  appointed,  in  1821,  to  visit  the  town, 
and  learn,  if  possible,  the  cause  of  the  disease.  The  water  was  a  weak 
solution  of  muriate  of  lime.  A  certain  kind  of  meadow  mud  found  there 
issuing  from  a  spring,  when  administered  in  large  pills  to  the  cattle, 
was  discovered  to  have  remedial  effects.  The  population  and  business 
are  generally  reviving  from  the  stagnation  which  was  thus  thrown  over 
them.  Swift  river  is  the  principal  stream,  though  there  are  several 
others  in  different  parts  of  the  town  which  furnish  convenient  mill  priv- 
ileges. The  soil  is  fertile,  though  the  surface  is  somewhat  mountainous. 
Chocorua  is  a  singularly  shaped  mountain,  its  top  rising  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  3,G00  feet,  like  a  tower  crowned  by  turrets  at  its  corners.  To  the 
south  the  summit  presents  a  perpendicular  wall  of  smooth  rock,  some 
hundred  feet  in  altitude.  The  town  has  a  Free-will  Baptist  church ; 
fom'  school  districts,  and  one  post-office ;  also,  one  grist-mill,  three  saw- 

'  Among  the  adherents  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  whoso  safety  was  perilled  upon  the  restora- 
tion of  Charles  II.,  was  one  Cornelius  Campbell,  a  man  of  superior  intellect,  who  sought 
and  found  a  new  home  in  the  valley  at  the  base  of  Mount  Chocorua,  and  within  the  limits 
of  this  town.  Happy  in  his  wife  and  children,  he  had  a  frequent  visitor,  to  whom  the 
whole  family  had  become  much  attached,  in  the  person  of  the  young  sou  of  the  old  Indian 
prophet  and  chief,  Chocorua.  On  one  occasion,  as  it  is  alleged,  the  boy,  with  a  disposition 
to  see  and  taste  every  tiling,  drank  some  poison  placed  in  a  vessel  for  a  mischievous  fox, 
the  effect  of  whicli  was  ftxtal.  The  old  man,  without  breathing  his  suspicion  to  anj', 
nursed  his  jealousy  into  wrath;  and,  at  the  first  opportunity,  upon  the  absence  of  Camp- 
bell, visited  his  house,  and  left  it  tenantlcss,  save  by  the  corpses  of  the  wife  and  little  ones 
of  the  settler.  This  blow  fell  with  stunning  effect  upon  Campbell ;  but  he  revived  from 
the  torpor  of  an  overpowering  anguish  to  execute  upon  the  prophet  the  first  promptinns  of 
the  demon  of  revenge.  Chocorua,  standing  upon  the  cliflF,  in  the  early  morning,  heard  the 
voice  of  his  enemy  from  below,  commanding  him  to  throAv  himself  into  the  abj'ss.  "With 
an  Indian's  calmness,  he  replied :  "  The  Great  Spirit  gave  life  to  Chocorua,  and  Chocorua 
will  not  throw  it  away  at  the  command  of  the  white  man."  "  Then  hear  the  Great  Spirit 
speak  in  the  white  man's  thunder  !  "  exclaimed  Campbell.  He  fired,  and  the  ball  pierced 
the  heart  of  Chocorua,  who,  before  expiring,  is  said  to  have  raised  himself  on  his  hand, and 
m  a  loud  voice,  that  grew  more  terrific  as  its  huskiness  increased,  to  have  uttered  the  fol- 
lowing awful  malediction  :  —  "A  curse  upon  ye,  white  men  !  May  the  Great  Spirit  curse 
ye  when  he  speaks  in  the  clouds!  and  his  words  are  fire.  Chocorua  had  a  son,  and  3-6 
killed  him  while  the  sky  looked  bright.  Lightning  blast  your  crops  !  AVinds  and  fire 
destroy  your  dwellings !  The  Evil  Spirit  breathe  death  upon  your  cattle  !  Your  graves 
lie  in  the  war-path  of  the  Indian  !  Panthers  howl  and  wolves  fatten  over  your  bones ! 
Chocorua  goes  to  the  Great  Spirit,  —  his  curse  staj-s  with  the  white  man !  " 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   ALEXANDRIA,   ETC.  407 

mills,  and  two  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard    mills.      Population,   455; 
valuation,  $75,583. 

Alexandria,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  thirty  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted  on  the  13th  of  March,  1767,  to  Joseph  But- 
terfield,  Jr.  and  others,  having  been  incorporated  November  23,  1762. 
Three  brothers,  named  Corliss,  —  Jonathan,  John,  and  William,  —  com- 
menced its  settlement,  in  December,  1769.  Part  of  Orange  was  an- 
nexed to  Alexandria,  December  7,  1820 ;  and  in  February,  1821,  a  con- 
siderable tract  of  the  territory  of  the  latter  was  annexed  to  Hill.  The 
first  church  was  Congregational,  formed  in  the  year  1788. 

Alexandria  is  in  some  parts  level,  and  in  other  parts  mountainous ;  but 
agriculture  can  be  prosecuted  as  advantageously  here  as  in  other  towns 
in  the  county.  Cardigan  mountain  is  the  only  eminence.  There  are 
about  two  thousand  acres  of  interval  land  along  the  various  streams. 
Smith's  and  Fowler's  rivers  furnish  good  supplies  of  water ;  the  former 
passes  through  the  south  part,  and  the  latter  through  the  north  part. 
The  only  village  is  called  Alexandria,  at  which  there  is  a  post-office. 
There  are  two  church  edifices  —  Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist, 
and  fourteen  school  districts :  also  one  carriage  manufactory,  nine  saw- 
mills, and  three  grist-mills.     Population,  1,273 ;  valuation,  $285,416. 

Allenstown  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Suncook  river,  in  Merrimack 
county,  eleven  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  at  an  early  period, 
and  was  settled  by  John  Wolcott,  Andrew  Smith,  Daniel  Evans,  Robert 
Buntin,  and  others.  Mr.  Buntin,  his  son,  ten  years  of  age,  and  James 
Carr,  while  at  labor  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Merrimack,  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Suncook,  were  attacked  by  several  Indians,  who 
killed  Carr  while  attempting  to  make  his  escape,  took  Buntin  and  his 
boy  prisoners,  marched  them  to  Canada,  and  disposed  of  them  to  a 
Frenchman  at  Montreal.  They  remained  in  captivity  eleven  months, 
when  they  fortunately  made  their  escape,  and  returned  to  their  friends. 
Andrew  Buntin,  the  son,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  army  till  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  White  Plains,  October  28,  1776.  Allenstown  was 
incorporated  in  1831,  its  name  being  given  in  honor  of  Allen,  the  pur- 
chaser of  Mason's  claim.  Several  tracts  were  set  off  from  this  town  to 
Hooksett,  January  5,  1853. 

The  town  has  something  less  than  12,225  acres  of  land,  of  moderately 
good  quality.  The  inhabitants  are  generally  occupied  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  and  the  many  fine  farms  exhibit  their  practical  knowledge  of 
husbandry.  On  Catamount  hill,  the  highest  elevation  of  land,  large 
quantities  of  fine    granite  are  found.     Water   is   plentiful,  and  Great 


408  HISTORY   AND   DESCEIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Bear  brook  furnishes  several  mill-seats.  AUenstown  has  one  meeting- 
house, occupied  by  the  Baptists  ;  four  school  districts  ;  and  one  post- 
office.     Population,  600  ;  valuation,  $183,495. 

Alstead,  Cheshire  county,  fifty  miles  from  Concord,  was  granted  by 
Governor  Benning  Wentworth,  in  August,  1763,  to  Samuel  Chase  and 
sixty-nine  others,  and  was  originally  called  Newton.^  The  most  reliable 
accounts  state,  that  the  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  time  the 
charter  was  granted.  Simon  Baker,  Isaac  Cady,  and  William  Druce 
were  the  earliest  in  town,  and  Mrs.  Cady  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
first  woman  here.  Major  Jason  Wait,  Captain  Timothy  Delano,  and 
John  Burroughs  arrived  at  subsequent  periods.  During  the  progress  of 
the  Revolutionary  struggle,  the  inhabitants  exhibited  an  earnest  endeavor 
to  fulfil  their  part  in  the  great  contest.  As  an  evidence  of  the  unanimity 
of  feeling  on  the  question,  it  may  be  stated  that  there  was  but  one  who 
favored  the  cause  of  Great  Britain.  Prior  to  the  establishment  of  the 
boundaries  between  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  there  was  an  un- 
happy division  of  feeling  on  the  question ;  and  in  April,  1781,  Alstead 
transacted  business  under  Vermont,  but  returned  to  the  authority  of 
New  Hampshire  in  January,  1782.  With  this  exception,  every  thing 
with  which  the  inhabitants  have  been  identified  has  progressed  Avithout 
any  dissension  or  misunderstanding,  save  in  political  struggles,  in 
which  a  difference  of  opinion  will  often  arise. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  who  have  resided  in  Alstead  may  be 
mentioned  Cyrus  Kingsbury,  who  settled  here  in  1785.  Mr.  Kingsbury 
held  a  mihtary  commission  as  colonel  for  many  years,  and  represented 
the  town  in  the  state  legislature.  General  Amos  Shepherd,  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  general  court  of  this  state,  and  president  of  the 
senate,  resided  in  this  town,  and  was  one  of  its  most  esteemed  inhabi- 
tants.    He  died  January  1,  1812. 

Alstead  has  generally  a  strong  and  productive  soil,  and  much  of  the 
land  has  been  converted  into  farms.  It  is  watered  by  Cold  river,  and 
some  of  the  branches  of  Ashuelot  river.  Warren's  pond,  two  hundred 
rods  in  length,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  breadth,  is  the  largest  body 
of  water.  Alstead  contains  three  villages,  —  Paper- Mill,  Alstead,  and 
New  Alstead,  —  at  each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office ;  five  church  edi- 
fices, —  Universalist,  Congregational,  and  three  Christian ;  an  academy, 
and  fourteen  school  districts :  also  one  paper-mill,  three  saw-mills,  two 
grist-mills,  and  two  iron  founderies.  Population,  1,425 ;  valuation, 
$587,559. 

'  It  is  said  that  a  grant  was  made  prior  to  this,  but  was  lost  in  consequence  of  the 
grantees  failing  to  fulfil  the  conditions. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   ALTON,   ETC.  409 

Alton,  Belknap  county,  has  Winnepesaukee  lake  and  bay  on  the 
north,  and  is  twenty-two  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  owned  by  the 
Masonian  proprietors,  and  was  originally  called  New  Durham  Gore. 
Jacob  Chamberlain  and  others  arrived  in  1770,  and  commenced  its  set- 
tlement. It  was  invested  with  corporate  privileges  January  15,  1796, 
and  named  by  one  of  its  proprietors  after  Alton,  a  market  town  in 
Southamptonshire,  England.  The  first  religious  society  formed  was 
that  of  the  Free-will  Baptists,  in  1805.  The  general  appearance  of  the 
town  is  rough  and  uneven,  though  the  soil,  which  is  rocky  and  hard, 
with  proper  attention,  produces  good  crops.  The  most  noted  eminence 
is  Mount  Major;  though  there  is  a  large  swell  of  land,  called  Prospect 
hill,  from  which,  in  clear  weather,  the  ocean  and  other  objects  are  visible, 
and  which  is  still  more  useful  in  affording  ample  grazing  almost  to  its 
summit.  Merry-meeting  bay  (a  part  of  Winnepesaukee  lake)  extends 
southerly  into  Alton  about  one  thousand  eight  hundred  rods,  where  it 
receives  the  waters  of  the  Merry-meeting  river.  Half-moon  pond  Ues 
between  Alton  and  Barnstead,  and  is  three  hundred  rods  long  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  wide.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Free- 
will Baptist,  Congregational,  and  Union ;  twenty  school  districts,  four 
post-offices  (Alton,  Alton  Bay,  East  Alton,  and  West  Alton),  and  two 
grist-mills,  seven  saw-mills  (two  of  w^hich  are  propelled  by  steam),  five 
shoe  manufactories  (which  manufacture  annually  about  300,000  pairs 
of  shoes),  and  three  hotels.  Qxiite  a  business  appearance  is  given  to 
the  place  by  the  Cochecho  Railroad,  which  has  its  terminus  here,  whence 
the  travel  is  by  steamer  to  Wolfboro'  and  other  places  on  the  lake. 
Population,  1,795 ;  valuation,  ^682,611. 

Amherst,  Hillsborough  county,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Sou- 
hegan  river,  and  was  formerly  known  as  Narragansett  No.  3.  It  was 
granted  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  about  the  year  1733, 
with  six  other  townships,  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  soldiers,  or  their 
descendants,  who  fought  in  King  Philip's  war  in  the  years  1675  and 
1676.  Only  nineteen  of  the  soldiers  engaged  in  the  war  were  living 
when  the  grant  was  made.  This  township  was  assigned  to  persons 
living  principally  in  Salem,  Lynn,  Topsfield,  and  Beverly ;  and  the  first 
settlement  was  commenced  by  Samuel  Walton  and  Samuel  Lampson 
about  the  year  1734,  who  located  themselves  about  a  mile  from  the 
present  compact  part  of  the  town,  where  they  erected  the  first  house. 
Other  settlers  arrived  within  a  few  years,  and  began  improvements. 
About  1753,  there  were  here  seven  garrisoned  houses,  which  afforded 
places  of  security  to  the  inhabitants  in  time  of  alarm  and  danger,  as  also 
a  fort  or  block-house,  which   was  maintained   at  the   pubUc  expense. 

VOL.  I.  35 


410  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Though  Amherst  was  a  frontier  town,  and  exposed  to  the  incursions  of 
the  Indians,  few,  if  any,  depredations  were  committed.  None  of  these 
Indians  had  a  permanent  abode  here  when  the  first  settlers  arrived,  al- 
though they  had  once  been  numerous,  and  some  of  their  wigwams  were 
still  visible.  They  dwelt  principally  upon  the  river  ;  and  human  bones, 
supposed  to  be  those  of  Indians,  have  been  washed  from  its  banks 
within  the  memory  of  living  inhabitants.  In  the  French  war  of  1754, 
Amherst  furnished  its  proportion  of  brave  soldiers,  and  several  of  the 
inhabitants  belonged  to  the  "  ranging  companies,"  which  did  much 
service  in  scouring  the  woods,  procuring  intelligence,  and  skirmishing 
with  detached  parties  of  the  enemy. 

Amherst  was  incorporated  January  18,  1760,  receiving  its  name  in 
compliment  to  Gen.  Jeffrey  Amherst;  and  embraced,  at  that  time,  part 
of  Milford  and  Mont  Vernon.  On  the  10th  of  April,  1766,  part  of 
Monson  was  annexed  to  Amherst.  About  this  time,  the  people  were 
very  much  annoyed  by  wolves,  who  were  most  summarily  driven  from 
the  neighborhood  by  penning  them  in  a  swamp,  and  keeping  up  a  con- 
tinual fire  on  them  all  day.  In  1771,  Amherst  was  made  the  shire  town, 
which  contributed  much  to  the  importance  and  popularity  of  the  place. 
In  1775,  the  inhabitants  had  increased  to  such  an  extent  as  to  number 
1,428.  Amherst  was  particularly  prominent  in  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle. The  inhabitants  not  only  opposed  the  restrictive  measures  of  the 
British,  but  they  treated  those  who  were  suspected  of  favoring  the 
royal  cause  (but  few  in  number)  with  a  severity  which  might  be  con- 
sidered by  some  reprehensible.  The  town  furnished  its  full  proportion 
of  men  for  the  military  service  of  the  United  States ;  and  it  appears 
from  an  authentic  document,  that  prior  to  the  1st  April,  1777,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  persons  were  engaged,  among  whom  were  two  colonels, 
one  major,  five  captains,  and  nine  subaltern  officers.  The  inhabitants 
manifested  their  order  and  patriotism  by  a  ready  compliance  with  the 
requisitions  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  the  orders  of  the  provin- 
cial conventions. 

Among  the  distinguished  residents  of  Amherst  may  be  mentioned  Hon. 
Joshua  Atherton,  the  delegate  appointed  to  represent  the  town  in  the 
convention  which  assembled  at  Exeter  in  February,  1788,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ratifying  or  rejecting  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and 
who  opposed  its  adoption,  on  account  of  its  containing  the  clause  per- 
mitting the  slave-trade.  Others  who  are  deserving  of  remembrance 
were  Hon.  Moses  Nichols,  a  native  of  Reading,  Mass.,  who  was  a 
colonel  under  General  Stark  in  the  battle  of  Bennington  ;  Hon.  Sanmel 
Dana,  a  native  of  Brighton,  Mass.;  Hon.  William  Gordon,  eminent  in 
the  profession  of  the  law ;  Hon.  Robert  Means,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 


XEW    HAMPSHIRE - 


■TOWN    OP    AMHERST. 


411 


r-amc  to  -(his  country  in  1764;  lion.  Clifton  Clagett,  a  native  of  Ports- 
mouUi,  who  held  many  important  civil  offices;  and  Hon.  Jed(>diah 
K.  Smith,  a  conncillor  and  state  senator.  This  was  also  the  native 
])lace  of  Hon.  Horace  Greeley,  the  distinguished  editor  of  the  New  York 
Tribune,  who  was  born  in  "  a  small,  unpainted  but  substantial  and  well- 
built  farm-house,"  about  five  miles  from  the  village,  on  the  3d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1811.  His  father  was  Zaccheus  Greeley,  and  his  mother,  iMary 
AVoodburn,  both  descendants  of  Scotch-Irish  settlers,  and  hard-working 
people,  as  were  all  Mr.  Greeley's  relatives.  The  house^  where  he  was 
born  is  still  standing,  an  accurate  view  of  which  is  here  given.     It  is 


Birthpla^^  of  IIou.  Honice  Greeley. 


built  upon  a  level  plat,  midway  of  an  abrupt,  rocky,  and  rather  high 
eminence.  The  farm  comprised  about  eighty  acres.  Young  Greeley 
attended  the  district  school  in  Londonderry,  where  all  his  education 
was  acquired,  and  he  is  remembered  with  feelings  akin  to  veneration, 
having  been  a  favorite  with  almost  every  one.^ 

The  soil  of  Amherst  is  varied.  In  some  parts,  particularly  on  Sou- 
hegan  river  and  on  the  hills,  it  is  of  an  excellent  quality,  and  some 
valuable  farms  have  been  laid  out,  and  are  under  good  ciiltivation. 
There  are  also  some  excellent  meadows.  Amherst  is  \vatercd  by 
Souhcgan  river,  ^vhich  has  considerable  water-power,  and  is  crossed 
at  this  place  by  two  bridges,  and  by  one  at  Milford,  near  the  line  be- 
tween tlicse  towns.  Baboosuck,  Little  Baboosuck,  and  Jo  English's 
ponds  are  the  largest  collections  of  water.  Iron  ore  has  been  discov- 
ered, but  it   is    not  wrought    at    present.     The  village,  containing  the 


'  Parton's  Life  of  Horace  Greeley. 


412  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

public  buildings,  is  situated  on  a  plain  half  a  mile  long  and  about  the 
same  in  width,  having  a  common  between  the  two  principal  rows  of 
houses.  There  are  four  churches  —  Congregationalist,  Baptist,  Metho- 
dist, and  Universalist;  fourteen  school  districts,  a  high  school,  and 
one  post-office;  also  three  stores;  and  three  manufactories,  with  a 
capital  invested  of  $20,000.     Population,  1,613  ;  valuation,  $617,625. 

Andovek,  In  the  northern  part  of  Merrimack  county,  is  ten  miles  in 
length  and  about  four  miles  in  width.  It  was  granted  in  1746,  by  the 
Masonian  proprietors,  to  Edmund  Brown  and  fifty-nine  others,  princi- 
pally of  Hampton  Falls,  and  was  called  New-Breton,  in  honor  of  the 
captors  of  Cape  Breton  in  1745,  in  which  expedition  several  of  the 
grantees  participated.  It  was  settled  in  1761,  by  Joseph  Fellows, 
from  Boscawen ;  who  was  followed  by  Elias  Rains,  William  Morey, 
and  Edward  Ladd.  The  settlement  at  first  increased  but  slowly,  the 
inhabitants  being  subjected  to  many  and  great  privations.  There  were 
no  inhabitants  north  from  whom  they  could  receive  assistance,  and 
the  difficulties  of  a  communication  with  those  situated  south  of  An- 
dover  rendered  their  situation  less  pleasing.  They  however  overcame 
all  these  by  perseverance,  and  have  succeeded  in  securing  to  their 
faiTiilies  a  quiet  and  peaceful  possession.  In  1779,  the  town  was  incor- 
porated under  its  present  name. 

Andover  abounds  with  hills  and  dales,  and  is  in  some  places  quite 
rocky  and  barren.  On  the  north,  the  town  is  divided  from  Hill  by  the 
Ragged  mountains,  —  so  called  from  their  appearance,  being  in  all  parts 
broken,  and  in  many  places  bleak  and  precipitous.  In  some  parts, 
settlements  have  been  made,  and  snug  farms  adorn  their  sides.  These 
rural  improvements,  with  the  rocky  barrier  behind,  present  from  other 
eminences  a  picturesque  appearance.  A  little  west  of  the  centre  of 
these  mountains,  a  stream  of  water  passes  from  Hill,  on  which  are 
situated  several  mills.  In  its  passage  through  a  chasm  in  the  moun- 
tain, the  water  tumbles  over  a  ledge  of  rocks  nearly  two  hundred  feet 
in  the  distance  of  t\vo  hundred  rods.  When  the  stream  is  raised  by 
heavy  rains  or  melting  snows,  the  picture  is  one  of  rare  beauty.  The 
soil  is  in  many  parts  very  good,  producing  grain  and  gi-ass  in  abundance, 
besides  being  well  suited  to  orcharding.  Pemigewasset  and  Black- 
water  rivers  furnish  water,  and  the  latter  affords  many  fine  mill-seats. 
There  are  six  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  is  Chance,  situated  in  the 
easterly  part.  Loon  pond,  also  of  considerable  size,  having  an  island 
in  the  easterly  part  of  it,  has  long  been  the  resort  of  pleasure  parties  in 
the  summer  season.  These  ponds  are  surrounded  by  beautiful 
scenery,  and  contain  abundance  of  fish,  which  are  taken  in  considerable 
quantities. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF  ANTRIM.  413 

Among  those  deceased  citizens  who  are  remembered  with  respect  by 
the  inhabitants  may  be  mentioned  Dr.  Silas  Barrett  and  Dr.  Jacob 
B.  Moore.  The  former  was  the  first  physician  in  Andover,  and  settled 
in  1792 ;  the  latter  was  a  poet  of  some  eminence,  as  well  as  a  political 
writer,  and  settled  in  1796.  William  Noyes  is  also  deserving  of  re- 
membrance. He  left  ^10,000,  for  the  support  of  an  academy,  which 
is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition ;  and,  from  its  healthy  and  quiet  loca- 
tion, affords  excellent  advantages  for  the  student.  The  famous  juggler 
and  necromancer.  Potter,  was  a  citizen  of  Andover ;  and  the  place 
\vhere  he  resided  may  be  seen  at  the  "  Potter  Place,"  a  station  on  the 
Northern  Railroad.  There  are  two  villages  • —  Andover,  and  East 
Andover ;  three  churches  —  two  Christian  and  one  Free-will  Baptist ; 
thirteen  school  districts,  the  Christian  Conference  Seminary,  the  High- 
land Lake  Institute;  and  three  post-offices— Andover,  East  Andover, 
and  West  Andover :  also,  two  grist-mills,  and  six  saw-mills.  The 
Northern  Railroad  passes  through  the  northern  part  of  Andover.  Popu- 
lation, 1,220;  valuation,  $425,742. 

Antrim,  in  the  western  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  is  distant  from 
Concord  thirty  miles.  The  first  settlement  within  the  present  limits  of 
Antrim  was  made  by  Philip  Riley  in  1744,  who,  in  company  with  his 
family,  after  a  residence  of  two  years,  abandoned  their  habitation 
through  fear  of  an  Indian  attack,  and  did  not  return  till  after  an  absence 
of  fifteen  years.  Induced  by  an  advertisement  from  the  Masonian 
proprietors  in  1766,  six  young  men  from  Londonderry  visited  the  place, 
and,  being  pleased  with  the  lands,  made  some  clearings.  Being  disap- 
pointed in  their  anticipations  of  a  present  of  a  lot  of  land  each  from  the 
proprietors,  only  three  of  them  eventually  took  up  their  abode  here,  one 
of  whom,  James  Aiken,  arrived  in  August,  1767.  William  Smith,  Ran- 
dal Alexander,  John  Gordon,  Maurice  Lynch,  and  John  Duncan  were 
among  those  who  were  early  settlers.  April,  1775,  brought  new.s  of  the 
battle  of  Lexington ;  and  although  the  whole  population  amounted  to 
only  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  souls,  yet  a  company  of  sixteen 
men,  raised  and  commanded  by  Captain  Duncan,  marched  the  next 
morning  for  the  scene  of  action,  followed  by  Captain  Smith  with  a 
load  of  provisions,  one  man  only  remaining  in  the  settlement.  General 
Stark  met  them  at  Tyngsborough ;  and,  while  warmly  commending 
their  patriotism,  informed  them  that  there  was  a  sufficiency  of  men 
already  under  arms,  recommending  them  to  return  and  wait  till  their 
services  became  indispensable.  In  the  autumn  of  1777,  several  of 
the  inhabitants  marched  at  different  times  to  the  westward,  some  of 
whom  fought  in  the  battle  of  Bciuiington  under  General  Stark,  while 

35* 


414  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

a  still  larger  number  were  present  at  the  surrender  of  the  British  army 
under  General  Burgoyne. 

Antrim  was  incorporated  March  22,  1777,  and  received  its  name 
from  a  county  in  L-eland.  The  surface  is  generally  hilly,  though  the 
soil  is  productive  and  well  cultivated.  Upon  North  Branch  and  the 
Contoocook  rivers  are  some  fine  alluvial  lands,  and  a  few  small  tracts  of 
interval.  In  the  western  portion  is  some  good  grazing  land.  These 
rivers  water  the  town,  and  afford  privileges  for  mills.  There  are  in 
Antrim  three  meeting-houses  —  Presbyterian,^  Baptist,  and  Methodist ; 
fourteen  school  districts ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Antrim  and  North 
Antrim:  also,  a  patent-shovel  manufactory,  two  furniture  shops,  a  silk 
factory,  three  grist-mills,  seven  saw-mills,  and  three  stores.  Population, 
1,143 ;  valuation,  $450,724. 

Atkinson,  Rockingham  county,  lying  in  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  state,  thirty-six  miles  from  Concord,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Plaistow, 
from  which  it  was  set  off  and  incorporated  in  1767,  receiving  its  name 
from  Hon.  Theodore  Atkinson,  one  of  its  proprietors,  and  a  member 
of  the  council  of  the  state.  Settlements  were  commenced  as  early 
as  1727  or  1728  by  Benjamin  Richards,  Jonathan  and  Edmund  Page, 
and  John  Dow,  the  former  of  whom  came  from  Rochester,  N.  H.,  and 
the  latter  from  Haverhill,  Mass.,  —  to  which  the  territory  formerly  be- 
longed. In  the  contest  between  the  provinces  and  the  mother  country 
the  citizens  of  Atkinson  manifested  a  truly  patriotic  spirit,  as  well  by 
the  passage  of  suitable  resolutions  as  by  the  furnishing  of  men  and 
means.  Eight  sons  of  Nathaniel  Cogswell  participated  in  the  struggle, 
as  also  did  Rev.  Stephen  and  General  Nathaniel  Peabody. 

The  surface,  though  uneven,  is  composed  of  land  of  a  superior  quality. 
The  hills  a"re  not  of  very  great  height,  and  are  capable  of  cultivation  to 
their  summits.  The  raising  of  the  apple  has  for  many  years  engaged 
attention,  and  the  fruit  is  excellent.  In  a  large  meadow  in  Atkinson  is 
an  island,  containing  seven  or  eight  acres,  which,  when  the  meadow  is 
overflowed  by  means  of  an  artificial  dam,  rises  with  the  water,  some- 
times six  feet.  This  has  been  doubted  by  some  ;  but  the  authority  of 
Dr.  Belknap,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Peabody,  late  of  this  tow-n, 
and  others,  gives  authenticity  to  the  statement.  Atkinson  contains  one 
village,  two  churches —  Congregational  and  Univcrsalist ;  six  school  dis- 
tricts ;  one  academy,  —  probably  the  oldest  in  the  state,  —  incorporated 

1  Rev.  John  M.  Wliiton  was  the  pastor  of  this  church  from  September  28,  1808,  to 
.Taiuiary  1,  1853,  a  period  of  nearly  forty-five  years  —  greatly  beloved  b)-  his  people,  and 
much  esteemed  wherever  known. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOVfS   OF    AUBURN,    ETC.  415 

February  14,  1791 ;  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  machine  shop,  two 
saw-mills,  two  shingle  mills,  and  two  stores.  The  trains  of  the  Boston 
and  Maine  Railroad  stop  at  Atkinson  when  signals  are  made.  Popula- 
tion, 600 ;  valuation,  $233,195. 

Auburn,  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  of  Rockingham,  was  for- 
merly the  west  parish  of  Chester,  having  been  set  off  and  incorporated 
in  June,  1845.  The  first  minister  was  Rev.  John  Wilson,  who  was 
settled  in  1734,  and  died  February  1,  1779.  This  was  a  Presbyterian 
church.  The  records  begin  January  19,  1738.  The  meeting-house 
was  built  that  year,  near  the  centre  of  the  present  town  of  Ches- 
ter. The  second  church  was  the  Long  Meadow  meeting-house. 
Auburn.  Auburn  has  an  undulating  surface,  with  some  considerable 
swells  of  land ;  the  soil  being  generally  strong  and  productive,  while  the 
swells  are  very  fertile.  Massabesic  pond,  covering  about  1,500  acres,  and 
consisting  of  two  parts  connected  by  a  strait  some  250  rods  long,  lies 
partly  in  this  town.  Auburn  has  one  village;  two  meeting-houses  — 
Congregational  and  Methodist ;  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office  :  also,  about  fifty  shoemakers,  two  stores ;  a  saw-mill,  shingle 
mill,  and  lath  mill,  all  in  one  building,  propelled  by  steam ;  three  other 
saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  three  clapboard  mills,  three  lath  mills, 
and  two  grist-mills,  driven  by  water-power.  Population,  869 ;  valuation, 
$301,296. 

Barnstead,  in  the  southern  corner  of  Belknap  county,  is  twenty  miles 
from  Concord.  It  was  granted  to  the  Rev.  Joseph  Adams  and  others. 
May  20,  1727,  and  settlements  were  commenced  in  1767.  Among  the 
early  inhabitants  were  Colonel  Richard  Sinclair  and  John  Pitman,  th«^ 
latter  of  Avhom  lived  to  the  extreme  age  of  one  hundred  and  one  years, 
nine  months,  and  twenty  days.  Mr.  Pitman  had  several  very  providential 
escapes  from  death.  On  one  occasion,  while  descending  a  hill  on  a 
team  laden  with  boards,  he  fell  between  the  wheels ;  and  the  boards, 
trailing  as  they  were  on  the  ground,  carried  him  along,  rolling  him  over 
and  over.  At  last,  one  of  the  wheels  struck  a  stone,  and  giving  a 
bound  to  the  boards,  thus  released  him  from  his  unpleasant  situation. 
At  another  time,  being  in  a  saw-mill,  he  had  occasion  to  go  down  to  do 
something  to  the  water-wheel ;  and  while  there  his  son  came  into  the 
mill.  He,  not  knowing  the  position  of  his  father,  set  the  machinery  in 
operation,  and  his  father  was  turned  over  on  the  crank  in  the  pit  till  at 
last  he  was  thrown  out  into  the  stream  unhurt. 

Barnstead  is  not  mountainous,  but  the  land  in  some  parts  lies  in 
large    swells  ;    though  the  soil  is   easy  of  cultivation.     The    principal 


416  HISTORY   AND    BESCRIPTIOX    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ponds  are  the  two  known  by  the  names  of  Suncook  and  Brindle,  and 
Half-moon  pond.  Suncook  river  and  its  tributary  streams  furnish 
good  water-power.  In  various  parts,  plumbago,  bog-iron  ore,  and 
yellow  ochre  have  been  brought  to  light.  The  names  of  the  villages, 
tw^o  in  number,  are  the  Parade,  and  Centre  Barnstead.  The  churches 
are  three  Congregational  and  one  Free-will  Baptist ;  the  former  being 
served  alternately  by  Rev.  Enos  George,  who  has  been  estabhshed 
here  for  the  last  fifty-four  years.  There  are  sixteen  school  districts,  two 
libraries,  an  insurance  company,  and  three  post-offices  —  Barnstead, 
North  Barnstead,  and  Centre  Barnstead:  also,  six  stores,  a  woollen 
cloth  factory,  seven  saw-mills,  four  shingle  mills,  four  clapboard  mills, 
one  grooving  machine,  one  turning  machine,  and  two  somewhat  exten- 
sive tanneries.  Lumber  is  quite  a  large  item  of  trade,  the  wants  of  neigh- 
boring towns  being  supplied.     Population,  1,848  ;  valuation,  $519,920. 

Bartlett,  Carroll  county,  a  small  town  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  White 
Mountains,  is  seventy-five  miles  northeast  from  Concord.  It  was  origi- 
nally granted  to  William  Stark,  Vere  Royce,  and  others,  for  services 
during  the  French  and  Indian  war  in  Canada.  A  Mr.  Harriman,  and 
two  brothers  by  the  name  of  Emery,  were  among  the  first  who  perma- 
nently located  here.  In  1777,  a  few  years  after  the  arrival  of  the  above, 
Daniel  Fox,  Paul  Jilly,  and  Captain  Samuel  Willey,  from  Lee,  com- 
menced a  settlement  in  what  is  now  known  as  Upper  Bartlett. 
This  toxs^n  was  incorporated  June  16,  1790,  receiving  its  name  in  honor 
of  Governor  Bartlett.  Many  rather  trying  yet  amusing  anecdotes  might 
be  related  of  the  early  settlers.  The  hardships  were  those  which  are 
the  natural  offspring  of  pioneer  life  ;  and,  though  they  sometimes  brought 
weariness  to  the  body,  the  minds  of  these  people  were  fruitful  in  expe- 
dients for  overcoming  and  ultimately  subduing  them.  Hon.  John  Pen- 
dexter  came  from  Portsmouth  at  an  early  period,  and  settled  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town,  near  Conway.  With  his  wife  he  travelled  eighty 
miles  in  winter,  she  riding  on  a  feeble  old  horse  with  a  feather-bed 
under  her,  a  child  in  her  arms,  and  he  by  her  side  drawing  a  hand-sled, 
on  which  were  their  household  goods.  At  the  time  of  the  great  disas- 
ter near  the  Notch,  when  the  Willey  family  were  destroyed,  a  circum- 
stance almost  as  frightful  occurred  in  connection  with  the  family  of  Mr. 
Emery,  who  lived  at  a  place  called  Jericho,  near  the  Rocky  Branch,  a 
tributary  of  the  Saco.  That  stream  swelled  enormously,  and,  by  the 
rocks,  trees,  and  bogs  which  it  brought  down  in  its  vehement  course, 
made  a  complete  dam  just  below  the  spot  where  the  house  stood. 
By  this  accumulation  of  water  the  liouse  was  raised  from  its  founda- 
tion, being  buoyed  up  on  its  surface  like  a  boat.     In  this  perilous  situa- 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   BAKRINGTON,    ETC.  417 

tion  the  inhabitants  remained  all  night,  and  it  was  only  by  the  wonder- 
ful workings  of  Providence  that  they  were  saved  from  a  watery  grave. 

The  land  in  this  irregularly-shaped  town  is  rather  poor,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  that  on  the  banks  of  the  Saco,  which  river  flows  through  here 
in  a  circuitous  course.  Bartlett  is  a  great  place  of  resort  for  berries,  the 
inhabitants  coming  from  miles  around.  Pequawket  or  Kearsarge  moun- 
tain, rising  up  3,400  feet  in  a  sort  of  pyramidal  form,  lies  mostly  in  the 
southeast  section  of  the  town,  a  part  of  it  being  in  Chatham.  It  is  almost 
isolated  from  the  other  hills  in  the  vicinity,  and  its  huge  bulk  and  gigan- 
tic proportions  are  brought  more  boldly  into  view.  A  large  hotel  is  built 
on  its  highest  point,  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors.  In  Upper  Bart- 
lett is  a  neat  little  edifice,  known  as  the  "  Chapel  of  the  Hills,"  built 
through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Mr.  Souther  among  the  people  of  the  place, 
aided  with  a  handsome  contribution  of  three  hundred  dollars  from  a 
Mrs.  Snow;  who,  however,  died  a  short  time  before  this  object  of  her 
pious  munificence  was  attained.  The  house  was  dedicated  January  21, 
1854,  the  interesting  occasion  calling  together  a  large  attendance,  not- 
withstanding the  deep  snows  of  the  mountain  roads.  There  are  two 
church  edifices  —  Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  six  school  districts, 
and  two  post-offices  —  Bartlett  and  Lower  Bartlett :  also,  four  saw- 
mills, three  grist-mills,  two  stores,  and  two  tanneries.  Population,  761 ; 
valuation,  ^158,376. 

Barrington,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Strafford  county,  thirty  miles  from 
Concord,  was  incorporated  on  the  10th  of  May,  1722,  and  the  first 
efforts  at  settlement  were  made  in  1732.  The  town  of  Strafford  was 
formerly  comprised  within  its  limits.  Barrington  is  a  somewhat  broken 
and  rocky  township,  and  the  soil  is  principally  a  gravelly  loam ;  a  por- 
tion of  it  being  a  sandy  loam  or  hazel  mould,  and  very  good  for  tillage. 
There  are  no  less  than  thirteen  ponds,  of  large  size,  which  afford  mill- 
seats  of  excellent  capacity.  On  the  Isinglass  river  is  a  perpendicular 
fall  of  thirty  feet.  Minerals,  among  which  is  bog-iron  ore,  are  some- 
what abundant.  The  Devil's  Den,  a  cavern  of  some  notoriety,  is  situ- 
ated about  two  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  is  well  worth  the 
attention  of  those  in  search  of  curiosities.  There  are  three  church  edi- 
fices —  Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  fifteen  school 
districts  and  fifteen  schools,  one  of  which  is  a  high  school ;  and  two 
post-offices  —  Barrington  and  North  Barrington  :  also,  one  woollen  fac- 
tory and  three  stores.     Population,  1,752  ;  valuation,  $526,647. 

Bath,  Grafton  county,  lies  on  the  Connecticut  river,  at  the  head  of 
boat   navigation,  eighty-two   miles   from  Concord.      It  was  originally 


418  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

granted  to  Rev.  Andrew  Gardner  and  sixty-one  others,  September  10, 
1761 ;  and  in  March,  1769,  it  was  again  chartered  to  John  Sawyer  and 
others,  on  account  of  the  terms  of  the  first  charter  not  being  fulfilled. 
The  contention  about  these  charters  forms  quite  a  prominent  feature  in 
the  town's  history :  the  second  one,  however,  finally  prevailed.  The 
first  settlers  were  John  Herriman  of  Haverhill  in  1765,  Moses  Pike 
in  1766,  and  the  family  of  Mr.  Sawyer  in  1767.  Bath  has  a  pleasant 
situation  on  the  vale  of  the  Connecticut,  the  Green  Mountains  being  on 
the  west,  and  the  White  Mountains  on  the  east,  which  form  a  strong 
breastwork  from  high  winds  and  long  storms.  The  soil  is  in  every 
way  suited  for  agricultural  improvement,  in  which  advancement  has 
been  made.  Nearly  one  sixth  of  the  land  is  interval.  Gardner's 
mountain,  about  five  hundred  feet  high,  lies  in  the  southwest  corner, 
and  rises  by  a  very  bold  ascent  from  the  confluence  of  the  Connecticut 
and  Ammonoosuc  rivers.  It  takes  a  northerly  course,  making  a  dividing 
line  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  parts  of  the  town.  Alum  and 
copperas  can  be  produced  from  some  of  the  rocks,  and  there  are  ap- 
pearances on  Gardner's  mountain  of  iron  and  silver  ore.  The  Ammo- 
noosuc river  furnishes  water  in  the  southeast  part,  as  well  as  some  fine 
sites  for  mills.  It  receives,  about  four  miles  from  its  mouth,  the  Wild 
Ammonoosuc  river,  which  rushes  down  the  lofty  Moosilauke.  There 
is  a  fine  fall  of  water  in  the  Connecticut,  which  has  been  improved  by 
the  erection  of  a  dam,  and  another  in  the  Ammonoosuc,  near  the  prin- 
cipal village,  across  which  river  a  bridge,  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
length,  was  thrown  in  1807.  Perch  pond,  covering  an  area  of  nearly 
one  hundred  acres,  lies  in  the  south  part.  There  are  three  villages  — 
Upper  Village,  Lower  Village,  and  Swift- water  Village;  three  church 
edifices — Congregational,  Universahst,  and  Methodist;  the  Bath  acad- 
emy ;  eleven  school  districts  ;  and  one  post-office  :  also,  five  stores,  two 
gi-ist-mills,  and  two  saw-mills.     Population,  1,574;  valuation,  $496,659. 

Bedford,  Hillsborough  county,  is  situated  on  the  westerly  side  of  the 
Mei-rimack,  opposite  the  city  of  Manchester,  and  is  traversed  upon  the 
northerly  side  by  the  Piscataquog,  which  discharges  into  the  Merrimack. 
A  portion  of  it  was  included  in  the  grant  of  three  miles  in  length 
upon  either  side  of  the  Merrimack-,  made  by  the  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts  to  Passaconaway,  the  great  sachem  of  Penacook,  in 
the  year  1663,  and  its  history  thenceforward,  for  more  than  seventy 
years,  contributes  nothing  new  that  we  can  find,  to  the  tale  of  preceding 
centuries,  save  perhaps  that  the  voice  of  the  great  apostle  John  Eliot 
was  heard  through  these  forests,  soothing  the  wild  nature  of  the  poor 
Indian,  and  discoursing  to  him  of  a  better  life.     Wonnalancet,  the  son 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OP   BEDFORD.  419 

and  successor  of  Passaconaway,  was  the  mild  pupil  of  Eliot.  His 
character  was  so  changed  by  Christianity  that  he  was  called  "  Wunne- 
lanshonat,"  or  "one  breathing  soft  words,"  and  rather  than  join  his 
nation  in  a  war  against  the  English,  he  retired  with  his  family  to 
Canada. 

But  the  sceptre  of  the  bashaba  was  broken ;  and  the  General  Court 
of  Massachusetts,  finding  no  longer  occasion  to  keep  in  remembrance 
a  former  grant,  in  consideration  of  important  services  rendered  by 
officers  and  soldiers  in  the  war  with  King  Philip,  issued  to  them,  or 
their  legal  representatives,  charters  of  seven  townships  of  land,  one  of 
which  was  located  here  by  the  name  of  Souhegan  East,  or  Narragansett 
No.  5.  Very  few,  however,  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  grantees, 
became  settlers.  In  1735,  one  Sebbins,  from  Braintree,  pitched  his 
camp  there  for  the  winter,  and  engaged  in  shingle-making,  from  whom 
Sebbins  pond  received  its  name.  But  the  first  permanent  settlement 
was  made,  in  1737,  by  Robert  and  James  Walker,  and  Matthew  and 
Samuel  Patten,  of  the  Scotch-Irish  emigrants,  many  of  whom  had 
settled  at  Londonderry.  The  Pattens  were  immediately  from  Dun- 
stable. Many  others  of  the  Londonderry  colony  soon  settled  here, 
whose  innate  love  of  civil  and  religious  freedom  was  a  sufficient  guar- 
anty that  the  patriotism  and  Protestantism  of  the  citizens  would  be 
conspicuous  whezi  they  should  come  to  resist  foreign  misrule.  In  1750, 
the  town  was  chartered  by  its  present  name,  probably  in  compliment 
to  the  Dulce  of  Bedford,  a  minister  of  state,  who  was  a  friend  and 
correspondent  of  Governor  Wentworth. 

In  the  French  War  (1760),  Colonel  John  Goffe,  of  Derryfield,  com- 
manded the  regiment  of  eight  hundred  raised  by  the  province  of  New 
Hampshire  to  join  the  expedition  against  Canada  under  General 
Amherst,  and  this  town  furnished  her  share  of  the  soldiers.  But  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  people  were,  to  a  still  greater  extent, 
zealous  in  sharing  the  dangers  and  sacrifices  of  the  struggle,  and  gave 
nearly  one  hundred  men  to  the  cause  (then  nearly  one  half  of  the 
male  population),  many  of  whom  served  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  on  other 
fields ;  and  eighteen  with  Lieutenant  John  Orr  under  General  Stark  at 
the  battle  of  Bennington.  But  one  person  in  the  town  could  be  found 
upon  whom  the  taint  of  toryisin  rested;  and  he,  singularly  enough, 
was  the  spiritual  leader  of  the  people.  Rev.  John  Houston.  He  refused 
to  sign  the  Association  Test,  or  pledge  of  united  opposition  to  British 
fleets  and  armies,  a  measure  suggested  by  a  resolution  of  Congress 
in  JMarch,  1776.  Eighty-five  male  citizens  signed  the  document,  and 
none,  with  the  single  exception  mentioned,  were  found  unwilling ;  and 
his  dismission  soon   followed,  after   a    successful    pastorate    of  nearly 


420  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

twenty  years.  In  further  illustration  of  the  fervent  patriotism  of  the 
people  during  that  critical  period,  it  may  be  mentioned,  that,  in  1783, 
they  actually  instructed  John  Orr,  their  representative  at  the  general 
court,  strenuously  to  oppose  the  return  of  "  loyalists  "  as  "  undeserving 
of  any  favor." 

Bedford  has  always  been  chiefly  an  agricultural  town.  The  portion 
lying  along  the  Piscataquog  has  supplied  a  vast  amount  of  white  and 
hard  pine  and  oak  timber  suitable  for  ship-building,  and  its  lofty  masts 
found  their  way  to  our  naval  and  maritime  ports.  Special  attention 
was  also  given  to  the  hop  culture ;  and  Bedford  was,  until  1836,  the 
largest  hop-growing  town  in  New  England.  The  inspector's  books  for 
1833  showed  a  production  of  97,320  pounds,  worth,  at  the  average 
price  for  that  year  of  16^  cents  per  pound,  ^15,571.20. 

Piscataquog  Village,  which,  in  the  year  1853,  was  annexed  to  Man- 
chester, seemingly  in  violation  of  all  geographical  rules,  by  reason  of 
which,  and  of  its  associations  for  a  century,  it  is  here  placed  with  Bedford, 
contained,  in  1850,  two  school  districts,  and  a  population  of  seven 
hundred ;  it  is  intersected  by  the  Nev^r  Hampshire  Central  Railroad,  as 
well  as  the  river  from  which  it  takes  its  name — is  a  thrifty  place,  and 
gives  quite  a  business  face  to  the  town.  This  village  received  a  fresh 
start,  in  1812,  by  the  enterprise  of  Isaac  Riddle  and  Caleb  Stark,  who 
conceived  the  design,  in  connection  with  the  then  recent  improvement 
of  the  river  by  locks  and  the  Middlesex  Canal,  of  navigating  the  river  by 
boats.  They  built  a  boat  at  the  centre,  and  drew  it,  with  forty  yok'es 
of  oxen,  three  miles  and  a  half  to  the  Merrimack,  launched  it  amid  the 
cheers  of  the  crowd  assembled  to  view  the  novelty,  named  it  the 
Experiment,  loaded  and  navigated  it  to  Boston,  where  its  arrival  A\'as 
hailed  with  cannonading,  and  the  following  announcement  in  the 
Boston  Centinel :  "  Arrived  from  Bedford,  N.  H.,  Canal  Boat  Experi- 
ment, Isaac  Riddle,  Captain,  via  Merrimack  river  and  Middlesex  Canal." 

Bedford  has  been  remarkably  fortunate  in  escaping  the  too  frequent 
changes  in  the  pulpit,  having  had  but  three  settled  ministers  since  1756 : 
the  Rev.  John  Houston,  after  whose  dismissal,  in  1778,  the  pastorate 
was  vacant  until  1804,  when  Rev.  David  McGregor  was  ordained,  and 
continued  until  1826 ;  since  which  the  Presbyterian  church  has  enjoyed 
the  ministrations  of  Rev.  Thomas  Savage,  who  is  the  lineal  descendant 
of  Major  Thomas  Savage,  and  Faith,  daughter  of  Anne  Hutchinson. 
There  was  another  religious  society  in  town,  the  Baptist;  but  for  years 
they  have  not  had  worship  on  the.  Sabbath.  The  names  of  the  founders 
of  Bedford  are  still  perpetuated  in  worthy  families.  Among  its  distin- 
guished sons  may  be  mentioned  Hon.  Zachariah  Chandler,  the  succes- 
sor of  General  Cass  in  the  United  States  Senate,  and  the  great-grandson 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  COUNTY  OF  BELKNAP,  ETC.  421 

of  Zachariah,  one  of  the  grantees  of  Narragansett  No.  5;  Joseph  E. 
Worcester,  LL.  D.  of  Cambridge,  the  lexicographer ;  Hon.  John  Vose, 
deceased,  preceptor  of  Atkinson  and  Pembroke  academies,  for  nearly 
forty  years,  and  author  of  a  work  upon  astronomy  ;  and  the  late  Hon. 
Joseph  Bell,  of  Boston.  The  names  of  GofFe,  Orr,  Patten,  Walker, 
Riddle,  Bell,  and  Moor  are  among  those  which  have  run  through  the 
entire  history  of  the  town.  Robert  Walker,  whose  father  has  been 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  four  who  entered  Bedford  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  years  before,  was  present  at  the  centennial  celebration  in  1850. 
Bedford  has  thirteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population, 
including  Piscataquog  Village,  1,906  ;  valuation,  $542,609. 

Belknap  County,  containing  an  area  of  some  370  square  miles,  being 
next  to  the  smallest  county  in  the  state,  was  established  December  23, 
1840.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Carroll  county  and  Lake  Winne- 
pesaukee,  east  by  Strafford  county  and  the  lake,  and  south  and  west  by 
Merrimack  and  Grafton  counties.  It  was  set  off  from  Strafford,  and  was 
made  to  embrace  "  all  the  land  and  waters  included  in  the  towns  of 
Alton,  Barnstead,  Centre  Harbor,  Gilford,  Gilmanton,  Meredith,  New 
Hampton,  and  Southampton."  Without  increasing  its  territorial  limits, 
a  ninth  town  has  been  added — Laconia  —  being  set  off  from  Mere- 
dith. The  county  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Dr.  Jeremy  Belknap, 
the  historian  of  New  Hampshire.     Gilford  was  made  the  shire  town. 

The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven  ;  but  there  are  no  mountains  of  any 
considerable  magnitude.  The  soil,  however,  is  well  adapted  to  agri- 
culture, and  contains  many  well-cultivated  farms.  It  is  most  completely 
watered  by  large  lakes  and  the  various  streams  connected  with  them. 
Winnepesaukee  and  Long  bay  present  the  most  wild,  diversified,  and 
enchanting  scenery ;  being  nowhere  in  this  country,  and  scarcely  in  the 
world,  surpassed  by  a  similar  combination  of  land  and  water.  This  lake 
is  indeed  a  miniature  archipelago. 

The  county  belongs  to  the  fourth  judicial  district.  The  annual  law 
term  of  the  supreme  judicial  court  is  held  at  Gilford  on  the  fourth  Tues- 
day of  December.  Terms  of  this  court  and  the  common  pleas  are  held  at 
Gilford  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  February  and  first  Tuesday  of  Septem- 
ber in  each  year.     Population,  17,721 ;  valuation,  $5,457,765. 

Bennington  lies  near  the  centre  of  Hillsborough  county,  and  once 
constituted  parts  of  Deering,  Francestown,  Greenfield,  and  Hancock, 
from  which  it  was  incorporated  in  1842.  The  surface  is  undulating, 
and  the  soil  of  an  average  quality.  Crotchet  mountain  lies  partly  in 
Bennington  and  partly  in  Francestown,  and  there  are  quite  a  number  of 

VOL.  I.  36 


422  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPXION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

farms  ;  though  Bennington  is  more  strictly  a  manufacturing  community, 
having  better  facilities  in  this  department  than  many  of  the  adjoining 
towns.  Contoocook  river  runs  through  on  the  western  side.  The  in- 
habitants, as  may  be  seen  by  their  surroundings,  are  true  New-Eng- 
landers,  having  all  those  qualities  of  thrift  and  enterprise  for  which 
they  are  noted.  A  neat  village,  consisting  of  about  one  hundred  dwell- 
ing-houses, has  been  built.  There  are  two  religious  societies—  Congre- 
gational and  Baptist;  five  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  two 
establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  cutlery ;  one  grist-mill,  two  paper 
manufactories,  and  a  saw-mill.     Population,  541 ;  valuation,  $177,137. 

Benton,  towards  the  western  part  of  Grafton  county,  adjoins  Haver- 
hill, and  is  seventy  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  to  Theophilus 
Fitch  and  others,  January  81,  1764,  and  the  settlement  was  begun 
shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Settlers 
have  been  very  backward  in  taking  up  their  residence  here ;  and,  as  a 
consequence,  the  population  has  always  been  small.  The  town  was 
first  called  Coventry,  and  was  changed  to  the  name  it  now  bears,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1840.  Benton  presents  a  rough  and  mountainous  aspect,  and  the 
soil  is  not  very  favorable  for  agricultural  purposes.  Several  farms  are, 
however,  very  productive.  In  the  southeast  part  lies  one  of  the  most 
considerable  elevations  in  the  county,  known  as  Moosilauke ;  and  in 
the  west  part  is  Owl-head  mountain.  Oliverian  brook  and  Wild 
Ammonoosuc  river  water  the  town.  A  large  quantity  of  lumber  is  an- 
nually manufactured  from  the  timber  with  which  the  forests  abound. 
The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  passes  through  the  south 
part.  A  quarry  of  stone,  resembling  Italian  marble,  has  been  opened  on 
Black  mountain.  Benton  has  one  village  (North  Benton),  one  meeting- 
house, occupied  by  the  several  religious  denominations  ;  six  school  dis- 
tricts and  six  schools,  and  one  post-office :  also,  five  saw-mills.  Popu- 
lation, 478;  valuation,  $141,678. 

Berlin  is  a  modern  town  of  Coos  county,  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles  from  Concord,  having  an  area  of  31,154  acres.  It  was  granted  to 
Sir  William  Mayne,  Bart,  his  relatives,  Thomas,  Robert,  and  Edward, 
of  the  same  cognomen,  with  several  others  from  Barbadoes,  in  the  year 
1771,  being  at  first  called  Maynesborough.  The  act  of  incorporation  is 
dated  1829.  There  are  several  ponds  and  streams,  the  largest  of  which 
are  the  Androscoggin,  running  through  the  east  part,  and  the  Upper 
Ammonoosuc,  through  the  Avcst.  Bedin  Falls  is  a  wild  and  interesting 
place  in  the  Androscoggin,  where  the  great  volume  of  waters  coming 
down  from  the  Umbagog  chain  of  lakes,  and  the  Clear,  Diamond,  Marg- 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   BETHLEHEM. 


423 


alloway,  and  other  smaller  streams,  forces  its  way  through  a  rocky 
defile  of  about  fifty  feet  wide,  with  a  descent  of  six  or  seven  feet  to  every 
ten.  The  chasm  is  spanned  by  a  narrow  bridge  for  persons  on  foot, 
from  which  the  near  view  is  very  exciting,  affording  also  a  fine  view  of 
tlie  river  for  some  distance.  In  this  vicinity  also  the  northerly  slopes  of 
the  mountains  are  presented  in  theii-  magnificence.     The  town  has  one 


'    ^  ^'^^''''C 


village,  called  Berlin  Falls.  The  trade  of  the  place  is  in  lumber  and 
country  produce.  There  are  three  large  saw-mills,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000;  four  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Berlin  and  Ber- 
lin Falls.  The  Grand  Tranlc  Railway  passes  nearly  through  the  centre 
of  the  town.     Population,  173  ;  valuation,  8161,045. 


Bethlehem  is  in  the  northern  part  of  Grafton  county,  one  hundred 
miles  from  Concord.  The  villag-e  is  about  seventeen  miles  west  of  the 
Notch  of  the  White  Mountains,  on  the  road  to  Franconia  and  Littleton. 
The  road  here  passes  over  a  broad,  undulating  hill,  in  an  open  and  airy 
sitrration,  which  gives  the  traveller  the  most  satisfactory  view  of  the 
range  of  mountains  to  be  anywhere  seen.  Mount  Washington  here 
stands  out  in  its  just  proportions,  flanked  upon  either  side  with  his  fel- 
lows of  lesser  stature.  Jonas  Warren,  Nathaniel  Snow,  Nathan  Wheeler, 
and  others,  arrived  at  Bethlehem  in  1790,  and  commenced  the  settle- 
ment then  known  as  "  Lord's  Hill."  The  privations,  sufferings,  and 
hardships  of  the  early  inhabitants  were  numerous;  and,  had  they  not 
been  hardy,  persevering  men,  they  could  not  have  borne  \\p  against 
them.      Starvation  at  one  time  almost  stared  them  in  the  face;  but  they 


424  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

were  saved  from  this  lingering  death  by  nourishment  procured  from 
green  chocolate  roots  and  other  plants.  Bethlehem  was  incorporated 
December  29,  1799 ;  and  the  first  town-meeting  was  held  in  the 
house  of  Amos  Wheeler.  In  April  of  the  same  year  the  project  of 
buildino-  a  bridge  over  the  Ammonoosuc  was  started,  and  the  following 
month  the  town  voted  to  raise  three  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  with 
which  to  do  it.  In  1849,  a  tract  of  the  state's  land  east  of  Bethlehem 
and  south  of  Carroll  was  annexed  to  Bethlehem.  The  soil  is  produc- 
tive, though  the  surface  is  somewhat  uneven.  The  principal  eminences 
are  the  Round  and  Peaked  mountains.  Besides  the  Great  Ammonoosuc 
just  mentioned,  this  town  is  watered  by  Gale  river.  Specimens  of 
magnetic  and  bog  iron  ore  are  found  in  various  parts.  Bethlehem  con- 
tains two  church  edifices,  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post-office : 
also,  five  large  saw-mills,  and  a  large  starch  manufactory,  which  )Dro- 
duces  annually  one  hundred  and  forty  tons  of  starch.  The  White 
Mountain  Railroad  passes  through  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town. 
Population,  950 ;  valuation,  $244,176. 

BoscAWEN,  Merrimack  county,  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  western 
side  of  IMerrimack  river,  between  Concord  and  Salisbury.  It  was  granted 
June  6,  1733,  to  John  Coffin  and  ninety  others,  by  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  surveyed  and  divided  into  lots  the  same  year.  In 
1734,  the  first  settlers  arrived  here,  being  principally  from  Newbury,  and 
were  occupied  the  greater  portion  of  that  year  in  making  clearings  and 
erecting  their  log  houses.  Among  the  first  settlers  may  be  mentioned 
Stephen  Gerrish,  Jacob  Flanders,  Ambrose  Gould,  George  Jackman, 
Philip  Call,  .loseph  Eastman,  and  Moses  Burbank.  The  proprietors 
entered  with  zeal  into  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  settlers ;  and  in  May,  1739,  a  town-house,  a  saw-mill,  a  grist- 
mill, and  a  meeting-house  were  erected,  and  a  ferry  established  across 
the  MerrimacJv.  In  December  of  the  same  year  a  commodious  garrison 
was  built,  and  well  supplied  with  muskets  and  ammunition  for  the  pro- 
.  tection  of  the  inhabitants.  On  the  4th  of  May,  1746,  Thomas  Cook 
and  Cajsar,  a  negro,  were  killed,  and  a  Mr.  Jones  was  taken  captive  by 
the  Indians  and  carried  to  Canada.  Prior  to  this,  Josiah  Bishop  was 
attacked  while  at  worlv,  taken  into  the  woods,  and  killed.  In  August  of 
this  year  Abraham  Kimball,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Putney,  belong- 
ing to  Hopkinton,  were  made  captives.  These  circumstances  created 
considerable  alarm  among  the  settlers,  and  an  earnest  petition  "was  pre- 
sented to  the  executive  of  New  Hampshire  (the  town  being  by  the  divis- 
ion placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  that  state),  for  aid  and  protection 
from  the  assaults  of  the  savages.     Continued  hostility  being  manifested 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   BOSOAWEN.  425 

by  the  Indians,  in  1752  the  proprietors  raised  money  for  the  erection 
of  another  fort;  but  the  funds  were  not  used  on  account  of  the  apparent 
cessation  of  Indian  hostilities. 

In  May,  1754,  Nathaniel  Meloon  and  family,  belonging  to  this  town, 
were  captured  near  Salisbury  and  taken  to  Canada,  from  whence  they 
were  released  after  a  confinement  of  three  years.  In  August  of  the  same 
year,  Mrs.  Call,  wife  of  Philip  Call,  was  murdered  before  the  eyes  of  her 
husband  in  Bakerstown,  now  the  westerly  part  of  Franklin,  by  a  party 
of  Indians,  who  took  her  scalp.  Enos  Bishop  was  taken  prisoner,  while 
Timothy  Cook,  after  plunging  into  the  river  to  make  his  escape,  was 
killed  by  the  same  party.  The  two  latter  belonged  to  a  detachment 
sent  out  from  the  fort  here  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  who  surprised  them 
in  ambush,  —  no  one  but  Bishop  being  able  to  fire  a  shot.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  men,  twelve  in  number,  made  their  escape.  Boscawen 
was  incorporated  April  22,  1760,  its  name  being  given  in  honor  of  an 
admiral  distinguished  in  the  capture  of  Louisburg.  Prior  to  this  time, 
the  settlement  retained  its  Indian  name  of  Contoocook.  There  is  little 
of  interest  in  the  history  of  the  town  to  notice  till  we  come  to  that 
period  rendered  memorable  by  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution. 
Boscawen  took  the  necessary  measures,  as  well  for  the  supply  of  her 
quota  of  men  and  means  as  for  her  proper  representation  in  the  councils 
of  the  infant  republic,  and  the  protection  of  her  inhabitants  in  case  of 
danger.  Lieutenant  John  Flanders,  of  this  town,  was  taken  prisoner  in 
the  expedition  to  Quebec,  and  was  seven  months  in  captivity,  two  of 
which  he  was  in  irons.  With  the  exception  of  some  local  discords, 
which  were  certainly  very  reprehensible,  Boscawen,  after,  and  even 
before,  the  close  of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain,  continued  to  enjoy 
great  prosperity,  w^hich  has  not  forsaken  her  up  to  the  present  time. 

It  was  on  a  small  island  at  the  mouth  of  Contoocook  river,  in  this 
town,  that  the  celebrated  Mrs.  Duston,  with  the  aid  of  her  nurse  and  a 
youth,  a  fellow-captive,  performed  the  heroic  feat  of  killing  eight  or  ten 
Indians  (the  number  is  variously  stated),  who,  with  two  others,  had  her 
as  a  prisoner.  She  took  the  scalps  of  the  Indians,  and,  in  one  of  their 
canoes,  returned  to  Haverhill,  Mass.,  whence  she  had  been  carried  away. 
This  occurred  April  30,  1698,  thirty-five  years  before  the  settlement  of 
this  town. 

The  surface  is  comparatively  level,  and  the  soil  various ;  but,  gener- 
ally speaking,  the  town,  in  its  whole  extent,  can  be  brought  under  cul- 
tivation. There  are  many  excellent  farms;  and  fruit-trees  —  princi- 
pally the  apple,  pear,  and  cherry  —  are  cultivated  to  a  considerable 
extent.  Water  is  bountifully  supplied  by  the  Merrimack  and  Black- 
water   rivers,  and    Pond    or    Beaver-dam,  Mill,  and    Schoodic   brooks, 

36* 


426  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

which  furnish  good  water  privileges.  Besides  these  there  are  many 
smaller  streams,  running  through  most  of  the  valleys,  furnishing  a 
ready  supply  of  water  to  almost  every  farm.  Great  and  Long  ponds 
are  somewhat  noted;  the  former  being  one  mile  long  and  the  same  in 
breadth,  and  the  latter  two  miles  long  and  one  and  a  half  wide.  The 
town  is  well  suppUed  with  roads,  which  are  kept  in  constant  repair,  and 
two  bridges,  crossing  the  Merrimack,  unite  Boscawen  with  Canterbury. 
Besides  these,  there  are  ten  others  in  various  directions,  one  of  which, 
crossing  the  gulf,  on  the  fourth  New  Hampshire  turnpike,  cost  ^1,000. 
The  houses,  though  not  handsome,  are  convenient  and  well-built. 
Boscawen  contains  three  villages,  and  a  part  of  Fisherville ;  six  houses 
for  public  worship  —  two  Congregational,  and  one  each  of  Bap- 
tist, Christian,  Methodist,  and  Union ;  an  academy ;  sixteen  school  dis- 
tricts ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Boscawen  and  West  Boscawen  :  also^  one 
cotton  mill ;  one  woollen  factory,  making  annually  about  100,000  yards 
of  cloth ;  nine  saw-mills,  a  grist-mill,  a  saw  manufactory  and  machine 
shop,  a  chair  and  match  factory,  and  five  stores.  The  Northern 
Railroad  passes  through  Boscawen.  Population,  2,063 ;  valuation, 
$871,873. 

Bow,  in  Merrimack  county,  is  divided  on  the  northeast  from  Pembroke 
by  the  Merrimack  river,  and  adjoins  Concord  on  the  northw^est  It  was 
granted  May  20,  1727,  to  one  hundred  and  seven  proprietors  and  their 
associates,  among  whom  was  Jonathan  Wiggins.  It  was  bounded  as 
follows :  "  Beginning  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  town  of  Chichester, 
and  running  nine  miles  by  Chichester  and  Canterbury,  and  carrying 
that  breadth  of  nine  miles  from  each  of  the  aforesaid  towns,  southwest, 
until  the  full  complement  of  eighty-one  square  miles  are  fully  made  up." 
This  grant  covered  about  three  fourths  of  Concord,  the  greater  part  of 
Pembroke,  and  even  extended  into  Hopkinton.  Quite  a  controversy 
grew  up  between  the  proprietors  of  this  grant  and  Concord,  which 
lasted  for  a  number  of  years  —  from  1750  to  1772  —  and  was  expensive, 
vexatious,  and  bitter.^  After  the  settlement  of  the  "vexed  question," 
Bow  was  reduced  from  its  former  ample  dimensions  to  an  area  of 
sixteen  thousand  acres.  The  first  church  (Baptist)  was  organized  in 
1795 ;  and  the  second,  being  a  union  of  Congregationalists  and  Baptists, 
was  formed  in  1807,  but  was  subsequently  dissolved.  The  "  venerable 
Samuel  Welch,"  as  he  was  called,  resided  in  Bow  till  his  death,  a 
period  of  over  fifty  years,  and  reached  the  age  of  about  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  years.     He  was  a  native  of  Kingston,  N.  H. ;  and,  though 

'   See  Concord. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OP    BRADFORD.  427 

not  distinguished  as  a  public  citizen,  was  known  in  private  life  as  an 
industrious,  upright,  and  honest  man. 

The  east  boundary  of  Bow  is  formed  by  the  Merrimack,  upon  the 
bank  of  which  is  a  fertile  interval,  the  soil  being  a  light  loam,  free  from 
stone,  and  very  productive.  Back  from  the  river,  the  surface  is  very 
uneven;  hills  and  valleys,  in  promiscuous  style,  lying  on  every  side, 
without  either  range  or  regularity.  The  hills,  all  things  considered, 
afford  the  very  best  of  land  for  farm  culture ;  hard,  but  fertile,  with  good 
depth  of  soil ;  good  alike  for  grain  or  grass,  and  producing  about  ten 
bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre  in  ordinary  seasons.  From  these  hills  the 
lover  of  nature  may  feast  his  eye  and  rejoice  his  heart.  There  is  much 
waste  land,  unfit  for  aught  save  wood  and  pasturage ;  while,  upon  the 
brooks  in  the  w^estern  part,  there  are  large  tracts  of  natural  meadow, 
which  afford  large  quantities  of  hay.  Turkey  river  drains  the  largest 
part  of  the  town,  and  runs  near  to  the  west  and  north  boundaries. 
Turee  pond,  lying  near  the  northwest  part,  is  the  only  collection  of 
water.  There  are  two  meeting-houses  —  Baptist  and  Methodist ;  four- 
teen school  districts ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  eight  mills  for  the 
sawing  of  deal,  shingles,  and  other  descriptions  of  lumber ;  and  two 
grist-mills,  in  one  of  which  are  all  the  facilities  for  bolting  flour.  The 
trade  of  the  town  consists  of  farm  produce,  lumber,  stock,  and  other 
articles.     Population,  1,055 ;  valuation,  $371,868. 

Bradford,  Merrimack  county,  lies  midway  between  the  Merrimack 
and  Connecticut  rivers,  and  is  twenty-eight  miles  from  Concord.  It 
was  granted  to  John  Pierce  and  George  Jaffrey,  and  was  settled  in 
1771  by  William  Presbury  and  family,  who  resided  here  three  years 
before  the  arrival  of  any  other  settlers.  Several  inhabitants  from  Brad- 
ford, Mass.,  soon  afterwards  took  up  their  abode,  which  circumstance 
gave  rise  to  the  name  of  the  town.  The  act  of  incorporation  was 
dated  September  27,  1787,  which  mentions  that  its  territory  was  to 
consist  of  New  Bradford,  Washington  Gore,  and  a  portion  of  Wash- 
ington. A  Congregational  church  —  the  first  one  here — ^was  organ- 
ized in  1803.  Mason  W.  Tappan,  the  present  able  representative  in 
Congress  from  this  district,  is  a  resident  of  this  town. 

The  face  of  Bradford  is  in  many  parts  hilly ;  but  the  largest  portion 
of  the  town  is  situated  in  a  valley,  which  extends  over  an  area  of  about 
three  miles.  The  soil  is  varied.  A  plain,  a  mile  in  length  and  half  a 
mile  in  width,  lies  near  the  Sunapee  mountains  on  the  northwest. 
Valuable  quarries  of  stone  are  opened  in  the  easterly  part.  Water  is 
supplied  by  small  streams,  having  their  source  principally  in  ponds  — 
Todd's  being  the  largest,  and   lying  between  Bradford  and  Newbury. 


428  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION   OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Its  bosom  is  dotted  with  several  floating  islands,  which  are  objects  of 
interest.  On  the  east  side  of  the  town,  lies  Pleasant  or  Bradford  pond, 
about  550  rods  long  and  250  wide,  also  having  several  islands,  and 
having  a  landscape  in  its  vicinity  of  peculiar  beauty.  There  are  three 
villages  —  the  Centre,  Mill,  and  Raymond's  Corner;  three  meeting- 
houses —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Union ;  ten  school  districts  ;  and 
two  post-offices  —  Bradford  and  South  Bradford :  also,  one  woollen 
manufactory,  one  sash,  blind,  and  door  factory,  one  wheelwright  shop, 
two  saw-mills;  one  grist  and  flour  mill,  built  of  brick,  with  several  run 
of  stones ;  one  tannery,  one  clothing  mill,  and  three  hotels.  The  rail- 
road from  Concord  to  Claremont  has  its  terminus  here.  Population, 
1,341 ;  valuation,  $413,759. 

Brentwood,  Rockingham  county,  adjoining  Exeter  on  the  east,  was 
incorporated  June  26,  1742.  It  comprises  an  area  of  10,465  acres  of 
moderately  good  land,  which  has  been  taken  up  by  a  class  of  indus- 
trious farmers,  who  have  succeeded  in  bringing  it  under  excellent  im- 
provement. Exeter  river,  having  a  central  course  through  the  town, 
and  having  smaller  streams  connected  with  it,  supplies  water  in  abun- 
dance. Pickpocket  falls,  lying  on  Exeter  river,  are  within  the  limits  of 
Brentwood,  and  furnish  water-power  for  several  mills.  Iron  ore  has 
been  excavated,  and  vitriol  combined  with  sulphur  has  also  been  found. 
The  first  church  was  organized  in  1752,  by  the  Congregationalists,  at 
"  the  Gulley ; "  and  a  union  was  effected  between  this  and  a  church  pre- 
viously organized  at  Keenborough  in  1756,  at  which  time  Rev.  Na- 
thaniel Trask  was  settled  as  pastor,  which  relation  he  sustained  for 
forty-one  years.  There  are  now  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Baptist,  and  Universalist ;  four  school  districts  ;  one  post-office,  three 
stores,  a  paper-mill,  and  three  wheelwright  shops.  Population,  923; 
valuation,  $318,090. 

Bridgewater,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  forty-eight  miles 
from  Concord,  was  incorporated  February  12,  1788,  having  been  pre- 
viously a  part  of  New  Chester,  now  Hill.  Thomas  Crawford  was  the 
first  settler,  having  come  hither  in  1766 ;  he  was  soon  followed  by  his 
brother  Jonathan,  and  several  others.  The  settlers  came  from  the  low^er 
part  of  this  state,  and  from  Reading,  Mass.,  and  were  men  of  substance, 
and  of  some  means.  A  Congregational  church  was  organized  as  early 
as  1790,  being  a  branch  of  that  in  Hebron.  The  minister,  Mr.  Page, 
was  accustomed  to  preach  at  this  time  in  the  barn  of  Deacon  Boardman. 
In  the  year  1802,  a  meeting-house  was  commenced,  and  was  completed 
in    1806.       It  was    a    two-story,    and   rather    antique-looking    edifice. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   BRISTOL.  429 

About  the  year  1798,  Deacon  Joshua  Fletcher,  from  Plymouth,  moved 
here,  and  took  up  his  residence  near  the  spot  where  the  meeting-house 
was  built. 

The  surface  of  Bridgewater  is  broken  to  some  extent ;  but  the  soil 
is  fertile,  and  affords  good  opportunities  for  the  pursuit  of  agriculture. 
There  are  no  rivers  or  ponds  of  note,  and  no  village.  The  Free-will 
Baptists  and  Congregationalists  have  each  a  church  edifice,  the  Meth- 
odists worshipping  in  the  house  of  the  latter  sect.  There  are  ten  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  four  saw-mills,  a  grist-mill,  and  a 
shingle  mill.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  touches  at 
Bridgewater.     Population,  667-,  valuation,  $140,294. 

Bristol,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Grafton  county,  having  Pemige- 
wasset  river  on  the  east,  and  Smith's  river  on  the  south,  is  thirty  miles 
north  from  Concord.  Bristol  originally  formed  a  portion  of  the  territory 
of  Bridgewater  and  New  Chester  (now  Hill),  from  which  it  was  set  off 
and  incorporated  June  24,  1819.  Colonel  Peter  Sleeper,  Benjamin 
Emmons,  and  others,  began  the  settlement  about  the  year  1770 ;  and  a 
church  —  Methodist  —  was  formed  in  June,  1818,  and  the  Congrega- 
tional church  in  1826.  The  general  appearance  of  Bristol  is  hilly, 
affording  much  delightful  scenery.  The  soil  is  varied,  but  mostly 
hard  and  stony.  About  three  miles  from  the  village,  a  large  and  rich 
bed  of  plumbago  has  been  discovered. 

Bristol,  being  situated  at  the  head  of  the  Franklin  and  Bristol  Rail- 
road, has  considerable  mercantile  and  other  business,  which  would  be 
largely  increased  if  the  rave  water-power  on  Newfound  river,  which 
runs  directly  through  the  village,  was  more  extensively  improved. 
Newfound  pond  is  a  beautiful  body  of  water,  some  nine  miles  in  length, 
the  southern  part  of  which  is  in  Bristol.  The  outlet  has  a  southern 
course  of  two  miles  or  more,  emptying  into  the  Pemigewasset  at  the 
village,  where  it  has  a  fall  of  one  hundred  feet  in  the  course  of  some 
eighty  rods.  Smith's  river,  coming  from  the  west,  enters  the  Pemige- 
wasset some  two  miles  below  Bristol  village,  and  has  also  extensive 
falls.  All  that  is  wanting  to  make  Bristol  a  large  manufacturing 
place  is  the  investment  of  capital  to  call  into  use  its  vast  water- 
power. 

At  the  junction  of  Newfound  river  and  the  Pemigewasset,  a  beautiful 
village  has  been  built  (which  is  increasing  in  magnitude),  containing  a 
number  of  pretty  dwelling-houses  and  substantial  buildings.  There 
are  three  church  edifices —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Free-wiU 
Baptist ;  eleven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  two  paper 
mills,  two  large  tanneries,  four  saw-mills,  one  giist-mill,  one  bedstead 


430  HISTOKY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

manufactory,  one  sleigh  and  wagon    factory,  one  boot  and  shoe  factory, 
and  other  mechanical  interests.     Population,  1,103  ;  valuation,  $330,076. 

Brookfield,  Carroll  county,  lies  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state, 
forty-five  miles  from  Concord.  It  was,  prior  to  its  incorporation  in 
December,  1794,  a  part  of  the  territory  of  the  adjoining  town  of  Middle- 
town.  The  first  person  who  took  up  his  abode  here  was  Nicholas 
Austin.  Richard  Hanson  erected  the  first  framed  house.  The  soil  is 
good,  and  the  surface  generally  level ;  the  only  elevation  being  Moose 
mountain,  which  has  a  pond  of  about  fifteen  acres  on  its  summit, 
having  at  all  seasons  the  same  amount  of  water  in  it.  The  West 
branch  of  Salmon  Falls  river  has  its  source  in  Cook's  pond,  which  is 
about  one  mile  long  and  three  quarters  of  a  mile  wide. 

Brookfield  Corner  is  the  name  of  the  only  village.  The  trade  consists 
chiefly  of  the  various  kinds  of  dry  goods  and  groceries,  and  the  inhab- 
itants are  generally  employed  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Brookfield 
has  two  churches — Free-will  Baptist  and  Methodist;  five  school 
districts ;  several  saw-mills  and  shingle  mills ;  as  well  as  the  usual 
mechanic  shops  necessary  for  a  small  community.  A  post-office  is 
located  here.     Population,  552 ;  valuation,  ^141,087. 

Brookline,  in  the  county  of  Hillsborough,  thirty-five  miles  from 
Concord,  contains  12,664  acres.  It  originally  belonged  to  the  state  of 
Massachusetts,  being  included  in  the  Dunstable  grant.  The  legislative 
enactment  by  which  it  was  incorporated  was  passed  March  30,  1769, 
and  the  town  was  then  named  Raby,  which  was  changed  to  Brookline 
in  November,  1798.  The  first  church  was  of  the  Congregational  order, 
and  was  formed  in  1795;  previous  to  which  the  inhabitants  were 
accustomed  to  attend  meeting  regularly  at  HoUis  and  Pepperell,  froiTi 
five  to  ten  miles  distant.  The  principal  part  of  the  original  settlers 
were  Scotch- Irish.  The  only  river  is  called  Nisitissit,  which  takes  its 
rise  in  the  northeast  part  of  Mason.  There  is  a  pond  one  mile  long 
and  a  third  of  a  mile  wide.  The  trade  is  in  lumber,  charcoal,  and  casks. 
Brookline  has  one  church  edifice,  belonging  to  the  Congregationalists 
and  Methodists ;  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  eight 
saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  and  a  sash  and  blind  shop.  About  sixty  men 
are  employed  in  making  sugar-kegs  for  East  Boston.  Population,  718  ; 
valuation,  $295,169. 

Cambridge,  Coos  county,  lies  on  Umbagog  lake,  and  borders  on  the 
boundary  hne  between  Maine  and  New  Hampshire.  It  contains 
23,160  acres,  which  were  granted  May  19,  1733,  to  Nathaniel  Rogers, 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE — TOWN   OF   CAMPION.  431 

and  others.  It  was  incorporated  the  same  year,  and  is  167  miles 
from  the  capital  of  the  state.  For  many  years  it  was  uninhabited, 
probably  from  the  many  obstacles  which  the  land  presented  to  im- 
provement, the  surface  being  very  uneven.  The  land,  however,  with 
proper  care  and  attention,  can  be  advantageously  cultivated.  Several 
streams  have  their  source  in  Cambridge,  and  discharge  themselves 
into  the  Androscoggin  river,  which  runs  through  the  northwest  part. 
There  is  no  church  edifice  in  town ;  but  some  of  the  citizens  claim  to 
own  pews  in  the  Free-will  Baptist  church  in  Bartlett,  although  it  is 
hardly  probable  that  they  are  regular  attendants  upon  divine  service 
there,  the  air-line  distance  being  not  less  than  thirty  miles.  The  town 
has  one  school  district,  and  one  saw-mill.  Population,  35;  valuation, 
|9,374. 

Campton,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Concord,  was  granted,  w^ith  the  town  of  Rumney,  which  it  adjoins,  to 
Captain  Jabez  Spencer  of  East  Haddam,  Conn.,  in  October,  1761. 
The  captain,  however,  died  before  the  settlement  was  commenced,  and 
his  heirs,  and  other  parties,  obtained  a  new  charter  January  5,  1767. 
The  families  of  Isaac  Fox  and  a  Mr.  Taylor  were  the  first  inhabitants, 
having  arrived  about  1765.  The  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was 
held  November  2,  1769,  and  that  of  the  inhabitants,  December  16,  1771. 
The  name  of  the  town  originated  from  the  fact  of  the  first  proprietors 
having  erected  a  camp  when  they  came  to  survey  Campton  and  Rum- 
ney. Nine  or  ten  of  the  inhabitants  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
five  of  whom  lost  their  lives  in  the  service.  The  first  church  organized 
was  a  Congregational,  June  1,  1774. 

Campton  has  a  mountainous  and  ledgy  surface;  but  the  land  is 
generally  good,  particularly  the  interval,  and  that  in  the  valleys.  The 
largest  elevation  is  Mount  Prospect,  the  ascent  of  which  is  rewarded  by 
a  fine  view  of  Winnepesaukee  lake,  and  a  large  part  of  the  surrounding 
country.  A  range  of  mountains,  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
Morgan,  lies  in  the  easterly  part.  Pemigewasset  river,  which  receives 
the  waters  of  Mad,  Beebe's,  and  West  branch  rivers,  as  well  as  Bog 
brook,  has  a  central  course  through  the  town.  In  this  river  are  the 
Livermore  falls,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  are  evidences  of  volcanic 
action,  such  as  burnt  stones  and  lava-like  substances.  Plumbago  and 
iron  ore  exist  in  Campton,  the  former  in  considerable  quantities,  and 
the  latter  of  inferior  quality.  There  are  four  church  edifices  —  two 
Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Free-will  Baptist ;  fourteen  school 
districts;    and    three    post-offices — Campton,    Campton   Village,    and 


432  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

West  Campton:  also,  one  saw-mill,   one  grist-mill,  a  tannery,   and  a 
carriage  shop.     Population,  1,439 ;   valuation  $376,768. 

Canaan,  in  the  southern  part  of  Grafton  county,  forty  miles  from 
Concord,  was  granted  July  9,  1761,  to  sixty-two  persons,  most  of  whom 
belonged  to  Connecticut,  and  from  Canaan  in  that  state  the  name  was 
derived.  The  settlement  was  permanently  established  during  the  win- 
ter of  1766  or  1767,  by  John  Scofield,  who  brought  his  personal  effects 
on  a  hand-sled,  the  distance  being  fourteen  miles.  George  Harris, 
Thomas  Miner,  Joshua  Harris,  Samuel  Jones,  and  Samuel  Meacham, 
were  also  among  the  early  inhabitants.  The  proprietors  held  their  first 
meeting,  July  19,  1768.  The  Baptist  denomination  organized  the  first 
church  in  1780,  and  Rev.  Thomas  Baldwin,  D.  D.,'  was  ordained  its 
pastor  in  1783,  who  removed,  in  1790,  to  Boston.  Jonathan  Duston,  a 
native  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  grandson  of  the  heroine,  Mrs.  Hannah 
Duston,  was  for  some  time  a  resident  of  Canaan,  having  died  July  4, 
1812,  aged  ninety-three. 

The  land  is  not  very  broken,  and  most  of  it  is  suited  to  agriculture. 
The  Mascomy  river  originates  in  the  northwest  part  of  Dorchester,  and, 
after  a  circuitous  course  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  discharges  its  waters  into 
Mascomy  pond  in  Enfield.  Indian  Stream  river  unites  with  Mascomy 
river,  near  the  centre  of  this  town.  Heart  pond,  so  named  from  its 
peculiar  form,  lies  in  the  centre  of  Canaan,  and  upon  such  an  elevation 
of  land,  that  at  a  distance  it  appears  to  be  situated  on  a  hill.  This 
pond  is  about  five  hundred  rods  long  and  two  hundred  Avide,  and 
is  nearly  surrounded  by  a  bank  or  mound  of  earth,  from  four  to 
five  feet  high,  having  every  appearance  of  a  work  of  art,  but  which 
has  been  found  to  be  caused  by  the  drifting  of  the  ice  in  the  sprino-  of 
the  year.  There  are  four  other  ponds,  called  Goose,  Clark's,  Mud,  and 
Bear. 

On  the  western  shore  of  Heart  pond  is  a  beautiful  village,  called 
Canaan  Street,  and  around  the  depot  of  the  Northern  Railroad,  which 
passes  through  the  southeasterly  portion  of  the  town,  another  villacre  has 
sprung    up.     There    are    two    church    edifices  —  Congregational    and 

Baptist;  twenty-one  school  districts;  and  three  post-offices Canaan 

East  Canaan,  and  West  Canaan :  also,  one  grist-mill,  three  lath  and 
clapboard  mills,  one  tannery,  six  stores,  and  a  stock  invested  in  trade  of 
$11,960.     Population,  1,682 ;  valuation,  6566,593. 

'  Dr.  Bakhvin  was  the  author  of  the  stanzas,  liegfinning  -with  this  line : 

"  From  whence  doth  this  union  arise?  " 


ETC.  433 

Candia,  in  the  western  part  of  Rockingham  county,  adjoins  Chester, 
having  formed  part  of  that  township  till  December  17,  1763,  when  it 
was  incorporated  as  a  separate  town.  It  is  distant  from  Concord  fif- 
teen miles.  The  name  which  it  bears  was  conferred  upon  it  by  Gov- 
ernor Benning  Wentworth,  who  was  once  a  prisoner  on  the  island  of 
Candia,  in  the  Mediterranean.  William  Turner,  who  moved  into  the 
present  limits  of  the  town  in  1748,  was  the  first  settler.  In  1755,  John 
Sargent,  and  several  others,  took  up  their  residence  here.  Candia  was 
prominent  in  her  efforts  for  the  attainment  of  our  Independence,  fur- 
nishing sixty-nine  of  her  sons  as  soldiers  of  the  Revolution. 

The  inliabitants  of  Candia  are  mainly  composed  of  farmers,  many  of 
whom  are  wealthy.  The  soil  naturally  is  of  a  stubborn  character  ;  but 
attention  and  proper  methods  have  made  it  productive.  Candia  is 
built  on  elevated  ground,  is  bisected  by  the  Portsmouth  and  Concord 
Raih'oad,  and  commands  an  extensive  prospect  of  the  magnificent 
scenery  of  the  adjacent  country  —  the  White  hills,  the  Wachusett,  and 
other  mountains,  as  well  as  the  lights  on  Plum  island,  and  the  ocean, 
being  embraced  in  the  view.  It  is  a  very  healthy  locality,  and  has  been 
distinguished  for  the  longevity  of  its  inhabitants.  There  is  a  ridge  in 
the  western  part,  extending  from  north  to  south,  which  is  the  highest 
elevation  between  the  Merrimack  and  the  ocean.  Two  branches  of 
Lamprey  river  take  their  rise  on  the  east  side  of  this  ridge.  Fruit  rais- 
ing is  prosecuted  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  a  ready  market  is  found 
for  it  in  Manchester.  There  are  two  villages  —  Candia  and  Candia 
Depot;  three  churches  —  one  Congregational  and  two  Free-will  Bap- 
tist; fourteen  school  districts,  with  a  school  fund  of  ®1,000  per  annum; 
and  two  post-offices  —  Candia  and  Candia  Village :  also,  two  shoe  man- 
iifactorics;  four  grist-mills,  eight  saw-mills,  and  a  cabinet  shop.  Popu- 
lation, 1,482 ;  valuation,  8437,981. 

Canterbury,  Merrimack  county,  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Merri- 
mack river,  which  separates  it  from  Boscawen,  and  formerly  compre- 
hended within  its  limits  Northfield  and  Loudon.  It  was  granted  May 
20,  1727,  to  Richard  Waldron  and  others,  receiving  its  name  from  a 
city  in  the  county  of  Kent,  England ;  and  was  settled,  soon  after  the 
grant  was  made,  by  James  Scales,  Thomas  Clough,  Thomas  Young, 
James  Gibson,  Richard  Blanchard,  Samuel  Shepherd,  and  others.  The 
incursions  of  the  Indians  were  suffered  here  as  much  as  in  any  of 
the  other  towns ;  and  the  inhabitants,  for  security,  had  to  take  up  their 
residence  in  the  garrison.  In  1738,  Shepherd  and  Blanchard,  being  a 
short  distance  from  the  garrison,  were  fired  upon  by  a  party  of  seven 
Indians,  who  had  concealed  themselves  behind  a  log,  not  more  than  two 

A'^OL.  I.  37 


434  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

rods  from  them;  but  were  uninjured.  Shepherd  and  his  comrade  then 
fired  upon  the  Indians,  but  to  no  purpose ;  and  the  former,  seeing  that 
there  was  no  chance  for  his  life  but  by  his  heels,  made  good  his  escape; 
while  Blanchard,  less  fortunate,  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  assailants, 
who  treated  him  so  unmercifully  that  he  died  a  few  days  afterwards. 

The  Indians  made  several  descents  upon  the  inhabitants  during  the 
French  and  Indian  war;  and  at  one  time,  four  of  the  St.  Francis  tribe 
entered  the  house  of  Thomas  Clough,  and  took  from  it  some  provisions. 
They  then  concealed  themselves  behind  a  log  fence,  and  soon  perceiving 
a  young  lad  by  the  name  of  Jackman,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Clough,  and 
Dorset,  a  negro  man  belonging  to  Mr.  Clough,  they  jumped  over  the 
fence  and  captured  them.  They  were  carried  to  Canada  and  sold; 
and,  after  enduring  uncommon  privations,  they  wore  released  in  1761, 
the  negro  suffering  the  loss  of  both  his  feet  on  his  way  home.  Two 
Indians  were  murdered  in  1753,  by  Peter  Bowen,  of  Contoocook,  now  the 
town  of  Boscawen.  It  appears  that,  the  year  previous,  Sabatis  and 
Christi,  two  Indians,  were  entertained  in  Canterbury  by  the  inhabi- 
tants; and,  upon  leaving,  decoyed  two  negroes  from  the  town,  one  of 
whom  made  his  escape,  while  the  other  was  taken  to  Crown  Point  and 
sold  to  an  officer.  Sabatis,  having  returned  with  another  Indian,  Plau- 
sawa,  in  1753,  was  reproached  for  his  former  treacherous  conduct,  when 
they  both  behaved  in  an  insolent  and  threatening  manner,  which  was 
probably  owing  to  their  having  imbibed  large  quantities  of  liquor. 
When  they  took  their  leave,  they  were  followed  and  murdered  in  the 
woods  as  above  stated.  The  Indians  were  buried,  with  the  assistance 
of  another  person,  but  so  slightly  that  their  bones  were  soon  after  dis- 
covered, when  the  parties,  who  belonged  to  Boscawen,  were  arrested 
and  taken  to  Portsmouth  for  trial.  Before  the  trial  came  off,  however, 
a  mob  collected  from  the  country,  forced  open  the  prison,  and  set  the 
guilty  ones  at  liberty. 

In  the  arduous  struggles  of  the  Revolution,  the  people  of  Canterbury 
bore  their  full  portion  of  the  toils  and  dangers.  Some  of  the  inhabitants 
fought  at  Bunker  Hill,  others  at  Saratoga,  and  others  at  Bennington. 
The  whole  number  in  actual  service  was  seventy,  of  whom  ten  were 
officers.  The  Hon.  Abiel  Foster,  the  first  minister  ordained  in  this 
town,  possessed  in  a  great  degree  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
people.  Soon  after  he  left  the  ministry,  he  was  called  to  arduous  duties 
as  a  magistrate  and  legislator ;  and  was  a  member  of  Congress  from 
1783  to  1804.     He  died  in  February,  1806. 

The  surface  of  Canterbury  is  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  generally  good  ; 
the  more  hilly  portions  being  excellent  for  pasturage.  The  streams  are 
few,  and  of  little  importance ;  but  several  ponds  supply  small  streams. 


NEAV   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OP   CARROLL.  435 

which  are  used  to  some  extent  for  manufacturing  purposes.  The  Sha- 
ker village  is  situated  in  the  southeast  part,  on  an  elevated  and  beautiful 
site,  and  every  thing  about  it  wears  an  air  of  peace  and  seclusion. 
This  settlement  was  commenced  in  1792,  under  the  ministration  of 
Elder  Job  Bishop,  and  has  prospered  until  they  number  about  four 
hundred.  The  houses,  which  are  about  one  hundred  in  number,  are 
perfect  models  of  neatness  and  simplicity ;  the  land  is  well  tilled,  the 
animals  amply  provided  for,  and  the  barns,  tools,  every  thing,  in  short, 
connected  with  the  establishment,  are  kept  in  an  enviable  state  of  order. 
They  have  a  meeting-house  and  school-house,  and  enjoy  all  things  in 
common.  The  school  affords  a  pleasant  entertainment  to  visitors,  and 
the  pupils  appear  to  advantage  when  examined  in  any  of  their  studies. 
The  people  of  this  community  possess  a  commendable  reputation 
among  their  neighbors  for  industry,  frugality,  honesty,  and  good  morals. 
They  have  six  mills,  one  for  carding  and  spinning;  one  grist-mill,  in 
which  is  a  saw-mill  for  timber,  as  also  planing  machines  and  shingle 
machines ;  three  turning  mills  for  wood  and  iron ;  one  mill  for  weav- 
ing, coloring,  fulling,  and  for  the  knitting  of  shirts  and  drawers.  Among 
the  articles  manufactured  by  the  Shakers,  are  wooden-ware,  flannel, 
and  knit  shirts  and  drawers,  Angola  shirts  and  drawers,  sieves,  feather- 
brushes,  cakes  of  wax  and  maple  sugar,  bottles  of  perfumery,  essences, 
and  medicines.  Besides  the  Shaker  village,  the  town  contains  one 
small  village,  called  Hill's  Corner.  There  are  four  meeting-houses  — 
Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist,  Shaker,  and  Union ;  twelve  school 
districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Canterbury  and  Shaker  Village.  Apart 
from  the  manufacturing  establishments  above  enumerated,  there  are 
one  or  two  saw-mills,  and  something  is  done  in  the  way  of  shoemak- 
ing.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  passes  through  the 
town.    Population,  1,614 ;  valuation,  $623,758. 

Carroll,  a  wild  and  romantic  township  in  the  county  of  Coos,  has 
an  area  of  24,640  acres.  It  was  originally  named  Bretton  Woods,  and 
was  granted  February  8,  1772,  to  Sir  Thomas  Wentworth,  Bart.,  Rev. 
Samuel  Langdon,  and  eighty-one  others.  It  received  its  present  name 
in  1832,  the  year  of  its  incorporation.  Cherry  or  Pondicherry  moun- 
tain, in  the  northern  part,  lies  between  this  town  and  Jefferson.  Its 
surface  is  uneven,  and  covered  mostly  with  a  dense  forest  of  maple,  pine, 
hemlock,  and  spruce.  There  are  many  small  streams,  abounding  with 
trout.  The  soil  though  broken  by  rocks  and  hills,  is  deep  and  strong. 
The  town  contains  a  starch  factory,  and  two  mills  for  the  manufacture 
of  boards,  shingles,  clapboards,  and  laths  ;  a  Baptist  church,  four  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  296 ;  valuation,  $105,874. 


436  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Carroll  County,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  north  of  Lake 
"Winnepesaukee,  contains  an  area  of  about  560  square  miles.  It  was 
established  by  act  of  the  legislature,  December  23,  1840,  receiving  its 
name  out  of  respect  to  Hon.  Charles  Carroll,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  territory  first  comprised  in  the 
county  was  taken  from  Strafford,  in  fourteen  towns,  as  follows  :  Albany, 
Brookfield,  Chatham,  Conway,  Eaton,  Effingham,  Freedom,  Moulton- 
borough,  Sandwich,  Tamworth,  Tuftonborough,  Ossipee,  Wakefield,  and 
Wolf  borough.  Since  the  erection  of  the  county,  two  towns  —  Jackson 
(formerly  Adams),  and  Bartlett  —  have  been  added  (in  1853)  from 
Coos ;  and  Madison  has  been  incorporated  from  Eaton,  making  in 
all  seventeen  towns  in  the  county.  There  is  also  one  plantation.^ 
The  surface  is  mountainous,  —  Ossipee  mountain  and  Chocorua  peak 
rising  considerably  above  the  rest  of  the  country.  The  soil,  though 
stubborn  and  requiring  much  attention,  is  mostly  of  a  productive  qual- 
ity. Quite  a  number  of  lakes  and  ponds  diversify  the  face  of  the  county, 
the  most  notable  of  which  is  Ossipee  lake ;  and  there  are  numerous 
smaU  streams,  giving  to  the  inhabitants  water-power  sufficient  for  all 
practical  purposes.  The  county  is  drained  by  the  Ossipee  and  Saco 
rivers.     Ossipee  has  always  been  the  shire  town. 

CarroU  county  belongs  to  the  fourth  judicial  district.  A  law  term 
of  the  supreme  judicial  court  is  held  annually  at  Ossipee  on  the  second 
Tuesday  of  July.  There  are  two  jury  terms  of  both  the  supreme 
judicial  and  common  pleas  courts,  each  commencing  on  the  second 
Tuesday  of  May  and  third  Tuesday  of  November.  Population,  20,157  • 
valuation,  $4,769,750. 

Centre  Harbor  is  a  small  town  in  the  northern  part  of  Belknap 
county,  and  contains  an  area  of  about  7,500  acres.  Its  settlement  was 
commenced  in  1755  by  Ebenezer  Chamberlain,  who  was  followed  two 
years  afterwards,  by  Colonel  Joseph  Senter.  Their  progress  in  improv- 
ing the  township  was  slow.  Their  supplies  had,  for  some  years,  to 
be  obtained  from  the  more  prosperous  settlements  on  the  Merrimack. 
The  titles  to  the  lands  were  obtained  under  the  grant  of  Governor 
Benning  Wentworth  to  General  Jonathan  Moulton,^  in  1763.  On  the 
incorporation  of  New  Hampton,  Centre  Harbor  was  included  within 
the  territory  of  that  town,  and  remained  a  part  thereof  until  1797 
when  it  was  set  off  and  incorporated  under  its  present  name,  which 
it  is  alleged,  was  given  on  account  of  the  location  of  the  place  midway 
between  two   other  ports  or  landing-places  on  the  lake.       It  is  main- 

>  Haile's  Location.  =  See  article  on  New  Hampton. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    CENTRE    HARBOR. 


437 


tained,  on  the  contrary,  that  its  name  was  designed  to  be  in  compli- 
ment to  Colonel  Senter ;  but,  by  a  clerical  mistake,  it  was  recorded 
Centre  Harbor.  The  early  settlers  came  principally  from  Chester, 
Hampton,  Raymond,  Candia,  and  Londonderry  in  this  state,  and  from 
Ipswich  and  Halifax,  Mass.  In  1812,  the  first  house  of  worship  was 
erected  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town ;  but  the  edifice,  after  some 
years,  went  to  decay,  and  was  some  time  since  removed.  The  pres- 
ent edifice  in  the  village  was  erected  by  the  Congi-egationalists  in  1837. 
The  surface  of  the  town  is  hilly ;  but  there  is  a  strong  soil,  producing 
average  crops.  Squam  lake  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  making  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  town,  and  is  much  visited  in  the  summer 
season  for  fishing  and  bathing.  Lake  Winnepesaukee,  that  forms  the 
southern  boundary,  is,  however,  the  great  place  of  resort  for  pleasure 
seekers,  in  which  respect  its  attractions  are  second  only  to  the  White 
Mountains.  The  extreme  length  of  the  lake  is  some  twenty-five  miles, 
and  its  greatest  breadth  about  ten  miles,  its  altitude  above  the  sea 
being  472  feet.  In  form,  it  is  quite  irregular,  and  its  surface  is  bespan- 
gled with  numerous  islands,  which  fact,  with  the  beauty  of  its  marginal 
lands  and  its  surrounding  mountains,  —  its  pure  water,  well  stocked  with 
fish,  and  the  ever  invigorating  breezes  that  seem  to  be  at  home  here,  — 
renders  it  a  most  desirable  summer  retreat.     Two  steamers  make  the  cir- 


Punsft  vii'W  of  Lake  Winnepesaukee  from  Centre  ILirbor. 


cuit  of  the  larger  part  of  the  lake,  between  the  Weirs,  Centre  Harbor, 
Wolfboro',  and  Alton  Bay.     Sloops  and  boats  are  also  seen  gliding  in 

37* 


438  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

every  direction.  There  are  two  religious  societies —  Congregationalist, 
and  Free-will  Baptist ;  eight  school  districts,  with  237  scholars ;  and 
one  post-office.     Population,  543  ;  valuation,  |142,241. 

CiiARLESTO^VN,  in  the  western  part  of  Sullivan  county,  extends  thir- 
teen miles  on  Connecticut  river,  and  is  fifty-one  miles  from  Concord. 
Charlestown  was  first  settled  under  the  authority  of  Massachusetts  in 
1740,  and  was  originally  called  Number  Four,  a  name  sometimes 
applied  to  it  at  the  present  time.  It  was  granted  December  31,  1735, 
to  sixty-three  persons,  belonging  to  Northampton,  Hadley,  Hatfield, 
Deerfield,  and  Sunderland,  Mass.  The  first  settlers  were  three  families 
by  the  name  of  Farnsworth,  who  came  from  Lunenburg,  Mass. ;  and 
others  soon  followed.  Few  towns  in  New  England  have  sufTered  more 
severely  than  Charlestown  from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians,  being  the 
northern  frontier  town,  and  hence  exposed  to  peculiar  dangers.  In 
1743,  the  inhabitants  began  to  consult  their  safety  by  erecting  a  fort, 
which  they  soon  had  occasion  to  know  the  value  of,  by  reason  of  being 
attacked,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1746,  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  burnt 
the  mills,  and  carried  John  SpafFord,  Isaac  Parker,  and  Stephen  Farns- 
worth, as  captives  to  Canada.  This  was  followed,  in  the  beginning  of 
May,  by  another  attack,  in  which  Seth  Putnam,  one  of  the  soldiers 
belonging  to  the  fort,  was  killed.  The  enemy,  however,  were  soon 
dispersed  by  Major  Willard.  On  the  24th  of  the  same  month.  Captain 
Paine  arrived  with  a  troop  of  horse  from  Massachusetts ;  and  twenty 
of  the  men  went  to  view  the  spot  where  Putnam  was  killed,  when  they 
were  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  Indians,  and  were  only  saved  from 
capture  or  destruction  by  the  prompt  appearance  of  Captain  Stevens, 
commander  of  the  garrison,  who  engaged  the  Indians  in  a  severe  con- 
test, which  resulted  in  much  loss  to  the  enemy,  and  the  loss  of  nine  of 
Stevens's  men  in  lulled,  wounded,  and  captured. 

The  settlement  was  again  visited  on  the  19(h  of  June  the  same 
year ;  but  before  the  Indians  had  time  to  attacJv,  they  were  assaulted 
by  Captain  Stevens  and  Captain  Brown,  with  fifty  men ;  and  were 
repulsed,  while  the  loss  to  the  victors  was  one  man  killed  and  four 
wounded.  A  party  of  the  enemy  appeared  again  on  the  fourth  of 
August :  suspicions  of  their  appearance  being  excited  by  the  barking 
of  dogs,  scouts  were  sent  out,  who  were  fired  upon  by  the  Indians, 
and  one  of  them  killed,  while  the  residue  escaped  to  the  fort,  which  the 
enemy  surrounded,  and  endeavored  for  three  days  to  tajce  ;  but  finding 
their  efforts  abortive,  they  withdrew,  burning  several  buildings,  and 
killing  all  the  live-stock  within  their  reach.  This  state  of  affairs  con- 
tinued till  the  following  spring,  when  the  "  inhabitants,  fatigued  with 
watching,  and  weary  of  the  dangers  of  the  forest,''  abandoned  the  place. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OP   CHARLESTOWN.  439 

In  March,  1747,  Captain  Phineas  Stevens,  with  thirty  men,  took 
possession  of  the  fort ;  and  had  not  been  in  it  many  days  before  they 
were  attacked  by  a  very  large  party  of  French  and  Indians,  commanded 
by  M.  Debeline.  The  gate  of  the  fort  was  kept  closed ;  but  one  of  the 
men  ventured  out,  when  he  was  fired  upon  by  the  enemy  and  wounded, 
managing,  however,  to  reach  the  fort.  The  assailants  then  attacked  the 
fort  on  all  sides,  and  the  assault  lasted  for  three  days.  But  Indian 
stratagem  and  French  tactics,  with  fire  applied  to  every  combustible 
about  the  fort,  failed  of  the  desired  effect.  The  men  remained  un- 
daunted, and  fought  with  the  utmost  resolution.  An  interview  between 
the  commanders,  Mons.  Debeline  and  Captain  Stevens,  at  length  took 
place.  The  Frenchman  exhibited  his  forces,  and  depicted  the  horrid  mas- 
sacre that  would  take  place  unless  the  fort  should  be  surrendered ;  to 
which  Captain  Stevens  replied,  that,  "  Inasmuch  as  he  was  sent  here  to 
defend  the  fort,  it  would  not  be  consistent  with  his  orders  to  give  it  up, 
unless  he  should  be  better  satisfied  that  he  [Mons.  Debeline]  was  able  to 
perform  what  he  threatened."  ■ —  "  Well,"  said  the  Frenchman,  "  go  into 
the  fort,  and  see  whether  your  men  dare  fight  any  more."  After  a 
consultation  with  the  men,  Captain  Stevens  returned,  saying,  "  They 
had  determined  to  fight  it  out."  The  attack  again  commenced  with 
increased  fury,  and  continued  all  night.  The  next  morning,  the  con- 
testants again  came  to  a  parley,  which  resulted  unfavorably,  when  the 
enemy,  after  firing  some  few  shots,  returned  to  Canada,  leaving  the 
intrepid  commander  in  possession  of  the  fort.  Captain  Stevens,  for  his 
gallantry  on  this  occasion,  not  only  received  the  thanks  of  the  people  gen- 
erally, but  was  presented,  by  Commodore  Sir  Charles  Knowles,  with  a 
valuable  and  elegant  sword  as  a  reward  for  his  bravery ;  and  from  this 
circumstance  the  town  received  the  name  of  Charlestown,  when  incor- 
porated, which  was  on  the  2d  of  July,  1753 ;  the  charter  having  been 
granted  by  Governor  Wentworth,  to  Joseph  Wells,  Phineas  Stevens, 
and  others,  who  were  purchasers  under  the  old  grantees.  Another 
attack  was  made  in  March,  1748,  on  eight  men,  one  of  whom  was 
killed,  one  wounded,  and  one  taken  prisoner ;  and,  in  June,  Obadiah 
Sartwell  was  killed  while  ploughing,  and  Enos  Stevens,  son  of  the 
defender  of  the  fort,  captured  and  carried  to  Canada,  from  whence  he 
was  soon  after  released.  A  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  in  the 
following  September,  and  depredations,  for  a  while,  ceased. 

After  the  autumn  of  1752,  the  inhabitants  made  less  use  of  the  fort, 
and  entered  with  increasing  courage  into  the  duties  of  their  voca- 
tion. The  Indians  seemed  disposed  to  traffic,  and  things  began  to  wear 
a  peaceful  aspect,  when  the  war  with  England  and  France  again  broke 
out,  and  put  a  period  to  all  hopes  of  peace  during  its  continuance.     On 


440  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  29th  of  August,  1754,  the  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  James  John- 
son, and  he,  his  wife,  her  sister,  and  three  children,  and  two  men,  — 
Peter  Laberee  and  Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  —  lodgers  in  the  house,  were 
taken  prisoners.  On  the  second  day,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Charles- 
town,  in  the  wilderness,  Mrs.  Johnson  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  whom 
she  named  Captive,  who  afterwards  married  Colonel  George  Kimball. 
Mrs.  Johnson  was  treated  with  unexpected  humanity  by  the  Indians, 
who  tarried  one  day  for  her  accommodation,  carried  her  on  a  litter,  and 
placed  her  afterwards  on  a  horse,  besides  protecting  and  nursing  her 
infant.  Attacks  continued  to  be  made,  and  this  painful  state  of  affairs 
lasted  till  1760,  during  which  several  persons  were  murdered,  and  many 
carried  into  captivity,  while  the  mills  were  again  burnt,  and  other  depre- 
dations committed.     In  June  of  this  year,  hostilities  ceased. 

About  this  time,  Charlestown  was  the  principal  stopping  place,  during 
the  French  war,  for  soldiers  and  officers  passing  to  and  from  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Crown  Point  across  the  Green  Mountains.  As  a  small 
company  of  soldiers,  with  a  young  lieutenant,^  about  the  close  of 
the  war,  were  returning  from  these  military  stations,  through  dense  for- 
ests over  these  mountains,  by  marked  trees,  they  found  a  soldier  by  the 
wayside,  apparently  dying,  who  had  been  left  by  his  companions  some 
five  or  six  days  before.  It  was  late  in  the  fall,  when  the  nights  were 
cold.  His  little  stock  of  food  and  fuel,  which  his  companions  had 
kindly  provided  and  supposed  would  last  longer  than  his  life,  Avere 
nearly  consumed.  On  offering  him  assistance,  the  sick  man  begged 
them  to  let  him  alone  to  die  in  peace.  But  the  young  lieutenant, 
believing  his  life  might  be  saved,  determined  to  act  the  good  Samaritan. 
Contrary  to  the  sick  soldier's  entreaties,  he  ordered  his  foul  garments 
to  be  carefully  removed ;  the  soldier  himself  to  be  thoroughly  washed 
and  cleansed ;  to  be  clothed  in  comfortable  raiment,  with  which  the 
company  were  fortunately  provided ;  and  directed  his  attendants  to  speak 
words  of  encouragement  and  kindness ;  to  stay  by  him,  supplvi no- 
bis wants,  till  able  to  walk,  and  then  help  him  to  reach  the  first  settle- 
ment. It  was  all  he  needed.  In  three  days,  he  arrived  at  the  public- 
house  in  Charlestown,  where,  with  tears  of  joy,  he  grasped  the  hand  of 
his  kind  deliverer,  the  young  lieutenant;  and,  with  feelings  which  choked 
his  utterance,  told  him  that  no  words  could  express  his  gratitude  to  the 
man  who  had  persisted  in  saving  his  life  against  his  own  remonstrance. 

The  people  once  more  turned  their  attention  to  the  improvement  and 
embellishment  of  the  scene  of  so  many  unexampled  trials,  in  which  thev 

'  Afterwards  Colonel  William  Henshaw,  of  Leicester,  Mass. 


NEW  HAMPSHIKK  —  TOWN   OF   CHARLESTOWN.  441 

continued  actively  engaged  till  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out, 
when  they  were  again  called  upon  to  relax  their  hold  upon  the  imple- 
ments of  peace,  and  take  up  those  of  war.  A  people  who  manifested 
such  signal  courage  in  the  protection  of  their  homes  from  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians,  of  course  would  not  be  loth  to  engage  in  another  contest 
equally  great  and  noble.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  Charlestown,  bore 
her  part  in  the  struggle.^ 

Charlestown  is  situated  in  a  delightful  and  fertile  valley ;  and,  on  the 
east,  has  a  high  range  of  hills.  It  is  watered  by  Connecticut  and  Little 
Sugar  rivers,  in  the  former  of  which  there  are  three  islands,  the  largest, 
called  Sartwell's  island,  containing  about  ten  acres,  which  is  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  These  rivers  furnish  few  mill  privileges. 
The  village  of  Charlestown  lies  between  two  meadows,  known  as  the 
Upper  and  Lower  meadows,  and  is  calculated  to  awaken,  from  its 
secluded  loveliness,  the  admiration  of  the  traveller.  The  Upper  meadow 
contains  about  two  hundred  acres,  and  the  Lower  about  five  hundred ; 
the  soil  of  which  is  alluvial  and  exceedingly  productive.  There  are 
other  meadows  of  different  sizes,  which,  together  with  the  two  already 
mentioned,  contain  about  twelve  hundred  acres.  Among  the  distin- 
guishing features  of  the  village  are  its  neatness,  its  long  and  pleasant 
street,  shaded  on  either  side  by  a  row  of  trees,  and  its  regularly  propor- 
tioned, though  not  magnificent,  buildings.  Here  is  an  elegant  brick 
meeting-house,  owned  by  the  Unitarians ;  also  the  building  occupied  by 
the  Connecticut  River  Bank,  which  has  a  capital  of  $100,000  :  and  the 
now  deserted  court  house  and  dilapidated  jail,  which  were  used  when 
Charlestown  was  the  "  place  of  judgment." 

The  town  is  connected  with  Springfield  by  a  substantial  bridge,  which 
crosses  the  Connecticut  about  a  mile  from  the  village.  Besides  the  one 
already  mentioned,  there  are  two  church  edifices,  belonging  respectively 
to  the  Congregationalists  and  the  Methodists ;  three  villages  —  South 
Charlestown,  Charlestown,  and  North  Charlestown,  each  of  which  has 
a  post-office  and  a  railroad  station.  There  is  a  considerable  market  for 
wool  here,  which  is  bought  up  in  the  surrounding  country,  and  packed 
and  transmitted  to  the  various  markets.  There  are  also  two  establish- 
ments for  the  manufacture  of  ladies'  and  gentlemen's  boots,  which  give 
employment  to  numerous  workmen.  There  are  twelve  school  districts. 
The  Sullivan  Railroad  passes  through  here.  Population,  1,644;  valu- 
ation, $896,874. 

^  Among  the  distinguished  residents  of  this  town,  besides  Captain  Stevens  already 
noticed,  may  be  mentioned  Colonel  William  Heywood,  Colonel  Samuel  Hunt,  Hon. 
Simeon  Olcott,  and  Hon.  Benjamin  West,  all  of  whom  held  important  civil  and  military 
offices;  Governor  Henry  Hubbard,  and  the  late  Chief  Justice  John  J.  Gilchrist. 


442  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Chatham,  Carroll  county,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  the  White  Moun- 
tains, and  adjoins  the  Ihie  which  divides  New  Hampshire  from  Maine, 
being  ninety-two  miles  from  Concord.  Peter  Livius  and  others  re- 
ceived the  grant,  February  7,  1767.  It  now  contains,  in  addition  to  the 
territory  granted  at  this  time,  a  tract  of  land  formerly  known  as  War- 
ner's location, — the  combined  area  being  about  twenty-six  thousand 
acres.  The  surface  presents  many  obstacles  to  cultivation,  —  being 
composed  principally  of  mountains  and  rocks.  Between  Chatham  and 
Jackson  lie  Baldface  and  Doublehead  mountains,  the  former  being 
3,600  feet,  and  the  latter  3,100  feet  high,  and  presenting  an  impassable 
barrier  to  the  opening  of  communication  betw^een  the  two  towns  by 
means  of  a  road ;  hence  the  inhabitants,  in  their  intercourse  with  the 
other  tow^ns  in  the  county,  are  compelled  to  make  a  circuit  through  a 
portion  of  the  state  of  Maine.  A  part  of  Mount  Kearsarge  is  also  in 
Chatham.  There  are  several  ponds  and  some  large  streams.  Chat- 
ham has  one  church  edifice ;  seven  school  districts ;  a  saw-mill,  and  a 
grist-mill.     Population,  516 ;  valuation,  $117,206. 

Cheshire  County,  forming  the  southwest  extremity  of  the  state,  has 
an  area  of  about  770  square  miles.  It  was  established  by  act  of  the 
colonial  government,  "  dividing  this  province  into  counties,"  published 
on  the  19th  of  March,  1771,  and,  by  the  boundaries  laid  down  at  that 
time,  contained  all  of  its  northern  neighbor,  Sullivan.  By  act  of  the 
state  legislature  passed  January  2,  1829,  the  boundaries  were  thus  de- 
fined :  "  Beginning  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Rindge ;  thence  westerly 
by  the  state  line  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river ;  thence  up 
the  same  bank  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Walpole ;  thence  by  the 
northerly  lines  of  Walpole,  Alstead,  Marlow,  and  Stoddard,  to  the  line 
of  the  county  of  Hillsborough ;  thence  by  the  line  of  the  last-mentioned 
county  to  the  bounds  first  mentioned."  These  boundaries  have  not 
since  been  materially  disturbed.  The  county  at  present  contains 
twenty-two  towns,  Keene  being  the  shire. 

Cheshire  county  has  generally  an  uneven  surface,  with  a  few  prom- 
inent elevations,  such  as  the  Grand  Monadnock  and  Ashuelot  moun- 
tains. Along  the  Connecticut  and  other  streams,  the  soil  is  fertile,  and 
abundantly  rewards  the  labors  of  the  husbandman.  The  Connecticut, 
which  forms  the  boundary  on  the  west,  the  Ashuelot  and  its  tributaries, 
and  the  head  branches  of  the  Contoocook,  with  other  streams,  supply 
abundance  of  water,  for  manufacturing  and  other  purposes.  The  Ches- 
hire Railroad,  from  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  to  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  and  the 
Ashuelot  Railroad,  from  South  Vernon,  Vt,  to  Keene,  are  wholly  within 
this  county. 


NE^y   IIAMPSHmE town    of    CHESTER.  443 

The  county  belongs  to  the  third  judicial  district,  a  law  term  for  which 
is  held  annually  at  Keene  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  July.  There  are  two 
jury  terms  for  the  supreme  judicial  court  and  for  the  court  of  common 
pleas,  both  commencing  at  the  same  time,  on  the  third  Tuesdays  of 
March  and  September.     Population,  30,144;  valuation,  $11,759,894. 

Chester,  in  the  western  section  of  Rockingham  county,  adjoins  Man- 
.  Chester,  and  is  twenty-three  miles  from  Concord.  Eighty  persons,  be- 
longing chiefly  to  Hampton  and  Portsmouth,  associated  themselves,  in 
October,  1719,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  grant  of  a  township  in  the 
"  Chestnut  country,"  and  placed  three  men  on  the  land  they  had  selected 
to  keep  possession.  After  so  doing,  they  petitioned  for  a  grant,  which 
was  accorded  to  them,  August  26,  1720,  consisting  of  a  tract  ten  miles 
square.  Several  individuals  from  Rye  and  Hampton  immediately  com- 
menced the  settlement.  Those  who  appear  to  have  been  the  most 
» zealous  and  useful  in  the  undertaking  were  Samuel  IngaUs,  Jonathan 
Goodhue,  Jacob  Sargent,  Ebenezer  Dearborn,  Robert  Smith,  two  men 
by  the  name  of  Colby,  and  two  by  the  name  of  Robie.  Several  fami- 
lies from  the  north  of  Ireland  commenced  settlements  about  the  same 
time.  The  Indian  war  prevented  any  great  progress  being  made  from 
1722  to  1726 ;  though  the  natives,  it  appears,  did  not  commit  any  great 
depredations  beyond  the  capture  of  Thomas  Smith  and  John  Carr,  who 
both  escaped  from  their  captors,  and  arrived  in  safety  at  a  garrison  in 
Londonderry.  Several  garrison-houses  were  maintained  here  till  after 
the  peace  of  1749.  Chester,  which  had  previously  been  called  Cheshire, 
was,  on  the  8th  of  May,  1722,  incorporated.  Portions  of  its  territory 
have  been  annexed  to  Derryfield  and  to  Hooksett;  Long  Meadows,  Can- 
dia,  and  Freetown  were  formed  entirely  from  it ;  and  lastly,  in  June, 
1845,  Auburn  was  incorporated  from  its  westerly  part.  The  aborigines 
had  a  settlement  of  ten  or  twelve  wigwams  on  an  island  in  Massabesic 
pond,  vestiges  of  which  are  said  to  have  been  visible  as  late  as  1823. 

In  March,  1731,  the  first  meeting-house  was  completed,  which  stood  a 
few  rods  south  of  the  present  Congregational  edifice.  Over  the  first  soci- 
ety Rev.  Ebenezer  Flagg  was  pastor  from  1736  until  his  death,  in  1796. 
The  Presbyterians  built  a  house  in  1739,  and  were  served  by  Rev.  John 
Wilson  from  1734  until  his  death,  in  1779.  Hon.  Samuel  Bell,  who 
came  to  Chester  in  1812,  was  governor  of  this  state  from  1819  to  1823, 
and  senator  in  congress  from  1823  to  1835.  His  sons,  Hon.  Samuel  D. 
Bell,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court  of  New  Hampshire,  the  late 
Hon.  James  Bell,  senator  in  congress  from  this  state  in  1855,  and  Luther 
V.  Bell,  M.  D.,  for  many  years  the  superintendent  of  the  McLean  Luna- 
tic Asylum,  at  Somerville,  Mass.,  were  born  in  Francestown,  but  were 


444  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

quite  young  at  the  time  of  their  father's  removal  to  this  town.  His 
brother,  Hon.  John  Bell,  who  was  governor  in  1828,  was  also  a  resident 
of  this  town. 

The  surface  of  tlie  town  is  rather  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  tolerably 
good.  A  branch  of  Exeter  river  is  the  only  stream  of  importance. 
There  are  three  villages  —  Chester,  East  Chester,  and  Hall's  Village ; 
three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Baptist ;  eleven 
school  districts,  and  the  same  number  of  schools,  with  376  pupils  ;  an 
academy,  and  two  post-offices  —  Chester  and  East  Chester.  Population, 
1,301 ;  valuation,  $359,768. 

Chesterfield,  Cheshire  county,  is  situated  on  the  Connecticut  river, 
and  is  eleven  miles  from  Keene,  and  sixty-five  from  Concord.  It  was 
granted  February  11,  1752,  to  sixty-five  persons,  and  was  settled  on  the 
25th -of  November,  1761,  by  Moses  Smith  and  William  Thomas  with 
their  families,  who  located  upon  the  bank  of  Connecticut  river.  They 
were  followed,  in  the  spring  of  1762,  by  Abel  Emmons  and  Captain 
Simon  Davis,  from  which  time  the  population  so  increased,  that,  in  ten 
years,  it  contained  one  hundred  and  fifty  families. 

Chesterfield  is  generally  hilly,  and  few  towns  on  the  Connecticut 
river  contain  so  little  interval  land.  Along  the  whole  extent  of  the. 
town  bordering  upon  the  river,  the  hills  approach  near  to  the  river's 
side.  There  is  much  good  upland,  on  which  valuable  crops  of  hay  and 
Indian  corn  are  raised.  It  is  watered  by  the  Connecticut,  and  Cat's- 
bane  brook,  the  latter  of  which  furnishes  many  mill  seats.  A  beautiful 
lake  —  Spafford's  —  lies  here,  and  is  about  eight  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, being  fed  by  springs.  Partridge's  brook,  which  furnishes  water- 
power  sufficient  to  carry  the  machinery  of  a  cotton  factory  and  several 
mills,  issues  from  this  lake.  In  the  lake  is  an  island,  which,  it  is  asserted 
by  some,  was  formerly  the  residence  of  a  tribe  of  Indians,  from  the  dis- 
covery there  of  various  relics  peculiar  to  an  Indian  settlement. 

The  most  noted  mountain  in  Chesterfield  is  West  River  mountain, 
lying  partly  in  Hinsdale,  and  which  was  once  the  scene  of  a  volcanic 
eruption.  There  is  at  present  a  considerable  quantity  of  lava  near  its 
crater ;  and  it  is  said  by  those  who  live  near  it,  that  it  frequently  trem- 
bles, and  a  rumbling  noise  is  heard  in  its  bowels.  Some  of  the  early 
inhabitants,  seeing  an  aperture  in  it,  supposed  that  it  led  to  a  silver 
mine  —  thereupon  obtained  a  lease  of  it,  and  foolishly  commenced 
digging  for  the  article  that  would  make  their  fortunes.  None  of  it, 
however,  has  come  to  light,  though  the  diggers  have  exhibited  uncom- 
mon perseverance.  There  are  t\vo  pleasant  villages ;  four  churches  — 
Congregational,  Methodist,  one  occupied  by  the  Baptists  and   Univer- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF   CHICHESTER,   ETC.  445 

salists,  and  one  by  the  Universalists  and  Methodists ;  fifteen  school  dis- 
tricts ;  an  academy,  incorporated  in  January,  1790,  and  opened  in  Au- 
gust, 1794,  for  a  long  time  the  only  one  in  Cheshire  county;  and  two 
post-offices  —  Chesterfield  and  Chesterfield  Factory :  also,  one  cotton 
manufactory,  one  spiral-bit  and  auger  factory,  one  accelerating-wheel 
factory,  two  grist-miUs,  ten  saw-mills,  one  tannery,  and  one  sash  and 
blind  manufactory.     Population,  1,680 ;  valuation,  $571,889. 

Chichester,  in  the  eastern  section  of  Merrimack  county,  adjoijtiing 
Concord,  was  granted  May  20,  1727,  to  Nathaniel  Gooldn  and  others ; 
but  the  land  remained  in  its  primitive  condition  till  1758,  when  Paul 
Morrill  commenced  its  settlement.  The  powerful  tribe  of  Indians  called 
the  Penacooks,  who  had  their  head-quarters  at  w^hat  is  now  Concord, 
resided  in  the  vicinity  of  this  town,  and  planted  their  corn  and  other 
seeds  on  the  banks  of  the  Suncook.  Traces  of  Indian  settlements  are  stiU 
visible  in  various  parts,  and  many  Indian  relics  have  been  discovered. 

The  surface  of  Chichester  is  generally  level,  and  the  soil  of  a  produc- 
tive character.  Most  of  the  land  is  occupied  by  industrious  farmers, 
whose  efforts  are  richly  repaid  by  as  bountiful  crops  as  any  land  in  the 
county  can  produce.  Bear  hill,  lying  in  the  north  part,  is  the  principal 
eminence,  and  is  under  cultivation.  Chichester  is  watered  on  the  east 
by  the  Suncook  river,  into  which  flow  several  smaller  streams  from  the 
south  side  of  the  town.  This  river  is  bordered  by  some  interval  land, 
and  furnishes  many  good  mill  seats.  Linkfield  pond  lies  here,  and 
from  it  flows  a  small  stream  southwest  into  the  Soucook  river.  There 
are  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congregationalist,  and  Free-will 
Baptist ;  seven  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Chichester  and 
North  Chichester :  also,  one  grist-mill,  and  three  saw-mills.  Population, 
997 ;  valuation,  $322,336. 

Clarbmont,  in  the  extreme  western  part  of  Sullivan  county,  bordering 
on  the  Connecticut  river,  and  adjoining  Newport,  was  granted  October 
26,  1764,  to  Josiah  Willard,  Samuel  Ashley,  and  sixty-seven  others. 
Its  name  was  derived  from  the  country  residence  of  Lord  Clive,  an 
English  nobleman.  Moses  Spafford  and  David  Lynde,  in  1762,  were 
the  earliest  settlers;  and,  between  1763  and  1766,  many  others  arrived. 
A  large  number  of  persons  from  Farmington,  Hebron,  and  Colchester, 
Conn.,  many  of  whom  were  proprietors,  came  in  during  the  year  1767, 
and  made  settlements  in  diflferent  parts  of  the  town.  Elijah,  son  of 
Moses  Spafford,  born  in  1763,  was  the  first  native  of  Claremont.  The 
first  churches  organized  were  of  the  Congregational  and  Episcopal  orders. 

Several  of  the  earlier  settlers  may  be  noticed  as  somewhat  distin- 

voii.  I.  38 


446 


IIISTOIIY   AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


guished.  Samuel  Colo,  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  1731,  was  for  many  years 
an  instructor  of  youth,  and  died  at  a  gootl  old  age.  Dr.  William 
Sumner,  a  native  of  Boston,  came  here  in  1768  from  Hebron,  Conn., 
and  died  in  March,  1778;  Colonel  Benjamin  Sumner,  who  died  in 
May,  1815,  aged  seventy-eight,  was,  for  a  number  of  years,  a  civil  magis- 
trate ;  Colonel  Joseph  Waite,  distinguislied  as  having  been  in  the 
French  and  Indian  wars,  a  captain  of  one  of  Rogers's  companies  of 
Rangt'rs,  and  as  commander  of  a  regiment  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
died  in  October,  1776 ;  Captain  Joseph  Taylor,  who  died  in  March, 
1813,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  the 
French  and  the  Revolutionary  wars,  and  was,  with  one  Farwell,  cap- 
tured by  the  Indians  in  the  summer  of  1755,  taken  to  Canada,  and  sold 
to  the  French;  Hon.  Samuel  Ashley,  who  came  here  in  1782,  and  had 
served  in  the  wars  of  1745  and  1755,  filled  several  civil  offices,  among 


ClaremoDt  Village. 


which  was  that  of  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  :  he  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1792.  Hon.  Caleb  Ellis  was  member  of  Congress  in  1804,  of  the 
executive  council  from  1809  to  1810,  and  judge  of  tiie  superior  court 
from  1813  till  his  deatii.  May  9,  1816  :  the  late  Hon.  Ralph  Metcalf, 
governor  of  this  state  from  1855  to  1857,  was  also  a  resident. 

Claremont  is  possessed  of  an  undulating  surface,  which  is  covered 
with  a  rieli,  gravelly  loam,  presenting  advantages  of  a  superior  order  to 
the  agriculturist.      Meadows,  pastures,  and    interval    are    met  with   in 


NEW   HAMPSHIKE  —  TOWN   OF   CLAREMONT.  447 

abundance ;  the  latter,  along  the  rivers,  being  rich  and  luxuriant.  Green 
mountain,  lying  near  Newport,  is  the  only  elevation  of  note.  The  hills 
and  acclivities  are  capable  of  cultivation  to  their  summits.  Sugar 
river  and  the  Connecticut,  together  with  numerous  other  rivers  and  rivu- 
lets, furnish  ample  supplies  of  water.  Sugar  river  runs  through  Clare- 
mont  village,  affording  an  immense  water-power,  the  fall  in  three  quar- 
ters of  a  mile  being  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Each  twenty  feet  fur- 
nishes sufficient  power  to  carry  twenty  thousand  spindles,  —  the  entire 
fall  through  the  town  being  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

Claremont  vUlage,  an  accurate  original  view  of  which  is  given  on  the 
preceding  page,  is  a  thriving  place,  quite  thickly  settled,  and  having 
manufacturing  interests  of  an  extensive  character.  The  private  dwell- 
ings and  the  buildings  generally,  as  well  here  as  in  other  parts,  indicate 
the  wealth  and  prosperity  with  which  the  inhabitants  are  blessed.  The 
following  are  the  principal  manufacturing  works  in  the  village.  The 
Sunapee  Mills,  with  a  capital  of  $30,000,  manufacture  ten  thousand 
yards  of  sheetings  and  drillings  weekly,  consuming  104,000  pounds  of 
cotton  annually.  The  Monadnock  Mills,  for  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
goods,  have  a  factory  building  of  418  feet  in  length,  including  wheel-house 
and  repair-shop,  the  main  wings  of  which  are  124  feet  long,  sixty  feet 
wide,  and  five  stories  high.  The  capital  stock  is  0200,000  ;  the  number 
of  operatives,  400  —  one  hundred  males,  three  hundred  females ;  the 
amount  of  stock  annually  consumed,  725,000  pounds ;  the  amount  of 
goods  manufactured,  2,050,000  square  yards ;  and  the  amount  of 
money  annually  paid  to  operatives,  $75,000.  The  Claremont  Machine 
"Works  manufacture  engine-lathes  and  planers,  for  which  the  highest 
premiums  have  been  received  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  have  a  capital 
stock  of  $15,000,  employing  thirty  hands.  The  Home  Mills,  with  a 
capital  of  $30,000,  manufacture  363,000  yards  of  thirty-seven  inch 
sheetings,  consume  80,000  pounds  of  cotton,  and  pay  out  annually  to 
operatives  |78,000.  The  woollen  factory  of  Sanford  and  Rossiter,  with 
a  capital  of  $40,000,  manufactures  45,000  yards  of  cassimeres,  and 
consumes  50,000  pounds  of  wool  every  year;  number  of  operatives, 
thirty.  The  Claremont  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated  in 
1852  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $500,000,  $100,000  of  which  has 
been  paid  in  ;  has  three  mills  with  nine  engines ;  manufactures  two 
hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  paper  per  year,  and  blank  books  to  the 
amount  of  $50,000;  employs  forty  males  and  fifty  females.  There  are 
in  this  village  forty-six  stores;  two  banks  —  the  Claremont,  and  the 
Sullivan  Savings  Institution ;  and  two  large  shoe  manufactories,  em- 
ploying a  great  many  hands. 

West  Claremont  is  the  name  of  a   second  viUage,  also   possessing 


448  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

many  advantages.  There  are  in  Claremont  seven  church  edifices  — 
two  Episcopal,  a  Methodist,  a  Congregationalist,  a  Universalist,  a 
Baptist,  and  a  Roman  Catholic ;  nineteen  school  districts ;  and  two 
post-offices  —  Claremont  and  "West  Claremont :  also,  three  hotels  • — 
the  Fremont  house,  the  Sullivan  house,  and  the  Island  house ;  two 
weekly  newspapers  —  the  National  Eagle,  and  the  Northern  Advocate  ; 
besides,  —  in  West  Claremont  village,  —  two  paper-mills,  two  saw-mills, 
two  grist-mills,  one  store,  and  a  hotel.  The  Concord  and  Claremont 
Railroad  is  projected,  and  the  Sullivan  passes  through  the  town.  Pop. 
3,606  ;  valuation,  $2,072,601. 

Clakksvillb,  Coos  county,  lies  in  the  most  northerly  part  of  the  state, 
and  is  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  miles  from  Concord.  A  part  of  the 
town  comes  within  the  famous  Indian  Stream  territory,  the  settlement 
of  which  has  been  principally  made  since  1810.  It  was  endowed 
with  corporate  privileges  in  June,  1854,  and  adjoins  Pittsburgh,  with 
which  it  is  classed  for  the  election  of  representative.  The  appearance 
of  the  country  is  broken  and  hilly,  and  the  soil  requires  more  than 
common  efforts  to  make  it  yield  even  average  crops.  Clarksville  pond, 
having  an  area  of  one  hundred  acres,  and  Carr  pond,  of  about  thirty 
acres,  are  the  only  two  bodies  of  water  in  town.  Indian  Stream,  and 
several  tributaries  of  the  Connecticut  river,  pass  through  the  settlement. 
There  are  three  school  districts,  with  an  attendance  of  sixty-six  scholars  ; 
and  a  post-office  :  also,  two  saw-mUls  and  one  grist-mill.  Population  in 
1857,  200  ;  valuation,  $48,550. 

CoLEBKOOK,  in  Coos  county,  has  an  area  of  25,000  acres,  and  is  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  originally  granted  to 
Sir  George  Colebrook,  and  the  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  Decem- 
ber 1,  1790.  It  is  watered  by  the  Mohawk  river,  which  affords  some 
fine  locations  for  mills ;  and  by  other  smaller  streams.  The  soil  has 
good  agricultural  capacities,  which  are  moderately  improved.  There  is 
some  excellent  interval  land  along  the  valleys  of  the  Mohawk  and  the 
Connecticut.  There  are  three  villages  —  Colebrook  Corner,  Factory 
VUlage,  and  Kidderville  ;  two  churches  —  Congregationalist  and  Union ; 
an  academy,  with  a  fund  of  $12,000 :  also,  a  starch  manufactory,  four 
saw-mills,  and  two  grist-mills.  The  trade  of  the  place  consists  in  starch, 
grass-seed,  beef,  pork,  mutton,  wool,  and  other  articles  of  country  pro- 
duce. There  are  eleven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Popula- 
tion, 908 ;  valuation,  $244,455. 

Columbia,  Coos  county,  on  the  Connecticut  river,  has  an  area  of  37,822 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE CITY    OP    CONCORD.  449 

acres,  and  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  from  Concord.  It  was 
granted  December  1,  1770,  to  Sir  James  Cockburne  of  London,  and 
others,  from  which  circumstance  it  received  the.  plantation  name  of 
Cockburne.  It  was  incorporated  December  16,  1797,  and  its  name  was 
changed  to  Columbia,  June  19, 1811.  The  township  originally  comprised 
only  32,000  acres ;  but  the  annexation  of  Wales  Location,  made  it  up  to 
37,822  acres.  The  surface  is  uneven  and  mountainous  along  the  south- 
ern limits,  and  from  the  elevations  descend  a  number  of  streams  into 
the  Connecticut,  amply  watering  the  soil,  and  affording  fine  mill  privi- 
leges. The  soil  is  of  good  quality.  A  very  remarkable  pond,  called 
Lime,  lies  two  miles  southeast  of  Chamberlain's  Town,  in  Colebrook,  on 
a  small  branch  of  Simm's  stream.  It  is  160  rods  long  and  fifty  wide, 
of  an  oval  and  rather  irregular  shape,  bottomed  to  a  depth  of  six  feet 
with  pure  white,  calcareous  marl :  in  connection  with  this  myriads  of 
shells  are  found,  immense  numbers  of  which  are  still  seen  in  the 
waters  of  the  pond,  usually  collected  under  loose  stones.  This  marl 
makes  good  lime.  Impure  blue  and  gray  limestone  exists  in  abun- 
dance around  the  shores  of  the  pond.  There  is  a  little  village  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  town,  called  the  Valley,  containing  the  only  church 
edifice,  which  is  owned  by  the  Baptists  and  Methodists.  The  trade 
consists  in  very  little  except  country  produce.  Considerable  quantities 
of  lumber,  however,  are  manufactured,  and  transported  to  market  on 
rafts  down  the  Connecticut,  Maple  sugar  is  also  manufactured  largely. 
There  are  four  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  two  clapboard  machines, 
and  one  starch-mill :  also,  ten  school  districts,  with  a  good  school-house 
in  each  ;  and  one  post-office.     Population,  762 ;  valuation,  $163,712. 

Concord,  Merrimack  county,  first  called  Penacook,  lying  on  both 
sides  of  Merrimack  river,  is  a  city,  and  the  capital  of  New  Hampshire. 
It  was  granted  by  Massachusetts,  January  17,  1725,  to  Benjamin 
Stevens,  Ebenezer  Eastman,  and  ninety-eight  others,  and  was  laid  out 
the  year  following,  seven  miles  square.  Some  difficulty  arose  with  New 
Hampshire  in  reference  to  the  grant  thus  made,  this  jurisdiction  claim- 
ing that  Massachusetts  had  no  authority  over  the  territory,  w^hich  was 
not  settled  for  a  number  of  years.  According  to  tradition,  several  per- 
sons, among  whom  were  Henry  Rolfe  and  Richard  Urann,  passed  the 
winter  of  1726  here,  suffering  severely  from  the  cold  and  for  want 
of  suitable  provisions,  till  relieved  by  friendly  Indians,  some  of  whom 
still  dwelt  in  Penacook.  In  1727,  Captain  Ebenezer  Eastman  moved 
his  family  in,  and  the  same  year  a  block-house,  forty  feet  by  twenty- 
five,  was  erected,  intended  to  serve  the  double  purpose  of  a  fort  and 
meeting-house.     In  1728,  arrangements  were  made  for  building  a  saw- 

38* 


450  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

mill  and  grist-mill,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  ferry.  In  1730,  Rev. 
Timothy  Walker  was  settled  as  minister,  with  a  salary  of  £100.  From 
1731  till  1733,  Penacook  was  in  a  transition  state  from  a  plantation  to 
an  incorporated  town ;  but,  towards  the  latter  part  of  1733,  corporate 
privileges  were  conferred  upon  it  with  the  name  of  Rumford.  In  No- 
vember, 1739,  it  was  voted  to  construct  a  garrison  around  the  house  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Walker,  at  the  town's  cost.  In  1741,  when  the  division  line 
was  run  between  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  Rumford  fell 
within  the  bounds  of  the  latter  province,  which  was  received  with  gen- 
eral regret  by  the  citizens ;  and  a  petition  presented  to  the  king,  praying 
to  be  continued  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts  bay ;  but  all 
was  in  vain. 

Thus  far  the  people  had  enjoyed  a  good  degree  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity, and  had  made  rapid  progress  in  agriculture  and  the  arts  and 
comforts  of  life.  From  1744  to  1762,  however,  they  were  most  of  the 
time  in  a  state  of  alarm  and  trouble,  chiefly  from  the  Indians,  instigated 
by  the  French  from"  Canada.  Petitions  were  presented  (one  of  which 
was  signed  by  sixty-four  persons),  to  New  Hampshire  and  to  Massa- 
chusetts, for  men  and  means ;  and,  in  answer  to  these  petitions,  early  in 
1745,  two  small  companies  were  furnished  by  New  Hampshire  and  two 
by  Massachusetts.  In  1746,  seven  garrisons  or  forts  were  erected,  built 
of  hewn  logs,  lying  flat  one  upon  the  other,  having  within  their  inclosure 
several  small  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  families.  In  the  one 
round  the  house  of  Rev.  Mr.  Walker  were  stationed  eight  men,  with 
their  families ;  in  that  round  the  house  of  Ebenezer  Eastman,  thirteen  ; 
in  that  of  the  house  of  Jonathan  Eastman,  eight;  in  that  of  Henry  Love- 
joy,  ten ;  in  that  of  Jeremiah  Stickney,  twenty  ;  in  that  of  Joseph  Hall, 
fifteen ;  and  in  that  of  Timothy  Walker,  Jr.,  twenty-two,  and  their  fami- 
lies. Yet,  notwithstanding  these  precautionary  measures,  five  men 
were  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  two  taken  prisoners,  August  11,  1746. 
The  names  of  those  killed  were  Samuel  and  Jonathan  Bradley,  Obadiah 
Peters,  John  Bean,  and  John  Luf  kin,  to  whose  memory  a  monument 
was  erected  in  1837  by  Richard  Bradley,  a  great-grandson  of  Samuel 
Bradley.  In  1748,  by  treaty  between  France  and  England,  hostilities 
were  suspended  for  a  few  years ;  yet  the  Indians  still  continued  to  malce 
depredations,  sometimes  murdering  or  carrying  off"  the  whites.  In  1752, 
John  Stark  of  Derryfield  and  Amos  Eastman  of  Rumford  were  car- 
ried to  St.  Francis,  and  retained  in  captivity  six  weeks,  when  they  weie 
ransomed.  Hostilities  were  again  commenced  in  1754,  and  continued 
till  1762,  dviring  which  the  people  had  to  sustain  a  constant  watch,  and 
go  armed  to  perform  almost  every  duty.  In  this  war,  as  well  as  in  the 
expedition  to   Louisburg  (in  which  Captain  Ebenezer  Eastman  com- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   CONCORD.  451 

manded  a  company),  Rumford  contributed  her  full  share  both  of  men 
and  means.  Captain  John  Chandler  commanded  a  company  in  1754; 
Captain  Joseph  Eastman  in  1756,  and  Captain  John  Goffe  in  1756. 
Many  of  the  men  composing  these  companies  served  under  those  fear- 
less leaders,  Robert  Rogers,  John  Stark,  and  William  Stark ;  and  their 
exploits  generally  were  of  the  most  daring  character. 

From  1733  to  1762,  a  controversy  existed  between  the  proprietors  of 
Rumford  and  Bow,  the  latter  asserting  their  right,  under  a  grant  from 
New  Hampshire,  to  a  great  portion  of  the  territory  of  Rumford.'  This 
grant  was  made  to  one  hundred  and  seven  proprietors  and  their  asso- 
ciates —  the  latter  being  the  governor  and  lieutenant-governor,  and  other 
members  of  the  government  of  New  Hampshire.  Most  of  the  original 
proprietors  of  Bow  having  forfeited  their  rights  by  failing  to  fulfil  the 
conditions  of  the  grant,  the  new  township  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  as- 
sociates ;  and  hence,  in  supporting  their  right  to  the  territory,  the  proprie- 
tors of  Rumford  had  to  sustain  a  "  tUting  match,"  not  so  much  with  the 
individual  inhabitants  of  Bow  as  with  the  government  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. Such  being  the  case,  it  seemed  almost  impossible  that  an  impar- 
tial trial  could  be  had ;  for  the  government  itself  was  almost  entirely  the 
tribunal  before  which  the  case  was  heard.  Happily  the  proprietors  of 
Rumford  were  firm  in  their  purpose,  and  were  determined  to  stand  by 
each  other  in  every  instance.  So  the  case  was  allowed  to  proceed ;  but 
as  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  foUow  it  through  all  its  ramifications,  we  will 
merely  state,  that,  failing,  after  successive  efforts,  to  procure  any  redress 
from  New  Hampshire,  Rev.  Timothy  Walker  and  Benjamin  Rolfe  were 
appointed  by  the  town,  February  12,  1753,  to  make  representation  of 
the  difficulties  to  the  English  government.  They  were  indefatigable, 
persevering,  and,  eventually,  successful  in  obtaining  redress  of  griev- 
ances, the  king  having,  by  an  order  in  councU,  dated  the  29th  of 
December,  1762,  decided  the  matter  against  the  government  of  New 
Hampshire  and  in  favor  of  Rumford.  Mr.  Walker  crossed  the  ocean 
three  times  for  the  above-mentioned  purpose,  and  early  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  Mr.  Murray,  afterwards  Lord  Chief  Justice  Mansfield,  who  had 
first  the  management  of  the  case  as  attorney,  and  lastly,  the  decision 
of  it  as  judge.  The  matter,  however,  lingered  on  after  this  till  1774, 
when  it  was  settled.  In  1765,  an  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  by 
New  Hampshire,  the  title  of  which  reads :  "  An  act  for  setting  off  a 
part  of  the  Town  of  Bow,  together  with  some  lands  adjoining  thereto, 
with  the  inhabitants  thereon,  and  maldng  them  a  Parish;  investing 
them  with  such  privileges  and  immunities  as  Towns  in  this  Province 

'  See  Bow. 


452  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

have  and  do  enjoy."  To  this  parish  in  the  town  of  Bow,  the  name  of 
Concord  was  given,  to  express  —  so  tradition  says  —  the  entire  una- 
nimity in  purpose  and  action  which  had  uniformly  characterized  the 
inhabitants  during  this  long  controversy.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  New  Hampshire  clung  to  their  original  purpose  of  giving 
Bow  the  preeminence,  which  shows  that  the  decision  in  council  was 
a  bitter  pill  for  the  government  to  swallow. 

In  1751,  a  new  meeting-house,  two  stories  high,  was  erected  on  the 
spot  now  occupied  by  the  Methodist  Biblical  Institute.  It  was  built  of 
white  oak  timber,  without  porches  or  gallery,  had  only  one  entrance, 
a  door  on  the  south  side,  while  the  seats  were  coarse  benches  ranged 
on  each  side  of  the  broad  aisle.  Having  been  improved  and  enlarged 
at  various  times,  it  was  long  known  as  the  "  Old  North  Church,"  the 
most  spacious  and  best  filled  house  of  worship  in  the  state. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  know,  that,  as  late  as 
1774,  negroes  were  bought  and  sold  in  Concord,  and  that  there  were 
quite  a  number  owned  in  the  parish.  Many  traditions  have  come  down 
in  reference  to  these  sons  of  Ethiopia,  exhibiting  the  peculiar  charac- 
teristics of  the  race  thus  far  doomed  to  servitude.  A  few  of  the  de- 
scendants of  these  slaves  are  still  living  in  and  about  Concord.  Bears 
and  wolves  were  quite  numerous,  and  very  ti'oublesome  to  the  early 
settlers ;  and,  even  as  late  as  1772,  they  roved  around  the  wilderness  in 
the  vicinity  of  Concord,  satisfying  their  appetites  with  the  young  pigs, 
sheep,  and  the  poultry  of  the  inhabitants.  Crows,  too,  abounded,  and 
for  their  destruction,  and  that  of  the  wolves,  a  bounty  was  offered  by 
the  town.  Many  amusing  encounters  with  "  Bruin  "  are  related,  in  which 
the  inhabitants  exhibited  great  daring ;  "  Bruin  "  sometimes  got  the  best 
of  the  fight,  but  was  generally  worsted  in  the  end.  In  1774,  there  were 
two  companies  of  militia  in  Concord,  belonging  to  the  fifteenth  regiment 
—  Joshua  Abbot  being  captain  of  one,  and  Abiel  Chandler  of  the  other. 

At  the  period  of  the  American  Revolution,  1775,  Concord  con- 
tained 1,052  inhabitants,  who  early  manifested  their  hatred  of  British 
tyranny.  As  soon  as  news  of  the  Lexington  fight  was  received,  Cap- 
tain Abiel  Chandler  raised  a  volunteer  company  of  thirty-six  men  and 
marched  to  Cambridge,  ■^'^here  they  remained  a  fortnight;  and  in  the 
regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  John  Stark  were  three  companies 
from  Concord  and  neighboring  towns,  commanded  by  Captain  Gordon 
Hutchins,  Captain  Joshua  Abbot,  and  Captain  Aaron  Kinsman,  all  of 
whom  shared  in  the  glory  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  To  the  provin- 
cial "  congress,"  held  at  Exeter,  Timothy  Walker,  Jr.  was  chosen  as 
representative,  May  11th,  and  again  December  5th.  The  inhabitants 
were  entirely  unanimous  in  the  good  cause ;  for,  out  of  the  one   hun- 


NEW  HAMPSHIKE  —  CITY   OF   CONCORD.  453 

dred  and  fifty-six  inhabitants  capable  of  bearing  arms  in  March,  1776, 
not  one  of  them  was  returned  to  congress  as  favoring  the  cause  of  the 
mother  country.  The  following  year,  however,  several  were  suspected 
of  "  disaffection,"  and  they  were  immediately  advertised  as  "  Enemies 
to  the  United  States  of  America,"  while  several  of  them  were  confined 
in  jail  at  Exeter,  but  were  afterwards  released,  on  condition  of  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  which  was  done  by  all  except  John  Stevens.  A 
company  was  raised  for  the  relief  of  Ticonderoga ;  but  news  having 
arrived  of  the  evacuation  of  that  place,  the  company  was  disbanded. 
Probably  no  greater  evidence  need  be  cited  of  the  entire  unanimity  of  a 
people  in  a  good  cause,  than  that  exhibited  by  the  citizens  of  Concord 
when  called  on  to  enter  the  regiment  of  General  Stark  for  the  purpose 
of  cutting  off"  Burgoyne,  which  resulted  in  the  battle  of  Bennington. 
The  highest  enthusiasm  prevailed.^  Colonel  Hutchins,  hearing  that  it 
was  decided  to  raise  volunteers  for  the  general,  mounted  his  horse,  and 
rode  posthaste  for  Concord,  arriving  on  Sunday  afternoon  before  the 
close  of  pubhc  service.  He  dismounted  at  the  door  of  the  meeting- 
house, and  w^alked  up  the  aisle  of  the  church  while  Mr.  Walker  was 
preaching  his  sermon.  The  reverend  gentleman  paused,  asking  if 
Colonel  Hutchins  was  the  bearer  of  any  message  ?  "  Yes,"  replied  the 
colonel ;  "  General  Burgoyne,  with  his  army,  is  on  his  march  to  Albany. 
General  Stark  has  offered  to  take  the  command  of  New  Hampshire 
men;  and,  if  we  all  turn  out,  we  can  cut  off  Burgoyne's  march." — "  My 
hearers,"  said  Mr.  Walker,  "  those  of  you  who  are  willing  to  go,  better 
leave  at  once."  All  the  men  immediately  went  out,  and  many  of  them 
enlisted  on  the  spot  All  night  was  devoted  to  preparation,  and  a 
company  was  ready  to  march  next  morning.  Two  of  the  citizens  ^ 
pleaded  the  want  of  shoes  as  a  reason  why  they  could  not  go ;  but  these 
were  made  before  morning  by  Samuel  Thompson,  a  shoemaker. 
Twenty-eight  men  from  Concord  were  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Ben- 
nington, and  Colonel  Stickney  particularly  distinguished  himself,  and 
was  mentioned  by  General  Stark  in  his  despatches.  Another  company 
from  Concord,  under  Colonel  Gordon  Hutchins,  marched  to  the  scene  of 
conflict,  but  arrived  too  late  to  engage  in  the  battle.  Another  company, 
under  Captain  Joshua  Abbot,  marched  from  Concord  to  join  the  army 
at  Saratoga,  in   September,  1777.     In  fact,  the  inhabitants  of  Concord 

'  Jolin  Langdon,  in  tlio  ardor  of  his  patriotism,  said:  "  I  have  £3,000  in  money,  and 
fifty  hogsheads  of  rum,  and  I  will  pawn  m}'  house  and  plate  for  all  thej'  are  worth,  if 
General  Stark  will  take  command  of  the  Now  Hampshire  troops  to  cut  off'  Burgoyne  "  — 
adding,  "  If  we  gain  our  independence,  I  shall  be  repaid;  if  not,  it  matters  not  what  will 
become  of  my  property.''  —  Hlitory  of  Concord,  by  Kev.  Nathaniel  Bouton,  D.  D.,  p.  274. 

^  Phineas  Virgin,  and  Jonathan  Eastman,  Sen. 


454  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

participated  in  all  the  dangers,  sufferings,  and  glory,  incident  to  the 
war:  some  were  with  Washington  at  Valley  Forge;  some  shared  in  his 
victories  at  Princeton  and  Trenton ;  and  some  were  at  the  scene  of 
blood  in  Wyoming. 

Concord  w^as  the  place  of  meeting  for  the  convention  which  formed 
the  state  constitution,  in  1783.  In  what  was  called  the  "  Oxford  war  " 
(the  threatened  rupture  with  France),  and  in  the  war  of  1812,  Concord 
again  exhibited  her  patriotism,  entering  readily  into  the  requirements 
of  those  occasions. 

From  1785  to  the  period  of  the  adoption  of  the  city  charter  in  March, 
1853,  the  history  of  Concord  has  been  one  of  uninterrupted  progression. 
From  a  "  plantation  "  in  the  wilderness,  she  has  sprung  up  into  a  large 
and  thriving  city,  divided  into  seven  wards,  and  having  a  population,  at 
the  last  census,  of  nearly  nine  thousand,  which  has  now  considerably 
increased.  In  180-5,  it  became  the  permanent  seat  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire government ;  and,  in  1823,  the  county  seat  of  Merrimack. 

Concord  has  been  the  residence  of  many  individuals,  distinguished  in 
literature,  politics,  theology,  and  the  arts,  to  whom  a  passing  allusion 
may  not  be  inappropriate.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned,  Rev.  Tim- 
othy Walker,  the  first  jninister,  who  died  September  1,  1782;  Hon. 
Timothy  Walker,  his  son,  born  in  Concord  in  1737,  died  May  5,  1822 ; 
Benjamin  Holfe,  who  died  March  20,  1772 ;  Dr.  Ezra  Carter,  the  first 
physician,  who  died  September  17,  1767;  Dr.  Philip  Carrigain,  who 
died  in  1806  ;  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Thompson,  who  died  October  1,  1821 ; 
the  celebrated  Benjamin  Thompson  (better  known  as  Count  Rumford), 
who  resided  in  Concord  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  the  Revolution, 
and  Sarah,  Countess  of  Rumford,  his  daughter,  who  died  here  in  185$. 
Governor  Isaac  Hill,  who  died  in  1851, was  also  a  resident;  as  was  also 
John  Farmer  (distinguished  as  an  antiquarian  and  historian),  who  died 
in  1838  ;  Jonathan  Eastman,  Sen.,  was  born  here  June  10, 1746,  and  died 
October  19,  1834;  Colonel  Wilham  A.  Kent,  who  died  in  1840,  was 
father  of  ex-governor  Kent  of  Maine ;  and  Nathaniel  H.  Carter,  distin- 
guished as  a  poet  and  for  other  literary  attainments,  was  born  at  Con- 
cord in  1787,  and  died  in  France,  January  2,  1830.  Ex-president  Pierce 
was,  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  his  election  as  chief  magistrate  of  the 
republic,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Concord.  Many  more  might  be  men- 
tioned, and  much  might  be  written  of  the  lives  of  those  already 
enumerated. 

Concord  is  pleasantly  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Merrimack  river, 
and  comprises  40,919  acres,  of  which  about  1,800  are  water.  It  is 
situated  near  the  centre  of  the  state  from  east  to  west,  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  the  same  distance  from  the   Connecticut 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   CONCORD.  455 

river.  The  land  is  generally  good,  consisting  of  interval,  upland,  and 
plain.  The  interval  is  distinguished  for  its  extent,  beauty,  and  fertility, 
yielding  bountiful  crops  of  corn,  grass,  oats,  potatoes,  and  sometimes 
wheat.  The  uplands  are  somewhat  diverse  in  quahty,  being  also 
uneven,  rough,  and  hilly.  They  are,  however,  as  a  general  thing,  pro- 
ductive, forming  excellent  farms  and  good  pastures.  The  plains  are 
less  productive.  An  inexhaustible  supply  of  granite  exists  here,  large 
quantities  of  which  are  annually  quarried,  and  used  for  building  pur- 
poses in  Concord,  Boston,  and  other  parts  of  our  country.  Iron  ore  has 
also  been  found,  and  excellent  clay  for  making  bricks.  The  principal 
river  is  the  Merrimack,  which  flows  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
township  from  north  to  south,  dividing  it  near  the  centre.  Above 
Sewall's  island  is  a  considerable  fall,  but  no  available  water-power  until 
it  reaches  Turkey  and  Garvin's  falls.  The  river  is  subject  to  freshets ; 
and  sometimes,  during  heavy  rains  and  sudden  meltings  of  snow,  the 
whole  adjacent  interval  is  covered  with  water  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach.  The  Contoocook  river  passes  through  the  northwest  corner,  upon 
which  is  a  fertile  section  of  Concord,  affording  fine  mill  privileges  for 
more  than  a  mile  in  its  course.  The  Soucook  river  constitutes  the 
boundary  line  between  Concord  and  Pembroke,  —  is  very  crooked  and 
rapid,  affords  many  mill  privileges,  and  has  seven  bridges  across  it. 
There  are  seven  ponds  —  Turkey,  Horse-shoe,  Long,  Little  Turtle, 
Snow,  and  Hot-hole,  the  largest  of  which  are  Long  and  Turkey,  the 
former  covering  two  hundred  and  sixty-five,  and  the  latter  one  hundred 
and  seventy,  acres.  Hot-hole  pond  is  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  its 
bottom  has  never  been  reached. 

There  are  in  Concord  four  villages.  The  Main  village,  —  frequently 
called  "  The  Street,"  from  the  fact  that  in  early  times  the  houses  were 
all  built  on  one  street,  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  —  is  the  central 
place  for  business,  containing  most  of  the  public  buildings,  the  principal 
stores  for  trade,  and  shops  for  almost  every  variety  of  mechanical  pur- 
suit. There  are  here  ten  churches  —  Episcopal,  Unitarian,  Free-will 
Baptist,  Christian,  Methodist,  Universalist,  two  Congregational,  and  two 
Baptist ;  a  post-office,  and  seven  hotels,  several  of  which  are  considered 
the  largest  and  best  kept  in  the  state.  A  brief  enumeration  of  the  prin- 
cijjal  public  buildings  may  here  be  given.  The  Methodist  General  and 
Biblical  Institute  was  incorporated  in  1847,  and  occupies  the  old  "  North 
Church,"  which  was  fitted  up  in  1846,  by  the  liberality  of  the  citizens, 
and  conveyed  to  the  trustees  of  the  institute  for  purposes  of  instruc- 
tion. In  1854,  there  were  sixty-eight  students.  The  old  town-hall  and 
court-house  was  erected  in  1792,  and  enlarged  in  1823.  This  ancient 
edifice,  together  with  the  county  building,  built  in  1844,  of  brick,  has 


456  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


b 


given  place  to  the  new  city  hall,  finished  in  1856,  at  a  cost  of  about 
^60,000.  This  splendid  edifice  was  built  at  the  joint  expense  of 
the  city  and  county.  On  the  lower  floor  are  a  spacious  city  hall,  and 
rooms  for  city  offices.  In  the  second  story,  a  court  room,  rooms  for 
county  offices,  and  for  a  city  library.  Surmounting  the  building  is  a 
magnificent  dome,  which  furnishes  an  extensive  view  of  the  city  and 
adjacent  country. —  The  state  prison  is  situated  near  the  north  end  of 
Main  street,  and  was  first  built  in  1811-12,  but  has  since  been  greatly 
enlarged  and  improved.  The  prison  consists  of  four  buildings,  which, 
with  the  yard,  cover  an  area  of  two  acres,  surrounded  by  a  granite  wall. 
In  1854,  there  were  105  convicts  in  prison,  who  were  engaged  in  bed- 
stead-making, cabinet  work,  and  the  manufacture  of  shoes.  —  The 
county  jail  is  located  near  the  junction  of  Pleasant  and  Washington 
streets,  and  is  a  beautiful  edifice,  built  of  brick,  in  1852,  at  a  cost  of 
$11,000.  —  The  state  house,  commenced  in  1816  and  completed  in  1819, 
extends  from  Main  sti'eet  to  State  street,  its  grounds  being  beautifully 
ornamented  with  shade-trees.  The  centre  of  the  building  is  fifty  feet 
front  by  fifty-seven  in  depth ;  the  wings  are  each  thirty-eight  feet  in 
front  by  forty-nine  in  depth ;  the  whole  making  a  parallelogram  of  126 
feet  in  length  by  forty-nine  in  width,  with  the  addition  of  a  projection  in 
the  centre  of  each  front  of  four  feet.  The  exterior  walls  are  of  hammered 
granite ;  the  lot  on  which  it  stands  being  inclosed  on  two  sides  with  a 
solid  wall  of  hammered  stone  five  feet  in  height,  while  the  front  fences 
and  gates  are  of  cast-iron,  with  stone  posts  and  sills.  The  expense  of 
the  structure,  complete,  was  ^82,000.  The  chamber  for  the  representa- 
tives is  adorned  with  an  arched  ceiling  rising  thirty  feet  from  the  floor. 
The  senate  chamber  is  eighteen  feet  in  height.  The  building  also  con- 
tains the  council  chamber,  offices  for  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  the  adju- 
tant a'nd  attorney-generals,  with  a  spacious  room  occupied  as  the  state- 
library.  —  The  New  Hampshire  Asylum  for  the  Insane  is  beautifully  sit- 
uated on  an  eminence  on  Pleasant  street,  half  a  mile  from  the  state 
house.  It  has  been  enlarged  and  improved  since  its  erection  in  1841,  and 
is  now  capable  of  accommodating  225  patients.  It  is  a  noble  edifice,  an 
ornament  to  the  city  and  an  honor  to  the  state.  The  whole  number  of 
patients  admitted  from  its  opening  in  1842  to  June  1, 1857,  was  1,476.  — 
Another  building  worthy  of  mention  is  the  railroad  passenger  depot, 
near  the  centre  of  Main  street,  having  in  the  second  story  a  large  and 
spacious  hall,  and  excellent  accommodations  for  offices.  It  was  erected 
in  1849.  Contiguous  to  it  is  an  extensive  freight  depot,  and  all  the  nec- 
essary buildings  for  engines  and  cars,  and  for  machine  and  repair  shops. 
The  following  railroads  centre  at  this  depot :  the  Concord  Railroad,  the 
Northern  Railroad,  the  Boston,  Concord,   and   Montreal  Railroad,  the 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   CONCORD.  457 

Concord  and  Claremont  Railroad,  and  the  Portsmouth  and  Concord 
Raih-oad. 

About  three  miles  from  the  state  house  lies  the  West,  or  West  Par- 
ish, Village,  a  thriving  place,  having  a  station  of  the  Concord  and 
Claremont  Railroad,  a  Congregational  meeting-house,  two  school-houses, 
and  a  post-office.  Flannels  and  blankets  are  manufactured  here  to  a 
considerable  extent ;  and,  near  the  village,  is  the  town-farm  and  poor- 
house.  In  the  East  Village,  on  the  east  side  of  Merrimack  river,  about 
two  miles  from  the  state  house,  are  a  Congregational  meeting-house, 
two  school-houses,  a  post-office,  two  stores,  and  a  station  of  the  Boston, 
Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad. 

Fisherville  is  situated  chiefly  in  Concord,  and  is  about  six  miles 
north  from  the  main  village.  It  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  Contoo- 
cook  river,  near  its  junction  with  the  Merrimack,  and  derives  its  name 
from  the  Messrs.  Fisher  of  Boston,  who  are  proprietors  of  the  larger 
portion  of  the  water-power.  The  Contoocook  and  Penacook  mills,  for  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  cloth,  are  situated  in  this  village,  the  former 
having  been  erected  in  1836,  and  the  latter  in  1846.  The  former  is  five 
stories  high,  ninety-six  feet  long,  and  forty-two  wide ;  the  latter  is  three 
stories  high,  and,  including  the  two  wheel-houses,  370  feet  in  length. 
On  the  north  side  of  the  river  is  another  mill,  erected  in  1847  by  Deacon 
Almon  Harris,  which  is  three  stories  high,  seventy-five  feet  long,  and  forty 
wide  ;  it  manufactures  principally  woollen  goods.  The  village  is  thrifty 
and  growing,  having,  in  1840,  but  a  population  of  one  hundred,  which 
has  increased  to  about  two  thousand.  There  are  here  small  factories 
and  machine-shops  of  various  kinds,  a  post-office,  two  large  school- 
houses,  as  also  a  Baptist,  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Universalist 
society,  with  suitable  edifices  and  halls  for  worship. 

Concord  has  four  banks —  Merrimack  County,  capital,  ^80,000  ;  Me- 
chanics, $100,000;  State  Capital,  $150,000;  Union,  $100,000:  two 
savings  institutions  —  New  Hampshire  and  Concord;  three  fire  in- 
sm-ance  companies  —  Equitable  Mutual,  Union  Mutual,  and  Merri- 
mack County  Mutual,  several  other  companies  having  been  engaged 
in  operations  until  a  recent  period ;  five  newspapers  ^  —  New  Hamp- 
shire Patriot,  New  Hampshire  Statesman,  Congregational  Journal,  Inde- 
pendent Democrat,  and  Democratic  Standard.  Several  other  papers  have 
been  established,  but  are  not  now  in  existence.     Printing  is  one  of  the 

1  Tlio  first  newspaper  appeared  January  6,  1790,  and  was  called  tlie  Concord  Herald 
and  New  Hampshire  Intelligencer.  It  was  printed  on  a  sheet  fourteen  by  nine  inches, 
and  had  for  its  motto,  "  The  press  is  the  cradle  of  science,  the  nurse  of  genius,  and  the 
shield  of  liberty." 

VOL.  I.  39 


458  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

most  extensive  branches  of  business  in  Concord.  The  manufacture  of 
carriages,  boots  and  shoes,  and  musical  instruments,  is  carried  on  very 
extensively;  and  in  the  former,  Concord  is  said  to  be  unrivalled.  There 
are  twenty-two  school  districts,  and  five  post-offices  —  Concord,  West 
Concord,  Mast  Yard,  East  Concord,  and  Fisherville.  Population  in 
1850,  8,584;  present  population,  about  11,500;  valuation,  ^4,176,369. 

Conway,  Carroll  county,  anciently  called  Pequawket,  is  bounded  on 
the  east  by  Fryeburg,  Maine,  and  is  seventy-two  miles  from  Concord. 
It  is  very  pleasantly  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Saco  river.  Daniel 
Foster  received  a  grant  of  this  town  in  the  year  1675,  the  grantees 
agreeing  to  pay,  for  ten  years,  one  ear  of  Indian  corn  annually.  In  the 
year  1764,  the  first  settlers  —  James  and  Benjamin  Osgood,  John  Do- 
loff,  and  Ebenezer  Burbank  —  came  in,  building  their  cabins  on  the  inter- 
vals along  the  banks  of  the  Saco,  a  rather  hazardous  position,  on  account 
of  the  sudden  rises  of  that  river,  which  fact  was  fully  exemplified  in 
the  year  1800,  when  the  "  great  freshet "  took  place,  which  swept  houses 
and  barns  away  in  its  course.  The  settlers  came  principally  from  Dur- 
ham and  Lee,  the  glowing  accounts  of  the  richness  of  the  soil,  the  plen- 
tifulness  of  game,  and  the  abundance  of  fish  and  fowl,  being  the  prin- 
cipal inducements  for  removing  to  this  "land  of  promise."  This  was 
formerly  the  site  of  an  Indian  settlement ;  and  it  was  with  envious  eyes 
that  the  savages  beheld  the  inroads  of  the  white  man  upon  their  favorite 
haunts. 

The  soil  of  Conway  is  plain,  upland,  and  interval,  —  the  larger  portion 
being  of  the  latter,  —  tracts  of  which  extend  through  its  entire  length, 
from  fifty  to  two  hundred  rods  wide,  the  surface  having  been  formerly 
covered  with  white  pine  and  rock  maple.  With  perseverance,  all  the 
land  will  yield  good  crops ;  but  the  greater  part  of  it  is  easy  of  cultiva- 
tion. Situated  on  the  northeastern  side  of  the  Saco  river  are  three  con- 
siderable elevations,  known  as  Pine,  Rattlesnake,  and  Green  Hills. 
Swift  and  Pequawket  rivers  discharge  themselves  into  the  Saco  in  this 
town.  The  largest  collections  of  water  are  Walker's  and  Pequawket 
ponds,  the  latter  being  360  rods  in  circumference ;  there  is  also  a  spring 
strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur. 

The  scenery  in  Conway  is  probably  the  grandest  and  most  pictur- 
esque of  any  in  New  England,  and  has  received  the  highest  encomi- 
ums from  the  pens  of  travellers.  A  writer  says :  "  One  who  visits 
the  Conway  meadows  sees  the  original  of  half  the  pictures  that  have 
been  shown  in  our  art-rooms  the  last  two  years.  All  our  landscape 
])ainters  must  try  their  hands  at  that  perfect  gem  of  New  England 
scenery.      One  feels,  in  standing  on  that  green  plain,  with  the  music  of 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OE    CONWAY.  459 

the  Saco  in  his  ears,  hemmed  in  by  the  broken  lines  of  its  guardian 
ridges,  and  looking  up  to  the  distant  summit  of  Mount  Washington, 
that  he  is  not  in  any  county  of  New  Hampshire,  not  in  any  namable 
latitude  of  this  rugged  earth,  but  in  the  world  of  pure  beauty  —  the 
adytum  of  the  temple,  where  God  is  to  be  worshipped  as  the  infinite 
Artist,  in  joy."  Willey,  in  his  "  Incidents  in  White  Mountain  Scenery," 
says :  "  The  mountains  in  Conway,  and  those  on  her  borders,  are 
among  the  most  important  things  pertaining  to  her  location.  To  appre- 
ciate this  fully,  you  have  but  to  take  a  position  somewhere  on  the  main 
road  about  three  miles  south  of  Bartlett,  standing  with  your  face  to  the 
north.  On  your  right  will  stretch  up  a  line  of  mountains,  from  Rattle- 
snake mountain,  situated  about  southeast,  to  Pequawket  or  Kearsarge, 
on  the  northeast.  Sweeping  round  from  this,  you  pass  over  Thorn  and 
Double-head  and  Black  mountains  till  you  come  at  length  to  the  long 
range  of  the  Motes,  that  separate  Conway  from  Upper  Bartlett.  From 
this  point  you  follow  them  down  on  your  left  till  you  come  to  their  ter- 
minus, at  a  point  in  the  heavens  about  southwest  from  where  you  stand. 
It  is  a  gtand  post  of  observation  to  occupy  at  any  time  of  the  year ;  but, 
keep  it  through  the  season,  and  you  get  a  view  of  scenes  which,  for 
majesty  and  beauty,  can  scarcely  anywhere  else  be  obtained.  In  winter 
you  will  see  a  parapet  of  mountains  around  you,  shorn  indeed  of  their 
summer  attractions,  but  still  commanding  your  attention  from  the  naked 
and  unadorned  sublimity  of  their  appearance.  Pequawket  will  rise  up 
before  you,  like  an  old  sentinel  who  has  stood  his  post  for  centuries, 
amidst  the  many  lightnings  and  storms  that  have  beat  his  defenceless 
head."  This  mountain  is  ascended  from  North  Conway.  On  the  western 
bank  of  the  Saco,  opposite  this  place,  are  two  very  high  ledges.  The 
most  northerly,  sometimes  called  "  Hart's  Looking-glass,"  rises,  nearly 
perpendicular,  650  feet.  The  other,  called  White  Horse  Ledge,  from 
presenting  the  illusion  of  a  white  horse  dashing  up  its  steep,  is  950 
feet  high. 

Of  late  years,  Conway  has  become  a  very  fashionable  resort  during 
the  summer  months,  and  the  hotels  and  farmers'  houses  are  crowded 
with  visitors  till  the  middle  of  September.  The  air  is  fine  and  salubri- 
ous, the  mountain  streams  abound  with  trout,  and  some  of  the  ponds 
with  pickerel ;  so  that  altogether  the  advantages  for  health  and  recrea- 
tion are  abundant,  and  of  the  best  kind.  The  town  contains  four  vil- 
lages —  North  Conway,  Kearsarge,  Chatauque,  and  Centre  Conway ; 
four  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Union ; 
twenty  school  districts,  an  academy,  and  a  seminary ;  and  three  post- 
offices  —  Conway,  North  Conway,  and  Conway  Centre  :  also,  thirteen 
stores,  two  carriage  factories,  two  flouring  mills,  three  grist-mills,  one 


460  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

paper  mill,  a  large  tannery,  and  several  mills  for  the  manufacture  of 
clapboards  and  shingles.     Population,  1,767 ;  valuation,  $426,468. 

Coo's  County,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  bounded  on  the  west 
by  the  Connecticut  river,  has  an  area  of  about  1,950  square  miles.  It 
was  created  by  act  of  the  legislature,  December  24,  1803,  in  which  it  is 
thus  described :  "  Coos  county  shall  contain  all  the  lands  and  waters 
situated  northerly  of  the  line  hereinafter  mentioned  and  described 
within  this  state,  which  line  is  considered  as  beginning  on  the  westerly 
bank  of  Connecticut  river,  at  the  southwesterly  corner  of  Dalton,  and 
running  on  the  westerly  and  southerly  line  of  Dalton  to  Whitefield ; 
thence  on  the  westerly  and  southerly  line  of  Whitefield  to  Bretton 
woods  (Carroll);  thence  on  the  westerly  and  southerly  line  of  Bretton 
woods  to  the  southeasterly  corner  thereof ;  thence  southerly  on  a  straight 
line  across  the  unlocated  lands  to  the  line  of  the  county  of  Strafford,  at 
the  northwesterly  corner  of  Tamworth  ;  thence  on  the  line  of  the  county 
of  Strafford  to  the  line  of  the  district  of  Maine."  It  contains  twenty- 
five  towns,  Lancaster  being  the  shire  town.  Since  1840,  two  towns 
and  one  plantation  have  been  taken  from  it  and  given  to  Carroll. 

Coos  is,  in  extent  of  territory,  the  largest  county  in  the  state,  and  has 
most  of  the  ungranted  lands  within  its  boundaries.  Owing  to  the  ex- 
ceedingly mountainous  character  of  the  country,  much  of  the  land  must 
ever  remain  unsettled.  Along  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  and  other 
streams,  there  are  large  tracts  of  interval,  which  are  very  fertile.  In  the 
south  part  of  the  county  are  situated  the  principal  elevations  of  the 
White  Mountain  range,  other  summits  of  the  same  range  showing  their 
isolated  heads  in  various  parts.  The  Connecticut,  Androscoggin,  and 
Saco  rivers  have  their  origin  in  this  county  ;  besides  which  there  are  a 
variety  of  other  streams  of  lesser  magnitude,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  Mohawk,  Aramonoosuc,  Israel's,  and  John's  rivers. 
Part  of  the  Umbagog  lake  lies  in  the  county.  The  Atlantic  and  St. 
Lawrence  Railroad  passes  through  the  south  part  of  Coos.  The  name 
is  of  Indian  origin,  and  signifies  "  pines,"  with  which  the  county  is 
much  covered. 

Coos  county  belongs  to  the  fifth  judicial  district.  A  law  terra  of  the 
supreme  judicial  court  is  held  annually  at  Lancaster  on  the  third 
Tuesday  of  July  ;  and  two  terms  each  for  this  court  and  the  common 
pleas  are  held  annually,  both  commencing  on  the  first  Tuesdays  of 
May  and  November.     Population,  11,853;  valuation,  $3,326,774. 

Cornish,  Sullivan  county,  is  situated  on  Connecticut  river,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  state,  and  is  fifty  miles  from  Concord.     Rev.  Samuel 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   CROYDON.  461 

McClintock  of  Greenfield,  and  sixty-nine  others,  received  the  grant  of 
this  territory,  June  21,  1763,  and  settlements  were  commenced  by  emi- 
grants chiefly  from  Sutton,  Mass.,  in  1765,  the  family  of  Moses  Chase 
being  the  first  in  town.  A  camp,  for  many  years  known  as  the  "  Mast 
Camp,"  was  found  erected  when  the  first  settlers  came  in.  It  had  been 
used  by  a  company  employed  in  procuring  spars  for  the  royal  navy ; 
but  was  occupied  by  a  Mr.  Dyke  and  his  family  when  the  settlers 
arrived.  Daniel  Putnam,  afterwards  a  respectable  inhabitant  of  the 
town,  resided  here  the  year  previous.  Cornish  was  one  of  the  sixteen 
towns  which  seceded  from  New  Hampshire  and  joined  Vermont  in 
1778 ;  and  it  was  here  that  a  convention  of  delegates  from  several  towns 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  assembled  December  9,  1778,  and  made  pro- 
posals to  New^  Hampshire  regarding  the  settlement  of  a  dividing  line. 
Salmon  P.  Chase,  governor  of  Ohio,  Rt.  Rev.  Carlton  Chase,  bishop  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  New  Hampshire,  and  Caleb  Chase,  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  of  Boston,  were  born  in  Cornish. 

The  surface  of  Cornish  is  hilly,  with  the  exception  of  that  part  lying 
on  the  river ;  but  the  soil  is  generally  fertile  and  productive  in  the  sev- 
eral varieties  of  grain  and  vegetables  peculiar  to  this  latitude.  Farming 
is  the  principal  occupation,  and  the  inhabitants  are  in  good  circum- 
stances. Connecticut  river  waters  the  western  part,  and,  by  means  of  a 
bridge,  connects  Cornish  with  Windsor,  Vt.  Blow-me-down  and  Bri- 
ant's  brooks  are  the  only  streams  of  magnitude,  and  afford  a  few  good 
mill  privileges.  On  the  latter  stream,  silver  ore  has  been  discovered ; 
and  spruce-yellow  paint  has  been  found  in  considerable  quantities  on 
the  bottom  and  along  the  margin  of  the  brook.  Cornish  has  one  village, 
called  the  Flats :  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  Meth- 
odist, and  Episcopal ;  sixteen  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  -^ 
Cornish  and  Cornish  Flats :  also,  two  grist-mills,  five  saw-mills,  one 
tannery,  and  two  carriage  manufactories.  Population,  1,606 ;  valuation, 
$587,748. 

Croydon,  Sullivan  county,  is  situated  on  the  highlands  between  the 
Connecticut  and  Merrimack  rivers,  and  is  forty-four  miles  from  Concord, 
in  a  northwesterly  direction.  It  was  incorporated  May  31,  1763,  and 
was  granted  to  Samuel  Chase,  and  sixty-four  others,  under  the  usual 
conditions.  The  settlement  was  commenced,  in  1766,  by  Moses  Whip- 
ple, Seth  Chase,  David  Warren,  Ezekiel  Powers,  and  perhaps  some 
others,  from  Grafton,  Mass.  Seth  Chase's  family  was  the  first  here. 
Privations  and  hardships  were  endured  by  the  first  settlers,  but  Indian 
depredations  were  unknown ;  in  fact,  it  is  believed  that  no  permanent 
Indian   settlement  was  ever  made  here,  as  no  vestiges  of  their  habita- 

39* 


462  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

tions  have  been  discovered.  Some  stone  utensils,  such  as  chisels, 
gouges,  and  tomahawks,  have  come  to  light,  which  give  evidence  that 
at  least  they  visited  the  vicinity.  The  inhabitants  of  Croydon  lent  their 
aid  to  the  struggle  which  resulted  in  the  independence  of  the  American 
colonies,  and  many  of  them  took  an  active  part  in  the  battles  incidental 
to  the  contest,  remaining  in  active  service  till  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 
The  shape  of  this  town  was  originally  square,  but  additions  from 
it  in  1808  and  1809,  in  the  one  case  to  the  territory  of  Grantham,  and 
in  the  other  to  that  of  Cornish,  have  somewhat  altered  its  form  and 
lessened  its  dimensions.  The  surface  is  hilly  and  uneven,  and  is,  in 
many  cases,  covered  with  huge  masses  of  granite.  The  soil,  with  the 
exception  of  the  alluvial  lands  near  Sugar  river,  is  generally  hard  and 
unproductive.  Croydon  mountain,  the  highest  land  in  Sullivan  county, 
extends  across  the  western  part.  Pine  hill,  taking  its  name  from  its 
having  been  covered  with  pine  timber,  lies  in  the  eastern  part.  The 
town  is  watered  by  the  north  branch  of  Sugar  river,  and  by  a  number  of 
ponds,  the  principal  of  which  are  Long,  Rocky-bound,  Governor's,  and 
Spectacle.  The  inhabitants  are  generally  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  in  the  raising  of  cattle.  There  are  three  churches —  Congrega- 
tionalist,  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  ten  school  districts,  and  two  post-' 
offices  —  Croydon  and  Croydon  Flat :  also,  one  small  woollen  factory, 
two  grist-mills,  one  starch  factory,  two  cabinet  shops,  one  wheelwright 
shop,  and  two  stores.     Population,  861 ;  valuation,  $276,205. 

Dalton,  in  the  western  part  of  Coos  county,  on  the  easterly  side  of 
Connecticut  river,  contains  16,455  acres,  and  is  110  miles  north  of 
Concord.  Moses  Blake  and  Walter  Bloss  first  settled  Dalton,  and, 
with  theii-  families,  were  for  a  length  of  time  the  only  inhabitants. 
Coffin  Moore  was  also  an  early  settler.  The  act  of  incorporation  of 
Dalton  was  passed  November  4,  1784,  the  name  having  been  given  in 
honor  of  Hon.  Tristi-am  Dalton,  a  grantee.  The  Fifteen  Mile  Falls  in 
Connecticut  river  commence  here,  and  flow  tumultuously  along  the 
northwestern  border.  Water  is  supplied  by  John's  river  and  several 
large  brooks.  Blake's  pond  is  the  only  one  in  the  town.  Some  of 
the  land  is  even,  while  that  in  the  western  and  southern  parts  is  broken, 
the  soil  generally  being  deep  and  fertile.  It  was  originally  covered  with 
a  heavy  growth  of  maple,  beech,  birch,  and  ash.  Along  the  shores  of 
John's  river  the  White  pine  is  abundant. 

Dalton  has  one  village,  called  Summerville  ;  one  church  edifice  — 
Methodist;  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post-office:  also,  two  stores 
and  three  saw-mills.  The  AVliite  Mountain  Railroad  passes  through  the 
eastern  part  of  the  town.     Population,  751 ;  valuation,  $178,583. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN  OF  DANBDRY,  ETC.  463 

Danbl'RY,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  having  the 
Northern  Raih'oad  passing  through  near  its  centre,  is  thirty  miles  from 
Concord,  and  contains  nineteen  thousand  acres.  The  first  settlers 
commenced  operations  about  November,  1771,  in  the  eastern  part,  and 
gradually  extended  over  the  whole  tract  of  territory.  It  was  incorpo- 
rated June  18,  1795.  The  face  of  the  town  is  mostly  hilly,  with  a  con- 
siderable eminence  in  the  northeast  part.  Smith's  river  waters  the 
eastern  section,  where  there  is  some  good  interval.  The  raising  of 
cattle  and  sheep  engages  a  large  part  of  the  attention  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. There  are  a  Congregational,  a  Methodist,  and  a  Baptist  so- 
ciety; ten  school  districts,  with  a  high  school;  and  two  post-offices  — 
Danbury  and  South  Danbury :  also,  seven  saw-mills,  two  shingle,  lath 
and  clapboard  mills,  three  stores,  and  one  tannery.  Population,  934 ; 
valuation,  $253,253. 

Danville,  in  the  centre  of  Rockingham  county,  was  first  settled 
between  the  years  1735  and  1739.  The  names  of  Jonathan  Sanborn 
and  Jacob  Hook  are  found  among  those  that  lived  here  at  that  time. 
The  town  was  formerly  a  part  of  Kingston,  which  it  adjoins  on  the 
east.  It  was  incorporated  February  22,  1760,  receiving  the  name  of 
Hawke,  said  to  have  been  given  in  honor  of  a  gentleman  somewhat 
distinguished  in  the  mother  country,  which  was  changed  to  that  of  Dan- 
ville, agreeably  to  a  request  of  the  citizens,  by  the  legislature,  in  June, 
1836.  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  people  engaged  with  ardor 
in  the  general  conflict  for  the  "  inalienable  rights "  of  man.  Several 
became  soldiers  in  the  army.  At  one  time,  there  were  two  vacancies  in 
the  board  of  selectmen,  they  having  enlisted  in  the  service.  Dr.  Thomas 
Stowe  Ranney  was,  in  1774,  chosen  to  sit  in  a  convention  at  Exeter 
for  the  purpose  of  choosing  delegates  to  the  general  congress,  which  was 
to  be  holden  at  Philadelphia  in  September  of  that  year.  It  was  agreed 
also  to  pay  the  proportion  of  the  expense  of  the  said  delegate  at 
congress.  This  was  raised  at  the  meeting  by  subscription,  the  sum 
being  thirty-five  shillings  lawful  money.  At  a  meeting,  held  in  January, 
1775,  the  following  resolution  was  passed:  "  That  the  most  grateful 
acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  truly  honorable,  patriotic  members  of 
the  late  continental  congress,  for  their  assiduity  in  so  nobly  defending 
and  supporting  the  right  of  America  against  the  wicked  machinations 
of  an  abandoned  ministry  to  enslave  us  and  our  posterity.  We  are  so 
far  from  subscribing  to  the  authority  of  parliament  to  abridge  us  of  our 
privileges,  that,  if  death  must  be  our  portion  in  the  defence  of  them,  we 
are  ready  to  sacrifice  our  lives  for  liberty."  It  appears  that  this  town 
was  classed  with  Sandown  in  the  choice  of  a  representative  in  1776, 


464:  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  they  have  ever  since  been  thus  united.  The  meeting  was  holdcn 
at  Hawke,  June  26,  and  Moses  Colby  was  chosen  to  represent  the  two 
parishes  in  the  general  assembly  of  the  colony. 

The  land  in  Danville  is  rather  broken,  and  hard  to  cultivate.  But 
considerable  attention  has  been  given  to  improvements  in  agriculture, 
and  the  industrious  farmers  generally  obtain  good  crops.  In  the  north- 
erly part,  there  is  a  large  swell  of  the  best  kind  of  land.  It  is  elevated, 
and  the  view  of  the  surrounding  scenery  for  many  miles  is  exceedingly 
interesting. 

The  first  church — Congregational  —  was  organized  quite  early,  but 
the  precise  date  is  unknown.  The  Rev.  John  Page  was  settled  over  it, 
December  21,  1763,  and  continued  the  pastor  until  his  death,  January 
29,  1783.  The  Baptists,  Free-will  Baptists,  and  Methodists  had  preach- 
ing at  intervals  from  an  early  period,  until,  in  1841,  their  efforts  were 
merged  into  a  Union  organization.  There  are  therefore  two  church 
edifices  —  Congregational  and  Union ;  four  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office :  also,  three  saw-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  and  one  box  mill. 
Population,  614 ;  valuation,  $200,484. 

Deerfield,  in  the  northern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  eighteen 
miles  from  Concord,  contains  28,254  acres,  and  was  formerly  a  part  of 
Nottingham,  having  been  incorporated  January  8,  1766.  The  name 
originated  probably  from  the  great  number  of  deer  found  in  the  vicinity. 
While  the  petition  for  incorporation  was  before  the  legislature,  a 
Mr.  Batchelder  killed  a  deer  and  presented  it  to  Governor  Wentworth, 
who  in  return  delivered  to  him  the  town  charter  with  its  present  name. 
Settlements  were  commenced,  in  1756  and  1758,  by  John  Robertson, 
Jacob  Smith,  Isaac  Shepard,  Benjamin  Batchelder,  Benjamin  Butler, 
Joseph  Mills,  Andrew  Freese,  Daniel  Page,  Samuel  Perkins,  Thomas 
Jcnness,  Jeremiah  Eastman,  Nathaniel  Weare,  John  James,  and  David 
Haynes.  The  prevalence  of  the  Indian  wars  obliged  the  settlers  to 
make  their  homes  in  garrisons ;  but,  happily,  no  serious  depredations 
were  committed  by  the  savages.  Eighteen  persons  from  this  town 
lost  their  lives  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Hon.  Richard  Jenness  and 
Colonel  Joseph  Mills  were  distinguished  residents.  The  former  was 
a  representative,  magistrate,  and  judge  of  the  common  pleas,  and  died 
July  4,  1819,  aged  seventy-three ;  the  latter  was  an  officer  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  subsequently  a  magistrate  and  representative,  and  died 
June,  1809,  aged  sixty. 

Deerfield  has  an  uneven  surface  and  a  fertile  soil,  though  requiring 
some  exertion  to  cultivate.  The  principal  eminences  are  tlie  Pawtuck- 
away,  between   Deerfield   and    Nottingham,  the    highest    elevation    of 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  DEERING.  465 

which  is  892  feet ;  the  Saddleback,  between  Deerfield  and  Northwood, 
1,072  feet  high,  and  Fort  mountain  on  the  west.  The  south  and  south- 
east part  is  watered  by  one  of  the  branches  of  Lamprey  river.  Pleasant 
pond,  a  beautiful,  clear  body  of  water,  lies  partly  here;  and  Shingle 
pond,  possessing  fish  of  various  kinds,  lies  in  the  southwest  part. 
In  the  west  part  is  a  remarkable  body  of  water,  called  Moulton's 
pond,  having  no  visible  inlet,  and  the  bottom  of  which  has  never  been 
reached.  It  is  supposed  to  be  supplied  by  a  subterraneous  passage, 
there  being  always  about  the  same  amount  of  water  in  it.  It  has  two 
outlets,  one  running  north  into  Suncook  river,  and  the  other  into  Lam- 
prey river.  A  cave,  called  the  "  Indian  Camp,"  with  irregular  sides, 
and  having  its  top  surmounted  by  a  sheet  of  granite  projecting  about 
fourteen  feet,  lies  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  on  the  southerly  side  of 
Nottingham  mountain.  On  the  east  side  of  this  curious  freak  of 
nature  is  a  flight  of  steps,  or  stones  resembling  steps,  by  which  persons 
may  readily  ascend  to  the  summit  of  the  rock.  Iron  ore,  terra  sienna, 
plumbago,  and  other  minerals,  are  found  here.  For  some  time,  reports 
or  explosions,  which  are  apparently  subterraneous  and  of  a  volcanic  or 
gaseous  nature,  have  been  prevalent  in  Deerfield.  They  are  more 
frequent  in  the  fall  than  at  any  other  season  of  the  year. 

Deerfield  has  three  small  villages  —  Deerfield  Parade,  Deerfield 
Centre,  and  South  Deerfield ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Baptist,  and  Free-will  Baptist;  fourteen  school  districts,  and  a  high 
school ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Deerfield,  Deerfield  Centre,  and  South 
Deerfield :  also,  two  large  shoe  manufactories,  five  saw-mills,  five 
shingle,  clapboard,  and  lath  mills,  four  grist-mills,  four  carding  machines, 
and  ten  stores.     Population,  2,022 ;  valuation,  ^619,922. 

Deering,  in  the  northern  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  is  twenty-three 
miles  from  Concord,  and  contains  20,057  acres.  It  was  incorporated 
January  17,  1774,  receiving  its  name  in  honor  of  the  wife  of  Governor 
John  Wentworth  —  Frances  Deering  Wentworth,  of  Portsmouth.  About 
the  year  1765  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  commenced.  Alex- 
ander Robinson,  William  M'Kean,  William  Forsaith,  Thomas  Aiken, 
William  Aiken,  Francis  Grimes,  and  others,  from  Amherst,  Chester, 
Londonderry,  and  Newbury,  were  the  earliest  inhabitants.  The  first 
religious  society  formed  was  the  Congregational,  in  December,  1789. 
The  surface  abounds  in  hills  and  valleys,  well  suited  to  agricultural 
purposes.  There  are  four  ponds,  called  Dudley's,  Gregg's,  Chase's,  and 
Mud,  the  largest  of  which  is  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  town, 
being  one  hundred  and  eighty  rods  long  and  sixty-five  wide.  Contoo- 
cook  river  lies  on  the  west,  and  a  branch  of  Piscataquog  river  enters  on 


466  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  east.  Plumbago  has  been  found  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 
There  are  two  church  edifices  —  one  occupied  by  the  Congregation- 
alists,  and  the  other  by  the  Baptists  and  Methodists ;  ten  school 
districts,  with  a  high  school ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  two  saw-mills, 
one  clothing  mill,  one  ■  grist-mill,  and  two  stores.  Population,  890 ; 
valuation,  |404,814. 

Derry,  in  the  western  part  of  Rockingham  county,  adjoins  London- 
derry, of  which  it  composed  a  part  until  1828,  when  it  was  incorporated. 
All  that  is  valuable  in  point  of  history  will  be  found  embodied  in  the 
article  on  Londonderry.  Derry  contains  22,600  acres  of  excellent  farm- 
ing land,  the  surface  in  the  eastern  part  being  undulating.  Here  there 
are  some  valuable  farms,  as  well  as  good  timber  lands.  Apples  are  pro- 
duced in  abundance,  and  most  of  the  orchards  are  composed  of  grafted 
trees.  There  are  four  natural  ponds,  called  Beaver,  Upper  Shields, 
Lower  Shields,  and  Island,  part  of  the  latter  lying  in  Hampstead  and 
Atkinson.  Beaver  brook  is  the  most  considerable  stream  in  Derry,  and 
issues  from  Beaver  pond,  emptying  into  the  Merrimack  at  Dracut 
There  are  three  villages  - —  Derry,  East  Derry,  and  Depot  Village  ;  three 
churches  —  Presbyterian,  Congregational,  and  Methodist ;  two  acade- 
mies —  Pinkerton  Academy,  and  Adams  Female  Academy,  the  former 
having  a  fund  of  $16,000,  and  the  latter  $4,000  ;  twelve  school  districts, 
one  bank  (capital  $60,000),  one  post-office,  and  three  saw-mills.  The 
Manchester  and  Lawrence  Railroad  passes  through  this  town.  Popu- 
lation, 1,850  ;  valuation,  $708,240. 

DixviLLB  is  a  wild,  uneven,  unincorporated  township  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Coos  county,  which  was  granted  in  1805  and  1810  to  Colonel 
Timothy  Dix,  Jr.,  of  Boscawen.  It  had  twelve  inhabitants  in  1810,  one 
of  whom  was  the  proprietor  ;  and  in  1820  this  not  extraordinarily  large 
population  dwindled  down  to  the  meagre  immber  of  two.  There  are 
31,023  acres  in  the  township,  some  of  which  is  suitable  for  agriculture, 
though  the  major  part  is  a  sterile,  rocky,  inhospitable  region,  covered 
with  thick  woods.  Numerous  streams  of  water  from  the  surrounding 
heights  course  through  the  town.  The  Dixville  Notch,  a  considerable 
gap  in  the  mountains,  walled  on  each  side  by  immense  and  almost  per- 
pendicular columns  of  mica  slate,  vises  to  a  height  of  seven  or  eight  hun- 
dred feet  in  sharply  defined  pinnacles,  with  here  and  there  a  straggling 
spruce  or  birch  tree  hanging  to  some  knotty  spur,  or  springing  from 
some  deep  fissure,  in  defiance  of  the  sliding  avalanche  and  of  almost 
utter  sterility.  The  road  winds  through  the  Notch,  and  continues  on 
some  twenty  miles  through  primitive  scenery  of  the  most  romantic  char- 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    DOECHESTEE,    ETC.  467 

anter  to  the  Umbagog  lakes,  and  is  the  principal  route  of  travel. 
The  Flume,  a  chasm  twenty  feet  deep  and  ten  wide,  caused  by  the 
decay  of  a  large  trap  dyke,  lies  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Notch,  and  is  the 
channel  through  which  flows  a  stream  of  water.  Both  these  are  curi- 
osities in  nature  which  are  worthy  of  inspection,  being  wild  and  grand 
in  the  extreme.  This  immense  territory  was  occupied  in  1850  by  eight 
inhabitants  —  Robinson  Crusoes  in  a  small  way.     Valuation,  $11,000. 

DoECHESTEE,  Grafton  county,  lies  among  the  highlands  between  the 
Connecticut  and  Merrimack  rivers,  fifty  miles  from  Concord.  The  first 
two  charters  of  this  town  were  forfeited  by  the  non-fulfilment  of  their 
conditions.  The  third  was  granted  May  1, 1772,  to  seventy-two  persons, 
and  the  settlement  began  about  the  same  time.  The  first  inhabitants 
were  Benjamin  Rice  and  Stephen  Murch,  from  Hanover,  originally  from 
Connecticut.  The  settlement  advanced  slowly,  and  there  are  still  large 
tracts  of  land  uncleared. 

The  south  branch  of  Baker's  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Mascomy,  and 
Rocky  Branch,  are  the  most  noted  streams.  Church  Island  and  ]V']*c- 
Cutcher  ponds,  which  form  the  head  waters  of  the  Rocky  Branch ;  and 
Little,  Norris,  and  Smart's  ponds,  -which  form  the  head-waters  of  the 
Mascomy  river,  lie  partly  in  Dorchester.  Smart's  mountain,  a  portion 
of  which  is  in  this  town,  is  a  considerable  elevation,  its  summit  afford- 
ing a  pleasing  panorama  of  the  adjacent  country,  the  green  hills  of  Ver- 
mont, and  the  circuitous  route  of  the  Connecticut.  The  soil  is  fertile, 
especially  in  the  intervals ;  but  the  highlands  are  rocky  and  uneven. 
There  are  two  church  edifices — Congregational  and  Baptist;  eleven 
school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Dorchester  and  North  Dorches- 
ter :  also,  eleven  saw-mills,  several  clapboard  and  shingle  mills,  having  a 
capital  of  $28,000.  Charcoal  is  manufactured  to  a  considerable  extent. 
Population,  711 ;  valuation,  $194,165. 

DovEE,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Strafford  county,  is  forty  miles  from 
Concord.  On  a  spring  day  in  1623,  a  vessel,  whose  name  is  now  lost, 
landed,  upon  the  western  shore  of  the  Piscataqua,  two  parties  sent  out 
by  the  company  of  Laconia.  One  party,  consisting  of  Edward  and 
William  Hilton  (brothers),  with  a  few  other  persons,  took  possession  of 
the  beautiful  neck  of  land  lying  between  the  Newichawannock  and  Bel- 
lamy rivers,  some  six  miles  up  the  Piscataqua ;  and,  with  the  necessaries 
which  they  had  brought  with  them,  began  the  settlement,  which,  in 
1639,  received  the  name  of  Dover;  in  1640,  that  of  Northam;  and,  in 
1641,  that  of  Dover  again,  which  it  has  since  borne.  Possibly  other  set- 
tlers came  over  in  the  years  immediately  following  1623 ;  but,  in  1631, 


468  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

there  were  only  three  houses  in  all  that  part  of  the  Piscataqua.  In  that 
year  Captain  Thomas  Wiggin  was  sent  over  by  the  patentees ;  in  1632 
he  returned  to  England,  and  in  1633  he  came  back  (under  the  auspices 
of  a  new  company,  of  which  Lords  Say  and  Brook  were  prominent 
members),  with  "about  thirty  settlers,"  some  of  Avhom  were  "of  good 
estates  and  some  account  for  religion,"  and  others  of  no  particular  ac- 
count for  either.  These  settlers,  landing  at  Salem,  from  the  ship  James, 
October  10,  1633,  proceeded  immediately  to  Dover,  and  took  up  small 
lots  upon  Dover  Neck,  "  where  they  intended  to  build  a  compact  town." 
Captain  Wiggin,  by  authority  from  the  owners  in  England,  distributed 
these  lots,  recorded  the  titles,  transacted  the  company's  business  gener- 
ally, and  "  had  the  power  of  a  governor  hereabouts."  In  the  same  band 
came  Rev.  William  Leveridge,  "  an  able  and  worthy  Puritan  minister." 
The  inhabitants  immediately  erected  a  meeting-house ;  and,  with  the 
brewery,  the  tan  pits,  and  other  means  of  practical  crafts  which  soon 
followed,  Dover  began  its  organized  existence. 

In  addition  to  the  original  purposes  of  the  settlement  (fishing),  trade 
with  the  Indians  and  the  manufacture  of  lumber  soon  followed.  Both 
of  these  were  mainly  in  connection  with  the  settlement  of  Richard  Wal- 
derne  (whose  descendants  bear  the  name  of  Waldron),  in  1640,  or  a 
little  earlier,  at  the  lower  falls  of  the  Cochecho,  where  the  compact  part 
of  the  present  city  of  Dover  stands.  He  built  a  saw-mill,  and  soon  after 
a  grist-mill;  and,  for  half  a  century,  his  house  was  a  frontier  trading 
post.  He  himself  became  major,  commander  of  the  New  Hampshire 
forces,  counsellor,  acting  president  of  the  province,  chief  justice,  repre- 
sentative, and  speaker  of  the  Massachusetts  general  court. 

From  1633  to  1641,  Dover,  although  increasing  in  population,  experi- 
enced a  succession  of  troubles.  The  original  settlers  were  Episcopalian ; 
those  of  1633  Puritan.  To  these  discordant  elements  was  added  the 
bad  character  of  some  men,  who,  forced  to  leave  Massachusetts,  ac- 
quired influence  in  this  loose  society.  The  ill  results  soon  appeared. 
Mr.  Leveridge  was  forced  to  leave  in  1635  for  want  of  support.  Rev. 
George  Burdctt,  who  succeeded  him  in  1637,  was  able,  ambitious,  un- 
scrupulous, and  profligate  ;  but,  before  his  character  became  known,  he 
prevailed  upon  the  people  to  make  him  governor ;  but,  soon  exposing 
himself,  he  fled  to  Agamenticus.  In  the  ministry  he  was  succeeded  by 
Hanserd  KnoUes,  a  good  and  jiious  man,  notwithstanding  some  impru- 
dences ;  and  by  him  the  first  church  in  Dover  was  organized,  in  De- 
cember, 1638.  In  civil  office  Burdett  was  followed  by  Captain  John 
Undorhill,  an  old  European  soldier  and  a  refugee  from  Massachusetts, 
having  a  strange  mixture  of  enthusiasm,  ability,  and  hypocrisy.  Under- 
bill was  deposed  in  1640  for  various  crimes.     Knolles  was  eclipsed  by 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   DOVEIl.  469 

the  superior  talents  of  Thomas  Larkham,  an  emigrant  of  1639  or  1640, 
and  forced  to  yield.  The  discordant  elements  now  broke  out  into  dis- 
graceful contests,  ended  at  last  by  the  union  of  Dover  with  Massachu- 
setts, October  9,  1641,  which  the  better  part  of  the  people  adopted  as 
the  only  cure  for  their  difficulties.  It  was  gladly  welcomed  by  the  latter 
power,  who,  indeed,  claimed  a  latent  right  to  the  territory  by  virtue 
of  their  own  patent.  The  town  was  made  part  of  old  Norfolk  county, 
was  represented  in  the  general  court,  and  was  subject  to  the  laws  of 
Massachusetts  until  New  Hampshire,  in  1679,  was  erected  into  a  sepa- 
rate province. 

From  1641  to  1679,  Dover  had  generally  peace,  ecclesiastically  and 
civilly.  The  Massachusetts  government  bore  lightly,  and  the  clergymen 
were  able  and  excellent  men.  The  only  jar  in  religious  matters  was 
that  caused  by  the  coming  of  Quakerism  in  1662,  and  the  barbarous 
sentence  upon  women  of  ten  lashes  upon  the  naked  back.  Of  course 
Quakerism  flourished  with  gi-eater  vigor  in  Dover  than  in  any  other 
town  in  the  province.  In  business  the  town  increased,  having  a  direct 
trade  with  the  West  Indies,  exporting  principally  lumber.  In  popula- 
tion it  gained  rapidly  for  a  time ;  the  tax-paying  males  increasing  from 
fifty-four  in  1648,  to  142  in  1659,  and  155  in  1668.  It  then  experienced 
a  check,  falling  to  146  iu  1675,  doubtless  on  account  of  the  Indian  wars. 
In  territory,  it  embraced,  in  addition  to  its  present  limits,  Durham, 
Madbury,  Lee,  Somersworth,  RoUinsford,  and  part  of  Newington, — 
all  of  which  were  included  in  Dover  in  1641,  when  its  boundaries  were 
defined  for  the  first  time,  and  all  of  which  were  settled  before  1660. 
In  civil  affairs  it  enjoyed  virtual  self-government.  The  only  disturb- 
ance was  that  caused  by  the  royal  commissioners  in  1665,  who  en- 
deavored to  find  or  create  a  public  sentiment  in  opposition  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  Massachusetts  Bay;  but,  so  far  as  Dover  was  concerned, 
entirely  in  vain.  A  greater  cause  of  disturbance  was  the  occasional 
efforts  of  the  heirs  of  Mason  to  establish  their  proprietary  claims,  efforts 
which  developed  themselves  more  fully  at  a  later  period. 

During  this  period,  some  town  votes  are  worthy  of  copying.  One 
was  that  of  the  27th  of  November,  1648,  when  "  It  is  this  [day]  ordered 
at  pubfique  Town  meeting  that  Richard  Pinkame  shall  beate  the 
drumme  on  Lord's  days  to  give  notice  for  the  time  of  meeting."  This 
method  continued  for  several  years.  In  1665,  it  was  "  ordered  that 
mr.  Petter  Coffin  shall  be  Impowered  by  this  meitting  to  A  Gree  with 
some  workman  to  Build  a  Terrett  upon  the  meitting  house  for  to  hang 
the  Bell  wich  wee  have  Bought  of  Capt.  Walldern."  In  1657,  "  Charles 
Buckner  chosen  by  voet  A  Scoellmaster  for  this  town."     Other  school- 

VOL.  I.  40 


470  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

mafsters  followed,  among  whom,  early  in  the  next  century,  was  "  Master 
Sullefund"  (Sullivan),  ancestor  of  the  eminent  family  of  that  name. 
In  1653  the  second  meeting-house  was  huilt,  —  which  was  "  forty  foot 
longe,  twenty-six  foote  wide,  sixteen  foote  studd,  with  six  windows, 
two  doores  fitt  for  such  a  house,  with  a  tile  covering,  and  to  planck  all 
the  walls,  with  glass  and  nails  for  it."  The  third  church  was  built  in 
1714  (whose  bell  was  hung  on  a  school-house  near  by) ;  the  fourth  in 
1758,  which  last  was  used  until  1828.  In  1658,  the  worth  of  provisions 
was  declared  to  be  as  follows :  beef  2^d.  per  pound,  pork  4c?.,  wheat  6s. 
per  bushel,  malt  6s.,  and  pease  6s.  From  1679  to  the  close  of  the 
Indian  wars,  Dover  suffered  extremely.  Population,  it  is  true,  largely 
increased  during  the  latter  part  of  the  period :  thus  the  number  of  poUs 
in  1675  was  131,  and  in  1727,  466,  (Newington  in  both  cases  being 
excluded).  Nor  did  any  ecclesiastical  troubles  occur,  beyond  the  efforts 
of  the  present  town  of  Durham  to  obtain  separate  authority,  in  which 
they  succeeded  in  1716 ;  and  the  question,  whether  the  proper  site  for 
a  place  of  worship  was  not  at  Cochecho,  instead  of  Dover  Neck,  which 
question  was  settled  in  1711,  by  having  the  meetings  alternate,  and,  in 
1720,  by  the  entire  removal  to  the  newer  but  far  larger  place.  But  the 
Indian  wars  severely  impaired,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  the  prosperity 
of  the  place. 

It  was  a  frontier  town,  touching  the  forests  which  stretched  away  to 
Canada,  defending  an  extensive  frontier,  and  possessing  but  a  scat- 
tered population.  In  addition  to  the  general  causes  of  Indian  hostility, 
in  their  own  jealousy  and  the  machinations  of  the  French,  local  differ- 
ences had  grown  out  of  trading  operations.  Suspicions  of  hostility  had 
been  so  far  excited,  as  early  as  1667,  as  to  lead,  at  that  time,  to  the 
fortification  of  the  meeting-house,  by  "  intrenchments  and  flankarts,"  in 
whose  inclosure  sentinels  paced  during  divine  service,  and  whose  ruins 
are  still  visible.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  general  war  of  1675,  there 
commenced  a  series  of  attacks  upon  the  inhabitants,  which,  with  occa- 
sional and  sometimes  protracted  intervals  of  peace,  did  not  wholly  end 
until  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle.  As  most  of  these  were  petty  affairs, 
and  of  the  same  general  character,  it  is  unnecessary  to  narrate  them 
particularly.  Exposed  houses  were  captured  and  burned;  individuals 
at  worlv  were  killed ;  inhabitants  were  waylaid  and  shot  on  their  way 
to  church  ;  captives  were  carried  to  Canada,  to  be  ransomed  at  a  heavy 
expense,  or,  in  repeated  cases,  to  live  and  die  there,  where  the  blood 
of  Dover  settlers  is  still  perpetuated.  On  the  other  hand,  Indians 
were  often  surprised ;  their  stores  of  provisions  were  destroyed ;  the 
woods  were  scoured  by  rangers,  especially  by  parties  of  exasperated 
young  men ;  and  sometimes  severe  blows  were  struck.     The  most  de- 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   DOVER.  471 

structive  affair,  upon  what  is  now  Dover  soil,  may  be  more  particularly 
noticed. 

It  occurred  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  June,  1689.  Thirteen  years 
before,  at  a  time  when,  although  war  had  broken  out  on  the  Kennebec, 
there  was  peace  at  Piscataqua,  four  hundred  Indians  were  assembled 
at  Cochecho,  two  hundred  of  whom  were  refugees  from  the  south  of 
Massachusetts ;  and,  ignorant  of  the  unity  of  the  government,  thought 
themselves  safe  with  Major  Walderne,  who  then  commanded  the  forces 
of  that  territory.  Two  companies  of  whites,  on  their  way  to  the  Ken- 
nebec, stopped  at  Dover,  who  brought  with  them  orders  to  seize  all 
Indians  recently  hostile,  which  they  would  have  proceeded  by  force  to 
obey ;  but  Walderne,  knowing  the  bloodshed  which  would  follow, 
dissuaded  them,  and  contrived  a  stratagem  to  seize  them  by  means  of 
a  sham  fight.  It  was  successful ;  the  whole  were  disarmed,  and  the 
southern  Indians  were  sent  to  Boston,  where  four  or  five  were  hung, 
and  the  remainder  sold  into  slavery.  Thirteen  years  passed  away, 
during  which  a  relentless  thirst  for  vengeance  was  cherished.  In  the 
course  of  this  period,  former  habits  of  trade  revived,  and  whites  and 
Indians  mingled  freely.  But  the  old  enmity  was  fostered  by  some  of 
those  enslaved  who  had  returned.  On  the  27th  of  June,  the  Indians 
were  noticed  to  be  gathered  in  unaccustomed  numbers.  Many  strange 
faces  also  appeared.  Some  of  the  people  hinted  to  Walderne  their 
suspicions.  "  Go  plant  your  pumpkins,  and  I  will  tell  you  when  the 
Indians  wiU  break  out,"  was  his  merry  reply.  That  evening,  a  young 
man  told  him  that  the  town  was  fuU  of  Indians.  "  I  know  the  Indians 
very  well,"  said  Walderne,  "  and  there  is  no  danger."  The  Indians  told 
him  that  a  number  of  Indians  were  coming  to  trade  next  day. 
"  Brother  Walderne,"  said  Messandowitt,  as  they  sat  at  supper,  "  what 
would  you  do  if  the  strange  Indians  should  come ? "  —  "I  could  as- 
semble a  hundred  men  by  lifting  up  my  finger,"  ^v&s  his  careless  answer. 
In  the  evening  two  squaws  applied  at  each  garrison  house  (Walderne's, 
Heard's,  Otis's,  Paine's,  the  two  Coffins',  and  Gerrish's,)  for  permis- 
sion to  sleep  before  the  kitchen  fire,  as  had  often  been  done  before. 
It  was  granted  at  Walderne's,  Heard's,  the  elder  Coffin's,  and  Otis's.  In 
the  hour  of  deepest  quiet  the  doors  were  opened;  the  Indians  in 
waiting  entered.  Walderne,  though  seventy-four  years  old,  defended 
himself  with  vigor  until  stunned  by  a  blow  on  the  back  of  his  head. 
The  Indians  then  dragged  him  into  the  hall,  placed  him  in  his  chair 
upon  the  table,  with  a  derisive  cry,  "  Who  shall  judge  Indians  now  ?  " 
and  cut  him  across  the  breast  in  turn,  each  exclaiming,  "  I  cross  out  my 
account,"  and  finally  killed  him.  A  messenger  sent  from  Boston  with 
warning  of  this  very  attack  was  delayed  a  night  at  Newbury.      When 


472  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

he  reached  Cochecho  the  next  morning,  he  found  four  or  five  houses 
burnt,  four  garrisons  destroyed,  twenty-three  persons  killed,  and  that 
twenty-nine  were  captives  on  their  way  to  Canada.  Among  these 
was  Christine  Otis,  whose  romantic  adventures  a  limited  space  forbids 
us  to  recount.  Other  attacks  were  made  upon  other  parts  of  what  was 
then  Dover,  more  disastrous  still ;  but  each  is  noticed  in  the  account  of 
the  towns  as  now  incorporated.  Other  attacks  were  made  also  upon 
Dover  soil,  but  the  intrepid  settlers  never  fell  back  for  a  day  from  their 
frontier  position.  Among  the  various  arts  to  surprise  the  whites,  tradi- 
tion has  preserved  the  following:  The  haymakers,  having  made  hay 
upon  a  meadow  a  mile  or  more  up  the  river  from  the  falls,  had  piled  it 
into  cocks  and  left  it.  One  warm  day,  when  the  men  were  absent  from 
Walderne's  garrison  (a  few  rods  from  the  lower  falls),  and  the  doors 
were  open  for  air,  the  women  noticed  the  haycocks  floating  down 
the  stream.  They  exclaimed  against  this  wanton  mischief;  but  none, 
save  one,  paid  any  further  attention  to  it;  and  she,  as  she  sat  carelessly 
looking,  was  suddenly  surprised  to  see  the  cocks  edging  towards  the 
shore.  A  close  inspection  revealed  the  cause  —  under  every  haycock 
was  an  Indian  swimming.  She  gave  the  alarm ;  the  doors  were  hastily 
closed,  and  the  house  secured  just  in  time  against  the  baffled  savages. 

In  the  midst  of  other  troubles,  the  Masonian  controversy  revived.^ 
Several  cases  were  tried  at  Dover  in  1683,  Walderne's  being  the  first. 
He  made  no  defence,  asserted  no  title,  and  gave  no  evidence.  Judgment 
was  enterc  J  against  him,  and  other  cases  followed ;  but  in  no  case 
could  an  execution  be  enforced.  Riots  ensued,  the  attempt  to  enforce 
an  execution  at  Dover  being  ended  by  a  woman's  knocking  down  the 
officer  with  a  Bible.  Against  such  a  spirit  nothing  could  be  done,  and 
the  suits  were  suspended.  They  again  came  up  in  1703,  passed 
through  various  courts,  and  were  a  source  of  constant  perplexity  to  the 
people,  and  great  complication  in  political  affairs,  until  1746.^ 

From  the  conclusion  of  the  Indian  wars  to  the  Revolution,  nothing 
peculiar  marks  tlie  history  of  Dover.  Its  business  (including  shipbuild- 
ing) continued  to  increase.  Its  population  in  1767  was  1,614,  having 
already  lost  Madbury  and  Somersworth  (including  Rollinsford),  Durham, 
and  Lee.  The  population  of  the  original  territory  at  that  time  was  5,446. 
In  1775  the  population  of  the  original  Dover  was  5,476 ;  of  the  present 
Dover,  1,666,  including  twenty-six  slaves.^  During  the  Revolution  it 
bore  its  part  of  the  burdens,  supplying  largely  both  troops  and  money. 
An  entire  regiment  was  enlisted  at  Dover  by  Colonel  John  Waldron, 

1  See  ante,  p.  379.  '  See  ante,  p.  380. 

'  In  all  these  cases  Newington  is  excluded. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE CITY   OF   DOVER.  473 

under  whom  it  joined  the  army  at  Cambridge.  The  town  itself  jDaid 
bounties  to  all  who  enlisted.  All  through  the  war,  in  Rhode  Island, 
at  Bennington,  at  Saratoga,  at  New  York,  and  on  every  field  where 
northern  troops  were  found,  Dover  men  were  in  active  service ;  while,  at 
sea,  not  a  few  of  its  hardy  sons  were  the  followers  of  John  Paul  Jones. 
The  last  person  known  to  have  served  with  him.  Dr.  Ezra  Green,  sur- 
geon on  board  the  Ranker,  died  in  Dover,  July  27,  1847,  aged  one  hun- 
dred and  one  years  and  one  month,  being  previous  to  his  death  the 
oldest  living  graduate  of  Harvard  College. 

From  the  close  of  the  war  until  the  introduction  of  cotton  manufac- 
ture, the  town  grew  somewhat  slowly.  Its  population  in  1790  was 
1,998 ;  in  1800,  2,062 ;  in  1810,  2,228 ;  in  1820,  2,871.  It  was,  so  far,  a 
farming  and  ship-building  town.  But,  with  the  erection  of  cotton  mills, 
a  change  came  over  the  place.  The  succession  of  saw-miUs,  grist-mills, 
fulling-mills,  oil  mills,  and  nail  factory,  which  had  covered  181  years, 
ended  in  1821,  when  the  "  Dover  Factory  Company "  was  incorpo- 
rated, by  which,  and  its  successor,  the  "  Cochecho  Manufacturing 
Company,"  have  been  erected  four  mills,  running  48,688  spindles  and 
1,188  looms,  and  printing  its  own  animal  product  of  10,000,000  yards 
of  cottons,  in  print-works  of  an  unsurpassed  character.  This  company 
employs  four  hundred  males  and  nearly  eight  hundred  females.  There 
are  also  flannel  mills,  a  steam,  grist,  and  saw-mill,  machine-shops,  a 
bobbin  manufactory  and  extensive  shoe  manufactories,  besides  large 
annual  products  from  fertile  farms. 

Dover  now  contains  ten  churches;  namely,  the  "First"  (Orthodox 
Congregational),  organized  December,  1638  ;  Methodist  Episcopal,  1824; 
Universalist,  March  23,  1825;  First  Free-will  Baptist,  September  15, 
1826;  Unitarian,  September  4,  1827;  Baptist,  1827;  Roman  Catholic, 
church  dedicated  September  26,  1830 ;  Episcopal,  September  20,  1839 ; 
Washington  street  Free-will  Baptist,  February  4,  1840,  and  the  Friends' 
Society,  whose  "  meeting"  was  establishecl  about  1680.  Each  of  these 
denominations  has  a  church  edifice,  and  the  central  part  of  the  city  con- 
tains school-houses,  two  of  which  are  rarely  surpassed.  Dover  became 
a  city,  September  1,  1855.  Hon.  Andrew  Peirce  was  the  first  mayor. 
It  is  the  shire  town  of  Strafford  county,  and  has  a  jail  and  court-house, 
and  county  offices:  also,  four  banks,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of 
^420,000,  and  two  savings  banks :  an  academy,  a  library,  a  post-office, 
twelve  school  districts,  and  other  social  and  business  advantages  propor- 
tionate to  its  wealth.  Hon.  John  P.  Hale,  United  States  senator  from 
New  Hampshire,  and  Ex-governor  Noah  Martin,  are  residents  of  this 
city. 

The  situation  of  Dover  is   exceedingly  pleasant.     Gentle  elevations, 

40* 


474 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


easy   swells    of  land,  and   winding    streams,    cliaracterizc    its    surface. 
From  the  high  ridge  between  the  rivers  Newichawannock  and  Bellamy, 


,g„a»*^^"^*''^'^^^ 


and  from  another  elevation  ovcrlooldng  the  waters  of  Great  Bay  with 
the  Wiunicumet,  the  Lamprey,  the  Swamscott,  the  Shankhassick, 
and  the  Ncwicliawannock  (with  its  tributary  the  Cochccho),  all  uniting 
to  form  the  Piscataqua,  rolling  away  in  the  distance,  views  may  be  had 
of  uncommon  beauty.  The  Newichawannock  (which  divides  the  town 
from  the  State  of  Maine),  and  the  Bellamy  and  Cochecho,  which  flow 
through  the  town  in  a  southeast  direction,  not  only  add  to  its  beauty, 
but  also  to  its  wealth,  by  their  direct  and  navigable  comiection  with  the 
ocean.  In  the  last  named,  the  tide  flows  to  the  centre  of  the  city,  fur- 
nishing a  highway,  which  was  of  great  value  before  the  construction  of 
the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad,  and  which  a  line  of  packets  still  im- 
proves. The  Cochecho  Railroad,  on  the  north,  furnishes  also  a  direct 
communication  with  Lake  Winncpcsaukce,  and  thus  to  the  interior 
of  New  Hampshire.     Population,  8,186  ;  valuation,  $3,629,442. 


Dublin,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Cheshire  county,  adjoins  Marlborough 
on  the  south,  Peterborougli  on  the  cast,  and  is  forty-four  luiles  from 
Concord.  The  grant  of  this  tract  of  land  ^vas  made  by  the  Masonian 
proprietors,  Novejuljer  3,  1749,  to  Matthew  Thornton  and  ihirty-nine 
others,  residing  in  difterent  towns   in  the  middle  and  eastern  parts  of 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   DDBLIN.  475 

New  Hampshire  ;  but  none  of  them,  it  is  thought,  ever  resided  within 
the  limits  of  the  grant.  The  first  person  who  came  in  was  WiUiani 
Thornton,  arriving  here  probably  in  1752,  where  he  remained  but  a  few 
years,  having  left,  it  is  presumed,  through  dread  of  the  Indians.  In  1760, 
John  Alexander,  William  McNee,  Alexander  Scott,  and  William  Scott, 
his  son,  and  James  Taggart  and  son,  all  from  Peterborough,  were  in  the 
town.  These  were  what  were  termed  Scotch-Irish ;  but  they  did  not 
permanently  reside  here,  having  all  left  before  1771.  Henry  Strongman, 
from  the  same  town,  was  the  first  permanent  settler.  The  remainder  of 
the  early  inhabitants  came  principally  from  Sherborn,  Mass.,  and  among 
them  were  Thomas  Morse,  Levi  Partridge,  William  Greenwood,  Sam- 
uel and  Joseph  Twitchell,  Jr.,  Eli  Morse,  Moses  Adams,  Benjamin 
Mason,  and  others.  Dublin  was  incorporated  in  March,  1771,  receiving 
its  name  probably  from  the  fact  that  Henry  Strongman,  the  first  settler, 
was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland.  Prior  to  this,  it  was  called  "  Monadnock, 
No.  3,"  1  and  sometimes  "  North  Monadnock."  Upon  these  first  efforts 
necessary  to  the  progress  of  a  settlement,  the  inhabitants  entered  with 
zeal,  and  their  labors  were  ultimately  crowned  with  those  comforts  with 
which  patient  toil  is  sure  to  be  rewarded.  In  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
out  of  the  fifty-seven  male  voters  in  town,  not  one  of  them  refused  to 
sign  the  "  declaration  "  which  was  sent  round  to  the  several  committees 
of  safety  by  the  Continental  Congress.  In  all  that  pertained  to  the 
progress  of  the  struggle,  the  people  cooperated  heartily  and  unanimously, 
and  many  of  them  served  in  the  campaigns. 

By  the  year  1773,  the  proprietors  of  the  township  had  expended  about 
six  hundred  dollars  towards  erecting  a  meeting-house ;  but  in  April  of 
that  year  they  voted  not  to  raise  any  more  money  at  present  for  that 
purpose.  This  was  the  last  meeting  held  by  them  for  ten  years,  until 
September  11,  1783,  when  they  voted  to  give  the  meeting-house  to  the 
town,  instead  of  finishing  it  themselves.  It  was  accepted  by  the  town, 
probably  in  a  rough-boarded  condition.  Measures  were  taken  for  its 
completion,  and  every  purchaser  of  "  pew-ground,"  as  the  space  upon 
the  floor  was  termed,  was  to  build  his  pew,  in  a  certain  prescribed  man- 
ner, whenever  required  so  to  do  by  the  committee  appointed  to  finish 
the  house,  under  pain  of  forfeiting  his  lot.  There  was  also  this  provis- 
ion :  "  Every  person  that  owns  a  pew  shall  occupy  no  other  seat  in  the 
meeting-house  until  his  pew  be  as  full-seated  as  is  comfortable  for  those 
that  seat  it ;  and  if  any  person  owns  more  than  one  pew,  he  shall  not 
shut  it  up  and  keep  people  from  sitting  in  it."     But   we  find  from  the 

'  It  seems  that  the  name  Monadnock,  witli  numbers  1,  2,  3,  etc.,  was  applied  to  eight 
townships,  of  which  this  was  one.  This  township  was  sometimes  also  called  Novth 
Monadnock,  in  respect  to  Jaffiey  and  Rindge,  lying  south  of  it 


476  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

town  records,  that  in  1788  the  meeting-house  was  still  unfinished ;  and, 
indeed,  it  has  been  doubted  whether  it  was  ever  finished  at  all.  The 
reason  for  giving  so  much  space  to  this  subject  is,  that  it  seems  to  have 
been  the  chief  question  raised  at  town  meetings  for  forty  years,  contin- 
ually haunting  the  vision  of  the  conscience-stricken  citizens.  The  agi- 
tation was  renewed  early  in  the  present  century,  and  the  town  voted  to 
build  —  appointed  committees  to  locate  —  accepted  the  reports  of  such 
committees  —  got  up  a  disagreement  about  the  location — could  not 
agi-ee  upon  terms  —  and  kept  the  question  as  a  football  until  June,  1818, 
when  the  house  was  raised  upon  School-house  hill,  the  fact  being  re- 
garded as  little  less  of  a  miracle  than  the  arrival  in  Canaan  was  to  the 
Israelites  after  their  sojourn  of  forty  years. 

The  first  minister  in  town.  Rev.  Joseph  Farrar,  was  settled  in  1771. 
Rev.  Edward  Sprague  was  ordained  in  1777,  and  continued  until  his 
death  in  1817,  although,  for  the  last  sixteen  years,  with  a  voluntary  re- 
linquishment of  his  salary.  He  was  a  man  widely  known,  by  means  of 
many  jokes  put  in  circulation  respecting  him,  —  the  truth  of  very  few  of 
them,  however,  having  yet  been  shown, —  probably  on  account  of  his 
ignorance  of  the  customs  of  an  agricultural  community.  He  had  been 
brought  up  in  Boston,  educated  at  Harvard  college,  and,  although  a 
good  scholar  and  of  ready  wit  in  conversation,  had  an  inaptitude  for 
a  rustic,  and  perhaps  a  practical,  life. 

Dublin  has  the  same  diversity  of  hill  and  valley  that  is  found  in  the 
other  towns  in  this  section  of  the  state.  Dividing  Dublin  from  Jaffrey 
in  the  southwest  is  the  grand  Monadnock  mountain,  3,450  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  which  can  be  seen  from  the  dome  of  the  state- 
house  in  Boston,  and  is  a  conspicuous  landmark  for  mariners.  In  the 
north  of  the  centre  is  another  mountain,  —  called  Beech  mountain, — 
from  the  top  of  which  some  beautiful  views  can  be  had  of  the  scenery 
along  the  Contoocook  and  Connecticut  river  valleys,  of  the  Green 
mountains,  as  well  as  of  other  points  of  note.  The  land,  though  hard 
and  rocky,  will  yield,  with  due  attention,  Indian  corn,  oats,  barley,  and 
potatoes,  and,  in  some  cases,  wheat  and  rye.  Fruits  of  various  kinds  are 
common.  The  streams  in  Dublin  are  small.  Those  on  the  west  side 
run  into  the  Ashuelot;  those  on  the  east  side  into  Contoocook  river. 
There  are  several  ponds,  the  principal  of  which  are  Long  and  Centre ; 
the  former  lying  in  the  north,  and  the  latter  in  the  centre.  Dublin  con- 
tains three  villages  —  one  in  the  centre,  one  in  the  northwest  corner, 
known  as  Pottsville,  and  one  on  the  north  line,  lying  partly  within  its 
limits,  called  Harrisville ;  four  church  edifices — Unitarian,  Congrega- 
tional, Baptist,  and  Methodist;  ten  school  districts,  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Pottsville  and  Dublin  :  also,  three  woollen  factories,  five  shops 


NEW  HAMPSHIKE  —  TOWN   OF  DUMMER,   ETC.  477 

for  the  manufacture  of  clothes  pins,  and  two  stores.  The  town  has 
$5,000  for  the  support  of  preaching,  and  $11,000  for  the  support  of 
schools,  left  by  Rev.  Edward  Sprague,  as  well  as  $1,000  for  the  latter 
object,  left  by  the  late  Samuel  Appleton,  of  Boston,  and  which  is  called 
the  Appleton  Fund.     Population,  1,088 ;  valuation,  $484,465. 

Ddmmer,  lying  in  the  easterly  part  of  Coos  county,  having  Cambridge 
intercepting  it  from  the  boundary  line  between  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire, has  an  area  of  23,040  acres,  and  is  140  miles  north  of  Concord 
and  thirty  northeast  of  Lancaster.  It  was  granted  March  8,  1773,  to 
Mark  H.  Wentworth,  Nathaniel  A.  Haven,  and  others ;  but  was  unoccu- 
pied for  many  years.  It  was  incorporated  December  19,  1848,  and 
William  Lovejoy,  John  Hodgdon,  and  Jotham  E.  Lang  were  authorized 
to  call  the  first  meeting.  Dummer  has  made  but  slow  progress  in  im- 
provement, an  apology  for  which  is  found  in  the  mountainous  character 
of  the  land  and  the  sterility  of  the  soil,  disadvantages  not  easily  over- 
come. The  principal  rivers  are  the  Androscoggin  and  the  Little  Am- 
monoosuc ;  in  the  latter  of  which  are  the  Dummer  or  Pontook  Falls. 
The  trade  of  the  place  is  principally  in  timber,  for  the  manufacture  of 
which  there  are  two  saw-mills.  The  town  is  divided  into  seven  school 
districts,  and  there  is  a  Free-will  Baptist  society.  Population,  171 ; 
valuation,  ^60,224. 

DuNBARTON,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Merrimack  county,  is 
nine  miles  from  Concord.  The  first  attempt  at  settlement  was  made  by 
Joseph  and  William  Putney,  but  the  actual  date  of  their  arrival  is  not 
known.  They  erected  their  dwellings  on  the  eastern  border  of  a  large 
beaver  meadow,  called  "  The  Great  Meadow,"  where  they  remained  for 
some  time ;  but  fearing  an  attack  from  the  Indians,  then  committing 
some  depredations  in  Concord,  they  abandoned  the  place.  The  first 
permanent  settlement  was  made,  in  1749,  by  the  two  persons  above 
named,  and  Obadiah  Foster  from  Concord,  and  James  Rogers  ^  from 
Londonderry.  The  principal  inducement  to  settle  was  the  large  tract 
of  meadow  land  alluded  to  above,  of  which,  it  appears,  they  had  no 
actual  grant,  though  their  possession  was  confirmed  in  1751.  This  town 
was  granted  by  the  Masonian  proprietors  to  Archibald  Stark,  Caleb 
Page,  Hugh  Ramsay,  and  others,  in  the  year  1751,  and  was  to  be  five 
miles  square.     Many  of  the  original  settlers  came  from  Londonderry, 

'  Mr.  Rogers,  who  was  father  of  Major  Robert  Ron;ers,  was  killed  by  Ebenczer  Aver, 
a  somewhat  celebrated  hunter,  who,  in  the  e^'elling,  mistook  him  for  a  bear,  for  which  he 
had  been  lying  in  concealment 


478  HISTOEY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

N.  H.,  and  some  directly  from  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  their  posterity 
still  retain  many  traits  of  character  peculiar  to  the  Scottish  people. 
For  about  fourteen  years  the  place  was  called  Starkstown,  in  compli- 
ment to  the  original  proprietor ;  but  when  it  was  incorporated,  on  the 
10th  of  August,  1766,  it  was  called  Dunbarton,  from  Dumbarton  in  Scot- 
land. The  citizens  took  a  noble  part  in  the  cause  which  resulted  in  the 
independence  of  the  United  States.  They  fought  at  Bunker  Hill,  and 
with  Stark  at  Bennington,  and  many  of  them  were  foremost  in  the  fight. 
At  home  all  other  affairs  were  considered  insignificant  compared  to  this 
struggle. 

Among  those  early  settlers  who  were  distinguished,  we  may  mention 
Captain  Caleb  Page,  who  was  proprietors'  clerk  for  many  years,  and 
held  several  of  the  first  offices  in  town  after  its  incorporation  ;  and  Wil- 
liam Stark,  brother  of  General  John  Stark,  who  joined  the  British 
service,  and  was  colonel  in  the  army.  William  Stinson,  and  Archibald 
Stark,  brother  of  the  former,  were  also  early  settlers  worthy  of  notice. 

Dunbarton  is  a  more  than  ordinary  country  town.  Evidences  are 
perceptible,  on  every  hand,  of  the  thrift  and  industry  of  the  people.  Its 
situation  is  somewhat  elevated,  though  there  are  few  hills  and  no  moun- 
tains. The  soil  is  good,  and  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  grain, 
and  for  orcharding,  which  receives  considerable  attention.  The  water- 
power  is  not  of  great  extent ;  and  the  people  generally  devote  them- 
selves to  husbandry,  for  the  prosecution  of  which  they  have  a  wide  field 
and  more  than  common  advantages.  Dunbarton  Centre  is  the  only 
village.  There  are  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ; 
eleven  school  districts;  and  two  post-offices — Dunbarton  and  North 
Dunbarton :  also,  four  saw-mills,  several  mechanic  shops,  and  one  store. 
Population,  915 ;  valuation,  $435,244. 

Durham,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Strafford  county,  is  situated 
upon  Great  bay,  which  empties  into  the  Piscataqua,  and  was  formerly, 
including  Lee,  which  it  adjoins,  a  parish  of  Dover,  by  the  name  of  Oys- 
ter River.  It  was  settled  a  few  years  after  the  parent  town,  which  was 
in  1623.  Amoiig  its  early  settlers  were  Francis  Matthews,  William 
Williams,  John  Goddard,  Robert  Smart,  and  Tliomas  Canvey.  These 
persons  settled  at  Durham  Point  (a  beautiful  spot  lying  at  the  conflu- 
ence of  Great  Bay  and  the  Shankhassick  or  Oyster  River,  so  called  be- 
cause the  early  settlers  found  a  bed  of  oysters  in  a  spot  about  half-way 
between  the  lower  falls  and  its  mouth),  and,  by  and  by,  on  the  north 
side  of  Great  bay.  A  creek  is  still  called  "  Goddard's  Creek."  This 
territory  was  early  in  dispute  between  Dover  and  Exeter  ;  but  the  mat- 
ter was  decided,  as  early  as  1635,  in   favor  of  Dover,  of  which   it  re- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OP  DURHAM.  479 

mained  a  part  until  its  incorporation,  May  15,  1732.  In  1649,  the  falls 
at  Oyster  River,  near  the  central  part  of  Durham,  were  granted  to  Val- 
entine Hill  (formerly  a  merchant  in  Boston),  and  Thomas  Beard,  "  for 
the  erickting  and  setting  up  of  a  sawe-miU."  The  mill  was  built  before 
1651,  and  thus  business  began  to  centre  about  the  "  falls."  Mr.  Hill  had 
also,  in  1655,  "  free  liberty  to  Cutt  through  our  Comans  for  drawings 
Part  of  the  water  of  LampereUe  River  into  Oyster  River." 

The  people  at  Oyster  River,  at  an  early  date,  had  difficulties  in  eccle- 
siastical matters  with  the  town  of  Dover.  They  complained  of  the  dis- 
tance to  Dover  Neck,  where  the  law  enforced  attendance,  —  a  law  which 
was  repeatedly  put  into  operation.  As  Oyster  River  increased  (it  num- 
bered nearly  fifty  families  in  1669),  its  inhabitants  insisted  on  their  pre- 
sumed rights.  A  compromise  was  effected  in  1651,  by  which  the  town 
agreed  to  support  two  ministers,  paying  them  £50  each,  and  to  buUd  a 
meeting-house  at  Oyster  River.  This  was  done ;  the  church  stood  near 
the  Point;  and  a  parsonage  was  also  buUt,  "36  foot  long,  10  foett 
Broed,  12  fooet  in  the  wall,  with  two  chemneyes  and  to  be  seutably 
feneshed."  Rev.  Mr.  Fletcher  was  procured  to  preach  in  1655,  but  he 
left  the  next  year.  In  1662  or  1663  Rev.  Mr.  Hull  was  there,  but  soon 
left.  Dissensions  still  continued  until  the  General  Court,  in  1675,  au- 
thorized the  people  to  manage  their  own  ecclesiastical  affairs.  They 
then  settled  Mr.  John  Buss,  who  remained  for  forty-five  years.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Hugh  Adams,  a  good  and  pious  man,  but  knowing 
far  more  of  Scripture  than  of  human  nature.  He,  at  one  time,  in  a  peti- 
tion to  the  General  Court,  illustrated  his  power  in  prayer  by  stating  how 
that  once,  being  provoked  by  the  non-payment  of  his  salary,  he  prayed 
that  it  might  not  rain,  and  that  it  did  not  rain  for  three  months,  when  he 
was  coaxed  out  of  his  purpose,  and  "  appointed  and  conscientiously  sanc- 
tified a  church-fast  from  evening  to  evening,  and  abstained  three  meals 
from  eating,  drinking,  and  smoaking  any  thing ; "  and  the  rain  came  in 
answer.  At  another  time,  in  a  prayer  at  Portsmouth,  he  became  greatly 
embarrassed  with  the  "  white  horse "  of  the  Revelation,  and  suddenly 
stopped ;  whereupon  one  of  his  brethren  remarked,  that,  at  his  time  of 
life,  if  he  would  avoid  a  fall,  he  should  be  very  cautious  as  to  mounting 
strange  horses.  John  Adams,  a  nephew  of  Hugh,  was  minister  here  at 
a  later  period.  It  is  said  by  tradition,  that  when,  after  thirty  years  of 
turbulence,  he  was  about  to  leave  to  go  to  Newfield,  Me.,  then  an  unbro- 
ken wilderness,  he  closed  his  last  service  by  telling  the  people  to  "  sing, 
for  their  own  edification,  the  first  three  stanzas  of  the  120th  Psalm  "  — 

Thou,  God  of  love,  thou,  ever  blest, 
Pity  my  suffering  state ; 


480  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Wten  wilt  thou  set  my  soul  at  rest 
From  lips  that  love  deceit  ? 

Hard  lot  of  mine !  my  days  are  cast 

Among  the  sons  of  strife, 
Whose  never-ceasing  brawlings  waste 

My  golden  hours  of  life. 

Oh !  might  I  fly  to  change  my  place, 

How  would  I  choose  to  dwell 
In  some  wide  lonesome  wilderness, 

And  leave  these  gates  of  hell ! 

The  Indians  made  this  neighborhood  a  favorite  resort,  and  many  were 
the  depredations  committed  by  them  within  its  borders.  The  laborer 
could  not  go  to  his  field,  nor  the  neighbor  to  his  friend,  nor  the  worship- 
per to  the  house  of  God,  without  his  gun  as  an  arm  of  defence.  The 
first  account  we  have  of  their  incursions  was  in  September,  1675,  when 
they  kUled  several  men,  burned  two  houses,  and  carried  two  persons 
into  captivity.  This  was  followed  by  another  assault  two  days  after, 
when  several  houses  were  destroyed  and  two  persons  killed.  In  1694, 
the  savages,  who  were  lurking  in  the  woods  on  Oyster  river,  attacked 
the  place,  and  Jiilled  seventeen  men  as  they  were  going  to  their  morning 
devotions.  A  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  had  gone  to  the  west- 
ward, and  hence  the  Indians  met  with  little  resistance  in  their  depreda- 
tions, save  from  the  boys,  who  were,  with  some  women  and  children,  in 
one  of  the  houses  which  they  attacked.  These  little  fellows  manfully 
defended  the  place,  wounding  several  of  the  enemy,  and  would  not  sur- 
render, even  after  the  house  had  been  set  on  fire,  till  the  Indians  prom- 
ised to  spare  their  lives.  The  savages,  however,  treacherously  murdered 
several  children,  one  of  whom  they  fixed  upon  a  sharp  stake  before  the 
eyes  of  its  mother.  But  the  most  dark  and  fearful  day  for  the  little  set- 
tlement was  the  attack  by  the  Indians  in  the  spring  of  1695.  There 
were  twelve  gamsoned  houses  in  the  town  at  that  time,  sufficient  to 
accommodate  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants ;  but,  apprehending  no  dan- 
ger, they  remained  in  the  dwellings,  and  the  forts  were  in  little  condi- 
tion for  a  siege.  The  assault  commenced  by  the  murder  of  John  Dean, 
whose  house  stood  near  the  falls  ;  and  the  enemy,  having  posted  them- 
selves in  the  most  favorable  positions,  commenced  the  attack  on  all  sides. 
From  ninety  to  one  hundred  persons  were  either  killed  or  carried  into 
captivity,  and  five  of  the  garrisons  and  fifteen  dwelling-houses  were 
destroyed.  Fourteen  persons  were  killed  at  one  fell  swoop.  All  was 
confusion,  consternation,  and  terror ;  and  there  was  no  face  which  did 
not  gather  paleness,  and  no  heart  which  did  not  bleed  at  every  pore. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWJf    OF   EAST   KINGSTON.  481 

These  depredations  continued  till  the  year  1705,  up  to  which  time  the 
site  of  the  town  might  well  be  termed  a  "  scene  of  butchery  and  blood." 

Half  a  century  of  security  and  peace  had  visited  the  settlement,  when 
the  Revolution  broke  out,  calling  forth  the  energies  of  the  people  as  weU 
as  their  powers  of  endurance,  for  the  protection  of  interests  no  less 
dear  to  them  than  those  they  had  previously  contended  for.  The  citi- 
zens toolv  a  decided  stand  in  the  cause  of  our  country  and  our  liberties, 
and  acted  a  distinguished  part  in  securing  our  independence.  There 
were  men  belonging  to  this  town  who  distinguished  themselves  in  legis- 
lation, and  in  difficult  and  doubtful  emergencies  —  Hon.  Ebenezer 
Thompson  and  Judge  Frost ;  and  other  men,  who  commanded  in  the 
field,  and  gave  efficient  aid  to  our  armies — Major-General  Sullivan, 
Colonel  W.  Adams,  and  the  lamented  Scammel.  No  less  than  fifty  of 
the  citizens  went  into  the  active  services  of  the  field,  and  twenty  of  them 
were  lost  in  the  army. 

Ship-building  was  once  extensively  carried  on  here,  but  has  long  since 
vanished.  The  soil  of  Durham  is  generally  hard  and  strong.  On  both 
sides  of  Oyster  river  is  a  deep  argillaceous  loam,  favorable  to  the  growth 
of  grasses,  of  which  very  heavy  crops  are  cut  every  year.  To  the  pro- 
duction of  hay  for  the  Boston  market  the  farmers  devote  much  of  their 
time,  —  more  than  one  thousand  tons  being  annually  exported.  The 
principal  river  is  Lamprey,  passing  through  in  a  southerly  direction,  and 
emptying  into  Great  bay  :  Oyster  river,  rising  in  Wheelwright's  pond  in 
Lee,  passes  through  Durham,  and  falls  into  the  Piscataqua.  Both 
of  these  rivers  furnish  several  excellent  mill-sites.  The  town  has 
one  village  and  two  church  edifices — Congregational  and  Christian 
Baptist ;  two  school  districts,  one  academy,  and  one  post-office :  also, 
several  saw-mills  and  grist-mills,  and  a  paper-mill.  The  Boston  and 
Maine  Railroad  intersects  the  town.  Population,  1,497 ;  valuation, 
$546,953. 

East  Kingston,  Rockingham  county,  forty-two  miles  southeast  from 
Concord,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Kingston,  the  settlement  of  which  was 
commenced  very  early,  as  it  was  incorporated  in  1694.  The  names  of 
William  and  Abraham  Smith  are  found  among  the  first  settlers  of 
that  part  of  the  parent  town  embraced  within  the  subject  of  this  notice. 
East  Kingston  was  incorporated  November  17,  1738.  Jeremy  Webster 
was  authorized  to  call  the  first  parish  meeting,  which  was  held  January 
10,  1739.  A  meeting-house  was  built  at  an  early  period,  and  immedi- 
ately after  the  incorporation  of  the  town  the  inhabitants  appeared  to  be 
interested  in  sustaining  religious  worship.  At  a  parish  meeting,  held 
May  29,  1739,  a  committee  was  chosen  to   go   out  and  consult  the 

VOL.  I.  41 


482  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

neighboring  ministers  for  counsel  and  advice  about  calling  a  minister  to 
settle  in  the  place.  June  14th.  the  committee  reported,  "  that  the  minis- 
ters would  do  what  they  could  to  assist  if  Ave  conclude  to  go  on,  and  if 
we  do,  they  advise  us  to  a  fast ;  "  which  advice  was  followed,  and  re- 
sulted in  the  settlement  of  Peter  Coffin,  who  remained  until  1772. 

In  1774,  Jacob  Gale  and  Ebenczer  Bachelder  were  chosen  to  go  to 
Exeter  to  sit  in  convention  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  delegates  to 
congress.  In  1775,  at  a  regular  meeting,  it  was  "  voted  to  raise  thirteen 
men,  who  should  be  ready  to  march,  on  an  alarm,  to  engage  in  the  ser- 
vice of  their  country."  In  1778,  the  town  voted  not  to  send  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  at  Concord  to  form  a  plan  of  government;  and  in 
1779,  and  again  in  1782,  they  voted  not  to  accept  the  plan  of  govern- 
ment submitted ;  but,  in  December  of  the  latter  year,  they  "  voted  to 
accept  a  part  of  the  plan  "  (what  part  is  not  stated) ;  and  in  1783,  the 
plan  as  submitted,  with  alterations,  was  accepted.  The  town  was 
classed  with  Kingston  in  the  choice  of  a  representative  till  178-3,  and 
then  with  South  Hampton  till  1838,  since  which  it  has  singly  been  enti- 
tled to  a  representative. 

The  soil  is  excellent,  few  towns  probably  being  better  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  grass,  grain,  and  the  usual  products  of  this  climate.  The 
Powow  river,  which  has  its  source  in  Kingston,  crosses  the  southwest 
part,  running  into  South  Hampton.  East  Kingston  lost  part  of  her  ter- 
ritory by  annexation,  at  separate  periods,  to  South  Hampton  and  to  New- 
ton. The  first  meeting-house  stood  until  about  1831,  when  it  was  talcen 
down  and  a  new  one  erected.  This  is  occupied  a  portion  of  the  time 
by  the  Methodists,  Christians,  and  Baptists  severally,  and  occasionally 
by  others.  The  town  has  one  school  district,  and  one  post-office :  also, 
three  tanneries,  two  carriage  shops,  one  saw-mill,  and  one  grist-mill,  both 
owned  by  the  Salisbury  Manufacturing  Company.  The  Boston  and 
jNIaine  Railroad  traverses  East  Kingston.  Population,  532 ;  valuation. 
$346,007. 

Eaton,  lying  in  the  eastern  part  of  Carroll  county,  on  the  boundary 
line  betAveen  New  Hampshire  and  ]Maine,  is  seventy-one  miles  from 
Concord,  and  was  granted  November  7,  1766,  to  Clement  March  and 
sixty-five  others.  Some  of  the  first  settlers  were  John  Glines,  John 
Banfiekl,  Ezekiel  Hayes,  John  Atkinson,  Job  Allard,  Nathaniel  Dan- 
forth,  Joseph  Snow,  John  Thompson,  Daniel  Sawyer,  John  and 
Eobert  Rennett,  and  Barnabas  and  Sylvanus  Blossom.  The  first  relig- 
ious society  formed  was  a  Baptist,  in  1800.  In  1852,  the  town  was 
divided,  and  the  western  portion  was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Mad- 
ison.    Eaton  now  contains  about  25,600  acres,  the  surface  being  broken. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    EFFINGH!AM.  483 

though  the  soil  is  moderately  good  on  the  uplands,  while  the  plains 
yield  excellent  pine  timber.  The  principal  mill  streams  are  fed  by 
means  of  springs  and  small  brooks.  There  are  six  ponds  —  Walker, 
Trout,  Robertson,  Russel,  Drown,  and  Thurston.  Several  minerals, 
among  which  are  iron  ore,  sulphuret  of  lead  and  zinc,  have  been  discov- 
ered. There  are  two  Free-will  Baptist  churches,  tvvelve  school  dis- 
tricts, and  one  post-office :  also,  five  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  one  sash, 
blind,  and  door  factory,  one  cabinet  and  chair  manufactory,  and  one 
bedstead  manufactory.     Population,  930  ;  valuation,  $132,014. 

Effingham,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Carroll  county,  on  the  boun- 
dary line  separating  New  Hampshire  from  Maine,  is  sixty  miles  from 
Concord,  and  contains  an  area  of  30,000  acres.  It  was  settled  a  short 
time  previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  called 
Leavitt's  Town.  In  1775,  Farmer  says,  in  his  Gazetteer,  that  there 
were  only  eighty-three  inhabitants  here.  During  the  war,  and  for  some 
years  afterwards,  they  found  Effingham  a  hard  town  to  live  in ;  hard, 
not  only  by  reason  of  its  being  a  wilderness,  but  from  the  want  of 
means  to  sustain  themselves  until  they  could  raise  crops  from  their  own 
soil,  and  from  the  embarrassed  condition  of  the  whole  country,  involved 
as  it  was  in  a  war  with  a  foreign  power,  the  result  of  which  no  one 
could  foresee.  Whatever  means  the  people  had,  after  providing  for 
their  own  immediate  wants,  they  devoted  to  the  country's  service.  In 
1778,  the  town  was  incorporated;  and  in  1780,  having  raised  a  surplus 
of  corn,  they  appropriated  it  to  the  support  of  preaching.  The  Rev. 
John  Adams  was  engaged  to  preach  every  fourth  Sabbath  for  a  year, 
receiving  his  board  three  months  of  the  time,  and  six  bushels  of  corn 
per  Sabbath,  for  his  services.  After  the  organization  of  the  general 
government  and  the  adoption  of  the  state  constitution,  the  energies  of 
the  settlers  were  turned  from  politics  and  war  to  the  settlement  of  the 
town  and  the  cultivation  of  its  soil.  The  formation  of  religious  socie- 
ties and  district  schools  was  among  the  foremost  objects  of  their  solici- 
tude ;  the  results  of  which  are  apparent  in  the  intelligence  and  morals 
of  the  people.  There  have  been  but  few  changes  in  the  boundary 
lines  of  the  town  since  its  incorporation.  In  June,  1820,  however, 
a  part  of  the  territory  of  Wakefield  was  included  within  its  lira- 
its,  and  on  the  23d  of  December  the  same  year,  Ossipee  Gore  was  an- 
nexed. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  somewhat  broken ;  Green  Mountain  being 
the  principal  elevation,  and  rising  from  the  eastern  shore  of  Ossipee 
lake  to  the  height  of  nearly  1,000  feet.  The  Ossipee  river,  forming  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  town,  is  the  only  stream  of  note ;  besides 


484  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

which  there  is  Province  pond,  a  small  body  of  water  in  the  southern 
part. 

Effingham  has  three  villages  —  Effingham  Falls,  Drake's  Corner,  and 
Low's  Corner ;  five  chm-ch  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and 
three  Free-will  Baptist;  two  post-offices  —  Effingham  and  Effingham 
Falls;  and  eleven  school  districts:  also,  a  woollen  factory,  five  saw- 
mills, three  grist-mills,  and  one  carriage  factory.  Population,  1,252; 
valuation,  ^255,063. 

Ellsworth,  in  the  central  part  of  Grafton  county,  is  fifty-two  miles 
from  Concord,  and  comprises  an  area  of  16,606  acres.  It  was  granted 
to  Barlow  Trecothick,  May  1,  1769,  and  was  known  by  the  name  of 
Trecolhick  until  its  incorploration  in  1802.  The  surface  for  the  most 
part  is  very  rough  and  sterile,  and  holds  out  no  assurances  to  its 
sparse  population  that  they  will  ever  become  wealthy  by  cultivating 
its  soil.  Considerable  maple  sugar  is  made  here,  and  may  be  set  down 
as  the  staple  product.  Carr's  mountain  is  an  elevation  of  some  note, 
and  extends  from  the  north  to  the  central  part  of  the  town.  The  only 
body  of  water  is  West  Branch  pond,  in  the  southeast  part;  the  outlet 
of  which  forms  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Pemigewasset.  Ellsworth 
has  a  small  church  belonging  to  the  Free-will  Baptists,  and  three  school 
districts,  with  four  schools :  also,  a  grist-mill,  five  saw-mills,  and  three 
shingle  mills.     Population,  320  ;  valuation,  $45,706. 

Enfield  is  one  of  the  southern  frontier  towns  of  Grafton  county, 
forty-two  miles  from  Concord,  and  comprises  24,060  acres,  about  2,500 
of  which  are  water.  The  township  was  gi-anted  July  4,  1761,  to 
Jedediah  Dana  and  others,  and  was  incorporated  at  the  same  time. 
Nathaniel  Bicknell,  Jonathan  Paddleford,  Elisha.  Bingham,  and  Jesse 
Johnson  were  among  the  first  settlers.  The  first  minister  in  Enfield 
was  Rev.  Edward  Evans,  settled  in  1799  and  dismissed  in  1805.  He 
was  a  Methodist,  and,  contrary  to  the  practice  of  those  times  which 
required  him  who  would  be  a  religious  teacher  in  town  to  be  of  the 
order  that  happened  to  predominate,  which  was  rarely  other  than  the 
Congregational,  he  obtained  the  land  appropriated  by  the  town  for  the 
first  settled  minister.  Hills  and  valleys  principally  form  the  surface  of 
the  town,  which  is  watered  by  a  variety  of  ponds  and  streams,  the 
principal  of  which  are  Pleasant  or  Mascomy  and  East  ponds.  The 
former  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  four  miles  in  length,  and  of  various 
breadth,  having  a  variety  of  picturesque  scenery  in  its  vicinity,  as  well 
as  Mont  Calm,  the  principal  elevation.  East  pond  is  one  and  a  half 
miles  long  and  three  fourths  of  a  mile  wide.  Iron  ore  has  been  found, 
and  is  supposed  to  exist  in  considerable  quantities. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    EPPING.  485 

On  the  Kouthwestern  shore  of  Mascomy  pond  is  the  Shaker  settle- 
ment, situated  on  a  fertile  plain,  and  presenting  quite  a  neat  and  tasty 
appearance.  The  inhabitants  are  about  120  in  number,  who  are 
divided  into  three  distinct  families,  each  of  which  has  a  commodious 
building  for  the  transaction  of  their  various  kinds  of  business.  The 
buildings  generally  are  noted  as  much  for  their  unpretending  appear- 
ance, as  for  their  uniform  cleanliness.  The  inhabitants  are  engaged  in 
agricultural  and  mechanical  pursuits,  and  take  much  pains  in  the  im- 
provement of  stock,  having  recently  imported  two  small  flocks  of  French 
merino  sheep.  Their  articles  of  traffic  consist,  to  a  considerable  extent, 
of  garden  seeds,  wooden  ware,  corn  brooms,  and  woollen  goods,  all  of 
which  are  of  their  own  raising  and  manufacture.  They  have  two  mills 
in  operation,  and  are  possessed  of  a  handsome  meeting-house.  Besides 
this  village  there  are  three  others,  one  on  the  eastern  shore  about  half 
a  mile  from  Mascomy  pond,  and  known  as  East  Village ;  the  others 
are  called  North  Eiffield  and  Enfield  Centre,  all  of  which  are  situated 
south  of  the  Shaker  village.  The  Northern  Railroad  passes  through  a 
corner  of  Enfield,  by  which  a  ready  market  is  found  for  the  merchan- 
dise and  surplus  produce  of  the  town.  Enfield  contains  three  Union 
church  edifices,  and  one  Universalist ;  eighteen  school  districts ;  and 
three  post-offices  —  Enfield,  North  Enfield,  and  West  Enfield:  also,  a 
sash,  blind,  and  door  factory ;  a  woollen  yarn  and  a  woollen  flannel 
factory ;  one  extensive  tannery,  a  bedstead  factory,  three  saw-mills, 
and  one  grist-mill.     Population,  1,742  ;  valuation,  $555,383. 

Epping,  in  the  northern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  thirty  miles 
southeast  of  Concord,  contains  12,760  acres.  It  was  formerly  a  part  of 
Exeter,  from  which  it  was  detached  and  incorporated  February  12, 
1741 ;  and  the  next  year  the  inhabitants  held  their  first  meeting.  An 
orthodox  church  was  formed  December  9,  1747,  one  of  the  ministers 
being  Rev.  Josiah  Stearns,  a  descendant  of  Isaac  Stearns,  who  came 
from  England,  with  Governor  Wentworth,  in  1630.  He  was  a  native 
of  Billerica,  Mass.,  was  settled  March  8,  1758,  and  was  an  unswerving 
friend  of  liberty  in  the  trying  times  of  the  Revolution.  This  devout 
and  excellent  preacher  ministered  here  thirty  years,  adding  to  the  church 
during  this  time  1,060  souls.  The  Quakers  had  a  church  here  as  early 
as  1769,  and  it  is  stated  that  one  of  them,  Jonathan  Norris,  was  impris- 
oned for  refusing  to  pay  taxes  to  support  the  Congregationalists.  Henry 
Dearborn,  an  officer  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  representative  in  con- 
gress, secretary  of  war,  major-general  of  the  war  of  1812,  minister  of 
the  United  States  at  Portugal,  as  well  as  holder  of  several  other  impor- 
tant offices,  resided  in  this  town  in  early  fife.     Wiffiam   Plumer,  late 

41* 


486  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

governor  of  New  Hampshire,  and  one  of  her  most  distinguished  and 
estimable  citizens,  resided  here  till  his  death.i  John  Chandler,  represent- 
ative and  senator  in  the  Massachusetts  legislature,  senator  in  congress, 
and  brigadier-general  in  the  army  of  1812,  was  a  native  of  Epping. 

The  soil  of  Epping  is,  for  the  most  part,  of  a  productive  description. 
Several  fine  streams  of  water  pass  through  it,  diversifying  the  face  of 
the  country,  and  rendering  it  one  of  the  pleasant  towns  of  the  state. 
Among  them  are  Lamprey  river,  running  the  entire  length,  and  North 
river,  which  waters  the  north  part.  The  roads  are  well  made,  and 
kept  in  good  condition.  The  population  are  industrious,  frugal  agri- 
culturists. There  are  three  villages  —  Corner  village,  Plumer  village, 
and  West  Epping  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist, 
and  Universalist ;  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post-office:  also,  six 
saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  woollen  manufactory,  and  one  bank  (the 
Pawtuckaway),  incorporated  1854,  with  a  capital  of  f 50,000.  The 
Portsmouth  and  Concord  Railroad  passes  through  Epping.  Population, 
1,663 ;  valuation,  $523,225. 

Epsom,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Merrimaclv  county,  is  twelve  miles  east 
from  Concord.  It  derives  its  name  from  a  town  in  the  county  of  Surry, 
England,  and  was  granted  to  Theodore  Atkinson  and  others,  belonging 
to  Newcastle,  Rye,  and  Greenland,  May  18,  1727,  prior  to  which  date 
there  were  several  families  in  the  plantation.  Among  those  who  early 
settled  here  were  Charles  M'Coy,  William  Blazo,  Andrew  M' Clary,  a 
Mr.  Whittaker,  and  Samuel  Blalve.  The  inhabitants  suffered  much 
from  the  determined  yet  transitory  warfare  of  the  Indians,  and  were  fre- 
quently obliged  to  remove  their  families  from  the  to\vn,  or  flee  with 
them  to  Nottingham.  At  length  a  garrison  was  erected,  in  which  the 
settlers  sought  refuge  w^henever  danger  was  apprehended.  Excepting 
the  capture  of  Mrs.  McCoy,  on  the  21st  August,  1747,  —  who  was  car- 
ried into  Canada,  from  whence  she  returned  soon  after  the  war,  —  and 
the  robbery  of  some  cattle,  the  Indians  committed  no  very  serious  dep- 
redations in  Epsom,  such  clemency  being  attributable,  probably,  to  the 
friendly  and  conciliatory  manner  of  the  inhabitants  towards  them. 
Major  Andrew  M' Clary,  a  gallant  and  meritorious  officer,  who  fell  at 
Breed's  Hill,  was  a  native  of  Epsom.  Hon.  John  M' Clary,  son  of 
General  Michael  M' Clary,  was  killed  December  13,  1821,  by  the  fall  of 
the  frame  of  a  building  in  this  town.  He  was  for  several  years  a 
representative  and  senator  in  the  state  legislature. 

'  The  Life  of  Governor  Plumer,  by  Lis  son,  lias  been  recently  published  by  Pliillips, 
Sampson  &  Co. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    EllROL,    ETC.  487 

The  surface  of  Epsom  is  generally  uneven,  the  land  frequently  rising 
into  considereCble  eminences,  the  principal  of  which  are  McCoy's  Fort, 
Nat's  and  Nottingham  mountains.  The  soil,  on  the  average,  is  good, 
and  well  adapted  for  grazing  or  grain.  Several  minerals  have  been 
found,  as  also  terra  sienna,  which  constitutes  a  very  handsome  paint. 
Great  and  Little  Suncook  rivers  furnish  water;  and  there  are  three 
ponds,  known  by  the  names  of  Chestnut,  Round,  and  Odiorne's.  Ep- 
som has  one  village,  called  Suncook ;  two  churches  —  Congregational 
and  Free-will  Baptist ;  ten  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also, 
two  grist-mills,  two  saw-mills,  and  several  stores.  Population,  1,366 ; 
valuation,  $374,780. 

Errol  is  situated  in  Cobs  county,  on  the  boundary  line  dividing  New 
Hampshire  from  Maine,  and  was  granted  to  Timothy  Ruggles  and 
others,  February  28,  1774.  It  has  an  area  of  thirty-five  thousand  acres, 
a  considerable  portion  of  which  is  water.  Much  of  the  land  is  still 
covered  mth  its  native  forest  trees,  and  the  soil  is  generally  poor.  The 
principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  is  lumbering.  There  are  numer- 
ous ponds  and  streams ;  but  the  principal  body  of  water  is  Urabagog 
lake,  which  lies  on  the  boundary  line,  partly  in  this  state  and  partly  in 
Maine,  its  length  being  about  twelve  miles,  and  its  breadth  varying  from 
one  to  five.  The  outlet  unites  with  the  Margalloway  river  to  form  the 
Androscoggin.  This  locality  has  acquired  some  celebrity  through  the 
very  interesting  narrative  of  Hon.  D.  P.  Thompson,  of  Montpelier,  Vt, 
entitled  "  Gaut  Gurley,  or  the  Trappers  of  the  Umbagog."  There  are 
no  villages,  nor  even  a  church  organization,  in  the  town.  It  is  inter- 
sected by  a  single  road,  and  all  the  settlers  have  built  their  habitations 
on  or  near  it.  Errol  has  two  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  and  one  clap- 
board machine:  also,  three  school  districts  with  good  school-houses,  and 
one  post-office.     Population,  130  ;  valuation,  ^55,700. 

Exeter,  Rockingham  county,  joins  Hampton  and  Hampton  Falls  on 
the  southeast,  and  is  a  shire  town  of  the  county.  On  the  4th  of  July, 
1638,  the  first  settlers  arrived  within  the  boundaries  of  the  present  town. 
To  Rev.  John  Wheelwright  (who  had  been  disfranchised  and  banished 
for  his  religious  views,  by  the  government  of  Massachusetts),  and  a 
party  of  his  followers,  is  attributable  the  settlement  of  Exeter.  Wheel- 
wright purchased  of  the  Indians  upon  his  arrival  the  country  between 
the  Merrimack  and  the  Piscataqua  extending  back  about  thirty  miles. 
This  little  band,  being  under  the  jurisdiction  of  no  particular  govern- 
ment, formed  themselves  into  a  body  politic,  —  somewhat  similar  to  a 
democracy,  —  chose  their  magistrates,  made  their  own  laws,  in  order 


488  HISTOllY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

t 

that  "  they  might  livo  together  quietly  and  peaceably  in  all  godliness 
and  honesty."     This  "  combination  "  existed  for  three   years,  when,  in 

1642,  Exeter  was  annexed  to  the  comity  of  Essex,  Mass.  Wheel- 
wright, being  still  under  sentence  of  banishment,  then  removed  to  Maine, 
with  a  few  of  his  adherents.  This  distinguished  man  died  at  Salisbury 
in  November,  1679,  aged  eighty-five  years.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  all 
the  Wheelwrights  in  Maine,  Massachusetts,  and  New  Hampshire.     In 

1643,  the  arrangement  of  the  counties  being  changed,  Exeter  fell  within 
the  limits  of  Norfolk.  Various  changes  occurred  subsequent  to  this; 
but  the  establishment  of  the  lines  in  1741  put  a  period  to  all  discussion 
on  the  subject  of  territorial  lines  between  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire. 

Exeter  has  had  her  share  of  the  trials  and  hardships  common  to  the 
settlement  of  a  wilderness  country ;  but  the  greatest  sufferings  were  ex- 
perienced from  the  warfare  of  the  Indians.  At  the  time  of  the  arrival 
of  the  first  settlers  there  were  a  few  Indians  at  or  near  Squamscott 
Falls,  where  the  compact  part  of  the  town  is  now  built ;  but  they  were 
peaceably  disposed  and  less  savage  in  character  than  most  of  the  native 
tribes,  and  were  fully  protected  by  the  people  of  Exeter  in  their  pei-sons 
and  property.  These  left  here  about  1672,  and  settled  on  the  Hudson 
near  Troy.  Hostihties  commenced  in  Exeter  in  1690.  From  this  time 
till  1710,  the  settlers  had  to  confine  themselves  to  the  three  garrisons  in 
town,  cultivating  their  lands  in  continual  fear  of  the  savage  enemy. 
During  the  forty  years  of  this  dreadful  warfare,  the  horrors  of  which  one 
can  scarcely  realize,  the  killed  and  captives  in  Exeter  were  between 
thirty  and  forty,  among  the  former  of  whom  were  Ephraim  Folsom,  Sen., 
and  Goodman  Robinson;  also.  Colonel  Winthrop  Hilton,  whose  death 
was  deeply  lamented  on  account  of  his  ma\iy  noble  qualities.  This 
subtraction  from  a  population  so  limited  in  mimbers  was  great ;  and 
imagination  can  but  faintly  trace  the  harrowing  pictures  which  these 
inroads  in  the  ranks  of  the  settlers  conjured  up  in  the  minds  of  the 
survivors,  fearing  lest  they  should,  sooner  or  later,  fall  victims  to  the 
same  savage  cruelties.  The  depredations  upon  the  limited  property 
of  the  settlers  were  great,  and  were  severely  felt.  With  these  draw- 
backs in  view,  it  will  not  seem  strange  that  Exeter,  at  the  close  of  the 
first  century,  had  but  twenty  qualified  voters  within  its  limits.  About 
1712,  the  Indians,  it  appears,  ceased  their  attacks. 

Exeter,  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  sustained  a  noble  part,  beino- 
hearty  and  unanimous  in  obedience  to  the  measures  recommended  by 
those  wise  men  who  undertook  the  arduous  enterprise  of  ]-)ilotino-  the 
infant  republic  through  the  tortuous  windings  of  an  unknown  destiny. 
Her  inhabitants,  without  a  murmur,  bore  the  dangers  and  hardships  of 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    EXETER. 


489 


the  war,  and  contracted  heavy  debts  to  raise  men  and  supplies  for  the 
army.  Exeter  was  one  of  the  first  in  declaring  and  steadily  maintain- 
ing the  independence  of  our  country,  and  her  records  arc  full  of  une- 
quivocal evidences  of  her  zeal  and  patriotism.  The  early  conventions, 
and  the  provincial  assembly  or  congress,  repeatedly  met  here,  until  the 
adoption  of  the  state  constitution.  Among  the  eminent  and  useful 
men  who  have  been  citizens  of  Exeter  we  may  notice  Hon.  Samuel 
Tenney,  Hon.  Oliver  Peabody,  Hon.  Nicholas  Oilman,  General 
Nathaniel  Folsom,  Governors  Jeremiah  Smith  and  Hon.  John  Taylor 
Gilman,  all  of  whom  held  important  civil,  and  some  of  them  military, 
offices  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  republic.  Hon.  Lewis  Cass,  who  has 
occupied  many  important  posts  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and  now 
stands  next  in  rank  to  the  president  of  the  United  States,  was  a  native 
of  this    town.     He  was  born   on  the  9th  day  of  October,  1782,  in  the 


Birth-place  of  Iloa.  Lewis  Cass. 


old  house,  an  exact  likeness  of  which  is  here  given  from  a  daguerreo- 
type just  taken,  and  was  the  son  of  Major  Jonathan  Cass,  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  His  early  life  only  was  spent  here.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  removed  to  the  then  northwest  territory  with  his  father's 
family. 

The  first  church  in  Exeter  was,  excepting  that  at  Hampton,  the  first 
formed  in  the  xState,  having  been  founded  in  1638.  Mr.  Wheelwright, 
who  was  a  brother-i)i-law  of  the  celebrated  Anne  Hutchinson,  a  con- 
tcmjiorary  at  the  university  with  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  a  friend  of  Sir 
Henry  ^"anc,  was  the  first  minister.  After  his  removal  to  Maine,  the 
church  was  brolcen  up.  An  attempt  to  form  another  in  Exeter  was  for- 
bidden by  the  General  Court.     No  church  is  known  to  have  been  formed 


490  inSTOEY   AND    DESCEIPTIOX    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

until  1698.  In  the  mean  time  they  had  a  sort  of  ecclesiastico-civil 
government.  Rev.  Samuel  Dudley,  a  son  of  Governor  Dudley,  was  the 
minister  from  1650  until  his  death  in  1683.  Cotton  Mather  indorsed 
him  as  a  man  who,  by  the  "  orthodox  piety  "  which  controlled  his  ad- 
ministration of  civil  affairs,  did  much  to  save  the  country  "  from  the 
contagion  of  familistic  errors,  which  had  like  to  have  overturned  all." 
It  is  a  little  surprising,  however,  that  he  should  have  preached  so  long  to 
an  unorganized  body.  The  third  minister,  Rev.  John  Clark,  was  settled, 
in  1698,  over  a  church  of  twenty-eight  persons  then  gathered.  His  suc- 
cessor was  Rev.  John  Odlin,  who  was  minister  of  the  first  church  from 
1706  to  1754.  Upon  the  settlement,  in  1743,  of  his  son,  Woodbridge 
Odlin,  as  his  colleague, — who,  with  his  father,  opposed  themselves  to  the 
measures  and  influence  of  Whitefield,  during  "  the  great  awakening,"  — 
a  secession  took  place,  and  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  second 
church  with  forty-one  members,  over  which  Rev.  Daniel  Rogers,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Smithfield  martyr,  was  settled  from  1748  until  his 
death  in  1785.  Rev.  Joseph  Brown  was  pastor  of  this  church  from 
1792  to  1797 ;  after  which  the  church,  for  a  time,  declined.  Rev.  Isaac 
Hurd  was  pastor  from  1817  to  1846.  Of  the  first  church,  after  Mr. 
Odlin,  were  Rev.  Isaac  Mansfield,  from  1776  to  1787  ;  Rev.  William  F. 
Rowland,  from  1790  to  1828.1 

Phillips  Academy,  a  view  of  which  is  given  on  the  next  page,  was 
founded,  in  1781,  by  the  liberal  donations  of  John  Phillips,  LL.  D.,  who 
bequeathed  to  the  institution  at  his  death,  in  1795,  a  considerable  portion 
of  his  estate.  It  is  controlled  by  seven  ti'ustees,  three  of  whom  only  can 
reside  at  Exeter.  It  generally  has  from  eighty  to  ninety  students.  The 
poorer  students  are  aided  in  the  prosecution  of  their  studies  by  the 
funds  of  this  institution.  The  academy  was  opened' in  1783,  under  the 
preceptorship  of  William  Woodbridge.  The  late  venerable  and  highly 
esteemed  Benjamin  Abbot,  LL.  D.,  was  the  preceptor  from  1788  to 
1838,  a  period  of  fifty  years,  since  which,  Gideon  L.  Soule  has  served 
his  twenty  years.  Among  its  trustees  have  been  Hon.  John  Phillips, 
the  founder,  Samuel  Phillips,  John  Pickering,  John  Taylor  Oilman, 
Jeremiah  Smith,  and  Daniel  Webster.  Among  its  instructors  have 
been  Rev.  Doctors  Daniel  Dana,  Abiel  Abbot,  and  Joseph  S.  Buck- 
minster,  James  Walker,  president  of  Harvard  College,  Nathan  Lord, 
president  of  Dartmouth  College,  Hon.  Alexander  H.  Everett,  Asher 
Ware,  judge  of  the  district  court  of  the  United  States  in  JMainc,  and 
Nathan'  Hale,   the    veteran    editor    of    the    Boston    Daily    Advertiser. 

'  More  particularity  has  been  given  to  the  churches  here,  and  a  mention  of  tlie  long- 
est pastorates  has  been  made,  for  the  reason  that  their  history  has  been  so  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  civil  affairs  of  the  town. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OF    EXETER. 


491 


Among  its  pupils,  besides   most  of  those  above   mentioned,   are   found 
the  names  of  Lewis  Cass,  secretary  of  state  of  the  United  States  •  tlie 


Phillips  Academy. 


late  Leverett  Saltonstall,  representative  in  congress  from  Massachusetts; 
Edward  Everett,  tlie  scholar,  orator,  and  statesman  of  world-wide  rcj^u- 
tation;  John  G.  Palfrey,  ex-member  of  congress,  and  distinguished  as 
an  author;  John  A.  Dix,  ex-senator  of  the  United  States  from  New 
York;  Jared  Sparlis,  the  historian;  Joseph  G.  CoggsAveli,  of  the 
Astor  library;  George  Bancroft,  the  historian;  Richard  Hildrelh, 
the  historian;  the  late  Thomas  W.  Dorr,  of  Rhode  Island  memory; 
Cliarles  Paine,  ex-governor  of  Vermont;  John  P.  Hale,  senator  in 
congress  from  New  Hampshire ;  Al])heus  Fetch,  ex-governor  of 
Michigan  and  senator  in  congress;  James  H.  Duncan,  representative 
in  congress  from  Rlassachusetts;  John  P.  Gushing  of  Watertown,  and 
the  late  Theodore  Lyman  of  Boston,  INIass.  Such  a  galaxy  of  names 
as  appear  u])on  the  catalogue  of  this  institution  ^vill  not,  perhaps,  be 
found  in  connection  with  any  other  academy  on  this  continent. 

The  soil  of  Exeter  is,  on  the  average,  good,  though  it  includes  ev(ny 
variety  from  the  best  quality  io  that  least  productive.  The  inhabitants 
are  essentially  an  agricirltural  community.  Improvements  in  husbandry 
are  largely  entered  into.  The  town  is  built  upon  the  bank  of  the  Exeter 
rive]-,  called  by  the  Indians  Squamscott,  and  the  location  is  desirable 
and  pleasant.  The  river  is  navigable  fm-  small  seliooners.  The  falls 
here  separate  the  fresh  from  the  tide  w;iter,  and  furnish  some  valuable 


492 


HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


mill  privileges,  which  are  occupied  for  manufacturing  purposes,  to 
which  Exeter  owes  much  of  her  present  prosperity.  Exeter  has  two 
villages,  the  principal  of  which,  known  as  Exeter,  is  well  adorned  with 
trees,  and  contains  many  delightful  residences  and  public  buildings, 
among  the  latter  of  which  are  a  court-house  and  town  hall,  built  in 
1855,  of  brick,  at  a  cost  of  $32,000 ;  a  county  house,  where  the  records 
of  Rockingham  county  are  kept ;  and  a  new  jail,  built  in  1857.  The 
other  village  is  in  the  westerly  part,  called  Paper-mill  ViUage,  it  being 
largely  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  paper.  A  beautiful  view  of 
Exeter  is  here  presented,  taken  at  a  point  where  most  of  the  compact 


part  of  the  town  can  be  seen.  A  portion  of  the  town  was  annexed  to 
South  New  Market,  .January  7,  185.3.  There  are  nine  church  edifices 
—  two  Congregational,  two  Baptist,  one  Unitarian,  one  Methodist,  one 
Christian,  one  Second  Advent,  and  one  Roman  Catholic;  a  female 
seminary;  a  public  fibrary  of  1,900  volumes ;  six  school  districts,  with 
thirteen  public  schools;  the  Granite  State  bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$125,000 ;  tlic  Exeter  Bank,  witli  a  capital  of  $75,000 ;  a  savings  insti- 
tution, mcorporated  in  1S51  ;  and  a  post-office.  The  following'  are  the 
mcorporatcd  companies:  The  AVater-power  and  Mill  Comj^anv,  with  a 
capital  of  $10,000;  the  Exeter  Manufacturing  Company,  incorporated 
m  1829,  with  a  capital  of  ^$102,500,  the  buildings  of  which  are  of  brick, 
175  feet   h)ng  and  forty-five   wide,   and   having 


the    main    one    beina: 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   FAEMINGTON,   ETC.  493 

7,224  spindles;  and  the  New  England  Steam  and  Gas-pipe  Com- 
pany, incorporated  in  1848,  and  having  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Be- 
sides these,  there  are  Flagg's  paper-mills,  manufacturing  $20,000 
worth  of  paper  annually;  Head  and  Jewell's  carriage  manufac- 
tory, with  steam  power,  turning  out  $50,000  worth  annually,  and  a 
number  of  other  carriage  factories ;  the  whole  carriage  business  of  the 
town  amounting  annually  to  at  least  $75,000.  The  tanning  business 
and  manufacture  of  morocco  leather  produce  about  $25,000,  and  the 
trade  in  wool  is  $200,000  annually.  There  are  also  three  saw-mUls, 
four  grist-mills,  two  hub  factories,  and  one  steam  planing-mill,  with 
circular  saws  and  planing  lathes.  The  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad 
passes  through  the  village.     Population,  3,329;  valuation,  $1,449,907. 

Farmington  is  situated  near  the  centre  of  Strafford  county,  tw-enty- 
five  miles  from  Concord,  and  contains  21,000  acres.  It  was  originally 
a  part  of  Rochester,  from  which  it  was  incorporated  December  1,  1798. 
The  surface  is  broken,  and  the  soil  hard  to  cultivate.  There  are, 
however,  some  tracts  of  interval  on  the  margin  of  the  Cochecho  river 
that  produce  very  good  crops.  The  Blue  hills  extend  nearly  through 
the  town  from  north  to  south,  from  the  top  of  the  highest  of  which, 
in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  the  shipping  in  and  off  Portsmouth 
harbor  can  be  distinctly  seen  by  the  naked  eye ;  while,  to  the  north  and 
west,  the  White  Mountains,  Monadnock,  and  others  of  less  magnitude, 
are  visible.  In  1819,  a  Congregational  church  was  organized,  con- 
sisting of  eight  members,  and  Rev.  James  Walker  for  several  years 
officiated  as  pastor. 

This  town  was  the  birthplace  of  the  Hon.  Henry  Wilson,  now  a 
senator  in  congress  from  Massachusetts.  Here  was  the  residence  of 
two  other  members  of  congress,  both  now  deceased,  Hon.  Nehemiah 
Eastman,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  Strafford  county,  and  Hon.  Joseph 
Hammons,  the  only  physician  in  this  town  for  many  years. 

There  are  two  villages  —  Farmington  and  West  Farmington ;  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  sixteen  school  dis- 
tricts, one  bank  (capital  $75,000),  and  one  post-office.  The  chief  busi- 
ness is  making  boots  and  shoes.  The  Cochecho  Railroad  passes  through 
the  town.     Population,  1,699  ;  valuation,  $750,411. 

FiTZWiLLiAM  is  in  the  southern  part  of  Cheshire  county,  bordering 
upon  the  state  of  Massachusetts;  and  is  sixty  miles  from  Concord. 
The  township  originally  bore  the  name  of  Monadnock  No.  4,  and  was 
granted  January  15,  1752,  to  Roland  Cotton  and  forty-one  others  ;  but 
they  failing  to  fulfil  the  terms  of  the  grant,  it  was  shortly  after  regranted 

VOL.  I.  42 


494  HISTOKY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OP  NEW    ENGLAND. 

to  Samson  Stoddard  and  twenty-two  others.  The  settlement  was  com- 
menced about  1760,  by  James  Reed  (a  Revolutionary  patriot,  and  after- 
wards brigadier-general),  John  Fassett,  Benjamin  Bigelow,  and  several 
others.  In  1771,  the  Congregational  church  was  formed,  consisting  of 
six  members,  and  Rev.  Benjamin  Brigham  was  settled,  and  remained 
the  pastor  until  his  death,  in  1800.  On  the  19th  of  May,  1773,  the 
town  was  incorporated,  taking  its  name  from  the  Earl  of  Fitzwilliam. 

In  1815,  a  tract  of  land,  comprising  4,200  acres,  was  taken  from 
Fitzwilliam  and  annexed  to  Troy.  The  surface  is  hilly ;  the  soil  of 
the  upland  is  rocky  and  hard,  but  suitable  for  grazing  and  tillage.  The 
meadow  lands  are  somewhat  extensive  for  such  an  elevated  section  of 
country  as  this,  and  are  very  productive. 

The  town  is  traversed  by  the  Cheshire  Railroad,  which  has  been  of 
great  advantage,  particularly  to  the  agricultural  interest.  Farming 
Avas  formerly  considered  here  an  unpopular  and  low  business,  but  it  is 
now  the  leading  occupation  of  the  people  ;  and  many  of  those  who 
left  the  plough  for  the  city  are  now  eager  to  return  and  enjoy  the 
comforts  of  a  farmer's  life  in  the  country.  The  town  is  well  supplied 
with  ponds  and  small  streams,  but  they  afford  no  water  power  worthy 
of  mention. 

There  are  three  villages  —  Fitzwilliam,  Howeville,  and  Bowkerville  ; 
two  church  edifices  —  Baptist  and  Union.  The  Congregational  church 
was  burned  January  15,  1857,  but  preparations  have  been  made  for 
rebuilding  it.  There  are  eleven  school  districts  and  one  post-office. 
Some  business  is  done  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden  ware.  Popu- 
lation, 1,482 ;  valuation,  $519,972. 

Feancestown,  lying  near  the  centre  of  Hillsborough  county,  twenty- 
seven  mUes  from  Concord,  contains  18,760  acres.  Its  name  was  given 
in  remembrance  of  Frances,  wife  of  Governor  John  Wentworth.  It 
was  formed  from  a  place  called  the  New  Boston  Addition,  and  a  part  of 
Society  land,  and  was  incorporated,  contrary  to  the  order  of  things  at 
that  time,  on  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  those  places,  as  a  distinct 
township,  June  8,  1772.  The  Masonian  proprietors  were  the  owners 
of  the  land,  and  the  settlers  obtained  their  titles  from  them.  A  part  of 
Lyndeborough  was  subsequently  added  to  the  town.  The  first  settle- 
ment was  made  in  1761  by  persons  from  Londonderry,  and  from 
Dedham,  Mass.,  of  whom  John  Carson,  a  Scotchman,  was  the  first 
on  the  ground.  The  former  were  Scotch-Irish,  and  the  latter  English. 
A  Congregational  church  of  eighteen  members  was  formed  in  1773,  but 
the  house  of  worship  was  not  completed  until  1787.  Rev.  Moses 
Bradford  was  the  minister  from  1790  until  1827.     Prior  to  the  Revo- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   FRANCESTOWN.  495 

lution,  October  21,  1774,  several  resolves,  exhibiting  the  spirit  which 
animated  the  people,  were  passed,  and  published  in  the  New  Hampshire 
Gazette  of  November  18th,  signed  by  nearly  every  inhabitant  of  the 
place.  Henry  Batten,  who  was  a  resident  of  Francestown  for  nearly 
forty  years,  and  who  died  August  25,  1822,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five, 
was  captured  by  the  Indians  during  the  French  war  in  1757.  Although 
under  the  guard  of  two  warriors,  by  his  superior  strength  and  agility  he 
made  his  escape,  with  the  loss,  however,  of  aU  his  clothes.  In  a  state  of 
nudity,  he  wandered  between  lakes  George  and  Champlain  for  six 
days,  having  nothing  to  satisfy  his  appetite  except  berries  and  bark, 
and  being  compelled  to  swim  the  Hudson  three  times  to  escape  his 
pursuers.  James  Woodbury,  an  active  soldier  in  the  old  French  war 
and  a  participant  in  the  siege  of  Quebec,  where  he  was  engaged  at 
the  side  of  General  Wolfe  when  that  heroic  man  was  slain,  died  in 
this  town,  March  3,  1823,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  He  saw  much 
service  also  as  a  member  of  Stark's  celebrated  company  of  rangers. 

Hon.  Levi  Woodbury  was  born  in  this  town,  November  2,  1789. 
He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1809, — studied  law  at  Litchfield, 
Ct.,  and  in  Boston,  —  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
this  town  in  1812.  He  was  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  New 
Hampshire  in  1816,  governor  of  this  state  in  1822,  speaker  of  the 
house  of  representatives  in  1824,  elected  senator  to  congress  in  1825, 
appointed  secretary  of  the  navy  by  General  Jackson  in  1831 ;  and 
in  1833,  under  the  General's  second  term,  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
which  latter  office  he  held  until  the  end  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  adminis- 
tration, when  he  was  reelected  to  the  United  States  senate.  In  1849, 
upon  the  decease  of  Judge  Story,  he  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  United  States.  While  holding  the  last-named 
office  his  death  occurred,  September  4,  1851,  at  Portsmouth.  Judge 
Woodbury  was  distinguished  as  a  man  of  untiring  industry,  as  well 
as  for  great  urbanity  and  dignity  of  character;  and  so  popular  had 
he  become  with  his  party  at  the  close  of  his  career,  there  is  strong 
ground  for  thinking,  that,  had  he  been  spared,  he  would  have  succeeded 
Mr.  Fillmore  in  the  presidency. 

Francestown  is  watered  by  the  two  south  branches  of  Piscataquog 
river,  the  largest  of  which  has  its  source  in  Pleasant  pond,  and  the 
other  in  Haunted  pond.  Pleasant  pond  is  350  rods  square,  and 
Haunted  pond  about  300  rods  in  length  and  225  in  width.  The 
country  is  hilly  and  much  of  the  land  stony,  though  the  soil  is  warm  and 
moist.  There  are  some  small  intervals  which  yield  abundantly.  The 
mill  streams  are  not  very  large,  and  consequently  the  privileges  are 
not  numerous.     Crotched  mountain  is  the  principal  elevation,  its  sum- 


496 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


mit  being  over  six  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  common  in  the 
middle  of  the  town,  affording  an  extensive  view  of  the  country  to  the 
soutliwest.  A  very  valuable  ([uarry  of  freestone  of  a  dark  grayish 
color,  liaving  a  resemblance  to  the  variegated  marble  of  Vermont,  has 
been  discovered  and  profitably  worked,  being  much  prized  for  stoves 
and  hearths.  Plumbago,  and  specimens  of  rock  crystal  of  much  beauty, 
have  been  found,  while  the  common  garnet  is  met  with  in  various 
places.  The  second  New  Hampshire  turnpike  passes  through  near 
the  centre  of  the  town.  Frajicestown  is  eligibly  situated,  but  has  no 
railroad  as  yet  running  within  its  limits.  The  town  has  a  handsome 
viUage,  a  Congi-egational  meeting-house,  an  academy,  established  in 
1819,  twelve  school  districts,  one  post-office,  and  one  bank,  having  a 
capital  of  $60,000.     Population,  1,114;  valuation,  ^536,281. 


Franconia,  Grafton  county,  joins  Bethlehem 
on  the  north,  and  is  seventy-four  miles  north  from 
Concord.  It  was  originally  caUed  Momstown, 
and  was  granted  February  14,  1764,  to  Isaac 
Searle  and  others,  and  incorporated  at  the  same 
time,  the  first  settlement  being  commenced  in 
1774  by  Captain  Artemas  Knight,  Lemuel 
Barnett,  Zebedee  Applcbee,  and  others.  The 
surface  is  very  mountainous ;  but,  along  the 
branches  of  the  Lower  Ammonoosuc,  which 
water  the  town,  is  some  very  fertile  meadow 
land.  Among  the  natural  curiosities  are  the 
Franconia  Notch,  a  narrow  pass  between  Mount 
Lafayette  and  Profile  or  Jackson  mountain,  and  what  is  called  the 
"  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,"  declared  the  greatest  curiosity  in  the 
state.  At  the  height  of  one  thousand  feet,  on  a  jiearly  perpendic- 
ular part  of  the  rock  which  terminates  one  of  the  cliiTs  of  Jack- 
son mountain,  is  seen  the  profile  of  the  human  face,  formed  by  a 
peculiar  combination  of  the  surface  and  angles  of  five  huge  granite 
blocks.  There  are  other  points  of  interest ;  but  these  are  the  principal, 
and  arc  well  worthy  of  a  visit  from  the  curious.  Near  the  Notch  are 
two  l)odies  of  water,  the  one  known  as  Ferrin's  pond,  which  is  the 
source  of  a  branch  of  the  Peniigcwasset  river,  called  the  Middle  Branch, 
and  the  oilier,  k)iown  as  Echo  Ijala-,  lying  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Lafay- 
ette. The  report  of  a  gun  fired  upon  the  shores  of  this  lake  may  be 
heard  distinctly  several  times,  in  perfect  imitation  of  successive  dis- 
charges of  musketry.  Franconia  is  subject  to  great  extremes  of  heat 
and  cold.     On  the  24th  of  January,  1857,  the  thermometer  at  6  o'clock, 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   FRANKLIN.  497 

A.  jr.,  indicated  49°  below  zero,  and  a  mercury  thermometer  taken  from 
a  warm  room  into  the  open  air  sunk  to  40°  below  zero  in  less  than 
twenty  minutes.  In  the  summer  the  thermometer  frequently  indi- 
cates 100°. 

The  prosperity  of  Franconia  is  mainly  owing  to  the  discovery  of 
iron  ore  in  the  vicinity.  The  principal  works  are  situated  on  the  south 
branch  of  the  Ammonoosuc  river,  and  are  owned  by  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Iron  Factory  Company.  The  establishment  consists  of  a  blast 
furnace,  erected  in  1808,  a  cupola  furnace,  a  forge,  and  a  macliine- 
shop.  The  ore  is  obtained  from  a  mountain  in  the  east  part  of  Lisbon, 
three  miles  from  the  furnace,  and  is  considered  the  richest  in  the 
United  States,  yielding  from  fifty  to  sixty-three  per  cent.  This  estab- 
lishment constantly  employs  from  twenty  to  thirty  men,  and  from 
two  to  three  hundred  tons  of  bar  iron  are  manufactured  annually. 
There  are  also  in  this  town  two  bedstead  factories,  a  box  factory, 
four  saw-mills,  and  two  blacksmith's  shops :  one  church  edifice,  occu- 
pied by  the  Congregationalists  and  by  the  Free-will  Baptists;  seven 
school  districts ;  two  large  and  commodious  hotels,  one  situated  at 
Franconiaville,  and  the  other,  the  Profile  House,  at  the  notch  of  the 
Franconia  mountain,  which  is  said  to  be  capable  of  holding  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  guests.  There  are  two  post-offices  here  —  Franconia  and 
Franconia  Flume.     Population,  584;  valuation,  ^193,834. 

Franklin  is  a  pleasant  and  thriving  agricultural  town  in  the  north- 
east part  of  Merrimack  county,  seventeen  miles  from  Concord.  It  was 
taken  from  Salisbury,  Andover,  Sanbornton,  and  Northfield,  and  incor- 
porated December  24,  1828,  comprising  an  area  of  about  9,000  acres 
on  both  sides  of  the  Merrimaclc.  The  surface  is  mostly  broken,  the  soil 
tolerably  good  in  some  parts  ;  but  the  greater  portion  of  the  land  requires 
considerable  labor  and  attention  to  make  it  productive.  This  town  has 
slipped  in  and  borne  away  the  honor  which  ought  ever  to  have  remained 
to  its  parent  Salisbury — of  containing  the  birthplace  of  Daniel  Web- 
ster. His  father.  Captain  Ebenezer  Webster,  who  was  born  at  Kings- 
ton, went  into  the  army  of  General  Amherst,  in  the  expedition  against 
Canada,  and,  after  hostilities  ceased,  was  one  of  several  persons  from 
Kingston  who,  about  the  year  1761,  entered  that  part  of  Salisbury  now  in 
Franklin.  His  first  location  was  about  two  miles  south-west  of  the  village 
of  Franklin,  near  the  west  line  of  the  town.'    Here  his  distinguished  son 


'  "  My  father  lapped  on  a  little  beyond  any  other  comer ;  and  when  he  had  built  his 
log  cabin,  and  lighted  his  fire,  his  smoke  ascended  nearer  to  the  north  star  than  that  of 
any  other  of  his  majesty's  New  England  subjects.     His  nearest  civilized  neighbor  on  the 

42* 


498 


HISTORY   AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


was  born,  on  the  18th  of  January,  1782.  The  old  domicile  has  long 
since  ])asscd  away  ;  but  those  who  feel  an  interest  in  the  places  where 
m-cut  men  only  enter  the  world,  will  desire  to  preserve,  as  a  souvenir,  its 


Birthplace  of  Darnel  Webster. 

primitive  pattern,  the  roomy  yard  and  ample  shade.  His  second  resi- 
dence, the  home  of  Webster's  childhood  until  he  entered  Exeter  Acad- 
emy, in  1796,  was  al)out  two  miles  southeasterly  of  the  village.  The 
father  had  been  an  oflicer  at  Bennington,  While  Plains,  and  West  Point, 
and  was  a  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  for  Hillsborough,  until 
his  death  in  1800.  To  the  honor  of  the  son's  memory  it  may  be  said, 
that  his  reverence  for  the  home  of  his  ])areiiis  afterwards  led  him  to 
purchase  this  estate,  which  had  fallen  to,  and  been  occupied  by  his 
brother  Ezduel.  Hither  the  weary  man  used  occasionally  to  repair;  and 
in  this  ri'tiremcut,  away  from  the  jiolitical  cormorants  and  jiarty  para- 
sites that  haniitcd  hirn  at  IMnrslifield  and  at  Washington,  soliciting  his 
inlluence  in  their  behalf,  he  is  said  to  have  coiniK)sed  some  of  his  most 


nortli  was  nt   jMoiitronl." "  Tlio   roar  follmvi'ii!!  my  liirtli,  iiiv  fallier   moved  from 

liis  first  n'siilciioc,  wliirli  ivas  a  Iolt-Iiousi'  on  tlio  liill,  to  tlte  vivor  sido,  in  tlio  same  town, 
a  clistaiieo.  of  tliroo  miles.  Hero  in  tlie  meailow  land,  by  th(>  river,  with  ronijli  liills  h:\u<_i- 
im?-  over,  was  tlio  seene  of  mi-  earli(-"^t  rei-olleetions  ;  or,  as  was  said  in  anotlier  case, 
'Here  I  found  myself" —  Welistcr'.-i  I'riixile  Correspondence,  vol.  i.  pp.  5  and  G. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   FREEDOM,   ETC.  499 

valuable  productions.  But  the  swift-winged  messenger  that  travels 
along  the  telegraphic  wire  has  carried  its  last  messag-e  for  Webster, 
and  the  disk-footed  courser,  that  pants  unwearied  on  his  iron-girdled 
course  through  Franklin,  and  across  the  farm  of  the  late  venerable 
statesman,  now  arouses  by  its  shrill  whistle  in  the  early  morn  other 
occupants  to  the  toils  of  the  day.  The  place  has  passed  into  the  pos- 
session of  Rufus  L.  Tay,  Esq.,  but  retains  the  name  of  the  "  Webster 
Farm,"  and  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  principal  village 
is  built  at  the  junction  of  the  Pemigewasset  and  Winnepesaukee  rivers, 
which  by  their  union  form  the  Merrimack.  The  w^ater-power  is  abun- 
dant and  valuable.  On  the  Winnepesaukee  are  several  mills  and  fac- 
tories. The  Franklin  mills  commenced  operations  in  1853,  for  the 
manufacture  of  woollen  goods,  but  were  burned  down  in  March,  1857, 
and  have  not  been  rebuilt.  The  Northern  Railroad  passes  directly  in 
the  rear  of  the  principal  street,  on  a  high  embankment,  the  track  being 
elevated  considerably  above  a  level  with  the  tops  of  the  houses,  and  the 
traveller  in  the  cars  sees,  as  it  were  beneath  his  feet,  a  thriving  village 
and  a  busy  population.  There  are  two  churches  —  Congregational  and 
Christian :  one  post-office,  ten  school  districts,  and  an  incorporated 
academy :  also,  ten  stores,  a  woollen  yarn  mill,  an  iron  foundery,  a  crow- 
bar and  axle  factory,  a  hat  factory,  two  carriage  shops,  two  paper-mills,  and 
a  machine-shop.    Population,  in  1858,  about  1,600  ;  valuation,  $647,914. 

Freedom,  lying  on  the  boundary  line  between  this  state  and  Maine, 
belongs  to  Carroll  county,  and  is  seventy  miles  from  Concord.  It  was 
incorporated  June  16,  1831,  by  the  name  of  North  Effingham,  which 
was  changed  December  6,  1832,  to  the  present  one.  The  town  has  a 
broken  surface,  but  the  soil  is  well  adapted  for  grazing  purposes,  and, 
in  some  parts,  is  good  for  tillage.  Part  of  Ossipee  lake  lies  in  the  town, 
and  Ossipee  river  divides  Freedom  from  Effingham,  affording  water 
power  of  average  capacity.  The  inhabitants  devote  their  attention 
principally  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  The  town  has  one  village,  one 
church  edifice  —  Baptist ;  a  post-office,  and  ten  school  districts :  also, 
four  tanneries,  one  saw-mill,  one  machine-shop,  and  manufactories  of 
bedsteads,  cabinet  ware,  carriages,  chairs,  edge-tools,  and  harnesses. 
Population,  910  ;  valuation,  $233,759. 

Fremont,  situated  about  the  centre  of  Roclvingham  county,  thirty- 
three  miles  from  Concord,  contains  about  10,320  acres.  It  was  char- 
tered, under  the  name  of  Poplin,  June  2,  1764,  and  its  present  title  was 
conferred  upon  it  by  act  of  the  legislature,  July  8,  1854.  The  soil  is 
good,  and  attention  is  devoted  to  its  cultivation.     The  surface  is  undu- 


500  HISTORY   AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

lating,  being  comprised  of  plains  and  gently  rising  hills.  The  inhabit- 
ants are  in  ordinary  circumstances,  —  neither  very  rich  nor  yet  very 
poor.  Fremont  has  never  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  an  established  min- 
istry of  any  order ;  though  the  Methodists,  who  have  a  house  of  worship, 
have  given  the  people  greater  care  than  any  other  sect.  There  are  four 
school  districts  and  one  post-office :  also,  two  grist-mills,  two  saw-mills, 
two  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard  mills,  one  box  factory,  and  one  gun- 
smith's shop.     Population,  509 ;  valuation,  $202,829. 

Gilford,  centrally  situated  in  Belknap  county,  twenty-five  miles  from 
Concord,  is  the  shire  town,  and  adjoins  Gilmanton  on  the  south.  It 
was  incorporated  June  16,  1812,  and  formerly  belonged  to  Gilmanton, 
with  which  its  history  is  intimately  connected.  It  was  settled  in  1778 
by  James  Ames  and  S.  S.  Gilman.  Elder  Richard  Martin  was  settled 
here,  in  1798,  over  the  first  Free-will  Baptist  society.  A  tract  of  land 
was  annexed  to  this  town  from  Gilmanton,  July  5,  1851.  The  land  is 
productive  and  well  cultivated.  Gunstock  and  Miles  brooks  are  the 
principal  streams,  flowing  into  Winnepesaukee  lake.  Little  and 
Chattleborough  ponds  lie  here.  There  are  several  bridges,  two  of  which 
connect  this  town  with  the  islands  in  Winnepesaukee  lake,  and  four, 
crossing  that  lake,  connect  Meredith  village  with  the  one  in  Gilford, 
both  which  are  known  by  the  same  name —  Meredith  Bridge.  Passing 
through  in  an  easterly  direction  nearly  to  the  lake  is  the  Suncook 
range  of  mountains. 

Gilford  contains  three  villages  —  Gilford,  Meredith  Bridge,  and  Lake 
Village.  Meredith  Bridge  is  pleasantly  situated  and  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition, as  also  is  the  town  generally.  The  religious  societies  are  three 
Free-will  Baptist,  one  Baptist,  and  two  Universalist  —  all  of  which  have 
church  edifices.  The  county  buildings  are  strongly  built  and  tastefully 
and  advantageously  located.  There  are  fourteen  school  districts  and 
an  academy.  The  water  power  is  good,  and  there  are  in  operation 
the  following  manufacturing  and  mechanical  establishments :  the  Win- 
nepesaukee Lake  Manufacturing  Company,  the  Gilford  Manufacturing 
and  Mechanic  Company,  one  cotton  factory,  one  peg  factory,  one 
tannery,  four  saw-mills,  one  foundery,  one  large  machine-shop,  and  the 
repair  shop  of  the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad.  There 
are  three  post-offices  ;  namely,  Gilford,  Gilford  Village,  and  Lake  Vil- 
lage.    Population,  2,425  ;  valuation,  $724,885. 

Gilmanton,  in  the  westerly,  part  of  Belknap  county,  adjoins  Can- 
terbury and  Northfield  on  the  south,  nnd  is  twenty-five  miles  northeast 
fi-om  Concord.     It  was  granted  to  twenty-four  persons  by  the  name  of 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    GILM ANTON.  501 

Gilman,  —  seven  of  whom  were  ministers,  —  and  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  others,  for  services  rendered  in  defence  of  the  country,  and  was 
incorporated  May  20,  1727.  Though  the  settlement  was  put  off  on 
account  of  the  fear  of  Indian  depredations,  yet  the  proprietors  made 
frequent  improvements  by  the  erection  of  block-houses,  laying  out  of 
lands  and  roads.  Benjamin  and  John  Mudgett  arrived  here  in  1761, 
and  were  the  first  families  in  the  settlement.  They  endured  great 
privations  in  their  journey  hither.  The  next  year  seven  families  arrived, 
and  from  that  time  the  settlement  continued  to  increase.  Rev.  WUliara 
Parsons  came  in  1765,  and  was  the  schoolmaster  for  the  greater  part 
of  his  life.  He  died  in  1796.  Rev.  Isaac  Smith  was  minister  here  from 
1774  until  his  death,  in  1817.  Many  of  the  proprietors  took  part  in 
the  French  and  Indian  wars,  and  did  good  service.  In  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  Gilmanton  bore  an  honorable  part,  and  many  of  the 
inhabitants,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Eastman,  were  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  or  Breed's  Hill,  as  well  as  in  other  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary battles.  In  1812,  that  part  of  the  town  known  as  the  Gunstock 
parish  was  incorporated  separately  by  the  name  of  Gilford.  General 
Joseph  Badger  was  an  early  settler  and  the  first  magistrate  ;  he  was  also 
representative,  as  well  as  judge  of  probate  for  Strafford  county,  some  time 
prior  to  his  death.    He  was  a  man  much  esteemed  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

The  surface  of  Gilmanton  is,  to  a  gi-eat  extent,  rocky  and  hilly,  while 
the  soU  is  various.  On  the  ridges  and  swells  of  land  is  good,  strong, 
productive  soil :  the  higher  hiUs  are  rocky,  and  adapted  for  pasturing. 
A  small  portion  of  the  land  is  level,  sandy,  and  light.  A  chain  of 
eminences,  varying  in  height  from  three  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet, 
divides  the  head  springs  of  the  Suncook  and  the  Soucook  rivers.  The 
principal  of  these  elevations  is  called  Peaked  hill,  which  is  450  feet 
high,  and  from  its  summit  a  view  of  many  points  of  interest  can 
be  obtained.  Porcupine  ledge  is  a  place  of  considerable  note,  and 
is  much  resorted  to  by  the  lover  of  nature.  It  is  a  very  abrupt 
precipice  of  granite,  gneiss,  and  mica  slate  rock,  below  which  is  a 
deep  and  shady  dell,  the  forest  trees  which  prevail  being  clothed  in 
dark  evergreen  foliage,  while  the  rocks  are  overgrown  by  mosses,  the 
whole  presenting  a  beautiful  appearance.  Much  of  the  scenery  in 
Gilmanton  is  very  picturesque.  Loon,  Shell  camp,  and  Rodiy  ponds 
form  the  source  of  Soucook  river,  and  Lougee's,  Young's,  Ingall's,  and 
Woodman's  ponds  form  that  of  the  Suncook  river.  Great  Brook  flows 
through  Upper  Gilmanton,  and  Winnepesaukee  river,  with  its  various 
bays,  bounds  the  town  on  the  west. 

There  are  three  villages  —  Academy,  Iron- "Works,  and  Factory,  or 
Upper  Gilmanton;  ten  church  edifices — three   Congregational,  three 


502  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Free-will  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  one  Baptist,  one  Christian  Baptist, 
and  one  Qualcer's ;  one  academy,  called  Gilmantoii  Academy,  founded 
in  1794,  with  a  fund  of  about  $10,000,  having  a  theological  department, 
which  was  opened  iia  1835 ;  thirty-one  school  districts ;  and  four  post- 
offices  —  Gilmanton,  UpjDer  Gilmanton,  Lower  Gilmanton,  and  Iron- 
Works  :  also,  one  cotton  factory,  one  batting  mill,  five  grist-mills,  eleven 
saw-mills,  one  steam  tannery,  several  wagon-maker's  shops,  and  shoe, 
straw  hat,  and  other  manufactures.  Several  periodicals  have  been  pub- 
lished in  Gilmanton,  but  they  are  now  all  discontinued.  Population, 
3,282;  valuation,  $1,005,978. 

GiLSUJi,  in  the  central  part  of  Cheshire  county,  adjoins  Kcene  on  the 
south,  and  is  forty-six  miles  from  Concord.  Gilsuni  was  first  granted 
December  8,  1752,  to  Joseph  Osgood,  Jacob  Farmer,  and  others,  and 
received  the  name  of  Boyle.  In  July  13,  1763,  it  was  regranted  to 
Messrs.  Gilbert,  Sumner,  and  others,  receiving  the  name  of  Gilsum,  — 
which  is  supposed  to  have  originated  from  a  combination  of  the  first 
syllables  of  the  names  of  these  men.  The  first  attempt  at  settlement 
was  made  in  1764,  by  Josiah  Kilburn,  from  Hebron,  Conn.,  who  was  fol- 
lowed soon  after  by  Peletiah  Pease,  Obadiah  Wilcox,  Ebenezer  Dewey, 
Jonathan  Adams,  and  others,  most  of  whom  came  from  Connecticut. 
The  Congregational  church  was  formed  1772,  and  a  meeting-house  was 
completed  in  1794,  although  previously  occupied  to  some  extent.  Rev. 
Elisha  Fish  was  the  first  pastor,  settled  in  1796.  The  church,  which 
was  greatly  prospered  during  the  lifetime  of  Mr.  Fish,  after  his  death  in 
1807  became  weak  and  divided,  and  meetings  were  held  by  several  dif- 
ferent denominations  in  private  houses,  the  Methodists,  however,  having 
the  preponderating  influence. 

The  surface  of  Gilsum  is  generally  uneven  and  somewhat  stony ;  but 
there  is  some  land  of  a  good  quality.  Ashuelot  river  runs  through  the 
town,  and  affords  a  number  of  water  privileges.  There  is  an  immense 
_  granite  boulder  here,  which  has  received  the  name  of  Vessel  Roclc, 
from  its  peculiar  situation.  There  are  two  villages  —  Factory  and  Mill ; 
two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  seven  school  dis- 
tricts ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  woollen  mill,  which  manufactures 
twenty-four  thousand  yards  of  cloth  per  annum  ;  a  bobbin  factory,  a 
chair  factory,  and  a  large  tannery.     Population,  668 ;  valuation,  $195,581. 

GoFFSTOAVN,  in  the  easterly  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  is  sixteen 
miles  from  Concord  and  twelve  from  Amherst.  It  was,  in  early  times, 
a  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians,  who  found  ample  support  and  amuse- 
ment in  the  abundance  of  fish  with  which  its  waters  abounded.     The 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE -^  TOWN    OP    GOFFSTOWN.  503 

Masonian  proprietors  made  a  grant  of  it,  in  1748,  to  Rev.  Thomas  Par- 
ker of  Dracut  and  others.  It  is  not  positively  known  when  it  was  first 
settled,  but  it  is  thought  to  have  been  about  1741  or  1742.  It  received 
its  act  of  incorporation  June  16,  1761,  under  the  name  of  Goffstown, 
which  was  conferred  on  it  in  honor  of  Colonel  John  Goffe,  lor  several 
years  a  resident  of  Bedford,  and  the  first  judge  of  probate  in  the  county 
of  Hillsborough.  A  large  part  of  the  town  was  originally  covered  with 
valuable  timber ;  and  this  being  a  good  locality  for  fish,  lumbering  and 
fishing  were  the  main  occupations  of  the  early  settlers.  In  these  early 
days,  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  was  very  common ;  and  society 
here  has  not  yet  wholly  recovered  from  the  evil  influences  which  such 
a  practice  engenders. 

A  Congregational  church  was  organized  abort  October  30,  1771, 
and  small  appropriations  for  preaching  were  made  annually.  There 
were  two  religious  classes  in  the  place,  —  that  in  the  south  part  was 
the  Scotch- Irish  stock  and  favored  Presbyterianism,  while  the  remainder 
were  Congregationalists.  A  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1768  ;  but  it 
was  not  thoroughly  completed  for  some  years  afterwards.  The  first 
minister  was  Rev.  Joseph  Currier,  against  whose  settlement  a  remon- 
strance was  put  in  by  thirty-seven  men,  who  favored  Presbyterianism, 
and  were  determined  not  to  give  any  thing  towards  his  support.  Mr. 
Currier  was  settled  in  1771,  and  dismissed  August  29,  1774,  accord- 
ing to  the  town  records,  for  intemperance.  Seven  years  intervened 
without  the  settlement  of  a  minister ;  and  in  1781,  the  Congregational- 
ists and  the  Presbyterians  were  organized  separately,  the  former  extend- 
ing a  call  to  Rev.  Cornelius  Waters,  who  became  their  pastor,  and  con- 
tinued till  1795.  The  next  minister  was  Rev.  David  L.  Morrill,  who 
was  settled  March  3,  1802,  and  was  jointly  sujjported  by  the  two  socie- 
ties under  the  name  of  the  Congregational  Presbyterian  church.  Mr. 
Morrill  served  the  town  and  state  civilly  as  well  as  ecclesiastically,  — 
was  representative  of  the  town,  senator  in  congress,  and  governor  of  the 
state.  In  1816,  the  Religious  Union  society  was  organized.  A  new 
house  was  erected  in  the  west  village,  and  meetings  were  held  two  thirds 
of  the  time  in  the  new  house,  and  one  third  izr  the  old  house  at  the  cen- 
tre. In  1818-19  there  was  a  deep  religious  interest  in  connection  with 
the  preaching  of  Rev.  Abel  Manning,  and  sixty-five  persons  wen 
added  to  this  then  feeble  church  within  a  year.  Rev.  Benjamin  H.  Pit- 
man was  settled  from  1820  to  1825 ;  Rev.  Henry  Wood  from  1826  to 
1831 ;  and  Rev.  Isaac  Willey  from  1837  to  1853.  A  Baptist  church  was 
formed  in  1820.  Changes  in  the  pulpit  have  been  very  common  in  Goffs- 
town, which  is  much  owing  to  the  meagre  support  extended  to  the  minis- 
ters, not  more  than  one   half  the  people  having,  at  any  time,  ever  at- 


504  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

tended  worship.  In  the  early  part  of  1841,  a  female  commenced  preach- 
ing here,  and  shortly  more  than  half  the  voters  in  town  came  Into  her 
support.  She  professed  no  connection  with  any  church.  The  excite- 
ment created  by  her  preaching,  however,  soon  died  out,  the  result  of  it 
being  the  organization  of  the  existing  Methodist  church.  Dr.  Jonathan 
Gove,  a  resident  of  this  town,  served  in  the  legislature  for  many  years. 
All  the  islands  on  the  Araoskeag  falls,  in  Merrimack  river,  lying  west- 
erly of  the  centre  of  "  the  Pulpit,"  or  east  stream,  were  annexed  to  this 
town,  June  28,  1825. 

The  surface  is  comparatively  level,  the  only  elevations  of  note  being 
two  in  the  southwest  part,  called  by  the  natives  Uncanoonuck.  There 
are  considerable  tracts  of  valuable  interval,  as  well  as  extensive  plains, 
which  are  generally  productive.  Piscataquog  river  is  the  principal 
stream,  which  furnishes  quite  a  number  of  valuable  mill  privileges.  It 
passes  through  in  a  central  direction.  Large  quantities  of  lumber  were 
formerly  floated  down  this  stream  to  the  Merrimack,  and  the  forests  at 
one  time  supplied  a  large  number  of  masts  for  the  English  navy.  The 
New  Hampshire  Central  Railroad  passes  through  GofFstown.  There 
are  three  villages — Goffstown,  Goffstown  Centre,  and  Parker's  Mills; 
three  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Congregational,  and  Methodist ;  six- 
teen school  districts;  and  two  post-offices ^ — Goflfstown  and  GofFstown 
Centre  :  also,  four  stores,  four  saw-miUs,  two  grist-mills,  and  one  sash 
and  bUnd  factory.     Population,  2,270 ;  valuation,  $599,615. 

GoRHAM,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Coos  county,  ninety-six  miles  from 
Concord,  and  ninety-one  from  Portland,  by  the  Atlantic  and  St.  Law- 
rence Railroad,  adjoins  Shelburnc  on  the  east,  of  which  it  formed  a  part 
until  its  incorporation,  June  18,  1836.  It  was  formerly  known  as 
Shelburne  Addition,  and  its  history  is  intimately  connected  with  that 
of  the  parent  town.  It  is  a  rough,  unproductive  spot,  lying  on  the 
northerly  base  of  the  White  Mountains,  from  which  numerous  streams 
descend  into  the  Androscoggin.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Atlantic  and  St.  La^^Tcnce  Railroad,  this  little  place 
would  never  have  been  known.  Now  it  is,  in  connection  with  the 
Alpine  House,  familiar  as  a  household  word  to  travellers  visiting  the 
White  Mountains,  .it  being  one  of  the  most  favorable  situations  for 
viewing  those  great  upheavings  of  nature,  and  the  scenery  in  connec- 
tion with  them.  Around  the  Alpine  House  (a  large  and  comfortable 
hotel,  the  property  of  the  railroad  company)  has  sprung  up  a  beautiful 
little  village,  consisting  mostly  of  buildings  owned  by  the  company. 
By  the  opening  of  this  railroad  a  new  impulse  has  been  given  to  White 
Mountain  travel.     The  visitor  breakfasts  in  Portland,  and  alights  here 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    GOSHEN.  505 

by  eleven  o'clock,  —  rides  eight  miles  over  a  road  sufficiently  rough  to 
quicken  his  appetite,  and  dines  at  the  Glen  House,  at  the  base  of  Mount 
Washington ;  or,  breakfasting  in  Boston,  he  arrives  at  the  same  spot  in 
time  for  his  evening  meal.  The  Androscoggin  flows  majestically 
through  the  town,  and  the  silvery  Peabody  river,  dashing  down  for 
miles  over  its  bed  of  pure  granite,  here  ceases  from  its  wild  pranks,  and 
falls  quietly  into  the  lap  of  the  Androscoggin.  The  picturesque  ruins 
of  an  old  saw-mill  near  the  Peabody  river,  scarcely  a  gunshot  from  the 
Alpine  House,  stand  high  and  dry,  the  river,  during  a  freshet  but  a 
few  years  ago,  having  taken  a  fancy  to  seek  out  a  new  channel.  A 
telegraph  station  and  porit-office  are  located  here.  Population,  224 ; 
valuation,  $128,839. 

Goshen,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Sullivan  county,  forty-two  miles  from 
Concord,  was  first  settled  about  the  year  1769,  by  William  Lang,  Ben- 
jamin Rand,  and  Daniel  Grindle,  who  endured  uncommon  suffering  and 
many  hardships  from  the  failure  of  their  crops,  which  were  often  seri- 
ously injured,  and  frequently  totally  destroyed.  On  account  of  these 
mishaps,  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  go  to  Walpole  to  purchase 
grain.  When  on  one  of  these  journeys,  Mr.  Rand  was  detained  by  a 
severe  storm  of  snow,  which  prevented  his  progress  for  six  days,  during 
which  time  his  wife  and  children  were  left  destitute  of  provisions.  One 
of  the  children,  five  years  of  age,  was  kept  alive  by  Mrs.  Rand  by  the 
milk  from  her  breast,  her  infant  child  having  died  a  short  time  previous. 
In  the  spring  of  1813,  the  spotted  fever  swept  off"  many  of  the  inhab- 
itants. The  first  religious  society  was  formed  by  the  Congregationalists 
in  1802.  Deacon  Josiah  Stevens,  a  licensed  preacher,  came  to  reside  in 
Goshen  in  1798,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  Congregational 
minister  that  ever  preached  in  the  place. 

Goshen  contains  12,023  acres,  and  was  taken  from  Newport,  Sunapee, 
Newbury,  Washington,  Lempster,  and  Unity,  and  incorporated  December 
27,  1791.  The  surface  is  exceedingly  rough  and  broken,  but  the  soil  is 
mostly  good,  and  produces  an  abundance  of  grass.  Sunapee  mountain 
is  the  greatest  elevation  of  land,  and  from  it  spring  several  small 
streams,  which  form  Sugar  river.  Rand's  pond,  in  the  northeast  part,  is 
the  only  natural  collection  of  water.  Plumbago  has  been  found,  and  is 
\vrought.  The  raising  of  stock,  particularly  sheep,  and  the  manufacture 
of  butter,  cheese,  and  maple  sugar,  are  the  principal  avocations  of  the 
people.  There  are  two  churches  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  five 
school  districts,  and  two  post-offices —  Goshen  and  MiU  Village.  Popu- 
lation, 659;  valuation,  ^165,565. 

vol.  I.  43 


506  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   O-F    NEW   ENGLAND. 

GOSPORT,  in  Rockingham  county,  is  an  island  town,  one  of  the  Isles 
of  Shoals,  at  one  time  called  Appledore  and  subsequently  Star  Island. 
It  contains  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  but  it  is  not  generally 
cultivated,  its  inhabitants  being  principally  engaged  in  fishing.  In 
1661  there  were  upwards  of  forty  families  on  this  group  of  islands. 
The  fisheries  were  then  prosecuted  with  vigor  and  success,  and  the 
business  continued  to  flourish  for  more  than  a  century  afterwards. 
Three  or  four  ships  were  loaded  here  annually  as  early  as  1730  for 
Bilboa,  Spain;  besides  which,  large  quantities  of  fish  were  taken  to 
Portsmouth  to  be  shipped  to  the  West  Indies.  Prior  to  the  Revo- 
lution, the  dun-fish  of  these  islands  had  obtained  universal  celebrity,  and 
was  considered  the  best  table  fish  in  the  world.^  Town  privileges 
were  conferred  upon  Gosport  in  1715,  and  in  1728  it  paid  X16  as  its 
proportion  of  the  province  tax  of  £1,000  ;  it  had  a  meeting-house,  and 
afterwards  a  fort  on  its  west  point.  Its  prosperity,  since  that  period, 
has  fallen  off  to  a  considerable  extent ;  but  at  the  present  writing,  old 
times  seem  to  be  reviving  in  the  way  ai  business.  In  Gosport  there  is 
a  noticeable  cavern,  —  having  the  appearance  of  being  caused  by  an 
earthquake,  —  in  w^hich  a  Avoman  by  the  name  of  Betty  Moody  secreted 
herself  when  the  Indians  visited  the  island  and  made  prisoners  of  a 
number  of  females.  It  is  known  to  this  day  as  "  Betty  Moody's  hole." 
There  are  invested  in  the  various  branches  of  the  fisheries  about 
$5,000  ;  and  this  is  the  only  business  of  which  the  place  can  boast. 
There  are  in  town  one  village,  one  Baptist  church,  one  school  district ; 
and  a  hotel,  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  those  who  visit  the  island 
for  pleasure.     Population,  125 ;  valuation,  $21,640. 

Grafton,  in  the  southern  part  of  Grafton  county,  adjoins  Danbury  on 
the  southeast,  and  is  thirty-six  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  to 
Ephraira  Sherman  and  others,  August  14,  1761,  and  in  May,  1772, 
Captain  Joseph  Hoyt,  from  Fremont,  came  here,  and  commenced  the 
first  settlement.  Captain  Alexander  Pixley  and  wife  arrived  soon  after- 
wards, and  were  the  second  family  within  the  precincts  of  the  town. 
The  surface  of  Grafton  is  very  hilly,  considerably  mountainous  in  some 
parts,  and  so  rocky  in  many  places  as  to  render  it  unfit  for  cultivation. 
Some  tracts  of  land,  however,  are  excellent  for  farming  purposes. 
Glass-hill  mountain  is  the  principal  elevation,  and  is  about  two  hun- 
dred feet  high.  There  is  a  remarkable  ledge  here,  called  the  Pinnacle, 
on  the  south  side  of  which  the  ground  rises  by  a  gradual  ascent  to  the 
summit ;  but  on  the  north  side  it  falls  nearly  150  feet  within  the  dis- 

'  Report  on  tlic  principal  fisheries  of  the  American  seas,  by  Lorenzo  Sabine. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    GKAFTON.  507 

tance  of  six  or  eight  feet.  Smith's  and  Mascomy  rivers,  and  Heard's 
river,  a  tributary  of  Smith's,  furnish  water.  Five  ponds  lie  here,  the 
principal  of  which,  called  Grafton  pond,  contains  from  two  hundred  to 
three  hundred  acres.  Mica  is  found  in  large  quantities,  and  is  an  article 
of  commerce. 

The  town  has  one  village,  called  Bungtown ;  two  church  edifices  — 
Baptist  and  Christian  ;  thirteen  school  districts  and  twelve  schools ;  and 
two  post-offices  —  Grafton  and  Grafton  Centre.  Amount  of  capital 
invested  in  trade,  $7,000 ;  in  manufactures,  $5,000.  Charcoal  is  manu- 
factured in  considerable  quantities,  amounting  to  about  twelve  thousand 
bushels  per  annum.  The  Northern  Railroad  intersects  the  town,  ren- 
dering communication  with  various  important  points  easy  and  expedi- 
tious.    Population,  1,259 ;  valuation,  $324,687. 

Grafton  County,  in  the  northwest  central  part  of  the  state,  was 
established  by  act  of  the  colonial  legislature,  passed  March  19,  1771, 
being  called  the  "  fifth  county ; "  and  was  made  to  contain  "  all  the  lands 
in  the  province  not  comprehended  in  the  other  counties"  —  (Hills- 
borough, Rockingham,  Cheshire,  and  Strafford).  The  town  of  Burton 
(now  Albany)  was  taken  from  it  and  given  to  Sti-afford,  November  27, 
1800 ;  and,  December  24,  1803,  it  was  further  reduced  by  the  incorpo- 
ration of  Coos,  which  was  entirely  formed  from  its  territory.  The 
dimensions  of  this  county  were  still  further  reduced  June  18,  1805, 
by  the  annexation  of  the  whole  of  Nash  and  Sawyer's  Location  to 
Coos.  By  act  passed  January  2,  1829,  the  boundaries  of  Grafton 
were  thus  established,  from  which  they  have  not  since  been  materially 
altered  :  "  Beginning  on  the  westerly  bank  of  Connecticut  river  at  the 
southwesterly  corner  of  Dalton ;  thence  on  the  westerly  and  southerly 
line  of  Dalton  to  Whitefield ;  thence  on  the  westerly  and  southerly  line 
of  Whitefield  to  Bretton  Woods  (Carroll) ;  thence  on  the  westerly  and 
southerly  lines  of  Bretton  Woods  and  of  Nash  and  Sawyer's  Location 
to  the  southeasterly  corner  thereof;  thence  southerly  on  a  straight  line 
across  the  unlocated  lands  to  the  line  of  the  county  of  Strafford  at  the 
northwesterly  corner  of  Burton  (Albany);  thence  southerly  and  west- 
erly by  the  line  of  the  county  of  Strafford  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
Holderness,  at  the  Pemigewasset  or  Merrimack  river ;  thence  down  said 
river  to  the  north  line  of  Franklin;  thence  westerly  on  the  northerly 
lines  of  Franklin,  Andover,  Wilmot,  Springfield,  Grantham,  and  Plain- 
field  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Lebanon,  on  the  west  bank  of  Con- 
necticut river;  thence  northerly  on  said  bank  to  the  bound  first  men- 
tioned." There  are  now  thirty-eight  towns,  Haverhill  and  Plymouth 
being  the  shire  towns. 


508  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Grafton  has  an  area  of  about  1,463  square  miles,  the  surface  of  which 
is  hilly  and  mountainous,  though  its  capacities  for  productiveness  are 
not  materially  lessened  by  this  circumstance.  There  are  tracts  of  land 
excellent  for  pasturage,  and  along  the  rivers,  intervals  both  extensive 
and  fertile.  As  an  evidence  of  the  resources  of  the  county  in  an  agri- 
cultural point  of  view,  it  may  be  stated,  that,  in  1850,  it  produced 
244,177  bushels  of  oats,  1,006,237  of  potatoes,  103,000  tons  of  hay,  and 
1,278,984  pounds  of  butter.  The  amounts' of  hay,  oats,  and  butter, 
were  the  greatest  raised  by  any  county  in  the  state,  and  the  quan- 
tity of  potatoes  the  greatest  produced  by  any  county  in  the  United 
States.  The  Connecticut  river  forms  the  western  boundary,  besides 
which  there  are  the  Pemigewasset  (the  largest  branch  of  the  Merrimack 
river),  the  lower  Ammonoosuc,  and  the  head  waters  of  the  Saco  river. 
There  are  numerous  small  lakes  and  ponds —  Squam  lake  and  Newfound 
lake  being  the  most  distinguished;  the  former,  a  good  part  of  which 
lies  in  Carroll  county,  being  surrounded  by  much  beautiful  and  en- 
chanting scenery.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  passes 
through  the  central  part  of  the  county,  and  the  Northern  Railroad,  a 
branch  of  which  extends  to  Bristol,  along  the  southern  part,  the  former 
connecting  with  the  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  at 
Wells  River,  and  the  latter  at  White  River  Junction.  The  name  of  the 
county  was  derived  from  Augustus  Henry  Fitzroy,  duke  of  Grafton. 

Grafton  belongs  to  the  fifth  judicial  district,  a  law  term  of  the 
supreme  judicial  court  being  held  at  Haverhill  on  the  Tuesday  next 
after  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  December.  Trial  terms  of  this  court  are 
held  at  Haverhill  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  April,  and  at  Plymouth  on 
the  third  Tuesday  of  November.  Terms  of  the  court  of  common  pleas 
for  the  western  judicial  district  of  Grafton  are  held  at  Haverhill  on  the 
second  Tuesday  of  April  and  the  first  Tuesday  of  October ;  and,  for 
the  eastern  judicial  district,  at  Plymouth  on  the  third  Tuesday  of 
May  and  the  third  Tuesday  of  November.  Population,  40,337;  valu- 
ation, $13,076,152. 

Grantham,  in  the  northern  part  of  Sullivan  county,  is  forty-five  miles 
northwest  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  July  11,  1761 ;  but,  the  pro- 
prietors failing  to  fulfil  the  conditions  of  the  charter,  it  was  forfeited,  and 
re-granted  in  1767  to  Colonel  WiUiam  Symmes  and  sixty-three  others, 
receiving  the  name  of  Grantham.  The  name  of  New^  Grantham  was 
subsequently  conferred  upon  it,  "which  was  changed  back  June  12,  1818, 
to  the  one  it  now  bears.  The  surface  is  broken  in  some  parts,  but  is, 
on  the  average,  level,  the  only  mountain  of  note  being  that  of  Croydon 
or  Grantham,  which  extends  through  the  westerly  part,   ranging  from 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    GREENFIELD.  509 

southwest  to  northeast.  On  the  summit  of  thi:^  mountain  is  a  natural 
pond  of  some  fifty  acres.  The  soil  is  generally  productive  when  under 
proper  cultivation,  and  the  mountain  affords  good  pasturage.  Numer- 
ous brooks  and  rivulets  water  the  town,  having  their  source  principally 
in  Croydon  mountain.  In  1856  that  portion  of  Grantham  lying  west 
of  Grantham  mountain  was  annexed  to  Piainfieid,  so  that  the  mountain 
rising  north  and  south  through  Grantham  is  the  dividing  line  of  the 
two  towns.  There  are  two  villages — South  village  and  North  vil- 
lage; three  church  edifices — two  Union  and  one  Methodist;  seven 
school  districts  and  seven  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Grantham  and 
North  Grantham.  Capital  invested  in  trade  and  manufactures,  about 
$6,000.     Population,  784  ;  valuation,  $264,587. 

Greenfield,  in  the  very  central  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  adjoins 
Peterborough  on  the  west,  and  is  thirty-eight  miles  from  Concord. 
Captain  Alexander  Parker,  Major  A.  Whittemore,  Simeon  Fletcher,  and 
others  commenced  the  first  settlement  about  1771,  and  the  town  was 
incorporated  June  15,  1791,  receiving  the  name  of  Greenfield,  which 
was  conferred  upon  it  by  Mr.  Whittemore.  hi  a  meadow  in  this  town, 
formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Whittemore,  have  been  found  several  Indian 
relics,  from  which  it  is  conjectured  that  it  was  a  favorite  haunt  of  the 
savages.  A  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1792,  of  which 
Rev.  Timothy  Clark  was  pastor  from  January  1, 1800,  until  1811.  Rev. 
John  Walker  succeeded  him,  and  remained  until  1822.  A  secession 
grew  out  of  o]5position  to  Mr.  Wallcer,  and  a  large  minority  went  off  to 
the  Presbyterian  church  in  Peterborough,  and  were  constituted  a  branch 
of  that  church.  The  Peterborough  church  and  the  Greenfield  branch 
made  a  union,  in  1834,  under  the  title  Evangehcal  church.  The  rem- 
nant of  the  old  church,  which  was  nearly  broken  up,  reorganized 
in  1839  under  their  old  creed,  with  the  temperance  pledge  added. 
Soon  after  this,  the  unhappy  dissensions  of  the  two  bodies  came  to  an 
end. 

The  surface  is  rough,  and  the  soil  of  a  varied  character,  but  generally 
fertile.  A  part  of  Crotched  mountain  lies  in  the  north  part,  and  a  por- 
tion of  Lyndeborough  mountain  in  the  south  and  east  sections.  There 
are  five  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  is  about  a  mile  in  length,  and 
about  one  third  of  a  mile  in  width.  Besides  these  there  are  several 
small  streams.  There  is  one  village,  situated  in  the  centre  of  the 
town,  which  has  a  post-office.  Greenfield  has  three  church  edifices  — 
one  Congregational  and  two  Evangelical  Congregational ;  and  eleven 
school  districts :  also,  two  carriage  maimfactories,  and  two  stores. 
Population,  716 ;  valuation,  f  299,479. 

43* 


510  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Greenland,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  adjoining 
Portsmouth,  is  forty-five  miles  from  Concord.  Settlements  were  com- 
menced at  a  very  early  date ;  and  in  1705  there  were  320  inhab- 
itants in  -the  township.  Greenland  composed  a  part  of  Portsmouth 
till  1703,  when  it  was  incorporated  separately.  A  piece  of  land  was 
annexed  to  this  town  from  Stratham,  July  2,  1847.  A  Congrega- 
tional church  of  twenty  members  was  organized  in  1706,  of  \\'hich 
Rev.  William  Allen  was  ordained  pastor  in  1707,  and  continued  such 
until  1760,  —  a  period  of  fifty-three  years.  Rev.  Samuel  McClintock 
was  settled  as  colleague  to  Mr.  Allen  in  1756,  and  continued  pastor 
until  his  death  in  1S04,  —  forty-eight  years.  It  is  doubted  whether 
many  such  cases  of  permanency  in  the  pastoral  office  can  be  shown 
in  Christendom,  and  this  is  worthy  of  admiration,  especially  in  these 
days  of  transitory  pastorates.  Dr.  McClintock  was  distinguished  as  a 
divine,  and  for  his  attachment  to  the  cause  of  his  country.  He  was  a 
chaplain  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution. 

The  soil  of  Greenland  is  of  a  more  than  ordinary  character,  and 
there  are  some  excellent  farms.  It  is  somewhat  noted  for  its  ex- 
cellent fruit,  and  its  orchards  and  gardens  are  among  the  best  in  the 
county.  There  is  one  village,  known  by  the  name  of  the  town.  The 
religious  denominations  are  Congregationalists  and  Methodists,  each  of 
which  have  church  edifices.  There  are  three  school  districts,  the  Brack- 
ett  Academy,  and  two  post-offices  —  Greenland  and  Greenland  Depot. 
The  Eastern  Railroad  passes  through  the  town.  Population,  730;  val- 
uation, $356,634. 

Groton,  Grafton  county,  is  forty-five  miles  from  Concord,  and  was 
settled,  in  1770,  by  James  Gould,  Captain  Ebenezer  Melvin,  Jonas 
Hobart,  Phineas  Bennet,  and  Samuel  Farley,  who  endured  many 
hardships  during  the  following  winter  from  the  failure  of  their  crops. 
The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  December  7,  1796.  Groton  was 
first  granted  July  8,  1761,  to  George  Abbott  and  others,  by  the  name  of 
Cockermouth  ;  and  was  re-granted  about  five  years  afterward  to  Colonel 
John  Hale  and  others.  Lots  numbered  from  one  to  five  were  annexed 
to  this  town  from  Hebron,  June  26,  1845.  A  Congregational  church 
was  formed  in  1779,  over  which  Rev.  Samuel  Perley,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  College  in  1763  was  settled,  and  continued  until  1785.  Rev. 
Thomas  Page  was  the  pastor  from  1790  to  1813,  and  Rev.  William 
Rolfe  from  1803  to  1828.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  strong, 
and  suited  to  the  production  of  corn  and  potatoes.  A  branch  of  Baker's 
river  waters  the  north  part,  and  the  southerly  part  has  several  small 
streams,  which  have  their  outlet  in  Newfound  lake.     The  only  pond 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   HAMPSTEAD.  511 

worth  particularizing  is  Spectacle  pond,  which  is  wholly  in  this  town. 
There  are  two  villages  —  Groton  and  Groton  Corner;  one  church  edi- 
fice, occupied  by  the  Congregationalists  and  Baptists ;  eleven  school 
districts  and  eleven  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Groton  and  North 
Groton :  also,  ten  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  and  shingle  and  clapboard 
machines.     Population,  776  ;  valuation,  ^211,401. 

Hampstead  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Rockingham  county, 
thirty  miles  south  of  Concord,  and  twenty  from  Hampton  Beach.  It  is 
made  up  of  two  segments,  one  from  Haverhill  and  the  other  from 
Amesbury,  both  in  Massachusetts,  it  being  cut  off  from  those  towns  by 
running  the  state  line  in  1741.  The  Indians,  it  appears,  had  but  little 
partiality  for  this  place,  owing  to  the  stubbornness  of  the  soil.  It  is 
reported,  however,  that  one  or  two  Indians  had  a  temporary  abode  near 
Angly  pond,  in  the  northeast  part,  where  some  of  their  implements 
have  been  found.  Three  white  families,  of  the  names  of  Ford,  Heath, 
and  Emerson,  moved  into  the  place  about  the  year  1728.  Mr.  Em- 
erson came  from  Haverhill,  and  several  others  soon  followed  from  that 
town,  as  also  some  from  Newbury.  It  is  stated,  on  the  authority  of 
some  of  the  oldest  inhabitants,  that  the  first  house  was  erected  by 
Edmund  or  Peter  Morse,  of  Newbury,  Mass.  The  cellar  where  this 
ancient  habitation  stood  is  still  visible,  and  four  large  pines  now  stand 
in  it.  In  the  vicinity  of  these  relics  is  the  first  burial-place  of  the 
settlers  of  Hampstead.  Near  the  shore  of  Wash  pond  are  the  remains 
of  the  first  settlement,  once  the  most  important  and  prosperous  part. 
The  roughly  stoned  cellars,  the  half-filled  wells,  and  the  well-marked 
paths  to  springs  of  water,  are  still  in  existence. 

The  town  was  incorporated  January  17,  1749,  receiving  its  name 
from  a  pleasant  village  in  Middlesex  county,  England, —  conferred  upon 
it  by  Governor  Benning  Wentworth,  who  reserved  an  island  of  three 
hundred  acres,  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  as  his  own  farm.^ 
In  the  early  settlement,  a  dispute  arose  between  Kingston  and  Hamp- 
stead respecting  certain  grants  made  by  Amesbury  before  the  state 
line  was  run,  which  was  finally  settled  by  Hampstead  paying  .£1,000 
old  tenor,  and  the  grant  of  Unity  to  Kingston,  made  by  the  governor, 
July  13,  1764.     Prior  to  its  incorporation,  Hampstead  was  known  as 

'  No  such  reservation  appears  in  the  charter.  It  would,  perhaps,  be  more  proper  to 
saj',  that  lie  owned  the  island  in  his  own  right.  The  buildings  erected  upon  the  island 
must,  in  their  day,  ha\e  been  of  a  superior  kind,  one  of  which  was  evidently  intended  for 
the  occasional  residence  of  the  governor ;  the  other,  according  to  the  English  custom, 
being  of  a  poorer  kind,  was  doubtless  reserved  for  the  domestics.  This  island  was 
formerly  called  "  Governor's  island."  —  Centennial  Address,  by  Isaac  W.  Smilh. 


512  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

Timber  Lane,  on  account  of  the  superabundance  of  timber  then  found 
within  its  limits.  Hampstead  was  not  behind  other  towns  in  her 
contributions  of  men  and  means  to  the  prosecution  of  the  Revolutionary 
struggle.  General  Jacob  Bayley,  an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  Hon. 
Charles  Johnson,  Richard  Hazzen,  and  Hon.  John  Calfe,  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  army  and  a  distinguished  man  in  politics,  were  residents. 
No  other  church  than  the  Congregational  has  ever  been  organized  here, 
and  this  was  formed  in  the  year  1752.  It  has  had  but  three  pastors 
during  its  existence  for  more  than  a  century.  Rev.  Henry  True  was 
pastor  from  1752  until  his  death,  in  1782 ;  Rev.  John  Kelly,  from  1792 
until  1836  ;  and  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  J.  M.  C.  Bartley,  since 
1836. 

This  town  is  situated  on  the  height  of  land  between  Piscataqua  and 
Merrimack  rivers,  and  most  of  its  waters  descend  southwest  into  the 
Merrimaclv  through  Spigget  river,  which  flows  from  Wash  pond,  near 
the  centre.  Angly  pond  is  in  the  northeast,  and  Island  pond  in  the 
southwest  part.  The  town,  being  composed  of  fragments,  is  not  very 
square,  having  about  thirty  angles.  And  yet,  although  it  is  so  irregular 
and  small  in  dimensions,  a  person  passing  through  on  the  most  direct 
road  from  Haverhill  to  Chester  would  consider  it  a  large  and  rich 
township ;  for  he  would  travel  almost  six  miles  on  a  good  road,  bor- 
dered with  well  cultivated  fields  and  handsome  dwellings.  There  are 
two  meeting-houses  —  one  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists,  and  the 
other,  which  has  been  standuig  for  nearly  a  hundred  years,  as  a  town- 
hall  ;  eight  school  districts ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  grist-mill, 
two  saw-mills,  two  planing,  clapboard,  and  shingle  mills,  three  stores, 
two  blaclvsmith's  shops,  three  wheelwright  shops,  besides  several 
shops  for  the  manufacture  of  shoes.  Population,  789  ;  valuation, 
$323,267. 

Hampton,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  is  a  seaboard 
town,  adjoining  Exeter  and  Hampton  Falls.  It  was  surveyed  as  early 
as  1633,  and,  in  1636,  a  house,  called  the  Bound  house,  was  erected,  by 
order  of  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  by  Nathaniel  Easton. 
In  1638,  several  persons  belonging  to  Norfolk,  England,  solicited  of 
Massachusetts  the  privilege  of  settling,  which  was  granted  on  the  7th 
of    October.^       Among   the    names    of  the   early  settlers    are    Stephen 

'  Abraham  and  Isaac  Perkins  appear  to  have  been  the  grantees  of  Hampton.  They 
were  the  first  to  have  their  ohiklron  baptized  by  Mr.  Bachiler  at  that  phiee.  Abraham's 
son  Abraham,  born  September  2,  1G39,  baptized  December  15,  1639,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  white  male  child  born  in  Hampton.  Two  female  children,  namely,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Lydia  Sanderson,  and  Susanna,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Abigail 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  HAMPTON.  513 

Bachiler,  Christopher  Hussey,  "Widow  Mary  Hussey,  Thomas  Crom- 
well, and  Samuel  Skullard.  In  1639,  the  year  after  the  incorporation,  a 
writer  asserts  that  there  were  sixty  families  in  the  settlement.  Hamp- 
ton formerly  included  within  its  limits  North  Hampton,  Hampton  Falls, 
Kensington,  and  Seabrook.  Its  Indian  name  was  Winnicumet, 
which  was  changed,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Bachiler,  to  the  one  it 
now  bears. 

Like  most  of  the  earlier  settlements  in  New  England,  Hampton 
experienced  some  of  the  attacks  of  the  Indians ;  and,  though  the  usual 
precautions  were  taken  for  protection,  some  of  the  inhabitants  fell 
victims  to  the  vengeance  of  the  savages.  Among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned Captain  Samuel  Sherburne  and  James  DoUofF,  who  were  killed 
near  Casco  Bay,  Me.,  August  4,  1691.  Jonathan  Green,  Nicholas  Bond, 
Thomas  Lancaster,  the  Widow  Hussey,  and  a  boy  named  Huckley, 
were  killed  here  in  August,  1703;  and  Benjamin  Fifield  was  killed  near 
his  house  in  August,  1706.  The  expedition  under  Captain  Swett, 
which  met  with  such  a  disastrous  repulse  at  an  Indian  settlement  at 
Ticonic  falls,  on  the  Kennebec,  was  organized  in,  and  started  from,  this 
town.  Captain  Swett  was  among  the  killed.  General  Jonathan 
Moulton  and  Hon.  Christopher  Toppan,  now  deceased,  were  distin- 
guished residents  of  Hampton. 

The  Congregational  church  organized  in  this  town  is  said  to  be  the 
oldest  in  New  Hampshire,  — the  oldest  from  the  fact  that  it  was  organ- 
ized prior  to  the  settlement  of  the  place,  having  been  contemporary 
with  the  first  inhabitants,  who  were  of  the  Puritan  stock.^  Rev.  Stephen 
Bachiler,  a  man  well  advanced  in  years,  was  the  first  pastor.  He 
arrived  in  this  country  in  1632,  having  landed  at  Boston,  June  5th  of 
that  year,  when  he  immediately  proceeded  to  Lynn,  the  residence  of  his 
son-in-law,  Christopher  Hussey,  where  he  became  pastor  of  the  church. 
Difficulties,  however,  arose  with  the  congregation,  and  Mr.  Bachiler, 
with  several  of  the  church  who  had  come  over  with  him,  asked  for  a 
dismission,  which  was  granted.  Instead,  however,  of  leaving  Lynn,  as 
it  was  supposed  he  would,  he  and  the  recusant  members  renewed  their 
former  obligation  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  new  church  at  Lynn, 
which,  however,  was  received  with  such  disfavor  by  the  original  church, 
that  Mr.  Bachiler  and  his  flock  deemed  it  advisable  to  remove  to  some 
other  place,  where  they  might  not  be  subjected  to   such  wranglings. 

Jones,  were  baptized  October   29,   1639.     One   of  tliem  was   probably  the  first  white 
child  born  there.  —  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  RegUler,  January,  1858. 
'  Historical  Address  at  Hampton,  N.  H.,  in  1838,  by  Joseph  Dow. 


514  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

Failing  to  settle  at  Cape  Cod,  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Hampton  in 
the  autumn  of  1638.  Mr.  Bachiler  seemed  to  be  unfortunate  in  his 
ministerial  efforts.  Dissensions  crept  in  here,  and  his  connection  with 
the  church  ended,  it  is  supposed,  about  the  year  1641,  when  he  went  to 
Exeter.  In  1656  or  1657  he  returned  to  England,  where  he  died,  at 
the  age  of  one  hundred  and  one  years.  His  colleague  in  the  ministry 
was  Rev.  Timothy  Dalton,  who  was  caUed  "teacher,"  while  Mr.  Bach- 
iler was  called  "  pastor ; "  and  became  the  principal  minister  after  the 
dismissal  of  the  latter.  In  1647,  Rev.  John  Wheelwright  was  made 
assistant  of  Mr.  Dalton.  Another  distinguished  minister  was  Mr. 
Seaborn  Cotton,  son  of  Rev.  John  Cotton  of  Boston,  who  was  ordained 
as  pastor  in  1660.  He  was  succeeded,  after  his  death  in  1686,  by  his 
son,  John  Cotton,  who  reluctantly  accepted  a  settlement  in  1696,  and 
continued  until  his  death  in  1710.  There  were  many  other  able  and 
zealous  men  engaged  in  the  ministry  in  this  town,  among  whom  was 
Rev.  Jesse  Appleton,  afterwards  president  of  Bovvdoin  College. 

The  surface  of  Hampton  is  principally  level,  and  a  large  proportion 
of  the  land  is  salt-marsh  and  low  interval  lying  along  Hampton  river, 
which  divides  this  town  from  Hampton  Falls.  Most  of  the  land  is 
of  good  quality,  well  adapted  to  tillage  and  mowing ;  but  pasturage 
is  rather  scarce,  to  obtain  which,  many  of  the  cattle  are  sent  to  the 
neighboring  towns.  The  situation  of  Hampton  is  pleasant,  affording 
from  its  eminences  romantic  views  of  many  interesting  points,  such  as 
the  Isles  of  Shoals,  and  the  sea-coast  from  Cape  Ann  to  Portsmouth. 
Invalids,  and  parties  of  pleasure,  resort  to  its  beaches,  which  are  only 
surpassed  by  the  celebrated  one  at  Nahant.  Accommodation  for  visi- 
tors is  afforded  at  the  beach  by  excellent  hotels.  An  abrupt  eminence, 
called  Boar's  Head,  extends  into  the  sea  and  divides  the  beaches, 
about  half-way  between  the  river's  mouth  and  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  town. 

The  fisheries  have  been  prosecuted  with  much  success,  and  it  is  said 
that  one  boat  will  frequently  land  from  twenty  to  thirty  tons  of  cod. 
Ship-building  was  formerly  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent ;  but, 
since  lumber  has  become  scarce  in  the  vicinity,  the  business  has  fallen 
off.  Two  convenient  Avharves  are  situated  one  and  a  quarter  miles 
from  the  centre  of  the  town.  Large  quantities  of  corn,  potatoes,  and 
hay,  are  annually  exported,  which  is  sufficient  evidence  that  good 
attention  is  paid  to  agricuUure.  There  are  two  villages  —  Centre  and 
East  Hampton ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist, 
and  Baptist ;  six  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  three  saw- 
mills   and   three   grist-mills.       The    Hampton    Academy,   incorporated 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OF   HAMPTON   FALLS.  515 

in    1810,    is    a   flourishing   institution.      Population,    1,197;    valuation, 

$528,075. 

Hampton  Falls,  Rockingham  county,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Hamp- 
ton, which  it  adjoins  on  the  northeast.  It  was  incorporated  in  1712, 
and  is  distant  forty  miles  from  Concord.  The  soil  is  much  the  same  as 
that  •  of  contiguous  towns,  moderately  good.  The  first  meeting-house 
was  erected  as  early  as  1711.  It  stood  on  the  hill,  and  occupied  the 
present  site  of  the  Weare  monument.  The  parish  was  incorporated  in 
1718.  In  1737  the  meeting-house  was  thoroughly  repaired,  and  in 
1768  it  was  voted  to  build  a  new  house,  which  was  ready  for  use  in 
1770.  In  1780  it  was  voted  to  sell  the  old  one  for  the  support  of  the 
poor.  The  new  house  stood  till  1842.  Theophilus  Cotton,  grandson 
of  Rev.  John  Cotton  of  Boston,  was  ordained  pastor  in  1712,  and 
officiated  until  his  death  in  1726.  He  was  succeeded  by  several  worthy 
and  eminent  men,  among  whom  was  Rev.  Samuel  Langdon,  D.  D.,  for 
several  years  president  of  Harvard  College.  He  was  settled  here  as  a 
minister  in  1781,  and  died  November  29,  1797.  Dr.  Langdon  was  a 
native  of  Boston,  and  was  chaplain  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiment 
in  the  expedition  to  Louisburg,  for  the  services,  "  fatigues,  and  dangers  " 
of  which  he  received  a  grant  of  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  in  this  (then) 
province.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  here  in  usefulness  and 
peace,  and  his  body  rests  in  the  churchyard,  near  the  scene  of  his  labors. 
He  gave  his  library  to  the  church  for  the  use  of  the  minister. 

Hon.  Meshech  Weare,  one  of  the  most  worthy  and  distinguished  cit- 
izens of  New  Hampshire,  was  a  resident  of  Hampton  Falls.  He  served 
his  country  for  nearly  forty-five  years,  —  as  speaker  of  the  house  in  1752, 
as  commissioner  to  the  congress  at  Albany  in  1754,  as  a  justice  of  the 
superior  court,  and,  in  1777,  as  chief  justice.  During  the  Revolutionary 
period  he  held  the  highest  offices,  legislative,  judicial,  and  executive  ; 
and,  under  the  new  constitution,  was  elected  the  first  president,  which 
office  he  resigned  before  the  close  of  1784.  He  died  January  15,  1786, 
in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  also  fellow  of  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  A  monument,  said  to  be  the 
largest  in  the  state,  has  been  erected  in  this  town,  by  order  of  the  legisla- 
ture, to  the  memory  of  this  distinguished  man.  Hampton  Falls  has  one 
village,  called  Brimstone  Hill ;  tw^o  meeting-houses,  one  occupied  by 
the  Congregationalists,  and  the  other  by  the  Baptists  and  Unitarians ; 
three  school  districts,  the  Rockingham  Academy,  the  Weare  Bank 
(capital,  #50,000),  and  one  post-office.  The  Eastern  Railroad  passes 
through  the  town.     Population,  640 ;  valuation,  $373,176. 


616  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Hancock,  in  the  western  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  is  divided  from 
Greenfield  by  Contoocook  river,  and  is  thirty-five  miles  from  Concord. 
It  was  incorporated  November  5,  1779,  receiving  its  name  from  John 
Hancock,  who  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors.  John  Grimes  and 
his  family  were  the  first  settlers,  having  arrived  in  May,  1764.  They 
did  not  remain  during  the  winter,  having  passed  that  time  in  Peter- 
borough. They  returned  the  spring  following,  1765.  John  Aspey, 
George  M' Cloud,  Moses  Morrison,  and  William  Lakin,  with  their 
families,  settled  about  four  or  five  years  subsequent  to  the  first  arrival ; 
and  were  followed  by  emigrants  from  Groton,  Hollis,  Londonderry, 
New  Ipswich,  and  other  places,  —  so  that  the  settlements  were  materi- 
ally increased.  Many  of  the  hardships  incident  to  new  settlers  fell  to 
the  lot  of  these  inhabitants ;  but,  as  most  of  the  towns  contiguous  were 
settled  to  some  extent,  their  sufferings  were  moderate  when  compared 
with  those  of  others  less  favorably  situated.  A  church  of  seventeen 
members  was  constituted  in  1788,  and  thirty-one  persons  had  united 
with  it  anterior  to  the  settlement  of  Rev.  Reed  Paige  as  pastor,  in  1791. 
He  remained  until  his  death  in  1816.  Rev.  Archibald  Burgess  was 
pastor  from  1822  until  1849,  since  which.  Rev.  Asahel  Bigelow  has 
been  pastor. 

Hancock  possesses  excellent  advantages  for  the  successful  prosecution 
of  agriculture,  —  the  soil,  though  varied,  being  generally  productive. 
The  surface  in  the  west  part  is  mountainous ;  but  the  other  parts 
are  composed  of  plains,  hills,  and  valleys,  which  are  distributed  in  very 
agreeable  proportions.  The  two  principal  ponds  are  called  Norway 
and  Ilalf-moon,  —  the  former  being  near  the  centre,  and  the  other  in 
the  southwest  corner.  About  one  thkd  of  the  farm  of  John  Flint  was 
annexed  to  this  town  from  Antrim,  January  1,  1849.  Hancock  con- 
tains one  village,  having  the  same  name  as  the  town ;  one  church 
(Congregational);  eight  school  districts;  an  academy;  several  fac- 
tories ;  and  one  post-office.  Capital  invested  in  trade,  $6,000.  Popu- 
lation, 1,012;  valuation,  $405,733. 

Hanover,  Grafton  county,  lies  on  the  Connecticut  river,  opposite 
Norwich,  Vt.  on  the  west,  being  distant  from  Concord  fifty-two  miles. 
It  was  granted  by  charter,  July  4,  1761,  to  eleven  persons  of  the  name 
of  Freeman,  and  fifty-two  others,  principally  belonging  to  the  state  of 
Connecticut.  The  town  was  first  visited  with  a  view  of  settlement  in 
May,  1765,  by  Colonel  Edmund  Freeman,  of  Mansfield,  Coim. ;  and,  in 
1766,  Benjamin  Davis  and  Benjamiu  Rice,  from  the  same  place,  to- 
gether with  Gideon  Smith  and  Asa  Parker,  became  residents.  The 
main  portion  of  the  first  settlers  were  from  Connecticut. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OP   HANOVER.  517 

The  siirface  of  Hanover  is,  to  some  extent,  uneven  ;  but  the  greater 
portion  is  adapted  to  agriculture,  and  there  is  probably  less  waste  land 
here  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  county.  A  considerable  elevation, 
called  Moose  mountain,  extends  across  the  town  from  north  to  south, 
at  the  distance  of  about  five  miles  from  Connecticut  river.  Within  the 
limits  of  Hanover  are  several  small  islands,  the  largest  of  which  is  Par- 
jcer's,  which  has  about  twenty  acres.  Mink  and  Goosepond  brooks  are 
the  principal  streams,  neither  of  which  is  large  enough  for  permanent 
mill  privileges. 

The  charter  for  a  ferry  across  Connecticut  river  was  granted,  in  1772, 
to  Dartmouth  College ;  and  in  1792  a  lease  was  made  by  the  trustees  of 
the  college  to  the  White  River  Falls  Bridge  Company,  which  had  been 
incorporated  by  the  legislature  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  bridge  over 
the  site  of  the  ferry,  the  lease  providing  an  annual  stipend  of  fifty  dol- 
lars to  the  college  for  the  privilege,  which  has  ever  since  been  paid.  In 
1854,  this  bridge  was  burned  down,  since  which  the  question  of  building 
a/ree  bridge  has  been  urged  upon  the  people.  After  some  sharp  dis- 
putes, as  well  as  legal  controversy,  in  respect  to  the  proportion  which 
each  of  the  several  parties  in  interest  should  contribute,  the  matter  was 
harmoniously  arranged  in  November,  1858,  and  the  erection  of  the  free 
bridge  is  to  proceed  without  delay.  This  is  a  work  of  great  importance 
to  the  people  of  Hanover,  as  well  as  to  the  college,  as  it  will  restore 
a  ready  communication  with  Norwich,  and,  by  means  of  the  Con- 
necticut and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad,  with  the  river  towns  in  Ver- 
mont. 

Dartmouth  College,  a  view  of  which  is  subjoined,  is  located  here. 
It  was  established  as  a  college  under  the  royal  charter  in  1769,  receiving 
its  name  from  the  Earl  of  Dartmouth,  who  was  at  the  head  of  a  board 
of  trustees,  in  whose  hands  the  contributions  made  in  England  towards 
its  endowment  were  placed.  The  original  of  this  institution  was  a  char- 
ity school  for  the  education  of  Indian  youth,  which  had  been  designed 
and  commenced  at  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  by  John  Sergeant,  a  missionary, 
as  early  as  1736,  but  whose  labors  death  had  interrupted.  The  school 
was  revived  by  Rev.  Eleazer  Wheelock.  As  an  improvement  upon 
the  original  design,  a  number  of  English  youth  were  educated  with  the 
Indians.  As  the  number  increased,  it  became  necessary  to  erect  build- 
ings and  extend  its  operations.  A  removal  was  contemplated  to  a  more 
secluded  region.  Many  invitations  were  extended  from  different  sec- 
tions, but  that  of  the  governor  and  other  gentlemen  of  New  Hampshire 
was  accepted.  Dr.  Wheelock  was  declared  in  the  charter  the  first 
president,  and  a  board  of  twelve  trustees  was  constituted  with  perpetual 
succession.     The  college  was  endowed  with  a  large  landed  estate,  con- 

VOL.  I.  44 


518 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


sistiiii^  of  a  whole  township  (Landafl"),  and  many  other  tracfs  in  differ- 
ent pUu-es,  amounting  to  44,000  acres.  A  valuable  lot  of  five  liundred 
acres  in  Hanover,  the  gift  of  Governor  Benning  Wentworth,  was  fixed 
upon  as  the  site  for  the  school  and  college.  Dr.  Wheelock,  who  had  been 
an  intimate  colaborer  with  Edwards  in  the  "Great  Awakening"  of 
1740,  and  was  strongly  imbued  witli  a  missionary  zeal,  left  a  flourishing 
church  after  a  pastorate  of  thirty-five  years,  and  removed  with  his  col- 
ony of  seventy  or  eighty  to  the  new  location.  The  training  of  Indians 
in  the  close  confinement  of  college  walls  being  found  discordant  with 
the  requirements  of  nature,  and  the  resumption  by  many  of  them  of 
former  wild  and  roving  habits,  soon  made  apparent  the  impracticability 


,.T#'Tfel 


Dartmouth  College. 


ofi 


their  cultivation  a  leading  purpose,  while  the  growing  wants 


of  the  extending  whites  determined  the  future  destiny  of  the  institution. 
The  Indian  school  has,  however,  always  been  maintained.  Dr.  Wheel- 
ock continued  as  president  until  his  death  in  1779.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  presidency  by  his  son,  Hon.  John  Wheelock,  LL.  D.,  who 
continued  in  the  office  for  thirty-five  years,  until  the  controversy  arose 
between  him  and  the  trustees,  in  which  the  state  took  part.^  Rev. 
Francis  Brown,  D.  D.,  was  president  from  1815  to  1820 ;  Rev.  Daniel 
Dana,  D.  D.,  during  1820-21  ;  Rev.  Bennett  Tyler,  D.  D.,  from  1822  to 
1828  ;  since  which.  Rev.  Nathan  Lord,  D.  D.,  has  occupied  the  chair. 
The  whole  number  of  those  who  have  been  connected  with  the  college 
is  4,187,  of  whom  1,540  survive.     The  number  of  graduates  in  regular 


'   Sec  ante,  p.  390. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  HAVERHILL.  519 

course  has  been  2,889,  of  whom  1,121  survive.  The  graduating  classes 
for  several  years  past  have  ranged  from  forty-five  to  sixty-two.  There 
are  connected  with  it  a  medical  department,  and  the  Chandler  Scien- 
tific School,  recently  founded  by  the  will  of  the  late  Abiel  Chandler, 
which  went  into  operation  in  1852.  The  college  buildings  are  spacious 
and  convenient,  and  present  a  very  handsome  appearance.  "  Though  a 
more  central  situation  for  the  college  would  be,  on  some  accounts, 
highly  desirable,  yet  it  has  often  been  remarked,  that  the  location  of 
Dartmouth  College  is  peculiarly  favorable  to  study,  and  the  preservation 
of  morals.  Circumstances  conducive  to  these  objects,  in  addition  to 
establishments  wisely  arranged  for  the  pursuits  of  literature,  are  to  be 
found  in  the  salubrity  of  the  situation,  the  uniform  temperature  of  the 
climate,  and  the  pleasantness  of  the  village,  which  is  neither  too  popu- 
lous nor  too  solitary."  When  it  was  first  commenced,  there  were  but 
twenty  log  huts  in  town,  and,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  the  accom- 
modations at  first  were  very  humble  and  meagre.  The  buildings  now 
consist  of  five,  including  an  observatory  and  a  chapel.  A  spacious 
yard  is  attached  thereto.  They  are  situated  in  the  Plain  village.  The 
Medical  College,  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  length  and  three  stories  high, 
built  of  brick,  is  situated  in  this  village,  a  few  rods  north  of  the  park. 

Hanover  contains  three  villages,  the  principal  of  which  is  called  the 
Plain,  taking  its  name  probably  from  the  fact  of  its  situation,  which  is 
on  an  extensive  and  level  plat  of  ground  half  a  mile  from  Connecticut 
river,  and  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  its  waters.  A  more 
advantageous  situation  could  not  be  desired.  A  park  or  common  of 
some  six  acres  has  been  laid  out,  tastefully  adorned  with  trees,  around 
which  are  erected  the  dwellings  of  the  inhabitants,  which  are  well 
built,  and  have  beautiful  gardens  attached.  The  streets  are  of  consid- 
erable width.  On  the  south  of  the  common  is  the  Dartmouth  hotel, 
several  stores,  and  the  Tontine,  a  brick  building  four  stories  high  and 
150  feet  in  length.  There  are  four  meeting-houses  —  two  Congrega- 
tional, one  Baptist,  and  one  Episcopal ;  eighteen  school  districts ;  an 
academy,  two  female  seminaries,  and  two  post-offices  —  Hanover  and 
Hanover  Centre.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad 
passes  by  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Capital  invested  in  trade, 
§?100,000.     Population,  2,350 ;  valuation,  ^723,824. 

Haverhill  is  the  half  shire  town  of  Grafton  county,  situated  on  the 
western  confines  of  the  state,  and  distant  from  Concord  seventy  miles. 
The  first  particular  account  of  this  place  was  obtained  by  Captain  Peter 
Powers,  of  Hollis,  N.  H.,  and  others,  who  were  sent  out,  in  1754,  by 
the  government  of  the  state,  to  explore  the  Coos  country,  and  who  en- 


520  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

camped  on  the  common  in  Haverhill  Corner.^  In  1761  Captain  John 
Hazen  sent  out  from  Haverhill,  Mass.,  two  "men  with  some  cattle, — 
their  names  were  Michael  Johnson  and  John  Pettie,  —  who  took  posses- 
sion of  what  was  called  the  Little  Ox  Bow,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  which  they  found  already  cleared,  probably  by  the  Indians,  who 
occupied  the  meadows  on  this  and  the  Vermont  side.^  In  the  spring  of 
1762  Captain  Hazen  and  Colonel  Joshua  Howard  arrived,  with  hands 
and  materials  for  building  a  saw-mUl  and  a  grist-mill;  which  were  shortly 
afterward  erected  where  the  Swazey  mills  now  stand.  The  first  family, 
that  of  Uriah  Morse,  moved  here  in  June  of  this  year,  and  March  18, 
1764,  the  town  was  incorporated  under  its  present  name,  being  known 
prior  to  this  as  Lower  Cohos.  Settlers  soon  after  arrived  in  considera- 
ble numbers,  and  evidences  of  improvement  were  soon  apparent.  Hon. 
Moses  Dow  and  Hon.  Charles  Johnson  were  distinguished  residents  of 
this  town.  The  former  held  several  high  civil  and  military  offices  in  the 
county  and  the  state ;  and  the  latter  was  a  valuable  officer  in  the  Revo- 
lution, and  judge  of  probate  for  Grafton  county  for  many  years.  A 
church  was  gathered  under  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Peter  Powers,  and  he 
was  settled  over  it  from  1765  until  1782.  After  the  intervening  pas- 
torates of  Rev.  Ethan  and  John  Smith,  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  author  of 
"  History  of  the  Coos  Country,"  was  settled  here  as  minister  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  January  4,  1815,  and  continued  untU  1829. 

Haverhill  is  pleasantly  situated,  and  has  a  varied  soil,  well  adapted  to 
the  different  modes  of  cultivation  pursued  in  the  state.  Granite  suita- 
ble for  mill-stones,  as  well  as  iron  ore,  is  found.  Oliverian  and  Hazen 
brooks,  both  which  fall  into  Connecticut  river,  water  the  town  in  its 
several  parts.  Plaverhill  has  the  county  buildings,  consisting  of  a  court- 
house, jail,  and  a  fire-proof  building  for  the  county  offices.  There  are 
four  villages,  —  Haverhill  Corner,  Oliverian,  North  Haverhill,  and 
Woodsville,  —  the  former  of  which  is  the  principal  one,  and  has  a  beau- 
tiful common  laid  out  in  the  form  of  an  oblong  square,  around  which 
stand  the  buUdings,  which  are  regularly  built.  The  site  has  been  well 
selected,  being  a  handsome  elevation,  commanding  a  view  of  the  adja- 
cent country  from  all  points.  From  the  street  the  ground  slopes  with 
unusual  elegance  to  the  west,  and  is  succeeded  by  large  intervals. 
There  are  here  seven  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  three  Meth- 
odist, one  Baptist,  and  one  Union  house ;  nineteen  school  districts ;  an 


'  See  Grant  Powers's  History  of  the  Cobs  Country. 
Near  this  spot,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cow  Meadow  brook,  were  discovered  evidences 
of  an  old  Indian  settlement.     There  were  several  domestic  implements  found  here,  as 
■well  as  heads  of  arrows  and  other  relics,  and  also  a  burying-grouud. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  HEBRON,   ETC.  521 

academy,  incorporated  in  1794 ;  and  four  post-offices  —  Haverhill,  East 
Haverhill,  North  Haverhill,  and  Haverhill  Centre :  also,  three  grist-mills, 
twelve  saw-mills,  one  paper-mill,  one  manufacturing  company,  called 
the  Aqueduct  company,  one  large  tannery,  one  carriage  manufactory, 
one  iron  foundery,  seven  shoe  factories,  a  printing-office,  several  me- 
chanic shops,  and  nine  stores.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal 
Railroad  passes  through  Haverhill.  Population,  2,405;  valuation, 
$802,811. 

Hebron,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Grafton  county,  is  distant  from  Con- 
cord forty  miles.  Nearly  one  half  of  this  town  formerly  belonged  to 
Groton,  and  the  remaining  portion  was  taken  from  Plymouth.  Hebron 
was  settled,  about  1765,  by  Joseph  Hobart,  and  was  incorporated  June 
15,  1792.  The  surface  is  somewhat  rough,  and  the  soil  rather  stubborn ; 
yet  the  inhabitants,  who  are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  have  so  far  overcome  the  obstacles  of  nature  as  to  render  it 
very  productive  of  some  articles.  The  larger  portion  of  Newfound 
lake  lies  in  the  southeast  part,  and  is  the  only  body  of  water  of  any  im- 
portance in  the  town.  Hebron  contains  one  village,  which  lies  in  the 
centre ;  one  Congregational  church,  seven  school  districts,  an  incor- 
porated academy,  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  store  and  one  tan- 
nery.    Population,  565 ;  valuation,  $122,256. 

Henniker,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Merrimack  county,  is  fifteen 
miles  from  Concord.  July  16,  1752,  James  and  Robert  Wallace  and 
others,  belonging  to  Londonderry  in  this  state,  obtained  a  grant  of  this 
town  from  the  Masonian  proprietors  under  the  name  of  Number  6. 
James  Peters  arrived  in  1761,  and  commenced  preparing  the  place  for 
settlement;  soon  others  followed,  most  of  whona  came  from  Marlbo- 
rough, Mass.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  November  10,  1763, 
and  the  name  of  Henniker  was  conferred  upon  it  by  Governor  B. 
Wentworth,  probably  in  compliment  to  John  Henniker,  Esq.,  of  Lon- 
don, who  was  a  friend  of  the  governor,  and  a  member  of  the  British 
parliament.  Hon.  Robert  Wallace,  one  of  the  original  proprietors,  held 
many  important  civil  offices,  among  which  was  associate  judge  of  the 
court  of  common  pleas.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-six,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  was  devoted  to  the  public  service.  A  church  with  nine 
male  members  was  constituted  in  1769,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Rice  was  pastor 
from  then  till  1782,  although,  on  account  of  his  ill-health,  the  pulpit  was 
often  vacant.  He  continued  to  supply  it  occasionally  for  twenty  years 
after,  during  which  there  was  no  minister.  A  division  grew  up  between 
the  church  and  the  town,  the  former  being  anxious  to  settle  Rev.  Moses 

44* 


522  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Sawyer,  who,  on  account  of  the  town's  opposition,  was  ordained  in  a 
barn.  May  26,  1802,  where  he  preached  some  time.  His  ministry  con- 
tinued until  1826. 

The  surface  of  Henniker  is  comparatively  even,  the  only  eminence 
of  note  being  Craney  hill,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  the  township, 
which  has  been  brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  In  fact,  the 
whole  of  the  territory  is  of  a  fertile  character,  and  is  second  to  none  in 
the  county.  The  town  is  divided  into  nearly  equal  portions  by  the  Con- 
toocook  river,  the  course  of  which  is  rather  circuitous,  and  presents  scenes 
of  more  than  common  attractions.  The  water  power  is  of  large  ca- 
pacity, and  excellently  located  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  business 
in  connection  therewith.  There  are  several  ponds  of  considerable  size, 
the  principal  being  Long  pond,  which  is  from  one  to  two  miles  in 
length  and  from  forty  to  eighty  rods  wide.  The  New  Hampshire  Cen- 
tral Railroad  connects  this  place  with  the  city  of  Manchester,  and  the 
Contoocook  Valley  Railroad  renders  communication  with  the  capital  of 
the  state,  and  with  Portsmouth,  easy.  Henniker  contains  two  villages  — 
Henniker  and  West  Henniker,  each  of  which  has  a  post-office ;  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  thirteen  school  dis- 
tricts, and  one  academy :  also,  one  woollen  factory,  several  mills,  and 
three  stores.     Population,  1,688 ;  valuation,  $648,190. 

Hill,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Grafton  county,  is  twenty-four 
miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  September  14,  1753,  to  eighty- 
seven  proprietors,  the  greater  portion  of  whom  belonged  to  Chester,  and 
hence  it  received  the  name  of  New  Chester,  which  it  retained  until 
January,  1837,  when  its  present  name  was  substituted.  Captain  Cut- 
ting Favor  and  Carr  Huse  were  the  first  two  settlers,  arriving  here  in 
1768.  Mr.  Huse  was  somewhat  distinguished,  having  been  town  clerk 
for  several  years,  as  well  as  representative.  Hill  was  incorporated  No- 
vember 20,  1778.  The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven,  yet  some  fine 
farms  have  been  laid  out,  which  are  very  productive.  The  soil  in  some 
parts  is  rich  and  fertile,  and,  on  the  average,  all  of  it  may  be  called 
good.  Ragged  mountain,  lying  here,  is  a  considerable  elevation,  little 
inferior  to  Kearsarge.  Pemigewasset  and  Blackwater  rivers,  and  sev- 
eral smaller  streams,  furnish  abundance  of  water.  The  only  pond  of 
note  is  called  Eagle.  The  inhabitants  are  principally  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture. Hill  contains  one  village,  bearing  the  same  name  as  the  town,  in 
which  is  located  the  only  post-office;  two  church  edifices,  occupied  by 
the  several  denominations  ;  eleven  school  districts,  three  stores,  and  the 
usual  mechanical  operations  of  a  country  town.  Population,  954  ;  val- 
uation, $260,593. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  HILLSBOROUGH.  523 

Hillsborough  is  the  most  northerly  town  in  Hillsborough  county,  and 
adjoins  the  counties  of  Merrimack  and  Sullivan.  Its  shape  is  nearly 
that  of  a  diamond,  being  six  miles  square,  and  containing  27,320  acres. 
Settlements  were  first  commenced,  in  1741,  by  a  company  of  men  from 
Boston ;  the  territory  being  at  that  time  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, by  whom  it  had  been  granted  to  Colonel  John  Hill  and  a 
Mr.  Keyes.  In  April,  1746,  the  few  scattered  families  in  Hillsborough, 
hearing  of  the  depredations  committed  in  adjoining  towns  by  the  In- 
dians, and  seeing  several  of  them  prowling  about  the  falls  in  Contoocook 
river,  determined  to  abandon  the  settlement,  and  remove  to  a  place  of 
greater  security ;  and,  after  burying  their  heavier  articles  of  furniture, 
they  commenced  their  flight,  taking  with  them  their  lighter  articles,  and 
driving  their  cattle  before  them.  Among  those  who  first  settled  were 
James  Mc  Galley,  Samuel  Gibson,  Robert  McClure,  and  James  Lyon. 
For  more  than  fifteen  years  from  the  dispersion  of  the  first  settlement, 
the  town  was  destitute  of  inhabitants.  In  1760,  the  conquest  of  Canada 
and  the  termination  of  the  second  French  war  having  removed  the  dan- 
ger of  savage  incursions,  another  settlement  was  commenced,  under  more 
favorable  auspices  than  the  first.  Colonel  Hill  was  now  sole  proprietor 
of  the  town.  Daniel  McMurphy  made  the  second  attempt  at  settle- 
ment in  1762,  and  fixed  his  residence  on  Bible  hill.  He  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  other  settlers ;  and  in  1767  there  were  sixteen  heads  of  fami- 
lies in  the  place,  who  came  principally  from  Massachusetts.  Ample 
proof  is  furnished  that  Hillsborough  was  much  visited  by  the  Indians,  — 
doubtless  the  Penacook  tribe,  —  from  the  exhuming  of  various  cooking 
utensils  and  implements  of  w^ar. 

The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  in  1772,  the  charter  stating  that 
all  the  white-pine  trees  growing  in  the  town  were  to  be  reserved  for  the 
use  of  the  royal  navy,  a  clause  which  was  not  very  favorably  regarded 
by  the  people,  and  met  with  some  opposition.  It  was  called  Hill- 
borough  at  the  request  of  the  proprietor ;  but,  by  common  usage,  the 
s  has  been  added  to  the  first  syllable,  probably  in  compliment  to  the 
Earl  of  Hillsborough,  one  of  the  privy  council  of  George  HI.  In  1775, 
when  hostilities  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain  commenced, 
there  were  forty  families  here ;  but,  before  the  close  of  the  war,  this 
number  was  considerably  augmented  by  immigration.  The  spirit  of 
resistance  to  the  oppressive  measures  of  the  mother  country  extended 
even  to  this  remote  settlement,  and  the  inhabitants  entered  with  patri- 
otic ardor  into  the  excitement  of  the  contest,  furnishing  both  men  and 
means  to  prosecute  the  war.  Captain  Isaac  Baldwin  and  Lieutenant 
Ammi  Andrews  particularly  distinguished  themselves  in  General 
Stark's  regiment.     In  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  a  commendable 


524  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

spirit  of  patriotism  was  evinced  by  the  citizens  of  Hillsborough,  nearly 
twenty  persons  having  enlisted  in  the  regular  army.  Two  natives  of 
the  town — General  John  McNeil  and  Colonel  B.  K.  Pierce  —  were 
distinguished  officers  of  that  war,  and  many  cases  of  signal  courage 
were  exhibited.  There  is  little  doubt  that  the  cool  courage  of  General 
McNeil  decided  the  victory  of  Chippewa,  in  1814.  He  was  then  a 
major  of  the  11th  regiment.  Its  commander.  Colonel  Campbell,  was 
killed  as  he  was  leading  his  regiment  into  action.  The  command  then 
devolved  upon  Major  McNeil.  The  regiment  under  his  lead  marched 
with  shouldered  arms  to  within  fifteen  rods  of  the  enemy's  line,  receiv- 
ing a  heavy  fire  during  the  entire  advance  without  breaking  or  waver- 
ing. It  then  came  up  to  line  with  the  steadiness  and  precision  of  a 
parade,  and  poured  a  most  destructive  fire  upon  the  enemy.  The  enemy 
immediately  charged  upon  the  9th,  which  was  directly  in  front.  In  so 
doing  they  were  heedlessly  passing  the  11th.  McNeil  saw  their  position 
at  once,  and  taking  advantage  of  it,  gave  the  command :  "  Eleventh, 
form  line  to  the  front,  on  the  right  platoon."  The  command  was  obeyed 
at  once,  and  a  raking  and  destructive  flank  fire  was  poured  into  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy.  The  enemy  broke  at  once,  and  fled,  no  efforts 
of  their  officers  being  able  to  stay  them  until  they  had  gained  the  pro- 
tection of  their  fortifications.  General  Jesup,  in  referring  to  this  flank 
movement  of  Major  McNeil,  says :  "  General  McNeil,  on  his  own 
responsibility  and  without  orders  from  any  one,  made  a  decisive  move- 
ment at  Chippewa, and  he  certainly  contributed  as  much  to 

the  victory  as  any  other  man  in  the  field."  And  General  Scott,  in  his 
official  report,  says  of  the  fire  upon  the  enemy :  "  That  of  Major  McNeil 
was  most  effective,  from  the  oblique  position  which  his  troops  judiciously 

occupied, and  he  deserved  every  thing  which  conspicuous  skill 

and  gallantry  can  win  from  a  grateful  country." 

At  the  battle  of  Niagara,  as  he  was  gallantly  leading  the  11th  into 
action,  his  horse  was  shot  under  him  and  he  received  a  canister  shot 
which  passed  through  his  right  knee  and  shattered  the  bones  severely. 
This  occurred  while  he  was  leading  Brady's  and  his  own  troops  to  the 
contest.  Brady's  regiment,  the  22d,  broke  and  ffed.  McNeil,  seeing 
their  panic,  spurred  his  horse  in  front  of  them,  and,  by  persuasion  and 
threats,  rallied  them,  reformed  them,  and  led  them  into  action  with  his 
own  troops.  Although  suffering  extremely  from  pain,  he  continued  in 
the  battle  until,  fainting  from  the  loss  of  blood,  his  situation  was  dis- 
covered, and  he  was  taken  from  the  field.  He  recovered  from  his 
wound,  but  was  a  cripple  for  life. 

Among  those  who  have  been  natives  or  residents  of  HiUsborough, 
and  have  distinguished  themselves  in  the  service  of  the  country  or  the 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  HILLSBOROUGH. 


525 


state,  may  be  mentioned  Lieutenant  Robert  B.  Wilkins,  a  brave  officer, 
who  served  as  quarter-master  in  the  detachment  commanded  by  General 
Lafayette,  with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted.  Quite  an  affecting  scene 
is  represented  as  having  taken  place  between  this  officer  and  the  general 
when  the  latter  visited  Concord  in  1825.  Governor  Benjamin  Pierce, 
the  father  of  Ex-president  Franklin  Pierce,  was  also  a  distinguished 
military  and  civil  officer.  He  entered  the  army  at  Lexington,  and  con- 
tinued under  arms  till  the  last  troops  were  disbanded  in  1784.  The 
Ex-president  was  born  here  in  1804,  and  practised  law  some  time  before 
moving  to  Concord.  A  Congregational  church  was  formed  in  1769, 
and  Rev.  Jonathan  Barnes  was  pastor  from  1772  until  1803,  after  which 
the  pastorate  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  bed  of  roses  to  any  of  the 
incumbents,  owing  to  that  almost  invariable  cause  of  embarrassment  in 
town  settlements,  a  difference  of  opinions  and  tastes  between  the  town 
and  the  church. 

The  surface  of  Hillsborough  is  uneven,  being  greatly  diversified  by 
hills  and  dales.  It  has  a  rugged,  yet,  in  general,  strong  and  productive 
soil,  favorable  to  the  cultivation  of  all  kinds  of  grass  and  English  grain. 
Stow's  mountain,  in  the  northwest  part,  is  the  highest  elevation. 
Hillsborough  is  watered  by  tributaries  of  the  Contoocook  river,  and  by 


Birthplace  of  Franklin  Pierce. 


those  of  the  Hillsborough  river,  both  considerable  streams.  There  are 
three  natural  ponds,  known  as  Loon,  Contention,  and  Campbell's,  to- 
gether making  a  surface  of  five  hundred  acres  of  water.  There  are  four 
villages  —  Hillsborough  Centre,  Hillsborough  Bridge,  the  Upper  village, 


526  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  Lower  village,  the  second  of  which  is  the  principal,  located  oil  both 
sides  of  the  Contoocook  river,  which  is  crossed  at  this  point  by  an  ele- 
gant and  substantial  arched  granite  bridge,  whence  the  name  of  the 
village  is  derived.  The  Contoocook,  by  two  falls  of  considerable  size, 
supplies  this  village  with  a  valuable  water  power.  It  is  the  seat  of  con- 
siderable mercantile  and  manufacturing  business,  and  many  of  the 
dwellings  are  handsome.  The  other  villages  are  pleasantly  located,  and 
are  generally  in  a  prosperous  condition.  In  the  Lower  village  is  the 
elegant  mansion  of  the  late  Governor  Pierce,  the  birthplace  of  the  Ex- 
president,  a  correct  view  of  which  is  here  given.  It  is  now  the  place  of 
residence  of  Hon.  C.  E.  Potter,  to  whose  wife  it  has  descended  from 
her  mother,  Mrs.  General  John  McNeil,  who  was  a  daughter  of  the 
governor. 

There  are  four  meeting-houses  —  two  Congregational,  one  Methodist, 
and  one  Baptist ;  nineteen  school  districts ;  an  academy  (the  Hills- 
borough), incorporated  in  June,  1821,  and  three  post-offices  —  Hills- 
borough, Hillsborough  Centre,  and  Hillsborough  Bridge :  also,  eight 
saw-mills,  five  grist-mills,  four  tanneries,  one  iron  foundery,  two  ma- 
chine-shops, manufactories  of  furniture,  bedsteads,  shoe-pegs,  carriages, 
and  tin  and  sheet-iron,  and  a  large  number  of  blacksmith's,  shoe  and 
boot,  and  carpenter's  shops.  The  Contoocook  Valley  Railroad  has  its 
terminus  at  HUlsborough.     Population,  1,685 ;  valuation,  $624,731. 

Hillsborough  County,  in  the  southern  part  of  New  Hampshire,  con- 
tains about  960  square  miles.  It  is  one  of  the  five  counties  into  which 
New  Hampshire  was  divided  March  19,  1771,  when  under  the  sway  of 
monarchy.  Since  that  time  her  limits  have  been  materially  diminished, 
particularly  in  1823,  when  she  gave  thirteen  of  her  offspring —  Andover, 
Boscawen,  Bradford,  Dunbarton,  Newbury,  Henniker,  Hooksett,  Hop- 
kinton.  New  London,  Salisbury,  Sutton,  Warner,  and  Wilmot  —  to 
form  the  present  county  of  Merrimack.  December  10,  1824,  Pelham 
was  taken  from  Rockingham,  and  added  to  her  territory.  By  act  of  the 
legislature  in  1829  the  lines  were  established,  and  are  still  as  follows  : 
"Beginning  at  the  bound  between  the  towns  of  Salem  and  Pelham  at 
the  state  line ;  thence  westerly  by  the  state  line  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  Rindge;  thence  by  the  easterly  lines  of  Rindge,  Jaffi-ey,  Dublin, 
Nelson,  Stoddard,  and  Washington,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Hillsbor- 
ough ;  thence  by  the  northerly  and  easterly  lines  of  Hillsborough,  and 
southerly  lines  of  Henniker  and  Hopkinton,  to  the  northwest  corner 
of  Dunbarton ;  thence  by  the  westerly  and  southerly  hnes  of  Dunbarton 
and  Hooksett  to  the  line  of  the  county  of  Rockingham  ;  thence   by  the 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN  OF  HINSDALE.  527 

last-mentioned  line  to  the  bound  first  mentioned."  Hillsborough  has 
now  thirty  towns  within  her  limits,  Amherst,  Manchester,  and  Nashua 
being  the  shire  towns.     The  records  are  kept  at  the  former. 

Hillsborough  county  has  a  surface  diversified  here  and  there  with  em- 
inences, though  there  are  but  few  mountains  of  very  considerable  alti- 
tude, Lyndeborough,  Uncanoonuck,  and  Crotched  being  the  principal. 
The  soil  is  mostly  fertile.  Water  is  abundant  in  the  county,  —  the  Mer- 
rimack, the  Souhegan,  the  Contoocook,  the  Nashua,  and  the  Piscata- 
quog  being  rivers  of  much  value  for  water-power  and  other  purposes. 
Besides  these  there  are  other  streams  of  lesser  magnitude,  and  numer- 
ous ponds,  as  weU  as  part  of  Massabesic  lake.  Manufacturing,  the  ad- 
vantages for  pursuing  which  are  considerable,  commands  a  large  share 
of  the  attention  of  the  people.  The  county  is  traversed  by  the  Concord, 
Contoocook  Valley,  New  Hampshire  Central,  Wilton,  and  Peterborough 
and  Shirley  Railroads.  The  Merrimack  river,  by  means  of  canals 
around  the  falls,  is  rendered  navigable  for  boats. 

The  county  belongs  to  the  second  judicial  district,  a  law  term  of 
which  is  held  at  Manchester  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  June  annually. 
The  trial  terms  of  the  supreme  judicial  court  are  held  annually  at 
Amherst  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  September,  and  at  Manches^r  on 
the  second  Tuesday  of  January.  Terms  of  the  court  of  common  pleas 
are  held  at  Amherst  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  April,  and  at  Manchester 
on  the  first  Tuesday  of  November,  in  each  year.  Population,  57,478  ; 
valuation,  $27,498,821. 

Hinsdale,  Cheshire  county,  seventy-five  miles  from  Concord,  lies  on 
the  Connecticut  river,  having  Brattleboro'  and  Vernon,  Vt.,  on  the 
opposite  side.  Being  formerly  a  part  of  Northfield,  it  was  granted  by 
the  government  of  Massachusetts,  and  its  settlement  was  commenced 
as  early  as  1683.  Hinsdale  received  the  privileges  of  a  town,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1753,  and  its  name  was  conferred  upon  it  in  honor  of  Ebenezer 
Hinsdale,  a  prominent  inhabitant,  much  esteemed  by  his  fellow  towns- 
men for  his  virtues  and  talents.  It  is  the  place  of  residence  of  the 
present  governor,  William  Haile.  At  the  time  of  incorporation  it  in- 
cluded Vernon,  which  was  separated  from  it  when  Vermont  became  a 
state.  Before  1753  it  was  known  as  Fort  Dummer,  or  Bridgman's 
Fort 

At  the  time  of  settlement,  vicissitudes  and  trials  of  the  most  grievous 
character  were  the  common  lot  of  the  pioneer,  wherever  he  might  turn 
his  steps ;  but  a  situation  on  the  frontier  —  beyond  the  call  of  the  civ- 
ilized brotherhood,  and  in  the  very  pathway  of  the  savage,  who  might 
burn,  pillage,  and  murder  at  any  moment  —  was  fraught  with  dangers. 


528  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  surrounded  with  difficulties,  which  can  better  be  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. Such  a  position  had  Hinsdale  ;  and  the  chapter  of  her  history 
is  filled  with  incidents  of  a  harrowing  nature,  where  murder  was  fre- 
quent, and  captures  of  the  settlers  of  almost  every-day  occurrence. 
Forts   were    erected,  —  Dummer,    Hinsdale's,    Shattuck's,    and    Bridg- 

man's, but  even  with  these  the  settlers  were  insecure.    On  the  24th  of 

June,  1746,  a  party  of  twenty  Indians  approached  Bridgman's  fort,  and 
made  an  attack  on  several  men,  who  were  laboring  in  a  meadow  near 
by,  when  William  Robbins  and  James  Parker  were  killed,  John  Bee- 
man  and  Daniel  How  made  prisoners,  and  M.  Gilson  and  Patrick  Ray 
wounded.  The  savages  did  not  escape  unharmed,  —  one  of  their  num- 
ber having  been  killed  by  Daniel  How.  In  1747  the  Indians  assaulted 
Bridgman's  fort,  which  they  burnt,  and  killed  several  persons,  besides 
taking  others  prisoners.  In  July  this  year.  Colonel  Willard  with  twenty 
men  proceeded  to  the  grist-mill  for  the  purpose  of  grinding  corn,  when 
the  guards,  whom  he  had  stationed  to  watch  the  approach  of  any  hostile 
force,  were  fired  upon  by  the  savages.  The  Colonel,  by  giving  repeated 
and  vociferous  orders  to  attack  the  enemy,  led  them  to  suppose  that  he 
had  a  very  superior  force  ;  and  the  Indians  immediately  took  to  flight, 
leaving  their  packs  and  provisions  as  trophies. 

These  attacks  did  not  end  here.  A  party  of  the  settlers,  while  cross- 
ing from  Colonel  Hinsdale's  to  Fort  Dummer,  June  16,  1748,  were  sur- 
prised, Nathan  French,  Joseph  Richardson,  and  John  Frost  being 
killed,  and  seven  others  captured,  one  of  whom  (WiUiam  Biclcford)  died 
of  his  wounds.  Another  assault  was  made,  in  1755,  upon  a  party 
who  were  at  work  in  the  woods,  when  John  Hardiclay  and  John  Alex- 
ander were  murdered,  and  Jonathan  Colby  was  taken  prisoner.  The 
last  attack  of  which  we  have  any  record  took  place  on  the  27th  of 
July  the  same  year,  when  the  Indians  ambushed  Caleb  Howe,  Hilkiah 
Grout,  and  Benjamin  Gaffield,  as  they  were  returning  from  their  labor. 
The  remnants  of  an  Indian  fortification,  erected  anterior  to  the  settle- 
ment of  the  town,  may  be  seen  on  a  point  of  a  hill  a  short  distance 
from  Connecticut  river.  A  deep  trench,  extending  to  the  river,  divides 
the  site  of  the  fort  from  the  plain  at  its  back,  and  would  prove  a  very 
strong  obstacle  to  an  enemy  in  case  of  attack.  When  this  ancient  arm 
of  defence  was  constructed,  or  any  other  points  in  its  history,  must  be 
left  to  the  decision  of  some  persevering  antiquary. 

The  surface  of  Hinsdale  has  several  eminences,  —  the  principal  of 
which,  lying  on  the  north  line,  is  West  River  mountain,  extending 
easterly  from  the  banks  of  the  river  across  the  town.  Its  liighest  peak, 
called  Mine  mountain,  is  about  nine  hundred  feet  above  low- water 
mark.     Iron  ore,  beds  of  silicate  of  manganese,  and  other  minerals,  have 


NEW   HAMPSHrRE  —  TOWN   OF   HOLDERNESS.  529 

been  found  in  or  near  this  eminence.  Some  years  ago,  signs  of  a  vol- 
canic eruption,  attended  by  the  emission  of  a  substance  resembling  lava, 
were  apparent  in  this  mountain.  There  are  extensive  and  fertile  tracts 
of  interval ;  and  Stebbins  hill,  a  tract  of  excellent  land,  is  capable  of  a 
high  degree  of  cultivation.  In  the  north  part  the  land  between  the 
hills  and  the  interval  is  level,  and  suitable  for  the  production  of  corn, 
rye,  and  clover.  Water  is  plentiful,  there  being  a  great  number  of 
springs  and  rivulets,  —  the  principal  of  which  are  the  Ashuelot,  Kilburn 
brook,  and  Ash-swamp  brook.  Within  the  limits  of  the  town  are  sev- 
eral islands,  lying  in  the  Connecticut  river.  There  are  two  bridges, 
one  crossing  the  Connecticut  opposite  Brattleboro',  and  the  other  cross- 
ing the  Ashuelot  near  the  centre  of  the  town.  Hinsdale  contains  three 
church  edifices,  —  Congregational,  Universalist,  and  Baptist ;  nine 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  two  establishments  for  the 
manufacture  of  cashmerettes,  two  paper-mills,  two  machine-shops,  one 
chisel  factory,  one  bobbin  factory,  two  pail  factories,  one  grist-mill, 
five  or  six  saw-mills,  one  carriage  factory,  one  tannery,  and  several 
smaller  mechanical  establishments.  The  Ashuelot  Railroad,  a  branch 
of  the  Connecticut  River  Railroad,  connects  with  Hinsdale.  Popula- 
tion, 1,903 ;  valuation,  $451,437. 

HoLDERNESS,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  forty  miles  from 
Concord,  is  in  size  about  six  miles  square.  It  was  first  granted  October 
10,  1751,  to  John  Shepard  and  others ;  but  the  charter  was  forfeited,  and 
it  was  again  granted  October  24,  1 761,  to  John  Wentworth  and  sixty- 
seven  others,  all  members  of  the  English  Episcopal  church.  It  was 
originally  known  as  New  Holderness,  and  was  settled,  about  1763,  by 
William  Piper,  from  Durham  or  its  vicinity.  Some  of  those  who  came  in 
subsequently'  were  from  Barrington.  This  town  has  one  village,  called 
Holderness  Village,  which  is  sixty-five  miles  from  Plymouth  and  forty 
from  Concord.  The  soil  is  hard  to  till,  but  not  unproductive.  A  con- 
siderable quantity  of  maple  sugar  is  annually  made,  and  fruit  —  consist- 
ing of  plums,  cherries,  and  pears  —  grows  here  in  comparative  abun- 
dance. The  Pemigewasset  and  other  streams  impart  their  fertilizing 
influence  to  the  soil,  and  afford  good  mill  sites.  There  are  three  large 
ponds,  —  two  called  Squam,  and  one.  White  Oak,  —  the  largest  being 

'  One  of  these,  Hon.  Samuel  Livermore,  came  herein  1765.  He  became  proprietor  of 
about  half  the  township.  His  native  place  was  Waltham,  Mass.,  whore  he  was  born  in 
1732.  He  graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1754.  He  became  chief  justice  of  the 
superior  court  and  a  senator  of  the  United  States,  being  the  most  distinguished  citizen 
whom  Holderness  has  ever  had.  His  son,  Hon.  Arthur  Livermore,  resided  near  the  banks 
of  Pemigewasset     He  also  held  the  place  of  chief  justice  of  the  highest  state  court. 

VOL.  I.  45 


530  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

about  six  miles  long  and  half  a  mile  wide,  and  the  smallest  about  a 
mile  long.  These  are  very  beautiful  sheets  of  water  hidden  among 
the  wilds  of  the  backwoods.  The  road*  which  runs  by  the  larger 
Squam  was,  a  few  years  since,  almost  impassable,  but  a  new  one  has 
since  been  laid  out.  The  route  from  Plymouth  to  Winnepesaukee  lake 
and  along  its  borders  to  Wolf  borough  is  very  picturesque,  its  scenery 
being  scarcely  rivalled  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Salmon-trout  abound 
in  the  ponds,  and  trout,  pickerel,  and  perch  in  the  brooks.  There  are 
three  churches  —  one  Free-will  Baptist  and  two  Episcopal,  of  which 
one  of  the  latter  is  the  eldest.  Rev.  Robert  Fowle  officiated  as  its 
minister  for  more  than  thirty  years  from  1791,  upon  a  salary  usually  of 
about  two  hundred  dollars.  He  also  carried  on  farming,  and  some- 
times represented  the  town  in  the  general  court,  being  "  vir  doctus  el 
humilis,"  a  man  learned  and  yet  humble.  There  are  seventeen  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office:  also,  six  saw-mills,  four  grist-mills,  a 
paper-mill,  fulling-mill,  and  carding-machine,  most  of  them  located 
upon  a  stream  flowing  from  the  Squam  ponds.  The  capital  invested 
in  trade  is  $20,000,  and  in  manufactures  $80,000.  The  Boston,  Con- 
cord, and  Montreal  Railroad  has  a  station  here.  Population,  1,744; 
valuation,  $405,689. 

HoLLiS,  Hillsborough  county,  on  the  southern  boundary  of  New 
Hampshire,  adjoining  Nashua,  formed  a  part  of  old  Dunstable,  until 
December  28,  1739,  when  it  was  set  off  as  the  "  West  Parish  of  Dun- 
stable," and  soon  after  incorporated  as  a  separate  town  by  the  name 
of  HoUis.  Peter  Powers  and  his  wife  moved  to  Dunstable  in  1728,  and, 
in  the  fall  of  1730,  Powers  penetrated  the  forest  as  far  as  Nisitisset, 
now  Hollis,  which  he  fixed  upon  as  his  future  residence.  The  next 
year  he  brought  his  wife  and  two  children  into  this  then  dense  wilder- 
ness. Mr.  Powers  had  been  a  soldier  under  the  lamented  Captain 
John  LoveweU,  and  was  not  unused  to  hardship  or  destitute  of  courage. 
In  the  summer  of  1752  Eleazer  Flagg  arrived,  and  Thomas  Dinsmore 
and  nine  others  with  families  came  in  1736,  who  soon  made  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  permanently  locating  themselves.  Of  course  the 
early  settlers  of  these  uninhabited  wilds  had  to  endure  trials  and  hard- 
ships; but  there  is  no  account  that  they  were  ever  attacked  by  the 
savages  whom  they  had  come  to  supplant,  and  teach  the  manner  of 
living,  though  they  were  under  fearful  apprehensions  of  attack,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  following,  dated  May  20,  1746 :  "  Voted  to  petition  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts  Bay  for  some  soldiers  for  a  Guard  for 
us,  being  in  great  danger  of  the  enemy."  The  first  minister.  Rev.  Daniel 
Emerson,  was  settled  April  20,   1743  (a  meeting-house    having   been 


NRW  HAMPSHISB  —  TOWN   OF   HOOKSETT.  531 

erected  two  years  previously),  and  he  was  sole  pastor  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  afterwards  senior  pastor  until  his  death  in  1801. 

Hollis  furnished  a  large  number  of  men  for  the  expedition  to  Ticon- 
deroga  and  Crown  Point,  and  Peter  Powers  was  commissioned  as 
captain.  Scarcely  had  this  drawback  to  the  progress  of  the  town  been 
offset  by  the  fall  of  Quebec  and  the  consequent  surrender  of  all 
the  French  possessions  in  Canada,  before  another  cloud  darkened  the 
horizon  of  peace.  This  crisis,  while  demanding  equal  courage  in  a 
holier  cause,  was  one  fraught  with  more  serious  results  to  America. 
The  storm  of  the  Revolution  burst  forth,  and  Hollis  gave  bountifully 
of  her  limited  strength.  Seventy  of  her  sons  were  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  while  she  furnished,  with  facility  and  promptness,  her 
quota  of  men  for  other  expeditions  in  the  good  cause.  No  less 
than  250  men  from  Hollis  were  in  the  various  battles  of  the  Rev- 
olution, thirty  of  whom  lost  their  lives  in  the  contest.  Peace  was  pro- 
claimed in  1783,  and  in  its  wake  followed  prosperity  and  enterprise. 
The  lands,  which  had  hitherto  been  allowed,  for  the  want  of  hands,  to 
lie  uncultivated,  now  began  to  bloom  with  fruitful  crops,  and  the  advan- 
tages which  the  town  possessed  in  other  ways  were  improved. 

The  soil  of  Hollis  is  of  a  varied  description,  and  on  the  Nashua  are 
some  excellent  tracts  of  interval,  while  the  uplands  are  moderately  fertile. 
The  Nashua  and  Nisitisset  rivers  water  the  town,  and  furnish  good 
mill  sites.  Near  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  a  somewhat  elevated  and 
pleasant  site,  is  a  thriving  village.  There  are  two  meeting-houses 
(Congregationalist  and  Baptist) ;  thirteen  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office:  also,  eight  saw-mills,  four  grist-mills,  and  several  mechanic 
shops.  The  Worcester  and  Nashua  Railroad  connects  w^ith  HoUis. 
Population,  1,293  ;  valuation,  $667,392. 

HooKSETT,  the  southeastern  corner  town  of  Merrimack  county,  adjoin- 
ing Manchester  on  the  south,  and  nine  miles  from  Concord,  was  formed 
from  portions  of  Chester,  Goffstown,  and  Dunbarton,  being  incorporated 
July  2,  1822.  There  are  some  well-cultivated  farms  here,  but  the  soil, 
on  the  average,  is  not  of  the  best  description.  Agriculture  engages  a 
large  share  of  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants.  Pinnacle  mountain,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  town,  is  composed  of  an  immense  mass  of  rocks 
some  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  covered  with  a  ragged  growth  of  trees 
and  bushes.  There  is  a  pond  at  the  foot  of  this  mountain,  the  water 
of  which  is  remarkably  clear  and  deep,  having  no  visible  outlet.  It  is 
supposed  to  have  been  the  bed  of  the  mountain,  from  which  the  latter, 
by  some  violent  convulsion  of  nature,  was  upturned.  A  remarkably  fine 
view  is  obtained  of  the  surrounding  landscape  from  the  summit  of  this 


532  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

eminence.  Specimens  of  lead  and  silver  ore  have  been  recently  dis- 
covered, and  a  company  has  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  working 
the  mines,  with  a  fair  prospect  of  success.  The  river  Merrimack  runs 
through  the  centre  of  the  town.  The  Isle-of-Hooksett  falls,  having  a 
descent  of  water  of  about  sixteen  feet  perpendicular  in  thirty  rods,  are 
situated  here.  Hooksett  has  three  villages—  Hooksett,  Martin's  Ferry, 
and  Rowe's  Corner ;  nine  school  districts ;  two  church  edifices  —  Con- 
gregational and  Methodist;  and  one  post-office:  also,  a  large  mill, 
owned  by  the  Amoskeag  Company,  of  Manchester ;  several  brickkilns, 
one  or  two  steam  saw-mills,  and  a  pail  factory.  Two  railroads  pass 
through  Hooksett.  The  Portsmouth  and  Concord  Railroad  enters  from 
the  east,  and  the  Manchester  and  Lawrence  from  the  south.  Popu- 
lation, 1,503  ;    valuation,  $561,103. 

HOPKINTON,  lying  in  the  southern  part  of  Merrimack  county,  is  seven 
miles  west  of  Concord.  It  was  granted  by  Massachusetts,  January  16, 
1736,  to  John  Jones  and  others  of  Hopkinton  in  that  state,  and  received 
the  name  of  Number  5,  and  subsequently,  New  Hopkinton.  About 
1740,  several  emigrants  from  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  took  up  their  residence 
here,  and  commenced  the  settlement.  The  Indians  committed  several 
depredations,  and  during  the  French  and  Indian  war,  which  commenced 
in  1744,  the  inhabitants  were  compelled  to  abandon  their  homes,  and 
the  settlement  was  not  resumed  till  after  the  conclusion  of  that  contest. 
On  the  22d  of  April,  1746,  six  Indians,  fully  armed,  assaulted  a  garrison, 
and  succeeded  in  making  an  entrance,  taking  eight  persons  prisoners, — 
namely,  Mr.  Woodwell,  his  wife,  two  sons,  and  a  daughter,  and  Samuel 
Burbank  and  his  two  sons,  Caleb  and  Jonathan.  These  persons  were 
asleep  at  the  time  of  the  attack.  It  is  related  of  Abraham  Kimball,  the 
first  male  citizen,  that  on  the  13th  of  April,  1753,  while  going  from 
Kimball's  garrison  to  that  of  Putney,  he  was  made  prisoner  by  the  In- 
dians, as  also  was  an  aged  man  named  Samuel  Putney.  Some  three 
days  after  this,  the  Indians,  while  in  the  vicinity  of  Boscawen,  being 
suddenly  surprised  by  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  town,  fled,  leaving 
Putney  in  the  rear,  while  Kimball  escaped,  through  the  sagacity  of  a 
dog,  that  seized  an  Indian  while  making  preparations  to  kill  Kimball. 
The  Masonian  proprietors,  November  30,  1750,  made  a  grant  of  this 
town  to  Henry  Mellen  and  others,  which  occasioned  considerable  per- 
plexity with  the  proprietors  of  Bow.  It  was,  however,  settled  by  the 
charter  of  incorporation,  which  was  granted  January  11,  1765.  At  the 
first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  after  the  grant,  they  voted,  "  That  when 
ten  families  are  settled,  the  proprietors  will  maintain  preaching."  A 
Congregational  church  often  members  was  formed  November  23,  1757, 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   HUDSON.  533 

over  which  Rev.  James  Scales  was  pastor  from  that  date  until  1770. 
There  being  no  meeting-house,  the  ordination  took  place  in  Putney's 
fort,  in  the  open  air,  attended  by  a  large  number  of  people.  Rev.  Elijah 
Fletcher  was  the  pastor  from  1773  to  1786.  The  house  of  worship  was 
destroyed  by  an  incendiary  fire  in  February,  1789,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Jacob  Cram,  which  took  place  the  same 
month,  ■w'^as  solemnized  on  a  platform  erected  for  the  purpose.  Until  the 
house  was  rebuilt,  public  worship  was  held  in  the  barn  of  Benjamin 
Wiggin. 

Hopkinton  contains  26,967  acres,  the  surface  of  which  consists  of 
widely  extended  hills,  together  with  several  tracts  of  interval  and 
meadow  land,  all  of  which  is  well  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  agricul- 
ture. Fruit-growing  receives  some  attention.  Contoocook  river  waters 
the  town,  receiving  in  its  course  Warner  and  Blackwater  rivers,  and  sev- 
eral large  brooks  emptying  into  the  Merrimack  at  Concord.  The  Mer- 
rimack and  Connecticut  River  Railroad  and  the  Contoocook  Valley 
Railroad  connect  at  Contoocookville.  Lumber  is  manufactured  in 
considerable  quantities.  There  are  two  villages  —  East  Village  and 
Contoocookville;  six  church  edifices — Congregational,  Episcopal,  Bap- 
tist, Free-will  Baptist,  Universalist,  and  Swedenborgian ;  twenty-one 
school  districts,  two  academies  (one  at  each  village),  and  two  post- 
offices —  Contoocookville  and  Hopkinton :  also,  one  grist-mill  and  six 
saw-mills.     Population,  2,169 ;  valuation,  $717,069. 

Hudson,  Hillsborough  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Merrimack  river,  opposite  Nashua.  It  was  included  in  the  original 
grant  of  Dunstable,  and  was  set  off  into  a  separate  township  by  the 
legislature  of  Massachusetts,  in  1732,  by  the  name  of  Nottingham.  It 
received  a  new  act  of  incorporation  under  New  Hampshire,  July  5, 
1746,  and  was  called  Nottingham  West.  In  March,  1778,  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  territory  of  Londonderry  was  annexed  to  it,  and  July  1, 1830, 
the  name  was  changed  to  Hudson.  It  was  not  settled  until  after  1710, 
although  several  tracts  within  its  bounds  were  granted  before  1660. 
The  names  of  some  of  the  early  settlers  were  Blodgett,  Colburn,  Cross, 
Cummings,  Greeley,  Hill,  Lovewell,  Marsh,  Merrill,  Pollard,  and  Winn, 
who  commenced  settlements  on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimack,  where  the 
Indians  had  cleared  fields  for  raising  corn.  From  anticipated  attacks  of 
the  savages,  the  first  settlers  lived  in  garrisons  ;  but,  however  necessary 
such  precautions  may  have  been,  there  appears  to  be  no  record  of  any 
depredations  committed  by  the  Indians.  In  the  old  French  war  of 
1756,  two  soldiers  from  this  town,  Amos  Pollard  and  Asa  Worcester, 
were  in  the  army  in  Canada.     Hudson  contributed  largely,  according 

45* 


534  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGJiAND. 

to  its  population,  to  the  support  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  five  of 
the  inhabitants  having  been  in  Captain  Walker's  company  at  Bunker 
Hill.  A  Congregational  church  was  constituted  November  30,  1737,  at 
which  time  Rev.  Nathaniel  Merrill  was  settled  as  pastor,  who  appears 
to  have  served  the  church  until  his  death  in  1796,  although  the  civil  con- 
tract was  dissolved,  in  1774,  for  a  consideration  of  <£60.  The  land  is  easy 
of  culture,  being  of  a  rich  sandy  loam.  On  the  river  are  large  intervals 
of  deep  and  fertile  soil ;  but  distant  from  the  river,  the  surface  is  hilly 
and  uneven.  There  are  two  ponds  —  known  as  the  Little  Massabesic 
and  Otternick,  both  covering  about  three  hundred  acres.  Hudson  con- 
tains two  villages ;  three  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Congregational,  and 
Methodist ;  ten  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  four  saw-mills, 
two  grist-mills,  one  batting  mill,  one  wheelwright  shop,  and  one  tool- 
maker's  shop.     Population,  1,312  ;  valuation  for  1857,  $464,592. 

Jackson,  Coos  county,  is  situated  at  the  base  of  the  White  Moun- 
tains, adjoining  Bartlett  on  the  south,  and  ninety  miles  from  Concord. 
It  was  first  settled  by  Benjamin  Copp,  who,  with  his  family,  consti- 
tuted the  only  inhabitants,  and  endured  unexampled  hardships  for  a 
period  of  twelve  years.  In  the  year  1790,  they  were  relieved  from  their 
loneliness  by  the  arrival  of  four  other  families,  —  those  of  Captain 
Joseph  Pinkham,  Clement  Meserve,  John  Young,  and  Joseph  D.  Pink- 
ham.  The  settlement  was  first  called  New  Madbury,  which  it  retained 
till  the  date  of  its  incorporation,  December  4,  1800,  when  it  \vas  called 
Adams.  To  suit  prevailing  political  opinions,  this  nanie  was  changed 
July  4,  1829,  to  Jackson,  in  honor  of  the  president  of  the  United 
States. 

The  surface  of  Jackson  is  uneven  and  rocky ;  but  the  greater  propor- 
tion of  the  land  is  adapted  to  cultivation.  The  most  noted  eminences 
are  Black,  Baldface,  and  Thorn  mountains,  the  second  of  which  is  sit- 
uated on  the  line  between  Jackson  and  Bartlett.  Iron  ore  of  the  best 
quality,  as  also  bog  and  magnetic  iron  and  tin  ore,  have  been  found  here, 
the  former  in  immense  quantities.  The  tin  ore  is  considered  the  first 
ever  discovered  in  the  United  States,  and  was  found  by  Dr.  Jackson, 
state  geologist.  Ellis  river,  the  only  stream  of  note,  waters  the  town,  in 
addition  to  which  are  several  brooks  and  rivulets.  The  view  here  given 
is  of  Goodrich  Falls  with  the  old  lumber-mill  on  the  main  road  from 
Jackson  to  Bartlett,  about  two  miles  from  Jackson  City,  at  the  junction 
of  the  two  branches  of  Ellis  river.  The  height  of  the  rock  at  the  right, 
from  the  water,  is  eighty  feet.  There  is  a  large  circular  pool  below  the 
fall,  the  water  of  which  is  of  great  depth.  When  the  river  is  full,  the 
water  pours  a  broad,  beautiful  sheet  over  the  dam,  covering  the  rocks. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   JACKSON. 


535 


and  throwing  up  clouds  of  spray,  sometimes  to  the  height  of  one  hun- 
dred feet,  and  exhibiting  a  beautiful  rainbow.      A  new  mill  is  in  course 


Goodrich  Falls. 


of  erection  just  in  rear  of  the  high  rock  upon  the  right.  One  of  the 
principal  thoroughfares  to  the  far-famed  White  Hills  leads  through  this 
town ;  and  the  traveller,  as  he  passes  along,  cannot  but  be  interested  as 
he  beholds  the  beautiful  scenery  with  which  the  locality  abounds.  Jack- 
son has  but  one  village,  usually  called  "  The  Corner,"  —  sometimes 
familiarly  "  Jackson  City,"  —  where  a  half-dozen  houses  cannot  be  found 
in  a  half  a  mile;  at  one  of  which,  passengers  coming  up  from  Conway 
and  down  from  the  Glen  House,  destined  to  the  Crawford  House,  meet 
and  share  the  noon-day  hospitalities  of  "  mine  host."  There  are  two 
churches  —  Free-will  Baptist,  and  a  Protestant  Union  house;  eight  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  two  saw-mills,  and  one  grist-mill. 
Population,  589;  valuation,  $114,187. 


536  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGg,AND. 

Jaffrey,  in  the  eastern  division  of  Cheshire  county,  adjoins  Peterbor- 
ough, and  is  forty-six  miles  from  Concord.  This  town  was  granted  by 
the  Masonian  proprietors  to  forty  persons  in  1749,  and  the  first  perma- 
nent settlement  was  made,  in  1758,  by  a  Mr.  Grout  and  John  Davison. 
In  1753  Richard  Peabody,  Moses  Stickney,  and  others  arrived,  and  re- 
mained some  two  or  three  years,  but  not  meeting  with  their  anticipated 
success,  they  left  for  more  promising  fields  of  labor.  Jaffrey  was  incor- 
porated in  1773,  receiving  its  name  from  George  Jaffrey,  of  Portsmouth, 
one  of  the  Masonian  proprietors.  Previous  to  this  it  was  known  as 
New  Monadnock,  or  Monadnock  Number  2. 

The  first  public  meeting,  summoned  by  Jonathan  Stanley,  was  holden 
September  14,  1773.  On  the  28th  of  the  same  month  an  adjourned 
meeting  was  held,  at  which  a  committee,  consisting  of  Captain  Jona- 
than Stanley,  Alexander  McNeil,  and  James  Callwell,  were  appointed  to 
procure  the  services  of  a  minister.  The  next  year,  April  26,  1774,  it 
was  decided  to  "  build  a  meeting-house  on  tlae  common  near  the  centre 
of  the  town,  this  and  the  ensuing  year,"  and  at  a  subsequent  meeting, 
held  July  6,  it  was  "  Resolved,  that  the  house  shall  be  60  feet  by  45,  posts 
27  feet ;  that  there  shall  be  a  porch  at  each  end  of  the  house ;  and  that 
the  house  shall  be  raised  by  the  middle  of  June,  1775,  and  be  finished 
by  the  first  of  June,  1776."  It  is  a  rather  singular  fact,  that  the  frame 
of  this  house  is  asserted  to  have  been  raised  on  the  memorable  17th  of 
June,  1775,  and  that  those  engaged  in  its  erection  heard  the  report  of 
the  cannon  discharged  at  Bunker  Hill.^  The  edifice  was  not  completed 
for  many  years,  doubtless  owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  things  pro- 
duced by  war,  for  which  reason  also  pulpit  ministrations  were  of  unfre- 
quent  occurrence  until  1780,  notwithstanding  money  was  annually 
raised  for  the  support  of  the  gospel.  There  was  no  regularly  settled 
minister  till  1782,  though  many  names  of  clergymen  appear  on  the 
records.  Rev.  Laban  Ainsworth  was  unanimously  called  "  to  the  work 
of  the  gospel  ministry  in  this  town,"  July  8,  1782,  and  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church,  December  10th  following,  and 
continued  alone  in  the  work  for  nearly  half  a  century.  Since  1830  the 
active  duties  have  been  performed  by  a  junior  pastor.  Mr.  Ainsworth 
died  March  17,  1858,  aged  one  hundred  years,  seven  months,  and  twen- 
ty-eight days.  A  Baptist  Church  was  established  here  January  3, 1814. 
Among  the  eminent  men  who  have  claimed  nativity  here  is  Hon.  Joel 
Parker,  for  many  years  chief  justice  of  the  state,  now  Royall  professor 
of  law  in  Harvard  College. 

Jaffrey  is  uneven  in  its  surface ;  but  has  numerous  meadows  and  rich 

^  This  meeting-house  is  now  used  for  civil  instead  of  ecclesiastical  purposes. 


NEJir  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN  OF  JEPFEKSON.  537 

pasture,  which  render  it  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  cattle.  The 
Grand  Monadnock  mountain  is  principally  situated  in  the  northwest 
part  of  the  town.  The  direction  of  the  ridge  runs  northeast  and  south- 
west ;  and  it  is  about  five  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  three 
miles  from  east  to  west.  Its  height,  according  to  the  observations  of 
Professor  Dana,  in  1816,  is  3,450  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  its 
component  parts  being  talc,  mica,  and  slate,  distinctly  stratified.  Sev- 
eral minerals  are  found  on  and  around  it.  Viewed  at  a  distance  of 
four  or  five  miles,  its  summit  appears  of  a  globular  shape,  bereft  of  those 
steep  rocks  and  mural  precipices  common  to  granitic  mountains.  A 
very  extensive  view,  rural  and  beautiful,  is  obtainable  from  its  top.  No 
less  than  thirty  collections  of  fresh  water,  some  of  such  ample  dimen- 
sions as  to  contain  islands  of  eight  or  ten  acres,  are  to  be  seen,  seem- 
ingly clustering  around  its  very  base.  This  mountain  was,  many  years 
since,  covered  with  a  large  growth  of  evergreens ;  but  by  repeated 
fires  it  now  presents,  at  a  distance,  a  perfectly  barren  appearance.  On 
ascending,  however,  there  may  be  found  plats  of  earth  sufficient  for  the 
growth  of  the  blueberry  and  cranberry,  as  well  as  a  variety  of  shrubs. 
Innumerable  streams  of  water  issue  from  the  mountain,  some  of  which 
discharge  themselves  into  the  Connecticut,  while  others  form  the  head 
waters  of  the  Contoocook  river.  The  largest  stream  rises  about  one 
hundred  rods  from  the  summit,  descending  in  a  southeast  direction. 
The  Monadnock  mineral  spring,  which  is  slightly  impregnated  with 
carbonate  of  iron  and  sulphate  of  soda,  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
southeast  of  the  mountain.  Yellow  ochre  is  found  at  the  mouth  of  the 
spring.  There  are  several  ponds,  out  of  three  of  which  issue  streams 
sufficient  to  cany  mills.  In  the  largest  of  these  ponds,  which  is  four 
hundred  rods  long  and  one  ^  hundred  and  forty  wide,  is  an  island  of 
about  ten  acres. 

Jaffrey  has  three  villages,  bearing  the  names  of  Jaffrey,  East  Jaffrey, 
and  Prescott,  at  the  two  former  of  which  are  post-offices ;  four  churches 
—  two  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Universalist ;  thirteen 
school  districts,  and  Melville  Academy :  also,  the  Monadnock  Bank, 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000 ;  four  stores ;  two  cotton  mills,  having  a 
combined  capital  of  $20,000  ;  two  tanneries,  and  a  manufactory 
of  pails  and  other  wooden  ware.  Population,  1,497  ;  valuation, 
$643,516. 

Jefferson,  in  Coos  county,  adjoining  Lancaster,  is  ninety-eight  miles 
from  Concord.  Dartmouth  was  its  first  name,  under  which  it  was 
granted  October  3,  1765,  to  John  GofFe;  and  granted  again  June  26, 
1772,  to  Mark  H.  Wentworth  and  others.     The  settlement  was  begun, 


538  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

about  the  year  1773,  by  Colonel  Joseph  Whipple,  Samuel  Hart,  and 
others.  In  December,  1796,  it  was  incorporated  by  the  New  Hampshire 
legislature,  receiving  its  present  name  in  honor  of  the  illustrious  Jef- 
ferson. Colonel  Whipple  was  a  man  of  considerable  notoriety  in  his 
day,  and  a  very  extensive  landholder.  His  name  is  mentioned,  even  at 
the  present  time,  with  pride  and  veneration  ;  for  although  very  exact  in 
his  dealings  vnth.  his  neighbors,  paying  and  receiving  pay  to  the  smallest 
fraction,  he  was  kind  and  attentive  to  the  settlers,  watching  after  their 
welfare  and  interests  with  a  fatherly  solicitude.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  a  party  of  Indians,  under  the  authority  of  the  English, 
were  admitted  to  the  Colonel's  house  as  usual,  and  made  him  a  pris- 
oner before  he  was  aware  of  their  intention.  He  made  no  objection  to 
accompany  them;  but  said  they  must  wait  till  he  procured  some 
articles  of  apparel  for  his  journey.  Telling  Mrs.  Hight,  his  housekeeper, 
to  entertain  the  Indians  with  some  articles  of  curious  mechanism  in  the 
house,  he  contrived,  while  their  attention  was  so  occupied,  to  make  his 
escape  from  his  bedroom  window.  Going  directly  to  a  field  where 
some  men  were  at  work,  he  ordered  each  man  to  seize  a  stake  from  the 
fence,  and  shoulder  it  as  he  would  a  gun ;  and  thus  reinforced,  he  again 
presented  himself  before  the  Indians  who  were  in  pursuit  of  him.  The 
enemy,  seeing  him  at  a  distance,  as  they  imagined,  at  the  head  of  a 
company  of  armed  men,  hurriedly  seized  what  plunder  they  could  lay 
their  hands  on,  and  fled.  Mr.  Gotham,  one  of  the  family,  was  coming 
to  the  house  when  the  Indians  arrested  Colonel  Whipple,  but  saw  them 
in  time  to  make  his  escape.  While  crossing  the  river  on  a  log  he  was 
fired  upon,  but  was  not  injured. 

Jefferson  is  quite  hilly,  but  the  gently  rising  slopes  are  cultivated  to 
their  summits,  producing  wheat,  rye,  barley,  and  oats  in  abundance. 
There  is  excellent  grazing  land  on  the  higher  hills,  pasturing  large  flocks 
of  cattle  and  sheep.  A  more  beautiful  pastoral  scene  cannot  be  im- 
agined than  that  presented  to  the  traveller  as  he  ascends  Cherry  Moun- 
tain. Before  him  lies  the  town  of  Jefferson,  in  all  its  loveliness.  Upon 
all  the  green  slopes  are  flomishing  fields  of  grain.  Here  and  there,  in  the 
quiet  valleys,  or  sheltered  by  overhanging  cliffs,  are  snug  farm-houses 
amid  scores  of  outhouses;  and  scattered  among  all,  and  giving  anima- 
tion to  the  picture,  are  the  "cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills."  Mount 
Pliny  and  Cherry  mountain  are  the  highest  elevations.  John's  and 
Israel's  rivers  ^  supply  abundance  of  water.  Pondicherry  bay  is  two 
hundred  rods  long  and  one   hundred  wide.      Jefferson   has  a  Baptist 

'  The  names  of  these  rivers  were  derived  from  two  brothers,  —  John  and  Israel 
Ghnes, —  who  hunted  beaver  and  other  animals  in  the  vicinity,  prior  to  the  settlement 
of  this  part  of  the  country. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   KEENE.  539 

church,  seven  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Jefferson  and 
Jefferson  Mills ;  also,  two  mills  and  one  store.  Population,  629 ;  valu- 
ation, $170,340. 

Keene,  in  the  w^esterly  part  of  Cheshire  county,  fifty-five  miles  from 
Concord,  is  the  shire  town,  and  was  first  settled  under  the  authority  of 
Massachusetts.  Jeremiah  Hall,  Daniel  Hoar,  Seth  Heaton,  Elisha 
Root,  Nathaniel  Rockwood,  Josiah  Fisher,  William  Puffer,  and  others 
from  Massachusetts,  settled  in  September,  1734,  but  did  not  reside  here 
permanently.  The  first  who  attempted  to  pass  the  winter  in  Keene 
were  Nathan  Blake,  Seth  Heaton,  and  William  Smeed,  who,  encoun- 
tering a  variety  of  hardships,  left  before  the  winter  expired,  returning 
next  season.  At  this  time  the  line  between  New  Hampshire  and  Mas- 
sachusetts had  not  been  run,  nor  its  direction  ascertained,  and  it  was 
generally  supposed  the  valley  of  the  Ashuelot  would  fall  within  the  boun- 
daries of  the  latter.  The  town  was  then  called  Upper  Ashuelot,  which 
means,  in  the  Indian  language,  "  a  collection  of  many  waters."  Upper 
Ashuelot  was  a  frontier  settlement,  in  the  bosom  of  the  wilderness,  and 
was  much  exposed  to  Indian  assaults,  its  nearest  neighbor  being  North- 
field,  Mass.,  twenty  miles  distant,  while  Winchester  (Lower  Ashuelot), 
though  first  granted,  did  not  contain  any  inhabitants,  or,  at  most,  two 
or  three.  The  town  was  laid  out  into  lots,  fifty-four  being  on  Main 
street,  —  twenty-seven  on  each  side,  — which  were  one  hundred  and  sixty 
rods  long,  and  eight  rods  front ;  and  in  1736  the  proprietors  voted  to 
erect  a  nieeting-house  at  the  south  end  of  Main  street,  forty  feet  long, 
thirty-five  feet  wide,  and  twenty  feet  stud,  which  was  to  be  finished  by 
the  26th  of  June,  1737.  In  1738  Jacob  Bacon  was  settled  as  minister. 
The  same  year  a  fort  was  erected  for  protection  from  the  Indians,  who, 
in  1745,  killed  Josiah  Fisher.  In  1746,  the  inhabitants  becoming 
alarmed,  increased  vigilance  and  circumspection  were  observed  in  their 
movements.  On  the  23d  of  April  the  town  was  attacked,  and  all  that 
could  took  refuge  in  the  fort.  There  were  several  attending  to  their 
cattle,  however,  and  they  encountered  the  Indians,  who  had  rushed  into 
the  street,  fiUing  the  air  with  their  horrid  yells.  Mrs.  McKenny,  an 
aged  woman,  and  John  Bullard,  were  killed ;  Mrs.  Clark  had  a  narrow 
escape,  having  been  pursued  by  an  Indian,  whom  she  succeeded  in  out- 
running ;  and  Nathan  Blake  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  Canada, 
where  he  remained  tw^o  years.  The  Indians  attacked  the  fort  on  aU 
sides,  but  relief  soon  after  arriving  from  Swanzey,  the  savages  decamped, 
burning,  however,  all  the  houses,  and  capturing  a  number  of  the  cattle. 
The  inhabitants  remained  in  the  fort  until  March  or  April,  1747,  and 
then  abandoned  the  settlement. 


540  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

In  1750  or  1752  the  inhabitants  again  returned  to  the  town,  and,  in 
1753,  it  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Keene,  which  was  given  in 
honor  of  an  English  nobleman,  perhaps  Sir  Benjamin  Keene,  British 
minister  at  Spain,  and  contemporary  with  Governor  Wentworth,  who 
granted  the  charter.  Between  the  years  1754  and  1755  several  parties 
of  Indians  visited  the  town,  but  their  depredations  were  of  no  great 
magnitude.  They  captured  one  man,  Benjamin  Twichell,  whom  they 
caiTied  to  Quebec,  and  who  died  on  his  return  to  Boston. 

Keene,  in  the  Revolution,  exhibited  a  spirit  of  wisdom,  courage,  and 
patriotism  in  her  supplies  of  men  and  means,  and  in  the  adoption  of 
the  true  remedies  to  aid  in  the  support  of  the  war.  As  soon  as  news 
reached  the  town  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  measures  were  taken  to 
raise  a  company,  which  started  the  next  morning,  commanded  by 
Captain  Wyman,  for  Concord.  Some  parties  were  overzealous  in  the 
cause,  and  would  have  committed  assaults  on  several  tories,  who  were 
retained  as  prisoners,  but  for  the  timely  efforts  of  some  of  the  more 
humane  and  forbearing  of  the  inhabitants.  Several  disturbances  oc- 
curred in  1782,  regarding  the  settlement  of  the  divisional  line  between 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  which  at  last  were  amicably  settled. 
Two  farms  were  annexed  to  Keene  from  Swanzey,  December  10,  1812. 

The  town  of  Keene  is  a  proud  little  spot,  and  has  been  the  residence 
of  many  distinguished  characters,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned 
Judge  Daniel  Newcomb ;  Peleg  Sprague,  member  of  congress ;  the  two 
Governors  Dinsmoor,  father  and  son ;  General  James  Wilson,  and  his 
late  father,  members  of  congress ;  Joel  Parker,  for  many  years  the  able, 
upright,  and  highly  esteemed  chief  justice  of  New  Hampshire,  now 
Royall  professor  of  law  in  Harvard  College;  Levi  Chamberlain,  the 
last  whig  candidate  for  governor,  a  man  as  much  beloved  for  his 
friendly  and  social  qualities  as  respected  for  his  eloquence  in  the 
senate  and  at  the  bar ;  John  Prentiss,  the  veteran  editor  of  the  Keene 
Sentinel,  which  journal,  started  by  him  in  1799,  is  third  in  seniority 
of  all  the  newspapers  extant  in  New  Hampshire ;  and  the  reverend  and 
learned  Dr.  Barstow,  of  whom  the  five  last  named,  and  the  younger 
Dinsmoor,  still  survive.  On  the  east  side  of  Main  street  there  for- 
merly stood  a  neat  little  public-house,  called  "  Shurtliff's  Hotel,"  kept 
by  Benoni  Shurtliff,  whose  wife  was  a  sister  of  the  famous  Thomas 
O.  Selfridge  of  Boston,  and  whose  three  or  four  daughters  were  genteel, 
sprightly,  intelligent  young  ladies,  ambitious  of  display  and  of  setting 
a  rich  and  elegant  table.  Here  a  select  few,  the  elite  of  the  New 
Hampshire  bar,  were  wont  to  resort  during  the  sitting  of  the  court. 
In  1815  the  company  consisted  of  the  chief  justice,  Jeremiah  Smith, 
Daniel  Webster,  George  Baxter  Upham,  Judge  Ellis,  Judge  Hubbard 


NEW   HAMPSHIKE TOWN    OF    KEEXE. 


541 


of  Vermont  Roc'er  Vose  of  Walpole,  and  Levi  Chamberlain  and  his 
elder  brother,  John  C.  Chamberlain.  The  feast  of  fat  things  which  came 
oxil  of  the  mouth  when  this  company  were  seated  at  the  table  was 
more  exhilarating  than  that  which  went  in :  together  they  furnished  a 
rich  repast  for  body  and  soul.  For  comic  wit,  Vose  had  no  superior 
in  New  England ;  for  refined  intellectual  acumen,  Judge  Smith  was  not 
surpassed.  No  matter  where  placed,  —  on  the  bench,  in  the  halls  of  leg- 
islation, in  a  popular  assembly,  or  in  a  company  of  young  ladies,  —  he 
was  sure  to  be  first,  imparting  pleasure  and  instruction  to  each,  and 
commanding  the  admiration  of  aU.  Webster  was  graceful  and  digni- 
fied in  manner,  uttering  but  few  words,  but  those  always  forcible. 

It  is  deserving  of  mention,  that  a  female  high  school  was  established 
here  by  Miss  Fiske  about  the  year  1810,  and  was  continued  for  twenty 
or  thirty  years  with  great  success  and  credit  to  herself  and  to  her 
numerous  pupils  far  and  near.  Governor  Washburn,  in  his  history  of 
Leicester  Academy,  speaking  of  the  first  female  teacher  of  that  institu- 
tion, Miss  Holmes,  a  young  lady  of  distinguished  learning,  ability,  and 
accomplishments,  says :  "  She  was  educated  at  that  excellent  school 
whose  reputation  was  so  long  sustained,  and  at  which  so  many  of  the 


Keene  —  Central  Square. 


best  trained  minds  of  New  England  were  educated —  Miss  Fiskc's  of 
Keene."     Miss    Fiske,  in    her  quiet,  unobtrusive  employment,  accom- 
VOL.  I.  46 


542 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


plished  much  for  the  public  good,  and  deservedly  will  her  memory  Ije 
enshrined  in  many  grateful  hearts,  and,  let  it  be  hoped,  her  example 
emulated. 

Keene  is  connected  with  Boston  by  the  Cheshire  Railroad,  over  which 
there  is  a  great  amount  of  travel,  to  Saratoga  Springs,  Canada,  and  the 
West.  It  is  also  connected  by  the  Ashuelot  Railroad  with  Springfield 
and  New  York.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  generally  level  or  moder- 
ately swelling,  and  the  soil  is  good.  There  is  considerable  liat  or  valley 
land,  which  is  divided  nearly  equally  by  the  Ashuelot  river;  presentijig, 
variegated  as  it  is  by  agriculture,  a  })leasing  prospect  to  the  traveller. 
The  Ashuelot  river  has  its  source  in  a  pond  in  Washington.  Keene  has 
been  called _  one  of  the  "prettiest  villages"  in  New  England.  Tlie 
principal  village  is  situated  on  an  extensive  plain,  supposed  by  many 
to  have  been  the  bed  of  a  lake.  The  width  and  uniform  level  of 
its  streets  ;  its  smooth,  dry  side-walks  ;  the  abundance  of  beautiful  shade 
trees,  behind  which,  half  hidden,  many  beautiful  residences  are  seen ;  the 
magnificent  gardens,  ornamented  with  every  variety  of  flower;  its  large 


j:a-"=^ 


Viaduct  of  the  Cheshire  Railroad  at  South  Keene. 


and  well-constructed  hotels ;  its  handsome  stores  and  beautiful  ]>ublic 
buildings,  and  generally  thrifty  appearance,  all  render  the  village  both 
pleasant  and  attractive.     Keene  is  a  place  of  large  business.     Its  facili- 


ties for  trad 


e,  owing  in  a  great  measure  to  its  favorable  location  in  rela- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OF   KEENE.  543 

tion  to  the  adjoining  towns,  are  numerous,  and  secure  to  its  mercantile 
interests  valuable  advantages.  Our  view  of  Keene  is  taken  at  a  point 
looking  a  little  west  of  north,  embracing  the  Park  in  Central  Square,  and 
much  of  the  business  portion  of  the  place. 

There  are  many  interesting  objects  in  and  about  this  town.  A  work 
of  which  the  people  have  reason  to  be  proud  is  the  viaduct  over  a 
branch  of  Ashuelot  river,  near  South  Keene  station,  as  seen  in  the  en- 
graving. It  is  about  seventy-five  feet  wide  and  forty-five  feet  high,  and 
is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  granite  masonry.  It  cost  about  ^25,000. 
Through  the  arch,  in  the  distance,  is  seen  J.  A.  Fay  and  Company's 
machine-shop,  160  feet  long  by  forty  wide,  and  built  of  brick,  where  are 
made  planing,  mortising,  sash,  sticking,  moulding,  and  various  other 
machines,  some  of  which  are  sent  to  nearly  every  quarter  of  the  world. 
The  patent  mortising  machine  received  a  premium  at  the  World's  Fair 
in  London.  Another  place  of  interest  is  Beaver  Brook  falls,  a  very 
beautiful  and  romantic  spot  about  two  miles  north  of  Keene.  The 
water  falls  about  forty  feet  over  what  appears  to  be  a  natural  flight  of 
steps  into  a  basin,  partly  inclosed  by  rocks,  in  which  are  caught  some 
very  large  trout.  There  are  many  other  spots  where  fish  are  captured 
in  large  numbers. 

There  are  in  Keene  five  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Unitarian, 
Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  a  town  hall,  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  in  the  state  ;  a  very  popular  high  school,  in  which  the  four  vil- 
lage schools  have  united,  under  an  act  which  provides  for  a  graduated 
system,  by  which  the  pupil  ascends  from  the  simplest  rudiments  to  those 
higher  branches  usually  taught  in  academies ;  three  large  and  commo- 
dious hotels,  the  Cheshire  House  being  a  noble  structure,  its  rooms  airy 
and  convenient,  and  its  general  internal  arrangements  in  full  keeping 
with  the  inviting  appearance  of  its  external  form;  three  banks,  —  the 
Cheshire,  the  Ashuelot,  and  the  Cheshire  County, — with  a  combined 
capital  of  $300,000;  the  Provident  Institution  for  Savings;  two  fire 
insurance  companies,  thirteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also, 
one  flannel  manufactory ;  a  large  sash  and  blind  factory,  driven  by  a 
twenty-five  horse  power  engine ;  several  large  establishments  for  the 
manufacture  of  clothing,  one  for  the  manufacture  of  hats  and  caps,  an 
iron  foundery,  one  steam  saw-mill ;  one  machine-shop,  belonging  to  the 
Cheshire  Railroad,  and  one  organ  factory.  Population,  3,392;  valua- 
tion, $2,136,615. 

Kensington,  Rockingham  county,  lying  west  of  Hampton  Falls,  and 
forty  miles  from  Concord,  was  settled  at  an  early  period,  and  was 
originally  included  in  the  limits  of  Hampton,  from  which  it  was  incor- 


544  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

porated  April  1,  1737.  It  is  strange,  though  nevertheless  true,  that  it 
contained  a  larger  population  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution 
than  it  has  at  the  present  day. 

A  Congregational  church  of  sixty-four  members  was  formed  on  the 
6th  of  October,  1737,  over  which  Rev.  Jeremiah  Fogg  was  ordained 
pastor.  Mr.  Fogg  was  a  native  of  Hampton,  and  died  December  1, 
1789,  after  a  pastorate  of  fifty-two  years.  He  was  arraigned  before  a 
council  on  the  January  previous  to  his  death  for  preaching  Unitarian 
sentiments,  of  which  the  council  expressed  disapproval.^  Rev.  Naph- 
thali  Shaw,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  was  the  next 
pastor,  from  1793  until  1813. 

The  surface  is  quite  level.  John  Tilton  lives  on  the  same  farm  that 
his  ancestors  purchased  from  the  Indians  more  than  two  hundred  years 
ago.  There  are  no  streams  of  any  note,  and  the  only  body  of  water  is 
a  small  pond,  deep  and  muddy.  The  town  contains  one  village ;  two 
churches,  one  occupied  by  the  Christians,  and  the  other  by  the  Congre- 
gationaUsts  and  Universalists ;  two  school  districts,  and  one  post-office : 
also,  one  tannery,  and  one  boot  and  shoe  factory.  Population,  700 ; 
valuation,  $256,404. 

Kilkenny,  in  the  southern  division  of  Coos  county,  is  126  miles  from 
Concord,  and  contains  15,906  acres.  It  was  granted  June  4,  1774,  to 
Jonathan  Warner  and  others.  It  is  a  very  poor  township,  with  few 
featm-es  to  make  it  a  desirable  habitation  for  civilized  man.  Kilkenny 
is  in  the  form  of  a  triangle  surmounted  by  a  parallelogram,  many  miles 
in  length,  but  hardly  a  mile  in  width,  and  is  rough  and  barren.  Those 
who  have  taken  up  their  abode  here,  —  and  they  are  few,  —  must  be 
of  that  class  who  have  a  predilection  for  sohtude:  —  whether  it  is  sweet 
or  not,  they  are  the  best  judges.  The  greater  part  of  the  territory  is 
usurped  by  two  giants  of  nature  —  Pilot  and  WiUard  mountains,  so 
named  from  an  incident  that  happened  to  a  dog  and  his  master. 
WiUard  lost  his  way  and  wandered  for  three  days  on  these  mountains, 
on  the  east  side  of  which  his  camp  was  situated.  Pilot  saw  that  his 
master  was  in  a  strait,  and  set  his  sagacity  to  work  to  relieve  him. 
Each  day  he  set  out  on  an  exploring  expedition,  —  as  his  master  thought, 
in  pursuit  of  game,  —  returning  invariably  towards  evening.  On  the 
second  or  third  day,  Willard  being  nearly  exhausted,  followed  his  dog, 
who  piloted  him  through  the  tortuous  windings  of  the  mountains  to  his 
camp.  Certainly,  for  such  disinterested  friendship  Pilot  deserves  to 
have  his  name  handed  down  to  canine  posterity.     These  mountains 

'  This  church  afterwards  became  Unitarian. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   KINGSTON.  545 

have  some  fine  farms  along  their  base,  and,  higher  up,  excellent  grazing 
land.     Population,  19 ;  valuation,  $2,200. 

Kingston,  Rockingham  county,  adjoins  Hampstead  on  the  west,  and 
is  distant  from  Concord  thirty-seven  miles.  It  contains  12,188  acres,  of 
■which  eight  hundred  are  estimated  to  be  water.  Kingston  was  granted 
August  6,  1694,  by  Lieut. Governor  Usher,  to  James  Prescott,  Ebenezer 
Webster,  and  others,  belonging  to  Hampton.  The  charter  compre- 
hended the  territory  which  now  forms  the  towns  of  East  Kingston,  Dan- 
ville, and  Sandown.  A  short  time  subsequent  to  the  grant,  garrison 
houses  were  erected  on  the  plain  by  direction  of  the  proprietors,  who 
commenced  preparing  their  lands  for  the  purposes  of  agriculture.  In 
consequence  of  the  dangers  and  perplexities  of  the  succeeding  hostilities 
they  became  discouraged,  and  many  of  them  returned  home  within  two 
years  after  the  commencement  of  the  settlement.  The  enterprise  was 
renewed  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  but  the  progress  was  very  slow, 
and  it  was  not  till  1725  that  matters  began  to  look  favorable. 

The  Indians  w^ere  exceedingly  troublesome  to  the  settlers,  and  several 
persons  fell  victims  to  their  barbarity.  In  1707,  Stephen  and  Jacob 
Gilman  were  ambushed  between  Kingston  and  Exeter,  but  fortunately 
succeeded  in  making  their  escape  to  the  garrison,  with  the  loss  of 
their  horses  ;  and  in  the  same  year,  September  15th,  a  man  named  Henry 
Elkins  was  killed.  In  1712,  Stephen  Gilman  and  Ebenezer  Stevens 
were  w^ounded  at  Kingston,  and  the  former  taken  and  put  to  death. 
Jabez  Colman  and  his  son,  while  employed  in  their  field,  were  killed 
September  7,  1724 ;  and  four  children  were  taken  at  the  same  time, 
one  of  whom  escaped,  the  others  being  afterwards  redeemed.  Many 
Indian  relics,  such  as  jasper  and  quartz  arrow-heads,  axes,  gouges,  and 
hammers,  made  from  various  kinds  of  stones,  as  well  as  some  old 
French  coin,  have  been  brought  to  light  at  different  times,  while 
preparing  the  land  for  seed.  The  first  church,  a  Congregational,  was 
gathered  September  17,  1725,  over  which  Rev.  Ward  Clark  was  or- 
dained pastor,  at  which  time  the  church  records  commence,  and  give  a 
list  of  the  heads  of  families  then  here,  eighty-one  in  all,  among  whom 
were  Thomas,  John,  and  Ebenezer  Webster,  Thomas  Webster,  Jr.,  and 
several  by  the  name  of  Sanborn.  The  year  1737  is  memorable  on 
account  of  an  unusual  mortality  among  the  children  of  the  town,  from 
a  disease  similar  to  what  is  now  termed  croup,  then  called  the  "  kanker 
quinsey."  About  1823  the  academy  was  built,  which  afforded  a 
valuable  opportunity  for  quite  a  number  of  young  men  to  prepare  for 
college,  who  had  not  before  had  the  means  of  doing  so.  The  Hon. 
Josiah  Bartlett  and  Major  Ebenezer  Stevens  were  distinguished  resi- 

46* 


546  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

dents  of  this  town.  They  both  held  high  offices  of  trust.  The  former 
was  an  eminent  physician  in  Kingston,  and  acquired  great  reputation  for 
skill  in  the  treatment  of  the  throat  distemper,  then  quite  prevalent  and 
mortal.  He  was  a  strong  and  zealous  supporter  of  American  liberty, 
was  for  some  time  chief  justice  of  the  colony,  was  president  of  the  state 
under  the  first  constitution  in  1790  and  1791,  and  the  first  governor  un- 
der the  revised  constitution  in  1792-3. 

There  are  no  high  hills  in  Kingston;  the  Great  and  Rock  Rimmon 
are  the  principal,  the  former  of  which  is  a  body  of  granite,  extending 
over  twenty  or  thirty  acres,  covered  with  soil,  and  having  on  its  west 
side  an  abrupt  descent  of  nearly  one  hundred  feet  to  the  plain.  The 
soil  of  Kingston  is  generally  of  a  fertile  character.  Bog-iron  ore  has 
been  found,  as  well  as  red  and  yellow  ochre.  There  are  several  ponds, 
the  largest  of  which  covers  upward  of  three  hundred  acres,  and  has  an 
island  of  ten  or  twelve  acres,  covered  with  wood.  Country  pond,  lying 
partly  in  Newton,  is  two  hundred  acres  in  extent,  and  has  also  an 
island  of  some  six  or  eight  acres  within  its  limits.  Near  the  centre  of 
the  town  is  an  extensive  plain,  the  site  of  the  principal  village  — 
Plainville  ;  besides  which  there  is  another,  called  by  the  same  name  as 
the  town.  There  are  three  church  edifices — Congregational,  Meth- 
odist, and  Universalist ;  six  school  disti-icts,  an  academy,  two  post- 
offices —  Kingston,  and  South  Kingston:  also,  four  stores,  and  three 
carriage  factories.     Population,  1,192 ;  valuation,  $415,900. 

Laconia,  Belknap  county,  twenty-seven  miles  from  Concord,  is 
beautifully  inclosed  by  the  waters  of  Great  bay,  Long  bay,  and  Winne- 
pesaukee  river,  which  separate  it  from  Meredith  upon  the  north  and 
west,  and  Gilford  upon  the  east  and  south.  It  has  an  area  of  about 
10,000  acres,  and  was  taken  from  Meredith  and  incorporated  July 
14,  1855.  In  form,  this  and  the  parent  town  resemble  an  open  fan, 
of  which  Laconia  represents  the  handle.  The  surface  is  generally 
more  even  than  that  of  Meredith,  and  all  of  it  capable  of  cultivation. 
There  are  two  villages,  situated  upon  the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Mon- 
treal Railroad,  the  more  southerly  one  being  still  called  Meredith 
Bridge,  and  the  other  Lake  Village,  parts  of  both  of  them  being  in  Gil- 
ford. The  Laconia  side  of  Meredith  Bridge  contains  about  eight  hun- 
dred inhabitants ;  a  fine  water  power,  improved  by  one  cotton  and  two 
woollen  factories ;  eleven  stores  of  various  descriptions,  an  establishment 
for  manufacturing  railroad  cars,  a  pail  factory,  a  sash  and  blind  factory, 
and  a  public-house ;  also,  two  printing-offices,  each  of  which  issues  a 
weekly  newspaper;  the  Belknap  County  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  ^80,000 ; 
"  Gilford  post-office ; "   and   a    Congregational   meeting-house.      Mere- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   LANCASTER.  547 

dith  Bridge  is  a  place  of  great  resort  in  summer  on  account  of  its 
pleasant  situation,  and  its  rich  and  abundant  scenery.  Lake  ViUage, 
one  and  a  half  miles  north  on  the  river,  contains,  in  the  Laconia  part  of 
it,  about  six  hundred  inhabitants,  one  store,  two  woollen  yarn  factories, 
a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and  wheelwright's  shop.  The  post-office  accommo- 
dations for  this  village  are  at  Gilford.  The  situation  of  the  town  is  well 
calculated  for  extensive  business,  being  approached  both  by  railroad 
and  steam  navigation,  and  it  contains  much  capital  and  enterprise. 
There  are  six  school  districts,  enjoying  the  privileges  of  school  during 
a  part  of  the  year.  Upon  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  eleven  twenty- 
fourth  parts  of  the  valuation  of  the  former  town  were  assigned  to  La- 
conia, making  $522,036.     Population  about  1,400. 

Lancaster,  the  shire  town  of  Coos  county,  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles  from  Concord,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  from  Portland  by 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  contains  23,480  acres.  It  was  granted  by 
Governor  Benning  Wentworth  to  Captain  David  Page '  and  sixty-nine 
others,  being  incorporated  at  the  same  time.  In  June  of  that  year,  the 
son  of  Captain  Page  marked  a  path  from  Haverhill,  through  the  woods, 
a  distance  of  forty-eight  miles,  by  which  the  Captain,  together  with 
Edward  Bucknam  and  Emmons  Stockwell  and  their  families,  all  being 
of  Petersham,  Mass.,  traced  their  way  to  this  place  in  September  follow- 
ing. At  that  time  there  was  not  an  inhabitant  on  the  whole  route  from 
Haverhill,  nor  a  settlement  near  them,  nor  a  grist-mill  within  a  hundred 
miles.  The  troubles  of  the  Revolutionary  war  thinned  out  the  small 
population,  —  all  the  inhabitants  above  Captain  Stockwell's  place  leav- 
ing for  greater  security.  Stockwell,  however,  by  his  courage  and  firm- 
ness, induced  some  to  remain,  and,  after  the  war,  the  progress  of  the 
settlement  revived.  The  first  church  was  organized  in  July,  1794,  over 
which  Rev.  Joseph  Willard  was  pastor  from  September  of  that  year 
until  1822.  The  town,  in  1794,  contained  thirty-six  families.  A  tract 
called  Barker's  Location  was  annexed  to  Lancaster,  June  22, 1819 ;  and 
a  portion  of  Kilkenny  was  annexed  December  15,  1842. 

Lancaster  has  an  exceedingly  picturesque  situation,  lying  near  some 
mountains,  its  own  surface  being  pretty  level.  Three  eminences  are  in 
the  south  part,  called  Martin  Meadow  hills.  Along  the  Connecticut 
and  at  the  mouth  of  Israel's  river  there  are  some  tracts  of  alluvial  land, 
being  nearly  three  fourths  of  a  mile  wide  on  the  former,  and  even  larger 
at  the  latter.     The  land  in  the  southeast  part  lies  too  high  up  the  moun- 

•  The  father  of  Mr.  Page  was  an  Englishman,  and  the  first  settler  of  Lunenburg, 
Mass. 


548  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

tains  for  cultivation.  "Water  is  supplied  by  the  Connecticut  and  Israel's 
river,  and  by  several  large  brooks.  A  bridge  has  been  thrown  across  the 
latter  river,  and  the  natural  advantages  of  the  water  power  are  rendered 
more  valuable  by  the  erection  of  three  dams.  Martin-meadow  pond, 
covering  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  Little  pond,  of  forty  acres,  are 
the  largest  collections  of  water. 

The  principal  village  is  built  upon  a  large  plain,  half  a  mile  from  the 
Connecticut  river,  and  in  it,  at  the  northerly  end  of  the  main  street, 
which  extends  from  the  bridge  northwardly  across  Israel's  river,  is  situ- 
ated the  court-house  and  jail.  The  Congregationalists,  Methodists,  and 
Unitarians  have  each  a  house  of  worship;  and  there  are  fourteen  school 
districts,  one  academy,  and  one  post-office ;  as  well  as  one  grist-mill, 
eight  saw-mills,  one  carding  and  cloth-dressing  mill,  one  sash  and  blind 
factory,  one  iron  foundery,  and  one  bank  (capital  $50,000).  The 
amount  of  capital  invested  in  trade  and  manufactures  is  estimated  at 
from  1150,000  to  $200,000.     Population,  1,559 ;  valuation,  $471,602. 

Landaff,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Grafton  county,  ninety  miles 
from  Concord,  contains  29,200  acres,  and  was  granted  to  James  Avery 
and  others,  January  3,  1764.  These  grantees  failed  to  fulfil  the  condi- 
tions of  the  charter,  and  it  was  regranted  to  Dartmouth  College.  After 
the  Revolution,  however,  the  parties  to  whom  the  first  grant  was  made, 
set  up  a  claim  to  the  land ;  and,  after  one  or  two  hearings  before  the 
proper  courts,  the  case  was  decided  in  their  favor.  This  decision  put 
Dartmouth  College,  —  under  the  patronage  of  which  the  settlement  was 
commenced,  and  which  erected  mills,  opened  roads,  and  cleared  lands, — 
to  considerable  loss,  which  was  made  up,  however,  in  a  measure,  by 
subsequent  grants.     The  first  church  organized  was  a  Baptist,  in  1788. 

Landaff  has  a  broken  surface,  but  the  land  is  generally  good  for 
grazing.  There  are  three  eminences  of  note,  called  Landaff  mountain, 
Cobble  hill,  and  Bald  hill,  the  former  lying  in  the  eastern  part,  and  the 
latter  in  the  west.  The  soil  is  very  fertile  in  some  parts  of  the  town- 
ship, and  in  its  cultivation  the  people  are  principally  engaged.  Wild 
Ammonoosuc  and  Great  Ammonoosuc  rivers  furnish  an  abundance  of 
water.  There  are  two  church  edifices  —  Free-will  Baptist  and  Meth- 
odist ;  nine  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Landaff  and  East 
Landaff:  also,  nine  saw-mills  and  three  starch  factories.  Large  quan- 
tities of  maple  sugar  are  annually  manufactured.  Population,  948 ; 
valuation,  §286,234. 

Langdon,  the  southwestern  corner  town  of  Sullivan  county,  fifty 
miles  from  Concord,  was  incorporated  January  11,  1737,  and  named 


NEW  HAMPSHERE  —  TOWN   OF   LEBANON.  549 

from  Governor  John  Langdon,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Seth  "Walker 
commenced  the  settlement  in  1773,  and  was  followed,  the  year  after,  by 
Nathaniel  Rice  and  Jonathan  Willard.  The  first  church  was  a  Con- 
gregational, which  was  organized  November  8, 1792.  Among  the  names 
of  the  early  preachers  were  those  of  Lazel,  Hartwell,  Spaulding,  and  Taft, 
the  latter  of  whom  did  most  of  the  preaching  from  1795  to  1803,  when 
he  turned  politician,  and  was  chosen  representative  to  the  general  court. 
For  many  years  a  sharp  conflict  ensued  in  religious  matters,  by  reason 
of  the  people  being  partly  Universalists  and  in  part  Congregationalists. 
In  1804,  Abner  Kneeland,  afterwards  the  notorious  infidel  preacher,  was 
invited  to  settle  as  pastor,  in  opposition  to  a  strong  remonstrance  by  a 
minority  of  the  church.  In  1810  he  was  chosen  representative;  in 
1811  he  left  to  settle  over  the  first  Universalist  society  in  Charlestown, 
Mass.  The  church  clerk  moved  to  the  west  and  carried  off"  the  records, 
with  which  also  the  visible  organization  of  the  church,  for  many  years, 
disappeared.  The  town  was  found,  by  all  the  ministers  who  visited  it, 
to  be  truly  missionary  ground.  Several  were  reluctant  to  settle,  but 
persevered  in  their  efforts  to  reform  vice  and  intemperance ;  and  it  is 
said  that  a  very  marked  improvement  in  the  morals  of  the  place  is 
visible. 

The  soil  is  suitable  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  for  the  raising  of 
stock.  Much  attention  is  paid  to  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese, 
and  flax  is  not  a  small  item  in  the  productions  of  the  town.  Langdon 
is  watered  by  a  branch  of  Cold  river,  which  passes  southwest  through 
its  whole  extent.  The  principal  village  is  three  miles  east  of  Connecti- 
cut river  and  six  from  Bellows  Falls.  There  are  two  religious  socie- 
ties here  —  Congregational  and  Universalist,  both  of  which  have  church 
edifices ;  six  school  districts,  one  post-office,  and  one  store.  Population,  ' 
575;  valuation,  $326,742. 

Lebanon  lies  on  the  Connecticut  river,  in  the  western  part  of  Grafton 
county,  forty-nine  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  brought  to  the  notice  of 
the  first  settlers  during  the  French  and  Indian  wars;  and  in  1760,  when 
tranquillity  ensued  through  the  conquest  of  Canada,  fifty-two  indi- 
viduals, belonging  principally  to  Lebanon  and  Mansfield,  Conn.,  asso- 
ciated themselves  into  a  company  and  obtained  a  charter  of  this  town, 
July  4,  1760,  from  Governor  Benning  Wentworth.  The  charter  was 
granted  under  the  usual  conditions,  and  the  township  was  to  be  six 
miles  square.  The  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  held  at  Mans- 
field, October  6,  1761,  when  a  committee  was  appointed  to  lay  out  the 
lots  and  road  immediately ;  and,  to  encourage  a  speedy  settlement,  the 
proprietors  voted,  that  those  of  their  number  who  shall  settle  upon  their 


550  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

lands  within  the  term  of  ten  years  shall  have  the  privilege  of  cultivating 
and  improving  such  part  of  the  interval  as  shall  best  suit  them.  In 
1763  a  horse  road  was  completed  from  Charlestown,  and  the  same  year 
a  saw-mill  was  built.  A  grist-mill  was  built  in  1764,  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  Osgood's  mills. 

The  proprietors  came  up  during  the  summer  and  cleared  the  lands, 
and  in  the  winter  returned  to  their  former  homes.  The  first  settlements 
were  begun  on  the  river,  and  gradually  extended  eastward.  The  winter 
of  1762  was  passed  here  by  three  men,  for  the  first  time,  the  names  of 
whom  were  Levi  Hyde,  Samuel  Esterbrooks,  and  William  Dana.  Wil- 
liam Downer,  with  his  wife  and  eight  children,  Oliver  Davidson,  Elijah 
Dewey,  and  James  Jones,  arrived  in  1763 ;  Nathaniel  Porter,  Asa  Kil- 
bourne,  Samuel  Meacham,  Joseph  and  Jonathan  Dana,  Huckins  Storrs, 
SUas  Waterman,  Jedediah  Hibbard,  Charles  Hill,  John  Wheatley,  Jesse 
Cook,  Zalmon  Aspenwall,  Joseph  Wood,  James  Hartshorn,  and  Nathan- 
iel Storrs,  arrived  between  the  years  1763  and  1767.  The  records  com- 
mence on  the  13th  of  May,  1765,  at  which  date  the  following  appears : 
"  Queary :  Whither  we  will  have  a  minister  in  the  town  this  summer,  or 
will  not  ?  Voted  in  the  affirmative.  Voted  the  select  men  talce  it  upon 
themselves  to  seek  quarters  for  the  minister  and  provide  for  his  accom- 
modation." There  could  not  have  been  more  than  twenty  families  here 
at  this  time.  In  1767  it  was  voted  to  have  a  school  established ;  and 
in  July  the  next  year  it  was  resolved  to  have  a  meeting-house,  and  to 
locate  it  on  a  lot  near  the  old  burying-ground,  which  was  in  the  western 
part  of  the  town ;  but  the  house  was  not  erected  till  1772.  A  church 
was  organized  in  September,  1768,  over  which  Rev.  Isaiah  Potter  was 
pastor  from  1772  until  his  death  in  1817.  He  was  an  athletic  man  of 
>  over  six  feet,  and  could  mow,  it  is  said,  for  a  half  day  without  whetting 
his  scythe,  bringing  down  the  grass  by  sheer  strength.  He  was  chap- 
lain to  one  of  the  New  Hampshire  regiments  in  the  Revolution.  Walk- 
ing round  the  camp  one  day,  he  saw  two  men  tugging  to  mount  a  can- 
non upon  the  carriage.  Pushing  the  men  aside  and  laying  hold  of  the 
trunnions,  he  raised  the  piece  alone,  and  quietly  walked  away.  One  of 
the  men,  vexed  and  astonished,  used  some  profane  language.  Learning, 
however,  that  the  man  who  had  performed  such  a  feat  was  a  chaplain, 
he  hastened  after  him,  and,  with  hat  in  hand,  made  humble  acknowl- 
edgments for  his  profanity.  One  of  his  congregation  once  complained 
that  his  sermons  were  too  short.  Mr.  Potter  asked  him  (it  was  before 
churches  were  warmed  by  stoves),  "  K  a  short  sermon  in  a  cold  day 
would  not  do,  if  it  was  a  good  one  ?  "  —  "  Certainly,"  replied  the  other, 
"  if  it  is  a  good  one."  —  "  But,  if  it  is  a  poor  one,  it  certainly  ought  to  be 
short,"  rejoined  Mr.  Potter.     Prior  to  this  they  held  meetings  in  a  barn. 


NEW  HAMPSHIKE  —  TOWN   OF   LEE.  551 

In  July,  1775,  a  committee  of  safety  was  appointed.  Lebanon  was 
one  of  the  sixteen  towns  which  gave  in  their  allegiance  to  Vermont, 
and,  November  28,  1777,  the  following  appears  on  the  records: 
"  Voted  that  the  select  men  should  not  comply  with  the  warrant  sent 
from  the  assembly  at  Exeter,  to  elect  a  counsellor  and  representative, 
and  that  the  town  will  vindicate  the  select  men  in  their  non-compliance." 
Lebanon  sent  a  representative  to  the  Vermont  legislature  in  1778,  and 
did  not  return  to  her  allegiance  to  New  Hampshire  tUl  1786,  at  which 
time,  in  consequence  of  not  having  paid  taxes,  it  was  "  voted  to  raise 
X1,000  in  order  to  pay  arrearage  taxes  to  the  state  of  New  Hampshire." 
At  the  meeting  held  in  August,  1779,  it  was  "  Voted  that  the  town  pur- 
chase three  gallons  of  rum  for  those  who  attend  at  the  raising  of  the 
bridge  over  the  Mascoma,  near  Capt.  Turners."  This  was  the  only 
vote  passed.     We  find  nothing  further  of  interest  in  the  records. 

Lebanon  has  an  undulating  surface,  and  some  rich  intervals  along  the 
Connecticut  and  Mascomy  rivers.  The  soil  is  alluvial  and  very  produc- 
tive. The  Connecticut  and  Mascomy  rivers  supply  abundance  of  water, 
and  afford  many  excellent  mill  seats.  The  former  has  falls,  which  have 
been  rendered  more  valuable  by  locks  and  canals.  Lead  and  iron  ore, 
and  other  minerals,  have  been  found  here.  The  principal  village,  called 
Lebanon,  is  built  upon  a  plain,  which  lies  in  the  central  part,  and  has 
many  tasty  private  residences,  and  a  few  good  public  buildings.  There 
are  two  other  villages,  called  East  and  West  Lebanon,  each  of  which, 
as  well  as  Lebanon,  has  a  post-office.  There  are  four  church  edifices — 
two  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Universalist ;  the  Tilden  Fe- 
male Academy,  and  fifteen  school  districts :  also,  a  large  machine-shop,  an 
iron  foundery,  a  sash,  door,  blind,  and  furniture  manufactory,  a  carriage 
manufactory,  a  large  tannery,  a  scythe  and  rake  factory,  two  saw-mills, 
two  grist-mills,  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture 
for  schools  and  public  buildings,  and  one  bank,  with  a  capital  of 
^100,000.  The  Northern  Railroad  passes  through  the  town.  Popu- 
lation, 2,136 ;  valuation,  ^1,006,104. 

Lee,  in  the  southern  part  of  Strafford  county,  thirty-one  miles  from 
Concord,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Durham,  from  which  it  was  detached 
and  incorporated  January  17,  1766,  being  "  in  the  upper  or  western 
end  of  the  town  of  Durham."  It  was  originally  a  part  of  Dover,  as 
was  Durham,  and  was  settled  before  1700, — Wadleigh's  Falls  being 
occupied  as  early  as  1657.  The  first  meeting-house  in  Lee  stood  by 
the  old  burial-ground,  still  existing  on  the  "  mast  road,"  near  the  resi- 
dence of  Mrs.  Judge  Smith.  A  Congregational  church  was  formed 
here,  but  became  extinct  many  years   ago.     A  Baptist  church,  and  a 


552  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Christian  Baptist,  retain  their  existence,  and  worship  has  been  main- 
tained by  the  Congregationalists  for  several  years  at  Lee  Hill. 

Lee  suffered,  with  its  mother  town,  in  the  Indian  wars.  Among  the 
traditions  is  one  of  a  Miss  Randall,  who  was  betrothed  to  Thomas 
Chesley  of  Oyster  River,  and  was  about  to  be  married.  She  was 
returning  from  Oyster  River  falls  one  day  with  a  party  of  friends,  when 
they  were  surprised  by  Indians.  She  tried  to  escape,  and  ran  towards 
a  barn  standing  near,  for  refuge ;  but  was  shot  just  as  she  was  going 
into  it,  and  fell  across  a  stone,  where  she  soon  bled  to  death.  The 
stone  is  preserved ;  and  it  is  said,  that,  when  a  heavy  rain  falls  upon  it, 
her  blood-stains  can  be  clearly  seen.  Mr.  Chesley  devoted  himself  to 
fighting  the  savages.  He  took  his  gun  immediately  and  started ;  and, 
coming  up  with  a  party  of  twelve,  he  did  not  leave  them  until  eleven 
had  fallen  under  his  shot. 

"Wheelwright's  pond  was  also  the  scene  of  a  bloody  fight.  Two 
scouting  companies,  under  Captains  Floyd  and  Wiswall,  on  the  6th  of 
July,  1690,  discovered  an  Indian  track,  which  they  followed  till  they 
came  up  during  the  evening  by  this  pond.  A  contest  began.  The 
men  of  the  town,  hearing  the  firing,  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  the 
fight  continued  for  hours.  Wiswall  and  his  lieutenant,  Flagg,  with 
twelve  more,  were  killed,  and  others  were  wounded.  Floyd  continued 
the  fight  after  Wiswall's  death  till  his  men,  weakened  by  losses  and 
exhaustion,  were  forced  to  draw  off.  The  enemy  retreated  at  the  same 
time,  carrying  off  their  dead.  Seven  wounded  men  were  found  alive 
the  next  day,  when  Captain  Convers  went  to  bury  the  dead. 

Lee  has  11,625  acres,  three  hundred  of  which  are  water.  The 
surface  is  nearly  level,  there  being  but  one  considerable  eminence, 
called  Lee  hill.  Wheelwright's  pond,  covering  about  165  acres,  lies  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  is  the  principal  source  of  Oyster  river. 
Lamprey  river  enters  from  the  northeast  corner  of  Epping,  passing 
through  into  Durham.  Little,  North,  and  Oyster  rivers  water  the 
other  portions  of  Lee.  The  soil  is  generally  hard,  and  requires  much 
cultivation  to  make  it  productive ;  but  it  is  fertile  in  some  places.  The 
inhabitants  are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  agriculture.  There  are  in 
Lee  two  villages  —  Lee  Hill  and  Wadleigh's  Falls,  each  place  having 
a  post-office;  two  church  edifices — Congregational  and  Baptist ;  and 
seven  school  districts :  also,  six  saw-mills,  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  boards,  clapboards,  and  shingles ;  and  three  grist-mills.  Population, 
862;  valuation,  $339,069. 

Lempster,  Sullivan  county,  forty  miles  from  Concord,  was  granted 
by  charter,  October  5,  1761,  to  Richard  Sparrow  and  sixty-one  others, 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF   LINCOLN.  553 

and  was  settled,  by  emigrants  from  Connecticut,  about  the  year  1770. 
A  Congregational  church  witli  seven  male  members  was  formed 
November  13,  1781,  over  which  Rev.  Elias  Fisher  was  pastor  from 
September  25,  1787,  until  his  death,  May  22,  1831.  A  meeting-house 
was  built,  after  a  long  trial  to  fix  on  the  spot,  in  1794.  After  about 
thirty  years,  it  was  removed  to  the  principal  village.  The  Congrega- 
tionalists,  not  being  permitted  to  occupy  it  the  whole  time,  built  a  new 
house,  on  which  occasion  many  united  with  the  Methodists,  who  built 
another  house.  The  surface  is  undulating,  excepting  in  the  eastern 
part,  where  it  is  mountainous,  it  being  the  west  border  of  the  height  of 
land  between  the  Merrimack  and  the  Connecticut.  The  soil  is  of  a 
moist  description,  and  is  well  suited  to  grass ;  hence  stock-raising,  and 
the  products  of  the  dairy,  form  a  large  part  of  the  agricultural  interests 
of  the  place.  Water  is  plentiful,  though  the  streams  supplying  it 
are  not  very  large ;  they  are  a  branch  of  Sugar  river,  and  the  south  and 
west  branches  of  Cold  river.  Sand  pond,  four  hundred  and  twenty 
rods  long  and  twenty  wide,  lies  partly  in  Lempster ;  and  Dodge's  pond, 
of  about  fifty  acres,  lies  near  its  centre.  There  are  two  villages  — 
East  Lempster  and  West  Lempster ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congre- 
gational, Methodist,  and  UniversaKst ;  a  high  school ;  nine  school  dis- 
tricts, with  an  average  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
scholars ;  and  two  post-ofRces  —  Lempster  and  East  Lempster  :  also,  a 
large  tannery,  and  a  boot  and  shoe  manufactory.  Population,  906  ;  val- 
uation, $309,127. 

Lincoln,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  seventy  miles 
from  Concord,  contains  32,456  acres,  and  was  granted  January  31, 
1764,  to  James  Avery  and  others,  but  was  not  settled  till  several  years 
after  the  Revolution.  The  earliest  names  on  record  were  in  1802,  when 
the  following  appear:  Timothy  Shattuck,  Asa  Oaks,  Timothy  Shat- 
tuck,  Jr.,  Nathan  Kinsman,  Samuel  Jones,  Moses  Wentworth,  Paul 
Cheney,  Aaron  Jones,  Joshua,  Ephraim,  and  Stephen  Kendall,  Jere- 
miah and  John  Stuart,  and  David  Sanger.  The  surface  is  mountain- 
ous, and  the  soil  in  many  parts  unfit  for  cultivation.  There  are  many 
elevations.  Kings-man's  mountain  being  the  highest.  There  are  two 
large  gulfs  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  caused  by  an  extraordinary 
discharge  of  water  from  the  clouds  in  1774.  The  numerous  "  slips,"  as 
they  are  termed,  from  the  mountain,  are  exceedingly  curious.  They 
commence  near  its  summit,  and  run  to  its  base,  forcing  a  passage 
through  all  obstructions.  This  town  is  much  resorted  to  during  the 
summer  season,  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  scenery  of  the  White 
Mountains.     Among  the   objects  of  interest  is  a  very  curious  cavity 

vol.  I.  47 


554 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


which  the  Pemigcwassct  river  has  worn  in  its  bed  of  solid  rock,  known 
as  the  Basin.      It  is   forty  feet  in  diameter,  and  twenty-eigiit  feet  from 

the  edge  to  the  bottom  of 


the  water,  which  is  usually 
ten  or  twelve  feet  deep. 
The  water,  which,  as  it 
comes  over  the  precipice, 
makes  a  beautiful  cascade, 
white  with  foam,  and  falls 
into  the  side  of  the  basin, 
has  sufficient  force  to  make 
several  circuits  before  pass- 
ing out,  in  doing  which,  it 
has,  by  the  attrition  of  the 
rocks  carried  around,  given 
the  cavity  its  smooth,  cir- 
cular form.  The  bottom 
is  strewn  with  round  rocks. 
The  outlet  of  the  basin  has 
a  form  similar  to  the  hu- 
man leg  and  foot.  Another 
]>lace  of  interest  is  "  The 
Flume."  This  is  near  the 
top  of  an  inclined,  smooth, 
granite  ledge,  more  than  a  hundred  feet  long  and  thirty  wide.  Over 
this  runs  a  small  stream,  of  varied  width.  Near  the  top  of  the  ledge  is 
the  entry  to  the  Flume.  Solid  walls,  cleft  by  some  convulsion  of  nature, 
some  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  twenty  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  but  grad- 
ually narrowing  towards  the  top  to  ten  or  eleven  feet,  afford  a  passage 
to  the  little  stream.  The  opposite  sides  of  the  waUs  show  correspond- 
ing indentations.  They  are  lined  with  a  green  moss,  and  the  air  is  very 
damp  and  cool.  A  huge  boulder,  of  several  tons  weight,  precipitated 
from  the  top  of  the  clifl',  has  caught,  and  hangs  suspended  about  half-way 
down  between  the  walls.  An  old  pine,  fallen  across  the  chasm,  has  made 
a  sort  of  bridge  ;  but  is  one  presenting  no  great  temptation  to  visitors. 
Near  the  Flume  is  a  deep  natural  well  in  the  solid  rock,  about  sixty  feet 
in  diameter,  called  the  Pool.  It  is  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  from  the  brink  of  the  well  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  which 
is  about  forty  feet  deep.  A  large  hotel,  called  the  Flume  House,  has 
been  erected  within  a  few  years,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  visitors. 
There  an;  two  school  districts ;  one  meeting-house,  occupied  by  all  de- 
nominations ;  and  two  jiost-oflices — Lincoln  and  the   Flume   House: 


The  Flume. 


NEW  HAMPSHIEE  —  TOWN   OP  LISBON,  ETC.  555 

also,  one  saw-miU,  and  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard  machines.     Popula- 
tion, 57 ;  valuation,  $56,790. 

Lisbon,  in  the  northern  part  of  Grafton  county,  eighty-nine  miles 
from  Concord,  contains  29,130  acres.  It  was  granted,  under  the  name 
of  Concord,  August  6,  1763,  to  Joseph  Burt  and  others,  and  regranted 
November  28,  1768,  to  Leonard  Whiting  and  others,  under  the  name  of 
Gunthwaite.  This  title  was  not  satisfactory,  and  the  first  one  again 
adopted,  which  was  changed  June  14,  1824,  to  the  present  name. 
Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist  societies  existed  here  as  early  as  1800. 
The  land  is  of  three  varieties, — interval,  plain,  and  upland,  —  all  of  which 
is  fit  for  cultivation,  the  plain  requiring  extra  dressing.  The  Lower 
Ammonoosuc  river  waters  the  town  through  its  whole  extent,  and  sev- 
eral smaller  streams  perform  a  similar  service.  Mink  pond  lies  in  the 
south  part,  and  affords  mill  seats  at  its  outlet.  Blueberry  mountain  is 
the  only  elevation  of  note.  A  large  amount  of  iron  ore  is  dug  from  a 
quarry  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  sufficient  to  supply  the  iron 
foundery  in  Franconia.  Limestone  of  good  quality  is  also  abundant, 
and  much  has  been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  lime.  Maple  sugar  is 
an  article  largely  made.  There  are  two  villages —  Lisbon  and  Sugar 
Hill,  at  each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office ;  two  church  edifices  — 
Methodist  and  Free-will  Baptist;  and  fourteen  school  districts:  also, 
two  starch  manufactories,  one  cotton  bobbin  factory,  and  one  carriage 
manufactory.  There  is  a  way  station  of  the  White  Mountain  Rail- 
road in  Lisbon.     Population,  1,881 ;  valuation,  ^534,139. 

Litchfield,  Hillsborough  county,  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Merrimack  river,  directly  north  of  Hudson.  The  greater  portion  of  the 
territory  comprising  this  township  was  granted,  as  early  as  1656,  to 
William  Brenton,  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  and  was 
known  as  Brenton's  Farm.  Its  Indian  name  was  Naticook,  and  the 
interval  portions  of  the  town  were  inhabited  by  a  branch  of  the  Pena- 
cooks,  called  sometimes  the  Naticooks.  No  attempts  at  settlement 
were  made  until  about  the  year  1720,  when  several  persons  from  Biller- 
ica  and  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  arrived,  among  the  names  of  whom  were 
Underwood,  Chase,  Bixby,  Tufts,  and  Parker.  It  was  set  off  from 
Dunstable  (or  Nashua),  and  incorporated  by  Massachusetts  as  a  town- 
ship (its  territory  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Merrimack  river),  July  5, 
1734.  In  June,  1749,  the  charter  thus  granted  was  confirmed  by  New 
Hampshire.  From  1734  to  1746,  a  period  of  about  twelve  years,  the 
settlers  on  what  is  now  called  Merrimack  and  Litchfield  acted  under  a 
common    organization.     Their  town  and  church  officers   were    chosen 


556  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OP  NEW   ENGLAND. 

partly  from  each  side  of  the  river.  The  early  inhabitants  were  very  de- 
sirous to  establish  public  worship  and  the  gospel  ministry.  A  commit- 
tee of  two  —  one  from  each  side  of  the  river  —  was  sent  to  Newbury, 
"  to  treat  with  Mr.  John  Tufts  about  having  his  son  Joshua  to  preach 
in  Litchfield."  Such  was  the  deference  paid  to  parents.  Mr.  Tufts 
was  ordained  in  1741,  and  remained  three  years.  A  church  is  supposed 
to  have  existed  some  years  prior  to  1770,  but  after  this  there  was  none 
for  some  time  previous  to  1809,  when  the  Presbyterian  church  was 
formed.  In  the  French  war,  and  during  that  of  the  Revolution,  Litch- 
field supplied  her  quota  of  men  and  means,  and  gave  her  utmost  sup- 
port to  the  latter  contest.  Litchfield  is  a  small  but  remarkably  fertile 
township,  and  it  has  yet  remaining  considerable  timber  land  of  great 
value.  Farming  is  almost  the  sole  employment  of  its  sparse  population. 
It  contains  one  Presbyterian  meeting-house,  six  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office :  also,  two  saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill.  Population,  450 ; 
valuation,  $270,125. 

Littleton,  on  the  Connecticut  river,  in  Grafton  county,  one  hundred 
miles  from  Concord,  contains  twenty-six  thousand  acres,  and  was  char- 
tered November  17,  1764,  under  the  name  of  Chiswick.  For  some 
cause  or  other  it  was  rechartered,  with  the  name  of  Apthorp,  January 
18,  1770,  and  contained  at  that  time  40,850  acres,  Avhich  was  reduced  to 
the  present  area,  November  4,  1784,  by  the  incorporation  of  Dalton. 
The  name  of  Apthorp  was  changed  at  that  time  to  the  present  one. 
Captain  Nathan  Caswell  commenced  its  settlement  about  1772  or  1773, 
and  his  son  was  the  first  child  born  in  town,  and  was  named  from  it. 
The  first  church  formed  was  a  Congregational,  in  1803. 

Littleton  has  fifteen  miles  of  territory  on  Connecticut  river.  The  sur- 
face is  generally  uneven  and  rocky  to  some  extent,  but  it  is  suitable  for 
tillage  and  grazing.  There  is  some  rich  interval  along  the  Ammonoosuc. 
The  mountains  most  noted  are  Raspberry,  Black,  Palmer's,  and  Iron 
which  are  covered  with  sugar  maple,  beech,  birch,  bass,  white  ash,  and 
in  some  places  red  oak.  Fifteen  Mile  falls,  in  Connecticut  river 
extend  the  whole  length  of  Littleton.  Ammonoosuc  river  waters  the 
south  part.  Partridge  pond,  lying  partly  in  Lyman,  is  the  only  one 
here.  A  mineral  spring,  the  water  of  which  is  said  to  resemble  that  of 
the  Congress  spring  at  Saratoga,  lies  near  Ammonoosuc  river.  Lime- 
stone exists  in  several  localities,  and  a  valuable  oilstone  quarry  has  been 
opened,  the  proceeds  of  which  are  extensive.  Most  of  the  people  are 
employed  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  there  are  many  beautiful  and 
productive  farms.  There  are  two  villages — Littleton  and  Factory- 
ville;  two  churches  —  Methodist  and  Congregational;  eighteen  school 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OF   LONDONDERRY.  557 

districts  ;  two  post-offices  —  Littleton  and  North  Littleton  ;  and  a  large 
hotel,  known  as  the  White  Mountain  House,  well  arranged  and  hand- 
somely finished :  also,  a  large  woollen  factory,  an  iron  foundery,  two 
machine-shops,  three  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  an  edge-tool  manufac- 
tory, a  carriage  factory,  a  door,  sash,  and  blind  factory,  a  chair  factory, 
some  mechanical  establishments  of  less  note,  and  several  stores.  The 
White  Mountain  Railroad,  which  passes  through  Littleton,  adds  much 
to  the  importance  and  general  prosperity  of  the  town.  Population, 
2,008 ;  valuation,  $536,878. 

Londonderry,  Rockingham  county,  is  situated  on  the  Merrimack 
river,  twenty-five  miles  from  Concord.  The  settlers  of  this  town  emi- 
grated from  the  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland,  and  were  of  Scotch  descent. 
They  came  over  to  this  country  as  much  on  account  of  the  glowing 
descriptions  given  of  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  and  the  other  inducements 
which  it  was  represented  as  possessing,  as  on  account  of  escaping  the 
religious  persecutions  which  were  instituted  against  the  Protestants  by 
James  II.  Having  sent  over  the  Rev.  Mr.  Boyd  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  their  arrival,  and  to  confer  with  Governor  Shute  of 
Massachusetts  in  reference  to  a  grant  of  land,  which  having  resulted 
favorably,  the  little  colony  embarked  in  five  ships,  and  arrived  at  Boston, 
August  4,  1718.  Sixteen  of  these  families  having  obtained  the  privilege 
of  settling  in  Casco,  Me.,  started  for  Casco  bay,  where  they  arrived  late 
in  the  season,  and  were  frozen  in,  being  obliged  to  spend  the  whole 
winter  on  board  the  ship,  as  well  as  suffer  severely  for  the  want  of  food. 
They  were  saved  from  starvation  by  the  grant  of  one  hundred  bushels 
of  Indian  meal  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts.^ 

On  the  opening  of  spring,  they  explored,  for  some  distance,  the  coun- 
try around  Casco  bay,  and  finding  no  tract  with  which  they  felt  satis- 
fied, they  concluded  to  return  to  Boston ;  and,  directing  their  course 
westward,  they  entered  the  Merrimack  river,  ascending  it  as  far  as 
Haverhill,  where  they  arrived  April  2  (old  style),  1719.  While  at 
Haverhill,  they  heard  of  a  fine  tract  of  land  about  fifteen  miles  distant, 
called  Nuffield,  on  account  of  the  abundance  of  the  chestnut,  butternut, 
and  walnut  trees  which  distinguished  the  growth  of  its  forests.  Having 
examined  this  tract  and  ascertained  that  it  was  unappropriated,  they  at 
once  decided  to  solicit  a  grant  of  it  from  Massachusetts.  The  spot 
being  selected,  the  settlement  was  commenced  on  the  11th  of  April 

'  James  McKeen,  the  gi-andfatlier  of  the  first  president  of  Bowdoin  College,  was  one 
of  this  company,  and  the  agent  who  selected  the  land  on  which  the  company  finally 
settled. 

47* 


558  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

(old  style),  1719,  and,  on  the  next  day.  Rev.  Mr.  McGregore,  their  pas- 
tor, made  an  affectionate  and  impressive  address  to  the  little  colony, 
who  had  assembled  under  a  large  oak  ^  on  the  east  side  of  Benson 
pond.  The  field  on  which  the  settlers  first  erected  their  rude  cabins  as 
a  temporary  accommodation  for  their  famihes,  and  which  they  culti- 
vated the  first  year  in  common,  lies  not  far  from  the  turnpike  where  it 
crosses  West  Running  brook,  and  has  ever  since  been  called  the  Com- 
mon field. 

The  names  of  these  settlers  were  James  McKeen,  John  Barnett,  Archi- 
bald Clendenin,  John  Mitchel,  James  Skerrett,  James  Anderson,  Randal 
Alexander,  James  Gregg,  James  Clark,  James  Nesmith,  Allen  Anderson, 
Robert  Weir,  John  Morrison,  Samuel  Allison,  Thomas  Steele,  and  John 
Stuart,  most  of  whom  were  in  the  prime  of  life,  —  robust,  persevering, 
and  adventurous,  —  and  well  suited  to  encounter  the  toils  and  endure 
the  hardships  attendant  on  the  task  which  they  had  undertaken.  They 
distributed  themselves  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  without  any  regard 
to  the  arrangement  of  lots,  which  is  evidenced  in  the  multiplicity  of 
roads  bending  in  every  direction,  a  circumstance  both  injudicious  and 
unwise,  and  latterly  a  source  of  considerable  expense.  Londonderry, 
though  a  frontier  town,  was  never  molested  by  the  Indians,  while  those 
in  its  immediate  neighborhood,  and  less  exposed  withal,  were  plundered 
and  devastated  without  mercy.  This  signal  exemption  from  savage 
hostilities  is  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  the  settlers  secured,  through 
Colonel  Wheelwmght  of  Wells,  Me.,  a  fair  and  acknowledged  Indian 
title  to  their  township ;  as  well  as  to  the  circumstance  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
McGregore  being  a  classmate  in  college  with  the  Marquis  de  Vau- 
dreuil,  the  French  governor  of  Canada,  who,  at  the  request  of  Mr. 
McGregore,  caused  means  to  be  used  for  the  protection  of  the  settle- 
ment. 

It  having  been  ascertained  that  the  town  was  beyond  the  jurisdiction 
of  Massachusetts,  the  settlers,  in  September,  1719,  asked  and  obtained 
an  act  of  incorporation  from  the  general  court,  then  sitting  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.  In  June,  1772,  the  settlement,  which  had  heretofore  been 
called  Nuffield,  was  incorporated  as  a  township  by  the  name  of  London- 
derry, in  commemoration  of  the  city  in  and  near  to  which  most  of  them 
had  resided  in  their  native  land.  To  this  little  colony  belongs  the  credit 
of  introducing  the  potatoe  into  New  England,  as  also  the  hand-card,  the 

'  On  the  prostration  of  this  venerable  oak  through  decay,  the  owner  of  the  field  on 
■which  it  stood  planted  a  young  apple-tree  among  its  decayed  roots,  which  is  now  a  thrifty 
tree.  This  spot  deserves  some  more  enduring  memorial ;  and,  for  this  object,  it  has  been 
proposed  that  a  granite  obelisk,  bearing  appropriate  inscriptions,  should  be  erected  at 
some  early  day  in  place  of  the  tree. 


NEW   HAMPSHIKE  —  TOWN    OF   LONDONDERRY.  559 

foot-wheel,  and  the  loom,  implements  afterwards  common  to  every  New 
England  town. 

Londonderry,  besides  peopling  her  own  borders,  has  sent  many 
pioneers  of  civilization  to  form  new  colonies  in  various  parts  of  New 
Hampshire,  Maine,  Vermont,  and  elsewhere.  She  also  contributed 
largely  to  the  struggle  for  independence,  bearing  promptly  her  full 
share  in  every  conflict.  The  very  first  act  of  open  and  bold  resistance 
to  British  authority  was  exhibited  by  a  small  party  of  men  from  this 
town,  although  the  fact  never  received  public  notice.  While  the 
British  were  quartered  in  Boston,  and  before  the  encounter  at  Lex- 
ington, four  of  the  soldiers  deserted  and  came  to  Londonderry.  An 
officer,  with  a  number  of  soldiers,  was  despatched  for  the  purpose  of 
arresting  them,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing,  and  marched  towards 
Boston.  No  sooner  was  the  fact  known  in  the  town,  than  a  party  of 
young  men  rallied,  and,  led  by  Captain  James  Aiken,  a  bold  and 
energetic  officer,  pursued  and  overtook  them  a  few  miles  north  of 
Haverhill.  Captain  Aiken,  quickly  passing  them,  drew  up  his  men  in 
front  of  the  party,  and  commanded  them  to  halt  and  give  up  their 
prisoners.  The  British  officer,  overawed  by  this  unexpected  and  bold 
resistance,  at  once  complied,  and  the  prisoners  returned  with  their 
deliverers,  and  afterwards  became  residents  of  the  town.  No  further 
attempts  were  made  for  their  arrest.  General  Stark,  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  was  a  native  of  this  town,  as  also  were  Colonels  Reed,  McCleary, 
and  Gregg,  than  whom  no  better  or  braver  officers  can  be  found  in  the 
annals  of  our  country. 

The  Presbyterian  church  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state ;  but  no 
early  records  are  in  existence.  The  parish  records  were  begun  Sep- 
tember 7,  1736,  more  than  three  years  before  the  incorporation  of  this 
as  the  west  parish.  This  charter  gave  power  to  levy  taxes  for  the 
support  of  schools  and  the  gospel  upon  all  taxable  persons  and  property ; 
and  conferred  on  all  who  were  entitled  to  vote  in  town  affairs  the  right 
to  vote  in  parish  meetings.  This  is  the  present  charter,  though  the 
power  of  taxation  has  been  wholly  taken  away,  while  that  of  voting 
remains  in  full  force.^  Rev.  David  McGregore,  ordained  in  1736,  was 
pastor  until  his  death  in  1777.  Rev.  William  Morrison,  D.  D.,  was 
pastor  from  1783  to  1818.  Rev.  Daniel  Dana,  D.  D.,  was  pastor  for 
four  years,  from  1822  to  1826,  and  did  much  to  promote  the  temperance 
reform. 

Londonderry  contains  25,870  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is  composed 
of  gentle  swells,  and  the  soil  generally  strong  and  productive.     There 

*  Lawrence's  New  Hampshire  Churches,  p.  89. 


560  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

are  some  well  cultivated  farms  here,  which  receive  the  particular 
attention  of  their  industrious  owners.  The  town  is  watered  by  Beaver 
brook,  and  a  tributary  of  the  Cohas  brook;  and  Scoby's  is  the  only 
pond.  In  1828,  the  easterly  portion  of  Londonderry  was  set  off  as  a 
township,  and  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Derry.  There  are  three 
churches  —  Presbyterian,  Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts ;  and  two  post-offices  ■ —  Londonderry  and  North  Londonderry : 
also,  two  grist-mills,  five  saw-mills,  and  five  stores.  The  Manchester 
and  Lawrence  Railroad  passes  through  Londonderry.  Population, 
1,731 ;  valuation,  $610,236. 

Loudon,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Merrimack  county,  about  ten  miles 
from  Concord,  contains  28,257  acres,  which  originally  belonged  to 
Canterbury.  It  was  incorporated  January  23,  1773,  and  the  first  town- 
meeting  was  held  March  23d  following.  In  1760,  settlements  were 
begun,  Abraham  and  Jethro  Batchelder  and  Moses  Ordway  being 
among  the  earliest  inhabitants.  The  Congregationalists  organized  the 
first  church  in  1789.  Previous  to  this,  from  $50  to  $150  had  been 
raised  annually  for  preaching.  In  1778,  arrangements  were  made  for 
building  a  meeting-house,  forty-four  feet  by  fifty-eight,  with  galleries 
and  end  porches  for  stair  flights.  To  defray  the  expenses  of  its  erec- 
tion, $45,000  of  the  depreciated  continental  bills  were  raised.  A 
barrel  of  rum  and  a  great  supper  were  provided  for  the  occasion  of 
"  raising."  Rev.  Jedediah  Tucker  was  settled  over  the  society  from 
1789  to  1810,  when,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  for  want  of  pecuniary 
support.  This  state  of  things  lasted  for  some  years,  when  the  organ- 
ization of  a  Free-will  Baptist  society  excited  the  Congregational  church 
to  some  new  efforts,  but  really  weakened  it  by  reducing  its  number. 
In  1826,  a  division  of  the  society  arose,  chiefly  from  the  distance 
between  different  sections  of  the  town.  In  1853,  January  7th,  a  tract 
of  land  was  annexed  from  the  parent  town,  Canterbury.  The  land  in 
Loudon  is  of  a  varied-  quahty,  including  some  good  interval  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Soucook  river,  by  which  the  township  is  watered.  This  river 
furnishes  several  valuable  mill  privileges.  The  principal  place  of  busi- 
ness is  called  Soucook  Village,  and  lies  in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
east  of  the  river.  The  site  is  pleasant  and  agreeable,  and  the  village 
contains  many  good  buildings.  There  are  three  churches  —  two  Con- 
gregational and  one  Free-will  Baptist ;  thirteen  school  districts  ;  and 
three  post-offices  —  Loudon,  Loudon  Centre,  and  Loudon  Ridge:  also, 
two  grist-mills,  five  saw-mills,  two  tanneries,  one  manufactory  for  flan- 
nel, two  carriage  factories,  one  chair  factory,  and  several  lesser  mechanic 
establishments.    Population,  1,552  ;  valuation,  $615,933. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  LYMAN,   ETC.  561 

Lyman,  near  the  Connecticut  river,  in  Grafton  county,  ninety  miles 
from  Concord,  was  chartered  to  a  number  of  individuals,  among  whom 
was  Daniel  Lyman,  November  10,  1761.  The  town  received  its  name, 
it  is  more  than  probable,  from  the  first  settler.  Among  the  descendants 
of  the  first  three  families  were  twenty  sons,  nineteen  of  whom  lived  to 
an  advanced  age,  and  were  citizens  of  the  town  in  the  year  1815. 
Lyman  was  originally  six  miles  square,  and  so  remained  till  July,  1854, 
when,  by  legislative  enactment,  the  territory  now  comprised  in  Monroe 
was  severed  from  it,  which  took  off  more  than  one  third  of  that  part  of 
the  township  lying  on  Connecticut  river.  The  soil  is  of  a  superior 
quality,  and  the  people  are  engaged  principally  in  its  cultivation. 
Lyman's  or  Gardner  mountain  lies  in  this  town,  and  on  it  is  the  source 
of  the  northwest  branch  of  Burnham's  river,  the  northeast  branch  rising 
in  Partridge  pond,  which  lies  partly  in  Littleton.  There  are  two 
small  villages  —  Parker  Hill  and  Tiiikerville ;  two  meeting-houses  — 
Methodist  and  Union ;  one  post-office,  and  seven  school  districts  :  also, 
a  steam  starch  factory,  two  grist-mills,  four  saw-mills,  and  one  carding- 
machine.     Population,  1,442;  valuation,  ^206,768. 

Lyme,  in  the  western  part  of  Grafton  county,  fifty-four  miles  from 
Concord,  has  an  area  of  28,500  acres,  and  lies  on  the  Connecticut  river. 
Theodore  Atkinson  and  others  obtained  a  grant  of  the  territory,  July  8, 
1761,  and  its  settlement  was  commenced,  in  the  autumn  of  1764,  by 
three  brothers,  John,  William,  and  David  Sloan.  Walter  Fairfield  came 
the  same  or  the  next  year.  The  name  was  derived  from  Lyme, 
Conn.,  from  which  place  some  of  the  settlers  came.  The  Congre- 
gational church,  formed  in  1771,  was  the  first  rehgious  society  organ- 
ized. At  the  first  town  meeting,  however.  May  17,  1769,  it  was  voted 
to  unite  with  Thetford,  over  the  river,  to  hire  preaching  for  the  ensuing 
year.  Rev.  William  Conant  from  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  was  ordained 
December  22,  1773,  and  continued  pastor  till  his  death,  a  period  of 
more  than  thirty-six  years.  A  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1781. 
The  early  inhabitants  enjoyed  occasional  missionary  visits  from  Rev. 
Eleazer  Wheelock,  the  first  president  of  Dartmouth  College.  Quite  a 
check  was  given  to  intemperance  here  in  connection  with  the  labors  of 
Rev.  Baxter  Perry,  who  was  pastor  from  1821  to  his  death  in  1829.  A 
Baptist  church  was  organized  in  1819,  and  went  into  efficient  and  suc- 
cessful operation.  John  Fairfield,  son  of  Walter,  and  Hon.  Jonathan 
Franklin,  who  became  member  of  the  council  in  1811,  represented  the 
town  in  the  legislature  for  many  years. 

There  is  less  interval  in  this  town  than  in  most  other  towns  on  the 
Connecticut  river,  but,  with  this   exception,  the  characteristics  of  the 


562  HISTOEY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

land  are  the  same.  Three  small  streams  pass  through  Lyme  and 
empty  into  the  Connecticut  river,  and  Post  pond  is  the  largest  collection 
of  water.  Several  large  reservoirs  have  been  erected  at  considerable 
expense,  and  supply  abundance  of  water  at  all  seasons.  Smart's  moun- 
tain, lying  in  the  northeast  part,  is  the  most  noted  elevation.  Lime- 
stone, of  the  granular  crystalline  species,  is  found  in  various  localities 
in  beds  six  feet  thick,  connected  with  which  is  an  abundance  of  massive 
garnet,  with  crystals  of  hornblende.  A  mixture  of  granular  quartz,  very 
curious,  with  carbonate  of  lime,  exists  in  inexhaustible  quantities,  and 
is  much  used  in  manufacturing  isinglass.  Several  other  minerals  are 
prevalent,  and  there  is  an  extensive  deposit  of  clay  marl,  very  useful  for 
its  fertilizing  qualities.  Lyme  is  an  agricultural  town  of  more  than  or- 
dinary capacity,  and  has  gained  notoriety  for  the  extensive  quantities  of 
wheat  produced,  as  well  as  for  its  superior  breeds  of  sheep.  The  larg- 
est amount  of  wool  produced  by  any  town  in  the  state  was  returned  for 
this  town  the  last  year.  The  people  are  thrifty,  and  are  blessed  with  a 
competence.  There  are  two  villages  —  Lyme  and  East  Lyme  ;  two 
meeting-houses  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  sixteen  school  districts, 
with  the  same  number  of  schools,  and  one  post-office :  also,  a  steam 
saw-mill,  several  water  power  saw-mills,  and  two  tanneries.  The  Con- 
necticut and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  connects  with  Lyme.  Popu- 
lation, 1,618 ;  valuation,  ^593,700. 

Ltndeborough,  lying  near  the  centre  of  Ilillsborough  county,  thirty- 
five  miles  from  Concord,  contains  20,767  acres.  It  was  granted  in  1736, 
by  Massachusetts,  to  Captain  Samuel  King  and  fifty-nine  others,  who 
were  engaged  in  the  expedition  to  Canada  in  1690,  and  in  consequence 
was  called  Salem  Canada,  some  of  the  proprietors  having  belonged  to 
Salem,  Mass.  Benjamin  Lynde,  of  Salem,  purchased  a  large  portion 
of  the  land  in  1753 ;  and  when  the  act  of  incorporation  was  passed, 
April  23,  1764,  the  name  of  Lyndeborough  was  given  to  the  to^vn  in 
honor  of  that  gentleman.  Settlements  were  begun  as  early  as  1750,  the 
earliest  inhabitants  being  Putnam,  Chamberlain,  and  Cram,  who  came 
from  Massachusetts.  In  1757,  the  first  religious  society  —  a  Congre- 
gational—  was  formed,  a  meeting-house  having  been  built  some  time 
previous.  A  pastor,  Rev.  John  Rand,  was  settled  in  1757,  soon  after 
which  another  meeting-house  was  built,  on  what  is  called  Rocky  Hill ; 
but  this  was  not  long  used,  for,  in  1772,  a  large  and  substantial  edifice 
was  completed,  which  lasted  for  sixty-five  years.  Rev.  Sewall  Goodridge 
was  pastor  from  1768  until  his  death  in  1809 ;  Rev.  Nathaniel  Merrill, 
from  1811  to  1835.  The  soil  is  suitable  for  grazing,  and,  though  stony, 
is  of  good  depth,  and  strong.     The  streams  are  inconsiderable,  and  there 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF   MADBURY.  563 

is  but  one  pond.  The  situation  of  the  town  is  on  high  land,  and  it  has 
a  large  mountain  intersecting  it  from  east  to  west.  A  part  of  this  town 
was  annexed  to  Mont  Vernon,  January  5,  1853.  Lyndeborough  Centre 
and  South  Lyndeborough  are  the  only  two  villages,  the  former  being 
pleasantly  situated  on  a  plain  near  Piscataquog  river.  There  are  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  ten  school  districts,  with 
the  same  number  of  schools;  and  three  post-offices — Lyndeborough, 
South  Lyndeborough,  and  North  Lyndeborough.  Population,  968; 
valuation,  ^319,252. 

Madburt,  in  the  south  part  of  Strafford  county,  adjoining  Dover,  is 
a  small,  triangular-shaped  town,  containing  about  seven  square  miles, 
being  thirty-six  miles  southeast  from  Concord.  It  was  incorporated  as 
a  parish.  May  31,  1755,  and  as  a  town.  May  26,  1768,  covering  terri- 
tory taken  from  the  westerly  part  of  Dover  and  the  northerly  part  of 
Durham.  This  town  was  settled,  at  a  very  early  date,  by  persons  of  the 
names  of  Davis,  Chesley,  Evans,  Drew,  and  others.  It  suffered  all  the 
horrors  of  Indian  warfare,  in  common  with  Dover  and  Durham.  "  Mahor- 
rimet's  hill,"  now  "  Hicks  hill,"  derived  its  title  from  a  sagamore  of  that 
name.  The  town  is  about  seven  miles  long,  its  extreme  easterly  point 
extending  to  the  tide  water  of  a  branch  of  the  Piscataqua,  about  five 
miles  above  Portsmouth.  The  surface  is  undulating:  the  soil  in  the 
valleys  is  composed  of  a  mixture  of  clay,  and  that  on  the  highlands  of 
sand  and  loam,  and  not  very  stony.  It  has  an  average  productiveness, 
and  affords  good  returns  to  the  many  industrious  farmers  who  cultivate 
it.  Bog  iron  ore  exists,  in  some  localities,  in  considerable  quantities,  and 
in  some  instances  yellow  ochre  has  been  found.  Bellamy  bank  river 
supplies  the  town  with  water,  and  Barbadoes,  lying  between  Mad- 
bury  and  Dover,  is  the  only  pond,  being  one  hundred  and  twenty 
rods  long  and  fifty  wide.  There  was  once  a  meeting-house,  but  the 
building  was  long  since  turned  into  a  town-house.  No  church  has  ever 
been  permanently  established.  Rev.  Mr.  Hooper,  a  Baptist,  preached 
here  for  a  series  of  years.  Transient  preaching  is  occasionally  had. 
The  Congregationalists,  the  Baptists,  the  Christian  Baptists,  and  the 
Methodists  have  each  at  times  been  in  the  majority.  Many  of  the  peo- 
ple attend  public  worship  in  Dover  and  the  adjoining  towns.  There 
are  a  number  of  Friends  in  Madbury,  belonging  to  the  church  in  Dover. 
The  first  meeting-house  was  erected  prior  to  1743.  There  are  four 
school  districts,  a  shingle  mill,  clapboard  mill,  and  grist-mill.  The  Bos- 
ton and  Maine  Railroad  passes  through  the  town.  Population,  483 ; 
valuation,  $187,507. 


564  HISTORY  AND   DESCEIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

Madison,  Carroll  county,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  sixty-four 
miles  from  Concord,  was  formed  from  the  west  part  of  Eaton  and 
a  portion  of  Effingham,  and  was  incorporated  December  17, 1852.  The 
hne  dividing  Eaton  from  Madison  runs  north  and  south  on  the  sum- 
mits of  Clark's,  Glines's,  and  Lyman  mountains.  It  was  settled  about 
the  same  time  as  the  parent  town,  some  of  the  early  inhabitants  being 
William  Snell,  Joshua  Nickerson,  Timothy  Danforth,  and  Timothy  Gil- 
man,  and  contains  sixty  square  miles,  the  surface  of  which  is  broken, 
but  the  soil  good  and  fertile.  There  is  no  river  running  through  the 
place ;  the  mill  streams  are  fed  by  springs  and  small  brooks.  The  larg- 
est collections  of  water  are  Six-mile,  Danforth,  and  Pequawket  ponds, 
the  latter  being  on  the  line  between  Madison  and  Albany,  partly  in 
each.  The  town  has  one  church  edifice  (Free-will  Baptist) ;  nine  school 
districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Madison  and  East  Madison :  also,  two 
saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill.     Population,  850 ;  valuation,  $155,451. 

Manchester,  Hillsborough  county,  is  a  city,  situated  on  both  sides  of 
the  Merrimack  river.  The  part  of  the  town  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river  was  formerly  called  Derryfield,  and  was  incorporated  September  3, 
1751.  The  tract  of  land  embraced  in  the  charter  included  a  part  of 
Chester,  a  part  of  Londonderry,  and  a  piece  of  land  belonging  to  the 
legal  representatives  of  John  Tufton  Mason,  sometimes  called  Harry- 
town.  The  exact  date  of  the  first  settlement  cannot  now  be  ascer- 
tained ;  but  it  was  doubtless  about  1725,  at  the  close  of  "  Lovewell's 
war."  The  first  inhabitants  were,  in  part,  from  Massachusetts,  but 
mainly  were  Scotchmen  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  known  as  "  Scotch 
Irish,"  than  whom  there  were  no  hardier  and  more  persevering  men  who 
took  up  their  abode  in  these  then  unbroken  wilds.  John  McNeil,  Archi- 
bald Stark  (father  of  the  General),  Colonel  John  Goffe,  the  Perham 
family.  Hall,  Dickey,  and  McMurphy  were  among  the  first  in  Derryfield. 
The  main  body  of  the  Indians  deserted  this  part  of  the  country  before 
the  arrival  of  the  white  settlers,  but  many  of  them  were  found  about 
Amosjjeag  Falls  as  late  as  1745.  There  was  a  large  Indian  village  on 
the  hill  east  of,  and  overlooking  the  falls,  which,  for  a  long  time,  was  the 
royal  residence  of  the  Penacook  sagamores.  In  1810,  the  name  Der- 
ryfield was  changed  to  that  of  Manchester,  which  was  mainly  effected 
by  Thomas  Stickney,  a  grandson  of  Hon.  Samuel  Blodget,  who  pre- 
dicted, that,  as  a  manufacturing  place,  Manchester  of  New  England 
would  one  day  vie  in  importance  with  the  Manchester  of  Old  England, 
—  a  fact  not  beyond  the  possibility  of  realization. 

The  institutions  of  religion  did  not  here,  as  in  other  settlements  by 
the   Scotch-Irish,   follow  close   upon   the   heels  of   the   arrival    of  the 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE CITY    OF   MANCHESTER.  565 

pioneers,  though  much  interest  was  shown  in  the  subject,  in  the  way  of 
grants  of  money  for  preaching,  the  first  of  which  appears  on  the  records, 
November,  1751.  In  1753,  it  was  voted  that  "  Benj.  Stevens'  barn  and 
Wm.  McClintock's  barn  be  the  place  of  public  worship  till  the  money 
voted  last  March  be  expended."  There  were  preachers  employed  oc- 
casionally, and  several  calls  were  extended ;  but  no  minister  ever  ac- 
cepted of  the  *'  distinguished  consideration  "  of  the  inhabitants  of  Derry- 
field.  In  1756,  the  people  aroused  themselves  from  their  dormant  relig- 
ious condition,  and  some  steps  were  taken  towards  erecting  a  meeting- 
house ;  but  its  completion  seemed  to  be  a  great  tax  upon  the  energies 
of  the  inhabitants,  for  the  outside  of  the  house  was  not  covered  till 
1792.  In  fact,  it  could  never  be  said  to  have  been  in  a  thoroughly 
finished  state  while  it  was  occupied,  one  part  decaying  before  another 
part  was  completed.  The  first  church  in  town  was  Baptist,  and  was 
organized  in  1812,  under  the  teaching  of  Mr.  David  Abbott.  It  con- 
sisted of  fourteen  members.  It  flourished  under  his  teaching,  until  it 
numbered  twenty-two  male  members.  Some  difficulty  then  divided 
and  broke  up  the  church.  The  next  society  formed  was  the  Universalist, 
at  the  village  of  Amoskeag,  in  1825.  It  was  regularly  suppfied  with 
preaching,  and,  in  1833,  the  church  consisted  of  seventy  members.  In 
1839,  this  church  was  transferred  to  Manchester.  A  Presbyterian 
church  was  organized  in  May,  1828,  and  consisted  of  two  men  and  six 
women.  They  had  preaching  a  portion  of  the  time,  but  no  settled  min- 
ister. In  1839,  this  church  united  with  the  Congregational  church  in 
Amoskeag,  and  a  pastor  w^as  settled  in  January,  1840,  the  church  being 
located  in  Manchester.  A  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized 
in  Manchester  in  1829,  and,  in  the  following  year,  a  house  of  worship 
was  erected.  This  was  the  first  meeting-house  finished  in  Manchester. 
In  1831-32,  the  Rev.  Matthew  Newhall,  from  the  New  Hampshire  con- 
ference, was  stationed  here,  and  he  may  be  considered  the  first  regular 
minister  in  the  town.  Since  that  time,  this  church  has  been  regularly 
supplied  from  the  conference. 

In  respect  to  schools,  the  inhabitants  of  Derryfield  were  almost  equally 
remiss.  Schools  were,  however,  kept  in  town  by  voluntary  subscrip- 
tion, at  an  early  period ;  but  no  regular  system  of  schooling  was  under- 
taken until  1781,  when  four  schools  were  established,  in  convenient 
parts  of  the  town,  and  continued  each  ten  weeks.  Soon  after,  two 
school-houses  were  built  by  private  individuals,  and  the  town  was 
divided  into  school  districts.  The  regular  organization  of  schools  in 
the  town  may  date,  therefore,  from  1781. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  but  a  solitary  physician,  and  no  minister  or 
lawyer,  resided  permanently  in  town  for  three  quarters  of  a  century  after 

VOL.  I.  48 


566  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

its  incorporation,  and  not  a  single  native  of  the  town  was  educated  for 
either  of  the  learned  professions  for  a  century.  The  low  state  of  religion 
and  education  is  to  be  attributed,  in  part,  to  the  pursuits  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, fishing,  lumbering,  and  "following  the  river,"  but  mainly  from  the 
fact  that  the  population,  from  the  beginning  of  the  settlement,  was 
made  up  of  discordant  materials.  The  Scotch  Presbyterians  from  Ire- 
land, and  the  Puritans  from  Massachusetts,  could  unite  in  sentiment 
upon  no  question  of  religion,  education,  or  politics.  Of  different  man- 
ners, customs,  and  religious  views,  there  was  still  a  greater  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  union.  Massachusetts  laid  claim  to  a  great  part  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  New  Hampshire,  including  that  settled  by  the  "  Scotch-Irish." 
Both  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  encouraged  settlements  upon 
the  disputed  territory.  The  fisheries  at  Amoskeag  were  very  valuable. 
People  from  Massachusetts  settled  in  the  neighborhood,  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  that  government,  to  secure  the  fisheries  and  the  lands  adja- 
cent. The  Scotch-Irish  settled  in  Londonderry,  and  the  territory  was 
afterwards  incorporated  as  Derryfield,  under  the  patronage  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. As  a  consequence,  there  was  a  constant  feud  among  this  people, 
that  continued  for  a  century,  and  was  allayed  only  by  the  hand  of  time. 
It  is  not  strange  that  in  a  small  town  like  Derryfield,  thus  constituted 
and  divided,  they  could  not  unite  to  support  a  minister  or  schools,  to  any 
great  extent.  It  is  more  strange  that  they  succeeded  in  these  matters  as 
well  as  they  did. 

Manchester,  in  the  first  days  of  its  settlement,  was  noted  for  its 
abundant  supplies  of  fish.  The  Merrimack  was  stocked  with  shad,  ale- 
wives,  salmon,  and  the  laraprey-eel.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  large 
quantities  of  these  several  kinds  of  fish  were  taken,  and  formed  the 
principal  sustenance  of  the  inhabitants  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year,  not  only  of  Derryfield,  but  of  the  adjacent  country.  The  eel,  in 
particular,  was  regarded  as  a  great  luxury,  and  so  common  was  it  as  an 
article  of  food,  that  it  was  christened  "  Derryfield  beef."  The  love  of 
the  inhabitants  for  this  cold,  slippery  animal,  in  appearance  half  fish, 
half  reptile,  was  thus  hit  off  by  William  Stark,  of  Manchester,  in  a 
poem  delivered  at  the  centennial  celebration  at  Manchester,  October  2 
1851:  — 

"  Our  fathers  treasured  the  sUmy  prize : 
They  loved  the  eel  as  their  very  eyes  ; 
And  of  one  't  is  said,  with  a  slander  rife, 
For  a  string  of  eels  he  sold  his  wife  ! 

"  From  the  eels  they  formed  their  food  in  chief, 
And  eels  were  called  the  '  Derryfield  beef ! ' 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   01'   MANCHESTER.  567 

And  the  marks  of  eels  were  so  plain  to  trace, 
That  the  children  looked  like  eels  in  the  face ; 
And  before  they  walked  —  it  is  well  confirmed, 
That  the  children  never  crept,  but  squirmed." 

The  inhabitants  of  Manchester,  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  as 
appears  from  the  records,  exhibited  remarkable  patriotism  and  spirit 
There  was  no  wavering  in  their  hatred  of  the  aggressions  of  Great 
Britain,  and  men  were  promptly  on  hand  to  assist  the  cause  in  the  field. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  thirty-four 
men  out  of  thirty-six  reported  by  the  selectmen  as  capable  of  bearing 
arms  in  the  town,  volunteered  at  once,  and  joined  the  army  at  Cam- 
bridge. Those  were  the  men,  that,  under  the  intrepid  Captain  Moore 
of  Derryfield,  made  such  havoc  among  the  British  troops  on  the  shore 
of  the  Mystic,  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  HUl.  Of  these  thirty-four  men 
from  Derryfield  was  General  John  Stark,  the  hero  of  Bennington,  whose 
early  life  was  spent  on  this  then  frontier  settlement.  Speaking  of  the 
battle  of  Bennington,  a  writer  says  :  "  Taking  all  the  circumstances  into 
account,  it  was  evidently  one  of  the  most  important  battles  of  the  Rev- 
olution." General  Stark  was  one  of  the  first  in  the  field,  and  was  en- 
gaged, not  only  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  but  in  various  other 
engagements,  in  all  which  he  distinguished  himself  as  a  brave  officer. 
The  general  died  here  May  8,  1822,  in  his  ninety-fourth  year,  being  at 
that  time  the  only  surviving  American  general  of  the  Revolution. 

Much  of  the  soil  of  Manchester  is  of  a  light,  sandy  quality,  and  is 
poorly  adapted  to  agriculture ;  yet  there  are  some  farms  that  will  bear 
comparison  with  any  in  the  neighboring  towns ;  and,  taken  as  a  whole, 
it  would  seem  that  the  land  is  better  than  it  has  often  been  represented. 
Lying  within  the  eastern  boundary  is  part  of  a  large  body  of  water, 
known  as  Massabesic  lake,  one  of  the  most  important  natural  features 
of  Manchester.  It  is  very  irregular,  being  divided  into  two  parts, 
connected  by  a  narrow  strait  Indented  with  points  and  dotted  with 
islands,  it  presents  to  the  eye  a  most  picturesque  appearance,  from 
whatever  point  it  may  be  viewed.  Several  hotels,  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  visitors,  have  been  erected  near  this  delightful  lake.  Several 
streams  have  their  origin  in  Manchester,  and  discharge  themselves  into 
the  Merrimack,  —  Cohas  brook,  which  issues  from  Massabesic  lake 
and  receives  two  smaller  streams  from  the  south,  and  discharges  its 
waters  at  the  southwest  of  the  town,  being  the  largest  There  are 
numerous  other  streams,  which  are  not  sufficiently  large  to  be  worthy  of 
particularization. 

The  first  important  work  of  art  projected  in  Manchester  was  the  con- 
struction of  the  Blodget  Canal  around  the  Amoskeag  Falls,  which  was 


568  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

completed  in  1816,  by  the  ingenuity  and  perseverance  of  the  late 
Samuel  Blodget,  and  cost  $60,000,  though  a  larger  sum  was  at  first 
expended.  The  Amoskeag  Falls,  between  Manchester  and  Goffstown, 
are  the  largest  on  the  Merrimack.  The  fall,  in  the  ordinary  stage  of 
water,  is  forty-seven  feet,  and  the  whole  fall,  in  the  distance  of  a  mile,  is 
fifty-four  feet,  furnishing  power  sufficient  to  run  many  thousand  spin- 
dles. This  almost  incalculable  force  is  the  nucleus,  as  well  as  the  chief 
cause,  of  the  growth  of  Manchester,  which,  though  not  more  than 
twenty  years  old,  is  the  foremost  city  in  the  state,  having  the  largest 
population,  while  it  is  the  most  varied,  extensive,  and  prolific  in  produc- 
tive industry,  and  second  only  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  in  point  of  cotton  man- 
ufactures. Aside  from  the  value  of  these  falls  in  their  capacity  for 
manufacturing,  there  is  a  natural  grandeur  about  them  which  commands 
admiration.  The  width  of  the  river  is  greatly  increased,  and  it  is 
divided  into  several  distinct  streams  by  numerous  small  islands.  The 
water  finds  egress  through  various  channels  over  a  ragged  bottom,  rush- 
ing with  great  velocity,  and  producing  a  sound  which  can  be  heard  some 
mUes.  The  force  and  action  of  the  water  can  be  well  divined  by  the 
examination,  at  the  upper  part,  near  the  greatest  fall,  of  some  circular 
holes,  various  in  size,  worn  perpendicularly  into  the  solid  rock  several 
feet,  some  of  which  exceed  eight  feet  in  circumference.  It  is  conjec- 
tured that  these  holes  were  made  use  of  by  the  aborigines,  in  time  of 
war,  as  harboring  places  for  provisions.  Certain  tracts  of  land  were 
severed  from  Bedford  and  Goffstown  and  annexed  to  this  city,  July  1, 
1853.  This  addition  included  the  villages  of  Amoskeag  in  Goffstown, 
and  Piscataquog  in  Bedford,^  on  the  west  side  of  the  Merrimack. 

Manchester  received  its  city  charter  in  June,  1846,  and  is  divided  into 
eight  wards.  It  is  situated  on  a  plain  ninety  feet  above  the  river,  the 
boarding-houses  of  the  corporations  occupying  the  slope  towards  the 
canals.  Its  form  is  nearly  square,  its  greatest  length  being  from  north 
to  south,  while  its  streets  are  regular  and  broad,  the  principal  of  which 
is  Elm,  —  the  Broadway  of  Manchester,  —  one  hundred  feet  in  width 
and  more  than  a  mile  in  length.  The  buildings  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  city  are  generally  of  brick ;  while  those  in  the  eastern  are  princi- 
pally of  wood,  elegant  and  tasteful  in  appearance.  In  different  parts  of 
the  city,  large  squares  have  been  laid  out,  which  are  decorated  with 
trees  and  inclosed  with  handsome  railings,  two  of  them  haVing  within 
their  limits  ponds  of  considerable  size,  which  serve,  not  only  as  orna- 
ments, but  as  reservoirs  in  cases  of  fire.  The  public  cemetery,  situated  a 
short  distance  from  the  city,  is  a  beautiful  spot,  always  a  place  of  resort, 
and  justly  a  source  of  pride  to  those  who  have  so  admirably  succeeded 

'  See  ante,  p.  420. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE CITY    OF   MANCHESTER.  569 

in  clothing  with   beauty  and  attraction  the  last  resting-place  of  mor- 
tals. 

The  subjoined  statistics  of  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Manchester 
are  for  the  year  1856,  and  are  considered  as  the  fair  exponent  of  ordi- 
nary business  times.  Nearly  all  of  the  establishments  contained  in  the 
following  enumeration  are  in  a  sound  position,  although  the  full  resump- 
tion of  operations  following  after  the  great  financial  crisis  of  1857-8 
cannot  yet  be  recorded.  The  Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Company, 
incorporated  in  1831,  commenced  operations  in  1842,  and  has  a  cap- 
ital of  $3,000,000.  There  are  five  mills.  Numbers  1  and  2  are  each 
five  stories  high,  166  feet  long  and  50  wide,  and  calculated  each  for 
8,000  spindles.  Number  3  was  built  in  1843^,  of  three  stories,  444 
feet  long  and  60  wide,  calculated  for  20,000  spindles.  Number  4 
was  built  in  1847-8,  six  stories  high,  260  feet  long  and  60  wide,  cal- 
culated for  25,000  spindles.  Number  5,  six  stories  high,  222  feet  long, 
60  wide,  and  calculated  for  20,000  spindles,  was  built  in  1855-6.  Their 
last  published  returns  show  them  to  have  85,000  spindles,  2,100  looms, 
to  employ  700  males  and  2,500  females,  to  consume  184,572  pounds  of 
cotton  weekly,  and  to  make  400,000  yards  of  cloth,  or  22,500,000  yards 
per  annum.  The  goods  manufactured  are  chiefly  ticks,  denims,  flan- 
nels, sheetings,  and  drillings.  Under  the  same  charter  and  capital  with 
this  company  is  the  Land  and  Water- Power  Company,  which  has  charge 
of  the  construction  of  new  mills,  the  renting  of  shops  and  power,  and 
the  selling  of  land.  It  has  also  the  direction  of  the  extensive  range  of 
shops  north  of  the  cotton  mills,  occupied  by  private  enterprise.  The 
Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Company  has  also  a  machine-shop  and  loco- 
motive works,  which  have,  by  superior  management,  become  of  great 
importance,  and  have  acquired  great  reputation.  The  machine-shop  and 
foundery  were  erected  for  their  own  convenience  in  1842.  In  1848,  they 
not  only  erected  a  new  machine-shop  and  foundery,  but  the  locomotive 
works.  They  have  a  boiler  shop,  tank  shop,  forge  shop,  paint-shop,  set- 
ting-up shop,  a  fire  proof  pattern-house,  and  a  storehouse.  These 
works  employ  500  hands,  use  annually  3,500  tons  of  cast  and  wrought 
iron  and  steel,  150,000  pounds  of  brass  castings,  250,000  pounds  of  cop- 
per, and  300,000  feet  of  lumber.  They  turn  out  annually  about  sixty 
locomotives,  and  machinery  sufficient  for  a  rail!  of  20,000  spindles. 
There  is  a  savings  institution  in  connection  with  this  corpora- 
tion, in  which  there  was  a  deposit,  in  1856,  by  the  operatives,  of 
$175,000. 

The  Stark  Mills,  incorporated  in  1838,  went  into  operation  in  1840, 
and  have  a  capital  of  $1,250,000.  This  company  put  the  first  cotton- 
mill  in  operation  on  the  east  side  of  the  Merrimack  in  this  city.     The 

48* 


570  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

first  structure,  which  now  constitutes  the  south  wing  of  mill  number  1, 
was  built  in  1838,  four  stories  high,  48  feet  wide  by  157  long,  upon  the 
upper  canal.  In  1839,  the  Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Company  built 
for  this  corporation  another  mill,  of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  former, 
which  is  now  the  north  wing  of  mill  number  1.  In  1843,  the  company 
had  a  centre  piece  built  between  these  two  mills,  four  stories  high,  with 
a  pediment  end  surmounted  by  a  cupola,  having  a  front  of  100  feet,  —  the 
entire  building  being  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  48  feet  wide  by  414  feet  in 
length.  The  north  wing  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1850,  but  was  imme- 
diately rebuilt.  Mill  number  2  was  erected  in  1848,  five  stories  high,  220 
feet  long  and  50  wide.  Both  mills  are  estimated  to  contain  40,000 
spindles  and  1,000  looms.  The  company  employs  1,000  female  and 
250  male  hands.  The  weekly  consumption  of  cotton  is  185,000  pounds, 
and  of  wool  135,000  pounds.  The  goods  manufactured  are  seamless 
bags,  sheetings,  and  drillings;  the  annual  product  being  2,080,000 
bags,  and  9,620,000  yards  of  the  goods.  The  pay  roll  is  about  $30,000 
per  month. 

The  Manchester  Print  Works  was  originally  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Manchester  Mills,  in  1839,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $1,000,000. 
In  1847,  this  corporation  became  merged  in  one  under  the  name  of 
Merrimack  Mills,  under  the  impression  that  the  charter  of  the  latter 
was  more  liberal  in  its  provisions.  In  1851,  the  name  was  changed  by 
legislative  authority  to  the  one  it  now  bears ;  and,  in  1852,  its  capital 
was  increased  to  $1,800,000,  which  is  its  present  capital.  The  manu- 
facturing department  has  two  mills.  The  first  was  built  in  1845, — 
440  feet  long,  60  wide,  and  four  stories  high,  exclusive  of  basement  and 
attic.  The  second  mill,  built  in  1850,  was  824  feet  long,  60  wide,  and 
five  stories  high,  besides  basement  and  attic.  These  contain  about 
60,000  spindles  and  1,500  looms;  employ  400  male  and  1,200  female 
operatives;  consume  weekly  22,000  pounds  of  cotton  and  25,000  pounds 
of  wool ;  manufacture  14,560,000  yards  annually,  consisting  of  de  laines, 
berages,  prints,  Persian  cloths,  and  cassimeres.  Upon  the  same  canal, 
below  these  mills,  was  the  old  printing  establishment  of  this  company. 
The  main  building,  built  in  1845,  was  six  stories  high,  300  feet  long, 
and  60  wide.  In  1850,  an  addition  or  L  was  added,  six  stories  high, 
extending  south  from  the  main  building,  225  feet  long,  and  60  wide. 
The  building  for  engraving,  and  containing  dyestuffs  and  chemicals,  and 
the  counting-rooms  of  the  printing  establishment,  were  east  of  the  main 
building,  the  madder  dye-house  being  north  of  it.  The  main  building 
of  the  printing  department  was  burned  in  1853,  and,  in  1855,  one  half 
of  the  largest  mill ;  but  both  were  immediately  rebuilt  in  the  most  ap- 
proved manner. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF  MANCHESTER.  571 

The  Amoskeag  Paper-Mill  commenced  operations  in  18-54,  with  a 
capital  of  $40,000.  It  employs  from  twenty  to  thirty  hands,  and 
manufactures  annually  about  270  tons  of  book  paper  and  fifty  of 
newspaper.  The  Blodget  Paper-Mill  went  into  operation  the  same 
year,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  for  the  manufacture  of  book  and 
news  paper  and  paper  hangings ;  turning  out  650  tons  of  paper,  and 
1,800,000  rolls  of  hangings.  The  Manchester  Iron  Company  was  incor- 
porated and  went  into  operation  in  1853,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000, 
employing  sixty  hands,  using  1,000  tons  of  iron,  and  making  950  tons 
of  castings  per  annum.  The  Manchester  Machine  Company,  incorpo- 
rated in  1853,  went  into  operation  in  1855,  with  a  capital  of  $300,000, 
employing  forty  hands  in  the  manufacture  of  platform  and  other  scales. 
The  Manchester  Car  and  Machine  Works,  incorporated  in  1854,  went 
into  operation  in  1855  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  employing  a  hundred 
hands  upon  the  manufacture  of  freight  cars  and  machinery,  using  1,000 
tons  of  iron  and  1,000,000  feet  of  lumber.  The  Manchester  Locomo- 
tive Works,  incorporated  in  1853,  began  to  operate  in  1854,  upon  a 
capital  of  $100,000,  with  two  hundred  hands,  making  locomotives, 
stationary  steam-engines,  and  tools ;  using  400  tons  of  iron,  25,000 
pounds  of  brass,  80,000  pounds  of  copper,  and  85,000  feet  of  lumber. 
Aside  from  their  other  operations,  they  turned  out  annually  about  thirty 
locomotives  and  steam-engines.  The  Blodget  Edge-Tool  Manufac- 
turing Company,  incorporated  in  1853,  commenced  operations  in  1855, 
upon  $100,000  capital,  employing  eighty-five  hands  in  making  all  kinds 
of  axes,  adzes,  hatchets,  and  other  edge-tools.  They  have  used  annually 
about  525  tons  of  iron  and  steel,  turning  out  about  25,000  tools.  The 
Manchester  Gas-Light  Company,  incorporated  in  1851,  commenced 
operations  in  1852.  The  works  are  erected  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Merrimack,  south  of  the  railroad  depot,  and  are  capable  of  furnishing 
150,000  cubic  feet  of  gas  in  twenty-four  hours,  the  pipes  being  of 
sufficient  capacity  and  strength  to  distribute  double  that  quantity. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  inserted,  as  illustrative  of  that  branch  of  the 
industry  of  New  Hampshire  which  has  grown  to  such  immense  impor- 
tance —  her  manufactures  —  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  works  of  the 
larger  corporations,  including  the  Stark,  Amoskeag,  and  Manchester 
Mills,  and  the  Manchester  Print  Works,  which  were  taken  from  the 
west  side  of  the  Merrimack,  in  Goffstown,  and  which  necessarily  con- 
ceal much  of  the  nearer  part  of  the  city.  No  satisfactory  picture  of 
these  establishments  can  be  obtained  from  the  east  side,  which,  how- 
ever, allows  the  best  general  view  of  Manchester. 

The  city  contains  twelve  church  edifices — two  Congregational,  two 
Methodist,  two    Baptist,  one   Universalist,  one   Free-will  Baptist,  one 


572  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Unitarian,  one  Episcopal,  one  Roman  Catholic,  and  one  Free  church  ; 
eleven  school-houses,  in  which  schools  are  kept  on  a  well  devel- 
oped and  practical  system ;  the  Manchester  Athenaeum,  containing 
a  library  of  3,100  volumes  and  an  extensive  reading-room,  which  is  now 
merged  in  the  city  library ;  an  efficient  fire  department,  consisting  of 
six  engine  companies,  two  hose  companies,  and  one  hook  and  ladder 
company;  six  newspapers;  four  banl<s,  with  a  combined  capital  of 
$625,000 ;  the  Manchester  Savings  Bank,  the  Amoskeag  Savings  Bank, 
seven  public-houses,  eighteen  reservoirs,  two  post-offices  (Manchester 
and  Amoskeag),  and  numerous  other  public  and  private  establishments. 
There  are  three  villages  attached  to  the  city,  known  by  the  names  of 
Amoskeag,  Piscataquog,  and  Moore's,  —  all  of  which  are  thriving  places. 
No  less  than  nine  railroads  centre  in  Manchester,  connecting  it  with 
the  most  populous  parts  of  New  England,  and  furnishing  unrivalled 
means  of  transportation.  Manchester  has  had  a  rapid  but  substan- 
tial growth,  and  is  still  increasing.  There  is  abundant  reason  for 
indulging  the  hope  that  the  prediction  of  one  of  her  early  settlers  is 
not  altogether  chimerical,  and  that  she  will  yet  vie  in  population,  in 
manufactures,  and  in  all  the  essentials  which  constitute  a  great  manu- 
facturing city,  with  her  transatlantic,  but  more  venerable  and  honored, 
namesake.  The  population,  in  1850,  was  13,933 ;  at  present,  it  is 
estimated  at  about  20,000 ;  valuation,  $9,276,438. 

Marlborough,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Cheshire  county,  adjoining 
Dubfin,  is  fifty-five  miles  from  Concord,  and  was  originally  known  as 
Monadnock  No.  5.  It  was  subsequently  called  New  Marlborough,  from 
Marlborough,  Mass.,  the  former  home  of  the  original  settlers  ;  but  when 
it  was  incorporated,  in  1776,  the  first  word  was  omitted.  It  was  granted 
to  Timothy  Dwight  and  sixty-one  others,  April  29,  1751,  the  conditions 
requiring  that  the  settlement  be  begun  forthwith,  a  compliance  with 
which  was  prevented  by  the  French  and  Indian  war,  in  which  the  col- 
onies were  then  engaged.  A  survey  of  the  territory  was  made  in  1762, 
and  the  town  was  re-granted  to  the  same  individual,  September  21, 
1764 ;  one  of  the  specifications  of  the  grant  requiring  that  "  a  con- 
venient meeting-house"  shall  be  built  within  ten  years  from  the 
date  of  the  same.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced,  in  1760,  by 
one  McAlister,  William  Barker,  Abel  Woodward,  Benjamin  Tucker, 
and  Daniel  Goodenough;  and  in  1776,  the  first  proprietors'  meeting 
was  convened,  at  which  the  question  of  building  a  meeting-house  was 
acted  upon ;  but  the  vote  to  build  was  not  passed  till  four  years  after. 
The  first  church  (Congregational)  was  organized  November  11,  1778, 
over  which  Joseph    Cummings  was   ordained  pastor,  being  dismissed 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   MARLOW.  573 

December  26,  1780,  on  the  plea  of  "  unfaithfulness,"  of  "  being  unex- 
emplary  in  walk,  imprudent  in  conversation,  unchristian  in  comparing, 
rash  in  judging  and  slandering,"  and  as  "  profane."  Rev.  Halloway 
Fish  was  pastor  from  September  25,  1793,  until  his  death,  September 
21,  1824,  having  presided  over  the  church  for  almost  thirty-one  years 
with  great  success.  Rev.  Salmon  Bennett  was  pastor  from  1825  to  1831 ; 
and  Rev.  M.  G.  Grosvenor  from  1835  to  1840,  a  new  meeting-house 
being  built  the  year  previous  to  his  installation.  The  present  minister. 
Rev.  Giles  Lyman,  commenced  his  ministry  in  December,  1840. 
Marlborough  originally  contained  20,740  acres,  which  have  been  reduced 
to  about  13,000  acres  by  the  incorporation  of  Troy.  Lieutenant  An- 
drew Colburn,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  killed  in  that 
eventful  struggle,  was  a  citizen  of  this  town.  The  town  has  a  broken 
surface  and  a  rocky  soil ;  but  it  is  suitable  for  grazing  and  for  grain. 
There  are  several  ponds,  which  are  the  sources  of  the  branches  of 
Ashuelot  river.  The  only  village  is  Graniteville.  Marlborough  has 
four  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Uni- 
versalist;  eight  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Marlborough 
and  Marlborough  Depot :  also,  the  following  mechanical  establishments : 
two  for  making  w^ooden  ware,  three  pail  factories,  a  toy  factory,  a  chair 
factory,  seven  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  and  one  machine-shop.  The 
Cheshire  Railroad  traverses  Marlborough.  Population,  878 ;  valua- 
tion, ^363,811. 

Maulow,  one  of  the  northwest  corner  towns  of  Cheshire  county,  forty- 
five  miles  from  Concord,  contains  15,937  acres,  and  was  chartered 
October  7,  1761,  to  William  Noyes  and  sixty-nine  others,  the  majority 
of  whom  belonged  to  Lyme,  Conn.  Joseph  Tubbs,  Samuel  and  John 
Gustin,  N.  Royce,  N.  Miller,  Nathan  Huntley,  Solomon  Mack,  Solomon 
Gee,  and  Eber  Lewis  were  among  the  earliest  inhabitants.  In  March, 
1766,  the  first  town-meeting  was  convened.  The  first  settlers  were 
Baptists,  and  soon  organized  a  church,  over  which  a  minister  was  set- 
tled in  January,  1778.  A  Congregational  meeting-house  was  afterwards 
built,  and  a  church  of  six  members  organized  in  1823,  which  is  now  ex- 
tinct. 

The  surface  is  undulating,  and  the  soil,  which  is  rocky  to  some  extent, 
excellent  for  grass  ;  but  will  produce  grain  and  vegetables.  Marlow  is 
watered  by  Ashuelot  river,  which  courses  through  nearly  the  entire 
length,  and  is  bordered  by  considerable  tracts  of  productive  interval. 
The  town  has  one  village,  known  by  the  name  of  Marlow ;  two  church 
edifices  —  Christian  and  Methodist ;  eight  school  districts  ;  the  Marlow 
Academy,  under  the   supervision  of  the  Methodist  denomination ;  and 


574  HISTORY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

one  post-office :  also,  two  extensive  tanneries,  seven  saw-mills,  one  large 
carriage  shop,  a  grist-mill,  and  one  tin  shop.  Population,  708 ;  valua- 
tion, $251,855. 

Mason,  Hillsborough  county,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the 
state,  forty-three  miles  from  Concord,  was  chartered  August  26,  1768, 
and  was  originally  known  by  the  name  of  No.  1.  Settlements  were 
begun  in  1751,  and  the  next  year  Enoch  Lawrence,  from  Pepperell, 
Mass.,  permanently  located  here.  Nathan  Hall  and  Jonathan  Foster 
were  early  inhabitants,  and  lived  to  a  very  ripe  age.  The  Congrega- 
tional church,  in  1772,  was  the  first  one  formed,  and  comprised  twelve 
males  and  nine  females.  A  meeting-house  was  erected  three  or  four 
years  from  the  date  of  the  charter;  and,  though  the  inhabitants  were 
scantily  supplied  with  human  comforts,  they  early  manifested  a  desire 
to  contribute  of  their  limited  means  for  the  permanent  establish- 
ment of  religion  among  them.  The  settlement,  instead  of  being 
formed  in  a  compact  manner,  was  scattered,  which  precluded  for 
some  time  the  organization  of  schools  for  the  children.  The  will,  how- 
ever, soon  overcame  these  obstacles,  and  the  institutions  of  learning 
and  religion  were  soon  working  their  beneficent  influences.  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Hill  was  pastor  and  associate  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  from  November  3,  1790,  up  to  the  time  of  his  decease,  a  period 
of  sixty-four  years,  seven  months,  and  seventeen  days. 

Mason  contains  18,860  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is  uneven,  being 
composed  of  large  swells,  with  narrow  valleys  intervening.  The 
meadows  were  formerly  beaver  ponds.  The  soil  in  some  parts  is  strong 
and  deep,  and  in  other  parts  shallow ;  that  on  the  highlands  was 
severely  injured  by  fires  prior  to  settlement.  Taking  it  as  a  whole. 
Mason  possesses  many  agricultural  advantages.  The  majority  of  the 
streams,  of  which  Souhegan  is  the  principal,  are  rapid.  Mason  Village 
and  Mason  Centre  are  the  names  of  the  largest  business  points.  The 
former  lies  on  the  Souhegan  river,  which  supplies  excellent  water  power, 
there  being  a  fall  of  eighty  feet  in  a  distance  of  eighty  rods.  As  yet 
this  power  is  but  partially  improved.  The  Columbian  Manufacturing 
Company  has  a  capital  stock  of  $200,000 ;  has  175  looms  and  6,200 
spindles,  and  manufactures  1,250,000  yards  of  cotton  cloth  annually. 
Besides  this  company,  there  are  two  grist-mills  and  five  saw-mUls,  as 
well  as  a  large  shoe  manufactory,  and  one  of  japanned  tin  ware.  The 
Congregationalists  have  two  meeting-houses,  the  Baptists  one,  and  the 
Christians  one  ;  there  are  nine  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  — 
Mason  Centre  and  Mason  Village.  The  Peterborough  and  Shirley 
Railroad  has  its  terminus  at  the    principal  village.     Mason,  from    her 


NEW   HAMPSHIKB  —  TOWK    OF   MEREDITH.  575 

many  advantages,  has  the  prospect  before  her  of  becoming  a  first-rate 
manufacturing  town.     Population,  1,626  ;  valuation,  $534,578. 

Meredith,  Belknap  county,  about  thirty-three  miles  from  Concord,  is 
bounded  by  New  Hampton  and  Centre  Harbor  upon  the  north  and 
west,  and  Lake  Winnepesaukee  upon  the  east.  Prior  to  the  incorpo- 
ration of  Laconia  out  of  its  peninsular  part,  in  1855,  it  contained  about 
36,000  acres,  in  which  the  waters  of  Great  bay  were  included.  On 
the  31st  of  December,  1748,  the  purchasers  of  Mason's  Patent  conveyed 
by  vote  the  tract  of  land  afterwards  incorporated  as  Meredith  to  eighty 
proprietors,  which  contained  the  usual  reservations  of  shares,  and 
conditions  to  secure  its  settlement  and  improvement.  Among  the 
reservations  was  an  allotment  of  six  acres  for  a  meeting-house, 
school-house,  training-field,  a  burying-ground,  and  for  other  public 
purposes.  The  first  settlement  was  probably  made  at  the  Weirs, — 
a  village  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  —  by  Jacob  Eaton  and  Colonel 
Ebenezer  Smith,  in  1766.  Others  soon  followed.  The  first  native  of 
the  town  was  a  daughter  of  Eaton,  born  March  11,  1767.  Daniel,  son 
of  Colonel  Smith,  was  born  July  4  the  same  year.  The  town  was 
incorporated,  at  first,  under  the  name  of  New  Salem,  December 
21,  1768 ;  and  the  first  town-meeting  was  held  March  20,  1769,  at 
which  William  Mead  was  chosen  moderator.  Colonel  Smith  town 
clerk,  and  the  latter  and  Reuben  Morgan  selectmen.  The  officers 
were  for  many  years  chosen  by  hand  vote.  At  the  annual  meeting  in 
1773,  the  town  voted  to  raise  six  Spanish  milled  dollars  to  hire 
schooling  for  the  year,  but  without  erecting  a  school-house.  The 
teacher  for  many  years  taught  at  private  houses  in  different  parts  of  the 
town.  In  1778,  Meredith  was  divided  into  three  school  districts,  cor- 
responding with  the  three  divisions  of  the  town,  and  $80  were  raised 
for  the  support  of  schools,  which  thenceforth  were  opened  for  the  re- 
ception of  all  desiring  their  benefits. 

From  the  lateness  of  the  settlement,  little  could  be  expected  of  the 
few  inhabitants  here  in  support  of  the  Revolution;  but  they  were 
patriotic,  and  universally  espoused  the  cause  of  their  country.  They 
furnished  and  supported  men,  giving  them  the  ordinary  wages  and  a 
liberal  bounty.  May  5,  1775,  they  voted  "to  raise  ten  men  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  march  to  the  aid  of  their  distressed  country- 
men ;  and  that  the  selectmen  purchase  a  barrel  of  powder,  and  bullets 
and  flints  answering  thereto."  The  next  year  a  committee  of  safety 
was  appointed,  and  ^45  sterling  were  voted  for  the  support  of  the 
war.  In  April,  1777,  the  town  again  voted  (fifty  voters  being  present), 
to  raise  their  quota  of  men,  and   give  them  each   a   bounty  of  £10 


576  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

sterling.  In  1778,  money  was  voted  to  pay  continental  soldiers  who 
should  enlist  during  the  war.  Thus  they  sought  every  occasion  to  show 
their  willingness  to  sacrifice  life  and  property  in  maintenance  of  the 
liberties  of  the  people. 

The  first  pioneers  neglected,  at  the  outset,  to  bring  with  them  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  the  unhappy  effects  of  which  are  felt  to  the 
present  day.  Yet,  in  the  year  1775,  a  vote  was  passed  to  raise  £6 
lawful  money,  to  be  applied  to  hire  preaching  some  part  of  the  year. 
Repeated  attempts  were  made  to  build  a  meeting-house,  but  they  failed 
until  1786-87,  when  one  was  built  at  Laconia  Parade.  Its  loca- 
tion was  on  the  road  between  Meredith  Bridge  and  Meredith  Village, 
four  miles  from  the  latter  and  five  from  the  former.  A  church  of  nine 
members  was  organized  August  30,  1792,  over  which  Rev.  Simon  F. 
Williams  was  installed  pastor,  November  28,  of  that  year,  and  dis- 
missed August  28,  1798,  for  "  unministerial  and  unchristian  conduct." 
The  church  soon  became  extinct,  and  but  little  now  remains  to  mark 
the  spot  but  an  old,  dilapidated  meeting-house.  Other  societies  have, 
how^ever,  sprung  up  in  other  parts  of  the  town. 

Meredith  is  favorably  located  for  business  advantages,  being  upon  a 
large  navigable  body  of  water,  and  traversed  by  the  Boston,  Concord, 
and  Montreal  Railroad,  which  has  two  stations  here.  The  waters  of 
Great  bay  and  the  lake  are  abundantly  supplied  with  excellent  fish  of 
various  kinds.  The  scenery  is  unsurpassed  for  beauty  and  variety. 
The  eye  never  tires,  nor  does  the  spirit  flag,  in  contemplating  it.  The 
surface  of  the  town  is  uneven,  but  not  mountainous.  The  roads  are 
well  made,  and  kept  in  good  order.  The  soil  is  as  good  as  a  granite 
region  can  afford,  and  well  adapted  to  grass.  The  tilled  crops  are 
chiefly  corn,  wheat,  rye,  and  potatoes.  Much  fruit  is  grown,  partic- 
ularly apples.  The  inhabitants  are  farmers,  mechanics,  and  merchants 
of  an  industrious  and  enterprising  character,  many  of  them  being 
wealthy. 

There  are  two  villages —  Meredith  Village  and  Meredith  Centre, 
with  a  post-office  at  each,  of  the  same  name.  At  Meredith  Village  are 
seven  stores,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  shingle  mill,  blacksmith  shop,  harness- 
maker's  shop,  tannery,  and  public-house.  The  railroad  passes  on  the 
south  side  of  the  village,  and  the  steamer  Dover  connects  it  with 
several  places  on  the  lake,  and  with  the  Cocheeho  Railroad  at  Alton ; 
by  which  means  it  is  made  quite  a  resort  for  summer  visitors  at  the 
lakes.  Measley  pond,  near  this  village,  is  a  sheet  of  water  four  miles 
long,  and  from  one  to  two  miles  wide.  Its  outlet  furnishes  a  valuable 
water  power  at  the  village,  where  there  are  probably  six  hundred 
inhabitants.     At  Meredith  Centre,  situated  at  the  north  end  of  Great 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF   MERRIMACK.  577 

bay  and  containing  some  two  hundred  inhabitants,  there  are  two 
stores,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and  blacksmith  shop.  The  town  has  seven 
church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one  BajDtist,  and  four  Free-will 
Baptist;  and  eighteen  school  districts.  In  1790,  the  population  w^as 
881;  in  1800,  1,609;  in  1810,  1,941;  in  1820,  2,416;  in  1830,  2,683; 
in  1840,  3,344 ;  and  in  1850,  3,521 ;  being,  at  the  last  date,  the  eighth 
town  in  the  state.  The  incorporation  of  Laconia  has  probably  left  to 
it  upwards  of  2,000  inhabitants.     Valuation,  $577,565. 

Merrimack,  Hillsborough  county,  twenty-seven  miles  from  Concord, 
is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Merrimack  river,  and  joins  Nashua 
on  the  north.  All  that  part  of  this  town,  lying  south  of  the  Souhegan 
river,  was  included  in  the  grant  to  Dunstable,  from  which  it  was  set  off, 
with  Litchfield,  in  July,  1734.  It  continued  to  form  part  of  Litchfield 
until  June  5,  1749,  when  it  was  incorporated  separately.  It  was,  like 
the  town  from  which  it  was  set  off,  called,  by  the  tribe  of  Indians  who 
inhabited  the  territory,  Naticook.  In  July,  1729,  Captain  Joseph  Blan- 
chard  and  others  received  a  grant  of  all  that  part  of  the  town  lying  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Souhegan ;  and,  in  the  year  1733,  all  the  grants  lying 
north  of  Pennichuck  brook,  and  including  a  part  of  Amherst,  were  at 
first  called  Souhegan  East,  then  Rumford,  and  latterly  Merrimack.  On 
the  2d  of  April,  1746,  it  received  a  charter  from  the  legislature  of  the 
state  of  which  it  comprises  a  part.  About  the  year  1722,  the  first  white 
settlers  made  this  their  abode ;  and  among  the  names  are  Usher,  Has- 
sell,  and  Chamberlain.  About  1670,  John  Cromwell  built  a  trading- 
house  about  two  miles  above  Pennichuck  brook,  at  the  falls  which  now 
bear  his  name,  and  commenced  a  very  profitable  traffic  with  the  natives. 
Cromwell,  sensible  to  his  own  interests,  but  with  little  regard  to  those  of 
his  Indian  customers,  used  his  foot  as  a  pound  weight  in  the  purchase 
of  furs ;  and  his  honesty  being  suspected  by  the  savages,  they  drove 
him  away  and  burned  his  house,  the  cellar  of  which  is  still,  or  was 
recently,  visible.  The  first  church  was  a  Congregational,  formed  Sep- 
tember 5, 1771,  Rev.  Jacob  Burnap,  D.  C,  being  ordained  pastor,  October 
14,  1772,  in  which  honorable  position  he  remained  till  his  death,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1821,  a  period  of  forty-nine  years  and  two  months. 

Amonff  the  distinaruished  men  who  have  been  residents  of  Merri- 
mack  may  be  mentioned  Hon.  Matthew  Thornton,^  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration,  and  the  president  of  the  convention  which  met  at 

'  ■^Hicn  the  Ivcw  Hampsliire  legislature  met  at  Amherst  in  1798,  Judge  Thornton  was 
a  frequent  attendant  at  the  sittings.     While  there,  he  one  time  happened  to  meet  a  friend 

VOL.  I.  49 


578  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Exeter  and  assumed  the  government  of  the  colony  in  the  name  of 
the  people.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  but  emigrated  to  this 
country  at  an  early  age ;  and  was  a  colonel  in  the  military,  besides 
being  an  eminent  physician.  Mr.  Thornton  held  several  other  impor- 
tant offices.  His  death  occurred  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  Newburyport, 
Mass.,  June  24,  1803,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  E.  G.  Lutwyche,  an 
English  gentleman  of  education  and  property,  resided  in  Merrimack 
before  1776,  and  was  colonel  of  the  regiment  in  1775.  On  the  declara- 
tion of  independence  he  left  the  country,  and  his  estate  was  confiscated. 
Hon.  James  B.  Thornton,  a  grandson  of  Hon.  Matthew  Thornton,  who 
died  at  Callao,  Peru  (where  he  was  charge  d'affaires  for  the  United 
States),  January  25,  1838,  represented  Merrimack  in  the  legislature,  and 
was  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  this  state ;  he  was  also 
second  comptroller  of  the  United  States  treasury. 

The  surface  of  Merrimack  is  generally  of  a  level  character,  and  the 
soil  in  many  parts  is  very  fertile,  especially  the  intervals  along  the  river. 
At  the  mouth  of  Souhegan  is  a  valuable  water  privilege,  on  which  two 
factories  have  been  erected,  both  which  have  been  destroyed  by  fire. 
There  are  other  water  privileges  upon  this  river.  Leghorn  bonnets 
were  first  manufactured  in  this  region  by  the  Misses  Burnap,  of  this 
town,  to  whom  much  credit  is  due  for  their  skill  and  enterprise.  There 
are  two  meeting-houses  (Congregational),  twelve  school  districts,  and 
twelve   schools ;    the    Merrimack    Normal    Institute ;    four   villages  — 

of  his  from  a  neighboring  toiTn,  "who,  though  possessed  of  moderate  abilities,  frequently 

endearored  to  overrate  them.    In  the  eouree  of  conversation,  Mr.  D ■  asked  the  judge, 

if  he  was  not  of  opinion  that  the  legislature  had  improved  since  he  (Mr.  Thornton) 
occupied  a  seat  in  that  body,  and  if  it  did  not  then  possess  more  men  of  natural  and 
acquired  abilities,  and  more  eloquent  speakers,  than  it  did  when  he  (Jlr.  Thornton)  was 
a  member.  "  For  then,"  said  he,  "  you  know  there  were  but  five  or  si.t  who  could  make 
speeches ;  but  now,  all  our  farmers  can  make  speeches.''  To  this  question,  Judge  Thorn- 
ton, with  his  accustomed  good-humor,  replied :  "  To  answer  that  question,  I  will  tell  3'ou  a 
ston-  I  remember  to  have  heard  related  of  an  old  gentleman,  a  farmer,  who  lived  but  a 
short  distance  from  my  father's  residence  iu  Ireland.  This  gentleman  was  very  exem- 
plary in  his  observance  of  religious  duties,  and  made  it  a  constant  practice  to  read  a  por- 
tion of  Scripture  every  morning  and  evening,  before  addressing  the  throne  of  grace.  It 
happened,  one  morning,  that  he  was  reading  the  chapter  which  gives  an  account  of  Sam- 
son's catching  three  hundred  foxes,  when  the  old  lady,  his  wife,  interrupted  him  by  saj- 
iiig,  '  John  !  I  'm  sure  that  canna  be  true ;  for  our  Isaac  was  as  good  a  fox-hunter  as  there 
ever  was  in  the  country,  and  he  never  caught  but  about  twanty.'  — '  Hooh  1  Janet,'  re- 
plied the  old  gentleman,  '  ye  mauna'  always  tak'  the  Scripture  just  as  it  reads.  Perhaps 
in  the  three  hundred,  there  might  ha'  been  aughteen,  or  may  be  twanty,  that  ware  raal 
foxes,  the  rest  were  all  skunks  and  woodchucks. ' "  —  History  of  Londonderry,  by  Eev. 
E.  L.  Parker. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  MERRIMACK   COUNTY.  579 

Reed's  Ferry,  Thornton's  Ferry,  Souhegan,  and  South  Merrimack ;  and 
three  post-offices  —  Reed's  Ferry,  Thornton's  Ferry,  and  South  Merri- 
mack :  also,  five  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  and  one  carpet  factory.  The 
Nashua  and  Lowell  Railroad  passes  through  the  village  of  South  Mer- 
rimack.    Population,  1,250 ;  valuation,  ^530,826. 

Merrimack  County,  having  a  central  situation  in  the  southerly  part  of 
New  Hampshire,  contains  about  nine  hundred  square  miles.  It  was 
established  by  act  passed  July  1, 1823,  which  took  ten  towns  from  Rock- 
ingham and  thirteen  from  Hillsborough  county  to  create  this  new 
division.  The  boundaries,  as  established  by  the  act  of  January  3,  1829, 
dividing  the  state  into  counties,  are  as  follows  :  "  Beginning  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Franklin ;  thence  southerly  and  easterly  by  the 
county  of  Strafford  to  the  county  of  Rockingham ;  thence  southwesterly 
by  the  county  of  Rockingham  to  the  county  of  Hillsborough;  thence 
westerly  and  southerly  by  the  county  of  Hillsborough  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  town  of  Hillsborough ;  thence  northerly  by  the  westerly 
lines  of  Bradford,  Fishersfield  (Newbury),  New  London,  and  Wilmot  to 
the  county  of  Grafton ;  thence  southerly  and  easterly  by  the  county  of 
Grafton  to  the  bounds  first  mentioned."  By  these  bounds,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  county  is  very  irregularly  shaped ;  but  not  more  so  than 
most  of  the  counties  in  New  Hampshire.  It  has  now  twenty-four 
towns.  Concord,  the  capital  of  the  state,  being  the  shire  town. 

Merrimack  county  has  an  uneven  surface,  and  in  the  northerly  part  it 
is  rough  and  mountainous ;  but  the  soil  is  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that 
of  the  other  counties  as  regards  fertility,  and  is  generally  well  culti- 
vated. In  1850,  Merrimack  raised  231,610  bushels  of  corn  ;  a  larger 
quantity  than  was  raised  in  any  other  county  during  the  same  period. 
Kearsarge  mountain  and  the  Ragged  mountains  are  the  most  noted  ele- 
vations, the  former  rising  2,400,  and  the  latter  two  thousand,  feet  from 
the  general  level  of  the  country.  Merrimack  river  intersects  the  county  ; 
besides  which  there  are  the  Contoocook,  Suncook,  and  other  smaller 
streams,  most  of  which  furnish  a  good  water  power.  There  is  also  a 
large  number  of  lakes  or  ponds,  the  most  considerable  of  which  is 
Lake  Sunapee.  The  Northern,  the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal,  the 
Portsmouth  and  Concord,  the  Concord  and  Claremont,  the  Contoocook 
Valley,  and  the  New  Hampshire  Central  Railroads,  traverse  the  county, 
most  of  which  connect  at  Concord. 

The  county  belongs  to  the  second  judicial  district.  A  law  term  of 
the  supreme  judicial  court  is  held  at  Concord  on  the  first  Tuesday  of 
December  annually.  The  ti-ial  terms  of  this  court  commence  at  Con- 
cord on  the   first    Tuesday  of    February  and   the   third   Tuesday   of 


580  HISTOKT   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

August ;  and  the  terms  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  on  the  third  Tues- 
day of  March  and  the  third  Tuesday  of  October  each  year.  Popula- 
tion, 40,337 ;  valuation,  $15,548,299. 

MiDDLETON,  in  the  northern  part  of  Strafford  county,  forty  miles  from 
Concord,  contains  9,840  acres.  It  was  incorporated  March  4,  1778, 
the  first  settlers  coming  from  Lee  and  Rochester,  in  the  same  county. 
The  surface  is  level  with  one  exception,  a  part  of  Moose  mountain 
separating  it  from  Brookfield.  Bald  mountain  and  Parker  mountain 
adjoin  it  on  its  northern  margin.  The  soil  is  unfit  for  cultivation, 
being  rocky  and  sterile.  A  reservoir  is  supplied  by  a  branch  of 
Cochecho  river.  Cider  is  made  in  considerable  quantities,  and  maple 
sugar  to  some  extent.  Middleton  has  one  village  —  Middleton  Corner ; 
four  school  districts,  one  post-office,  and  one  Free-will  Baptist  church 
edifice :  also,  one  manufactory,  with  a  capital  of  $2,500.  Population, 
476 ;  valuation,  $140,238. 

Milan,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Coos  county,  150  miles  from  the 
capital  of  the  state,  has  an  area  of  31,154  acres,  and  was  chartered  to 
Sir  William  Mayne  and  others,  December  31,  1771,  under  the  name 
of  Paulsburgh,  by  which  it  was  known  until  December  16,  1824,  when 
it  was  incorporated  under  its  present  name.  Though  there  are  some 
considerable  mountains,  the  town  is  comparatively  level.  The  Andros- 
coggin river  passes  through  the  town,  and  furnishes  abundance  of 
water.  Its  tributaries  are  the  Chickwalneppee,  Leavitt,  and  Stearns 
rivers.  There  are  several  ponds,  of  which  the  principal  is  known  as 
Cedar.  There  is  one  village,  called  East  Milan;  one  church  edifice 
(Methodist),  eight  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices — Milan  and 
West  Milan.  The  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  which  passes  through  the 
town,  has  stations  at  Milan  and  West  Milan.  There  are  four  saw-mills 
and  one  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard  mill.  Population,  493 ;  valuation, 
$161,732. 

MiLFORD,  towards  the  southeastern  part  of  Hillsborough  county, 
thirty-one  miles  from  Concord,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  Souhegan 
river.  Milford  originally  belonged  to  Amherst,  and  was  called  the 
Southwest  Parish.  It  was  separately  incorporated  January  11,  1794, 
and  includes  what  was  originally  known  as  the  Mile  Slip  and  Dux- 
bury  school  farm.  Several  families  from  HoUis  were  also  annexed  to 
Milford.  John  Burns,  William  Peabody,  Benjamin  Hopkins,  Caleb 
Jones,  Nathan  Hutchinson,  and  Andrew  Bradford  were  among  those 
who    early   settled    here.       Captain   Josiah    Crosby,  a    Revolutionary 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   MILLSPIELD.  581 

officer,  who  died   October  15,   1793,  and  William  Wallace,  who  died 
in  1791,  were  among  the  first  inhabitants.     The  Congregational  church, 
the  first  one  in  town,  was  organized  in  1788,  and  then  had  nineteen 
members.      Humphrey  Moore  was  ordained  pastor,  October  13,  1802, 
and  continued  to  officiate  as  such  till  the  beginning  of  the  year  1836, 
about  one  third  of  a  century,  when  he  was  dismissed  for  some  trivial 
cause.     At  -the    close   of  his    pastorate,  the   church   consisted   of  225 
members.     Part  of  Amherst  was  annexed  to  Milford,  December  20, 1842. 
Milford  has   an   uneven    surface    and  a  productive  soil,  with   some 
rich  and  fertile  interval  along  the  banks  of  the  Souhegan  river,  which, 
besides   furnishing   the    needful    supply   of    water,   has   excellent   mill 
privileges.      Fruit-raising  is  a  large  item   in   the   productive  industry 
of  the   place,  and  it  is   said  that  in  one   season  sixty-two  bushels  of 
apples  were  taken  from  one  tree.     Large  quantities  of  hops  are  also 
raised,  the  intervals  on  the  Souhegan  being  principally  devoted  to  their 
culture.     There  are  two  meeting-houses  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ; 
eight  school  districts ;  a  high  school ;    and  one   post-office.     Manufac- 
turing is  prosecuted  to  a  moderate  extent.     The  Souhegan  Manufac- 
turing Company  has  a  capital  of  $150,000,  runs  five  thousand  spindles 
and  120  looms,  and  manufactures  1,100,000  yards  of  ticking  aimually ; 
the   Milford   Manufacturing   Company  has  a  capital  of  $30,000,  nine 
hundred  spindles   and   thirty  looms,  and  turns  out  250,000  yards   of 
ticking ;    the    Milford    Plane    Company    does    a    yearly    business    of 
$50,000.     There  are   nine   saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  five    shingle    and 
clapboard    mills,    two    manufactories    of    tin    ware,    three    boot    and 
shoe    manufactories,   two    carriage   factories,   one   iron   foundery,   two 
tanneries,  one    agricultural  implement  manufactory,  one  furniture  fac- 
tory, one  printing  office,  and  a  bank  (capital  $100,000).     The  Nashua 
and  Wilton  Railroad  passes  through  Milford.     Population,  2,159 ;  valu- 
ation, $1,013,334. 

MiLLSFiELD,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Coos  county,  adjoining  Errol, 
is  150  miles  from  Concord,  and  contains  23,200  acres.  It  was 
granted  March  1,  1774,  to  George  Boyd  and  eighty-one  others, 
among  whom  was  Sir  Thomas  Mills ;  and  from  him  the  town  received 
its  name.  In  the  northern  part  there  are  some  mountains ;  in  fact,  the 
whole  town  has  an  uneven  surface.  The  soil  is  strong,  but  somewhat 
cold.  Its  northern  extremity  is  watered  by  Clear  stream,  while  Phil- 
lips river,  and  several  smaller  streams,  perform  a  like  service  for  the 
other  parts.  There  are  a  few  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  is  three 
hundred  rods  long  and  140  in  width.  The  population  has  ever 
been  small,  and   of  the    migratory  species,  while    the   productive   in- 

49* 


582  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

dustry  is  commensurate  with  it.  In  1850,  the  census  gave  no  account 
of  inhabitants ;  in  1857,  there  were  two  persons  here.  Valuation, 
$12,100. 

Milton,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Strafford  county,  is  an  irregular- 
shaped  town,  containing  27,000  acres,  and  is  forty  miles  from  Concord. 
It  formerly  belonged  to  Rochester,  from  which  it  was  set  off  and  incor- 
porated June  11,  1802.  The  original  settlers  came  principally  from 
Dover,  Madbury,  Rochester,  and  towns  in  that  vicinity,  and  were  a 
hardy,  industrious,  and  intelligent  people,  early  manifesting  an  interest 
in  the  cause  of  religion  and  education.  The  Congregational  church 
was  organized  September  8,  1815,  under  the  labors  of  Rev.  Curtis  Coe, 
who  continued  to  preach  as  long  as  he  was  able  ;  but  prior  to  his  settle- 
ment they  had  occasional  preaching.  With  the  exception  of  Teneriffe 
mountain,  which  runs  along  the  east  part,  the  surface  is  comparatively 
level,  and  the  soil  good  for  pasturage.  This  is  an  agricultural  commu- 
nity, and  stock  is  raised  to  some  extent.  Salmon  Falls  river  runs  along 
the  whole  eastern  boundary,  thirteen  miles,  while  a  branch  of  the  same 
river  crosses  from  the  south  part  of  Wakefield,  uniting  near  the  centre 
of  the  eastern  boundary.  Milton  pond  and  Gould  pond  are  the  only 
bodies  of  water.  There  are  three  villages  —  Milton  Three  Ponds, 
South  Milton,  GoodwinviUe,  and  Milton  Mills ;  two  church  edifices  — 
Congregational  and  Christian ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  three  post- 
offices —  Milton,  Milton  Mills,  and  West  Milton.  The  Milton  Mills, 
with  a  capital  of  ^50,000,  have  eighteen  looms  and  1,200  spindles,  and 
manufacture  woollen  and  cotton  goods  to  the  amount  of  $90,000.  The 
boot  and  shoe  business  is  also  prosecuted  to  a  considerable  extent,  there 
being  about  $480,000  invested.  The  Great  Falls  and  Conway  Rail- 
road passes  through  Milton.     Population,  1,629 ;  valuation,  $494,066. 

Monroe,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Grafton  county,  was  formerly 
known  as  Lyman  West,  and  was  a  part  of  the  town  of  Lyman,  from 
which  it  was  incorporated  July  13,  1854.  A  Congregational  church  of 
twenty-six  members  was  in  existence  in  1821.  The  surface  is  in  some 
parts  brolcen,  while  in  other  parts  hills  prevail,  though  its  capacities  for 
grazing  are  excellent.  The  soil,  with  due  attention,  is  fruitful  in  grasses 
and  grains  ;  and  the  interval,  which  is  somewhat  plenty,  is  particularly 
rich.  Gardner's  mountain  lies  in  this  town,  the  western  portion  of 
which  is  capable  of  cultivation.  Bog  iron  ore  and  zinc  and  copper  ore 
are  found  in  various  parts.  Within  Monroe  are  the  "  Narrows,"  at 
which  spot  the  Connecticut  is  but  five  rods  wide,  being  thus  limited  by 
walls  of  slate.     In  its  vicinity  the  scenery  is  grand  and  picturesque.     At 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF   MONT  VERNON.  583 

the  junction  of  the  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  rivers,  near  the  north- 
western terminus  of  the  town,  the  former  assumes  a  diamond  shape,  its 
greatest  width  being  about  one  mile,  while  it  is  dotted  with  about 
twenty  islands,  presenting  a  very  bewitching  landscape.  There  is  one 
church  edifice,  occupied  by  Methodists,  Congregationalists,  and  Univer- 
salists ;  six  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Monroe  and  North 
Monroe :  also,  one  grist-mill,  a  carriage  factory,  a  machine-shop,  and 
several  mills,  in  which  a  large  quantity  of  lumber  is  manufactured. 
Population  in  1854,  about  750 ;  valuation,  $205,238. 

Mont  Vernon,  near  the  centre  of  Hillsborough  county,  twenty-eight 
miles  from  Concord,  contains  7,975  acres,  and  was  formerly  known  as 
Campbell's  Gore.  It  was  originally  a  part  of  Amherst,  from  which  it 
was  separated  and  formed  into  a  distinct  municipality,  December  15, 
1803.  Its  settlement  was  almost  contemporary  with  that  of  the  parent 
town,  having  been  commenced  about  1765.  James  Woodbury  was  the 
first  settler  upon  the  hiUs,  and  erected  his  rude  dwelling  a  little  south  of 
the  spot  where  the  church  now  stands,  and  soon  after  put  up  the  first 
framed  house.  Isaac  Smith  and  Jonathan  Lampson  were  among  those 
who  early  lent  their  energies  to  the  development  of  the  resources  of 
what  is  now  Mont  Vernon.  The  people  were  compelled  to  attend 
church,  in  the  first  years  of  the  settlement,  at  Amherst ;  but  though  the 
road  was  six  or  seven  miles  in  length  and  rather  crooked,  they  seldom 
failed  to  be  present  at  service  on  Sunday,  wallving  in  summer,  and 
travelling  on  their  ox  sleds  in  winter.  The  first  church  (a  Congrega- 
tional) was  formed  about  1781,  and  Rev.  John  Bruce,  a  divine  much 
respected,  commenced  his  labors  about  the  summer  or  fall  of  1784. 
The  lot  of  ground  on  which  the  meeting-house  now  stands,  and  one  for 
a  burying-ground,  were  presented  by  James  Woodbury.  The  meeting- 
house was  occupied  when  it  was  but  partially  finished,  —  the  floor  tim- 
bers not  having  been  laid,  and  the  windows  barricaded  with  but  loose 
boards.  Daniel  Adams,  M.  D.,  who  was  the  originator  and  conductor 
of  a  periodical  entitled  "  The  Medical  and  Agricultural  Register,"  and 
the  author  of  a  system  of  arithmetic,^  and  several  other  school-books, 
was  a  resident  of  Mont  Vernon.  Part  of  Lyndeborough  was  annexed 
to  the  town,  January  5,  1853. 

Mont  Vernon  lies  upon  an  eminence,  and  has  a  delightful  situation, 
as  well  as  a  beautiful  prospect  of  towns  and  villages  in  the  Merrimack 
and  Souhegan  valleys.     Sunrise  in  summer  brings  to  view  a  vast  ex- 

'  There  are  but  few  of  tlie  sclioolboys  of  the  last  generation  in  New  England  who 
are  not  acquainted  with  Adams's  Arithmetic. 


584  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

panse,  including  the  beautiful  villages  of  Massachusetts ;  while  from  the 
spire  of  the  church,  or  the  cupola  of  Appleton  academy,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  a  glass,  can  be  seen  the  snow-white  sails  upon  the  distant 
ocean.  The  name  is  a  fit  emblem  of  the  spot ;  for,  clustering  around 
this  eminence  are  numerous  farms,  in  the  mild  seasons  clad  in  the 
richest  verdure.  The  soil  is  similar  to  that  of  the  towns  in  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood.  There  is  but  one  smaU  stream  here,  rising  in  the 
north  part,  and  running  through  near  the  eastern  extremity  of  Amherst, 
emptying  into  Souhegan  river  in  that  town.  That  portion  of  this 
stream  near  its  mouth  was  named  by  the  Indians  Quohquinapassakes- 
sanannagnog.  The  Congregational  meeting-house  is  the  only  one  here. 
Mont  Vernon  contains  five  school  districts,  the  Appleton  Academy,  and 
one  post-office :  also,  a  w^riting-desk  and  fancy  box  manufactory,  twelve 
mechanic  shops,  one  tannery,  two  saw-mills,  and  one  shingle,  lath,  and 
clapboard  mill.     Population,  722  ;  valuation,   $298,092. 

MouLTONBOROiTGH,  in  the  western  part  of  Carroll  county,  on  the  north- 
west border  of  Winnepesaukee  lake,  is  fifty  miles  from  Concord,  and 
was  granted  November  17,  1763,  under  the  authority  of  the  Masonian 
proprietors,  to  Colonel  Jonathan  Moulton  and  sixty-one  others,  inhab- 
itants of  Hampton.  Ezekiel  Moulton  and  several  others  commenced 
settlements  in  1674.  A  house  of  public  worship  was  built  in  1773, 
but  was  prostrated  by  a  violent  east  wind  in  December,  1819.  A 
Congregational  church  was  organized  on  the  12th  of  March,  1777,  over 
which,  in  October,  1778,  Rev.  Samuel  Perley  was  settled  as  pastor,  who 
continued  but  a  few  months.  He  was  succeeded,  November  17,  1779, 
by  Rev.  Jeremiah  Shaw,  who  served  the  church  for  about  fifty-eight 
years,  fifty-two  of  which  he  was  pastor.  Mr.  Shaw  published  a  work 
in  answer  to  Ballou  on  the  Atonement,  entitled,  "  Great  is  the  Mystery  of 
Godliness."  He  died  in  1834,  aged  eighty-seven  years  and  nine  months. 
Rev.  Joshua  Dodge  followed  Mr.  Shaw,  having  been  settled  February 
27,  1828,  being  alive  at  the  present  time,  and  officiating  in  the  pulpit 
occasionally.  Many  evidences  of  this  place  having  been  once  a  great 
Indian  rendezvous  have  been  found.  A  curious  gun-barrel,  eaten  by 
rust  and  much  worn,  was  discovered  on  a  small  island  in  Winnepe- 
saukee. It  had  no  stock,  and  was  inclosed  in  the  body  of  a  pitch-pine 
tree,  sixteen  inches  in  diameter.  A  dirk,  with  a  round  blade,  a  foot  and 
a  half  long  from  the  point  to  the  hilt,  and  bearing  strong  evidences  of 
antiquity,  was  discovered  in  1819,  in  a  field,  one  foot  under  ground. 
At  the  mouth  of  Melvin  river,  on  the  shore  of  Winnepesaukee  Jake 
an  imm.ense  skeleton  was  exhumed  about  fifty  years  since,  apparently 
that  of  a   man  seven  feet  high.     During   the  clearing   of  some  land 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF  NASHUA.  585 

about  thirty-four  years  ago,  a  mound  was  discovered,  much  resembling 
a  human  grave,  rounded  with  small  stones,  not  found  in  this  section  of 
country,  and  so  compactly  placed  as  to  be  inseparable  by  striking  an 
ordinary  blow  with  a  crow-bar.  The  Ossipee  Indians  had  their  resi- 
dence in  Moulton  borough  at  one  time,  and  a  tree,  on  which  was  carved 
in  hieroglyphics  the  history  of  their  expeditions,  was  standing,  withifi 
the  memory  of  some  of  the  present  inhabitants. 

Moultonborough  has  a  surface  made  up  in  part  of  mountains  and 
ponds.  In  the  western  part  lies  Great  Squam  pond,  and  in  the  south 
are  Squam  and  Long  ponds,  connected  with  the  latter  of  which  is  a 
neck  of  valuable  land  projecting  into  Connecticut  river  some  distance. 
Towering  up  some  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  is 
Red  Hill,  formed  of  a  beautiful  sienite,  in  which  the  feldspar  is  of  a 
gray-ash  color.  On  its  summit  is  a  thick  growth  of  uvcs  ursi  and  low 
blueberry  bushes,  which,  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  turn  their  color,  giving  the 
mountain  a  reddish  hue,  from  which  fact,  probably,  it  derived  its  name. 
This  mountain  is  visited,  in  the  sunamer  season,  by  numerous  persons, 
attracted  hither  by  the  extensive  and  delightful  views  to  be  obtained 
from  its  summit.  Ossipee  mountain  lies  partly  in  Moultonborough,  and 
is  an  elevation  of  commanding  height,  on  the  south  side  of  which  is  a 
mineral  spring.  About  a  mile  north  of  this  is  another  spring,  sixteen 
feet  in  diameter,  the  water  of  which  is  clear  and  cold,  and  is  continually 
thrown  to  the  height  of  two  feet,  interspersed  with  particles  of  pure 
white  sand.  Water  power  is  furnished  by  this  spring.  On  the  stream, 
a  short  distance  below,  is  a  fall  of  water  of  nearly  seventy  feet,  and 
very  beautiful.  On  the  left  of  the  faU,  while  descending,  a  cave  is 
approached,  containing  charcoal  and  other  evidences  of  its  having  been 
a  resort  of  the  Indians.  Red  Hill  river  passes  through  Moultonborough, 
and  Squam  and  Winnepesaukee  lakes  are  partly  in  the  ]town.  There 
are  two  villages  —  the  Corner  and  the  Falls ;  four  meeting-houses  — 
two  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  and  one  occupied  by  the  Metho- 
dists and  Universalists  jointly ;  seventeen  school  districts  and  two 
post-offices  —  Moultonborough  and  East  Moultonborough :  also,  one 
grist-mill,  three  saw-mills,  one  hotel,  and  four  stores.  Population, 
1,748 ;  valuation,  $341,338. 

Nashua,  Hillsborough  county,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Merri- 
mack river,  and  was  called  Dunstable  until  1836.  It  originally  em- 
braced a  large  extent  of  territory,  comprising  the  towns  of  Nashua, 
Hollis,  Merrimack,  and  Hudson  in  New  Hampshire,  and  Tyngsborough 
and  Dunstable  in  Massachusetts,  as  well  as  portions  of  Pelham,  Litch- 
field, Milford,  Brookline,  and  Pepperell.     This  territory  was  granted  in 


586  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

different  lots  to  various  individuals  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts ;  and, 
as  there  appeared  little  probability  that  much  good  would  result  from 
these  grants  in  the  hands  of  so  many  parties,  in  September,  1673,  the 
proprietors  of  the  farms  already  laid  out,  and  others  who  were  disposed 
to  settle  here,  presented  a  petition  to  the  general  assembly  of  Massachu- 
setts, praying  that  said  territory  might  be  granted  to  them,  which  prayer 
"was  acceded  to  on  the  26th  of  October,  1673.  Among  the  original  pro- 
prietors were  several  of  the  leading  men  in  the  colony,  some  of  whom, 
with  the  children  and  friends  of  others,  removed  here  and  took  up  their 
abode  at  an  early  period.  Of  this  number  were  Governor  Dudley, 
Rev.  Thomas  Weld,  Thomas  Brattle,  Peter  Bulkely,  Hezeldah  Usher, 
Elisha  Hutchinson,  and  Francis  Cook.  Many  of  the  first  settlers  came 
from  Boston  and  vicinity,  a  circumstance  which  gave  strength  and  influ- 
ence to  the  infant  settlement. 

At  what  time  Nashua  was  first  settled  is  uncertain ;  but  it  must  have 
been  considerably  earlier  than  the  date  of  the  charter  in  1673,  as  some 
of  "  the  farmers  "  w^ere  among  the  petitioners  for  said  charter.  After  the 
charter  was  obtained,  the  inhabitants  increased  rapidly ;  and  the  proprie- 
tors made  liberal  grants  to  actual  settlers.  The  act  of  incorporation 
was  passed  in  1693.  During  the  Indian  war  of  1675,  in  consequence 
of  the  dread  entertained  of  the  savages,  all  the  inhabitants,  except  Jona- 
than Tyng,  abandoned  the  place.  This  pioneer,  with  a  resolution 
worthy  of  all  praise,  determined  to  defend  his  habitation  against  the 
assaults  of  the  Indians,  and  with  this  purpose  fortified  his  house.  In 
February,  1676,  he  petitioned  the  colony  for  aid  in  the  defence  he  had 
so  bravely  begun,  which  was  granted  immediately,  and  a  guard  of  sev- 
eral men  despatched  to  his  relief,  which  remained  during  the  war.  The 
settlement  was  therefore  never  entirely  abandoned,  and  Tyng  was  the 
earliest  permanent  settler  within  the  limits  of  Dunstable. 

During  the  successive  wars  with  the  Indians,  from  the  position  of 
this  town  as  a  frontier  settlement,  the  inhabitants  were  continually  in  a 
state  of  alarm  and  dread  from  the  attacks  of  the  savages.  In  the  w^ar 
with  the  famous  Narragansett  sachem,  Nashua  was  much  exposed,  and 
some  of  the  inhabitants  fled  to  older  settlements.  From  1691  to  1698, 
several  attacks  Avere  made  by  the  savages,  in  which  many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants were  brutally  murdered  ;  but,  the  town  being  pretty  well  garrisoned, 
their  attacks  were  met  with  determined  resistance  on  the  part  of  the 
settlers.  In  1698,  peace  was  declared,  which  lasted  until  1703.  During 
the  remainder  of  this  Avar,  there  is  no  authentic  account  of  any  attack, 
although  there  were  occasional  alarms.  Dunstable  must  have  been 
peculiarly  fortunate  to  escape  unharmed,  while  Dover,  Portsmouth 
Exeter,  and  other  places  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  were  ravao-ed 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE  - 


CITY    OF   NASHUA. 


5S7 


almost  yearly.  It  is  not  probable  that  such  was  the  case ;  and,  though 
most  of  the  personal  and  local  history  of  the  day  is  forgotten,  there  are 
vague  hints  in  ancient  chronicles  and  records,  and  vaguer  traditions, 
nameless  and  dateless,  which  indicate,  that,  were  the  history  of  the  first 
half  century  of  Nashua  (or  Dunstable)  fully  told,  it  would  prove  a 
thrilling  romance.  The  celebrated  expedition  under  the  brave  Captain 
John  Lovewell,^  which  met  with  such  a  disastrous  defeat  at  Lovewell's 
pond  in  Fryeburg,  Me.,  was  organized  here,  and  seven  of  the  number, 
principally  officers,  belonged  to  this  place.  But  one  of  the  number, 
Noah  Johnson,  survived ;  all  the  others  being  killed,  or  so  severely 
wounded  that  they  lived  but  a  short  time.  The  story  of  "  worthy  Cap- 
tain Lovewell"  was  the  subject  of  many  a  ballad,  and  was  sung  at 
every  fireside.  The  mother  taught  it  to  her  child  to  excite  in  him  a 
hatred  of  the  "  Indian  enemy,"  and  to  set  before  him  an  example  of 
valor  and  patriotism,  which  he  was  to  imitate  when  he  became  a  man. 

During  these  trying  and  exciting  contests  with  the  Indians,  it  was 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  the  settlement  would  advance.  Fear  and 
desolation  reigned  everywhere.  Compelled  to  dwell  in  garrisons,  and  to 
labor  at  the  constant  peril  of  Life,  how  could  the  settlers  thrive,  or  who 
could  be  expected  to  emigrate  to  what  might  be  termed  "  the  dark  and 


"Works  of  Nashua  Iron  Company.     (See  p.  591.) 


bloody  ground  ?  "     In  1741,  the  fear  of  attack  having  somewhat  abated, 
the   settlement  steadily  increased ;  but  the  inhabitants  were  extremely 


"  See  article  on  Fryeburg,  Mc. 


588 


HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


poor,  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  public  taxes,  and  from  the  obstruction 
of  all  regular  employment.     In  1753,  Dunstable  contained  one  hundred 


Gagi',  \y^rner,  and  Whituoy's  Machine-shop      (See  page  591') 

and  nine  polls,  and  its  valuation  was  .£3,795.  During  the  French  war, 
several  companies  from  Dunstable  joined  the  New  Hampshire  regi- 
ments, both  which  were  commanded  by  citizens  of  this  town, 
Colonels  Joseph  Blanchard  and  Zacchcus  LovcwcU,  brother  of  Captain 
John  Lovewell.  These  companies  participated  in  the  capture  of 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  Several  of  the  inhabitants  also  joined 
"  Rogers's  Rangers,"  than  which  there  has  been  no  company  more 
famous  in  the  annals  of  America. 

In  the  long  succession  of  encroachments  which  preceded  and  caused 
the  Revolution,  the  inhabitants  were  not  indifferent.  They  had  watched 
the  storm  as  it  gathered,  and  knew  its  consequences  were  momentous. 
hi  Sejitember,  1774,  it  w^as  voted  to  raise  a  supply  of  ammunition  ;  and 
Jonathan  Lovewell  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  which 
met  at  Exeter  for  the  purpose  of  sending  delegates  to  the  first  conti- 
nental congress.  Into  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  struggle  they  en- 
tered, not  only  with  their  means,  but  witli  their  whole  h(^arts  ;  and,  in  all 
the  military  movements  in  whicli  New  Ilamjishire  took  part,  the  citi- 
zens of  Nashua  were  most  zealous.  Soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
a  company  was  formed  in  Cambridge,  forty  of  whom  wen;  from  this  town. 
The  whdle  male  jiopulation  at  this  time,  capable  of  bearing  arms,  was 
only  128;  so  that  nearly  one  lialf  of  them  were  engaged  in  the  stru"-- 
gle.     In  fact,  almost  every  male  inhabitant,  either  as  a  volunteer  on  an 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE CITY    OF   NASHUA. 


589 


alarm,  or  as  a  drafted  man,  was  at  some  period  in  the  service.  They 
were  in  ahiiost  every  fight  from  Bunker  Hili  to  Yorl<:town,  and  their 
bones  are  mingled  with  the  soil  of  many  a  battle-field  from  Massachu- 
setts to  Virtrinia.  From  no  other  town  in  New  Hampshire  was  there  so 
large  a  mimber  in  the  army ;  and  a  fact  so  honorable  to  their  patriotism 
and  courage  is  worthy  of  being  handed  down  to  posterity. 


Nashua  Manufacturing  Company.     (See  next  page.) 

For  a  number  of  years  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
little  occurred  which  would  be  of  general  interest.  In  1795,  there  were 
no  dwellings  where  the  splendid  town  of  Nashua  now  stands,  and  but 
one  or  tAVO  at  the  Harbor.  On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1803,  the  village, 
which  was  until  then  called  Indian  Head,  received  the  name  of  Nashua 
village,  and  this  may  be  considered  the  virtual  birthday  of  Nashua. 
The  whole  plain  upon  which  the  city  now  stands  was  then  covered 
with  its  native  growth  of  pines,  and  was  considered  of  but  little  value, 
being  sandy  and  barren,  and  ofiering  small  inducement  for  cultivation. 
From  this  date  the  settlement  was  gradual  and  constant.  Improve- 
ments progressed  rapidly ;  and  the  enterprise,  thrift,  and  perseverance  of 
her  sons  have  brought  it  to  its  present  condition  of  prosperity.  In  1842, 
that  part  of  the  town  north  of  the  Nashua  river  was  set  off  by  the  name 
of  Nashville,  and  continued  as  such  until  1853,  when  a  reunion  took 
place,  and  Nashua  received  a  city  charter.  A  Congregational  church, 
the  fifth  in  the  state  in  the  order  of  time,  was  established  in  1685, 
and  the  Rev.  Thomas  "VVeld,  tiie  first  minister,  is  supposed  to  have  been 
settled  the  same  year.      It  consisted  of  seven  men. 

Public  attention  was  first  directed  towards  manufactures,  in  whicli 
Nashua  is  now  considerably  engag<-d,  in  1820.     The  idea  that  first  sug- 

VOL.  I.  50 


590 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


gestcd  itself  \v;is  that  of  building  mills  at  Mine  falls;  and,  in  1822-23, 
the  few  individuals  who  had  conceived  tlie  idea  purcha.sed  the  oreater 
portion  of  the  lands  in  and  around  the  village  and  up  to  the  falls  and 
obtained  a  charter,  in  June,  1823,  by  the  name  of  the  Nashua  Manufac- 
turing C<)m])any,  having  a  capital  of  §1,000,000.  From  this  beginning 
a  large  class  of  manufacturing  interests  have  sprung  np.  The  Nashua 
Manufacturing  C\)mpany  has  four  mills,  a  view  of  which  is  here  given. 
They  contain  39,882  spindles,  1,135  looms,  and  manufacture  13,000,000 
yards  of  cloth  per  annum,  use  4,000,000  pounds  of  cotton,  and  their 
pay  roll  averages  fi?17,000  every  four  weeks.  Their  canal  is  three 
miles  long,  sixty  feet  wide,  and  eight  feet  deep  ;  liead  and  fall,  thirty- 
six  feet.  There  are  850  females  and  150  males  employed  in  these  mills. 
Tlie  savings  bank  connected  with  this  corporation  has  about  $40,000 
on  dejiosit.  In  1845,  they  erected,  in  close  proximity  to  their  mills,  a 
large  building,  which  was  for  a  time  occujiied  as  a  machine-shop,  but 
is  now  used  as  a  shuttle  and  bobbin  factory.  There  are  about  three 
hundred  men  emjjloyed  in  and  about  this  estaljlishment. 

The   Indian   Head  Mills,  a  view  of  which  is  here  given,  are  situated 


Jackson'  Company. 

oil  the  Nashua  river,  near  its  junction  with  the  Merrimack.  The 
land  on  which  the  mills  are  erected  was  purchased  of  the  Nashua 
Manulaeturing  Com]iany  iii  May,  1825,  and  a  comjiany  for  the  manu- 
facture oi  woollen  goods  Avas  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  "  In- 
dian Head  Company."  'i'heir  works  went  into  operation  in  1826.  lu 
1828,  tlie  company  became  embarrassed,  and  tlie  Avorks  were  stopped. 
The  whole  projierty  was  then  disposed  of  to  a  new  company,  which 
"was  incorporated  in  1830  under   the   name   of  tlvc  Jat-kson    Company. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   NASHUA.  591 

The  old  machinery  was  taken  out,  and  the  establishment  converted  into 
a  cotton  manufactory.  The  capital  of  this  company  is  $600,000 ;  and 
they  have  two  mills,  containing  21,000  spindles  and  700  looms,  which 
annually  produce  8,000,000  yards  of  cloth.  They  use  3,500,000  pounds 
of  cotton,  and  employ  425  females  and  150  males.  In  connection  with 
these  mills  is  a  savings  bank,  in  which  ^18,000  have  been  deposited  by 
the  operatives. 

The  Nashua  Lock  Company  does  also  an  extensive  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  mortise  locks  and  latches,  rosewood  and  composition 
knobs  for  doors.  The  principal  machine-shop,  a  view  of  which  is  given 
on  page  588,  is  that  of  Gage,  Warner,  and  Whitney,  located  on  Hol- 
lis  street  near  Main  street,  in  which  is  manufactured  every  description 
of  machinist's  tools,  from  small  engine  lathes  of  four  hundred  pounds 
weight  to  those  of  sixty  thousand  pounds ;  all  sizes  of  planing  machines, 
and  every  kind  of  stationary  and  portable  steam-engines,  boilers,  and 
shafting.  About  seventy-five  hands  are  employed,  and  the  monthly  pay 
roll  is  about  $2,000. 

The  works  of  the  Nashua  Iron  Company,  a  view  of  which  is  found 
upon  page  587,  are  located  upon  the  same  side  of  the  street  as  the 
above-described  machine-shop,  and  near  to  it.  This  establishment 
manufactures  every  variety  of  forged  iron  used  in  machine-shops  and 
"upon  railroads ;  also,  hammered  shapes  and  shafting  of  all  kinds ;  em- 
ploys about  forty  men,  and  has  a  monthly  pay  roll  of  02,500. 

The  Underhill  Edge-Tool  Company  manufacture  all  kinds  of  edge- 
tools,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  establishments  of  the  kind  in  New  Eng- 
land. Hartshorn  and  Ames's  Stove  Foundery,  which  has  acquired  a 
celebrity  aU  over  the  country,  is  located  here.  In  this  city  are  also  the 
Nashua  Foundery  Company,  which  makes  castings  for  machine-shops ; 
a  brass  foundery ;  a  small  cotton  manufactory,  carried  on  by  Thos.  W. 
Gillis ;  the  Nashua  Gas-light  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $75,000  ;  the 
Pennichuck  Water  Works,  a  bedstead  factory,  a  card  and  fancy  pa- 
per manufactory ;  two  door,  sash,  and  blind  factories ;  two  shops  for 
making  tin  and  sheet  iron  ware ;  one  steam  saw  and  planing  mill,  and 
one  propelled  by  water  power,  as  well  as  various  other  mechanical 
establishments  of  less  magnitude. 

Nashua  has  ten  church  edifices  —  three  Congregational,  one  Baptist, 
two  Methodist,  one  Universalist,  one  Unitarian,  one  Free-will  Baptist, 
and  one  Roman  Catholic ;  one  academy,  one  high  school,  eleven  school 
districts;  three  banks — the  Nashua,  the  Indian  Head,  and  the  Penni- 
chuck, with  a  combined  capital  of  $375,000 ;  four  newspapers —  the  Tele- 
graph, the  Oasis,  the  Gazette,  and  the  Granite  State  Register;  one  fire 


592  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

insurance  company,  and  one  post-office.  The  growth  of  Nashua  has 
been  of  a  substantial  character.  In  thirty-six  years  the  little  village  of 
fifty  souls  has  increased  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  fold.  By  the  won- 
drous alchemy  of  skill  and  enterprise,  out  of  the  waters  of  the  Nashua 
and  the  sands  of  this  pine  plain,  from  some  half  dozen  dwellings  have 
been  raised  up  these  thronged  and  beautiful  villages.  The  extensive 
and  elegant  view  of  the  city  presented,  was  taken  from  the  tower  of 
Mount  Pleasant  school-house,  and  will  at  once  be  recognized  as  a  faith- 
ful transcript  from  nature.  The  position  of  Nashua,  and  its  connection 
with  the  most  populous  marts  of  trade  by  railroad  and  steamboats,  are 
facilities  which  cannot  be  too  highly  appreciated.  Population,  in  1850, 
(including  Nashville),  8,942,  which  has  probably  increased  to  more  than 
10,000 ;  valuation,  ^4,483,567. 

Nelson,  Cheshire  county,  on  the  height  of  land  between  Connecticut 
and  Merrimack  rivers,  adjoins  Dublin  on  the  south,  and  is  forty  miles 
from  Concord.  It  went  originally  by  the  name  of  Monadnock  Number 
6,  and  was  granted  by  the  Masonian  proprietors.  It  was  incorporated 
February  22,  1774,  by  the  name  of  Packersfield,  from  Thomas  Packer, 
a  large  proprietor,  which  name  was  altered  in  June,  1814,  to  the  one  it 
now  bears.  Breed  Batchelder  and  Dr.  Nathaniel  Batchelder  were  the 
first  settlers,  the  former  having  arrived  here  in  1767,  and  the  latter  in 
1768.  The  earliest  church  formed  was  the  Congregationalist,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1781,  over  which  Rev.  Jacob  Foster,  one  of  the  members,  was 
ordained  pastor,  being  dismissed  November  23,  1791.  He  died  here 
December  3,  1798,  aged  sixty-six.  In  the  spring  of  1793,  Rev.  Gad 
Newell  took  charge  of  the  church,  and  was  ordained  pastor,  June  11, 
1794,  being  dismissed  September  3,  1841.  Mr.  Newell,  during  a  minis- 
try of  forty-two  years,  did  much  for  the  benefit  of  the  church,  and  was 
greatly  beloved  and  esteemed. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  land  is  good  for  grazing.  The  streams 
are  small.  A  branch  of  Ashuelot  river  rises  in  the  south  part;  and  from 
Long  pond,  lying  partly  in  this  town  and  partly  in  Hancock,  issues  a 
branch  of  Contoocook  river.  Four  ponds  furnish  the  principal  mill 
streams.  Plumbago  has  been  dug  here  in  considerable  quantities. 
There  are  three  villages,  known  as  Nelson,  Harrisville,  and  Munson- 
ville ;  three  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational  and  one  Baptist ; 
eight  school  districts  and  eight  schools ;  and  three  post-offices,  one  at 
each  of  the  villages :  also,  one  cotton,  one  woollen,  and  one  chair  fac- 
tory ;  three  shoe  manufactories ;  one  tannery ;  and  one  blacksmith's 
shop.     Population,  750 ;  valuation,  $259,472. 


>  >; 


H'         I' 


I     '1 


\  \ 


I   y 


|i  I 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   NEW   BOSTON,  ETC.  593 

New  Boston,  towards  the  northeast  of  Hillsborough  county,  is  twenty- 
two  miles  from  Concord,  and  was  granted  January  14,  1736,  by  the 
state  of  Massachusetts  to  inhabitants  of  Boston,  from  which  circum- 
stance it  received  its  name.  It  was  incorporated  by  New  Hampshire, 
February  18,  1763,  and  the  first  settlement  was  begun  about  the  year 
1733.  Among  the  earliest  inhabitants  were  Messrs.  Cochran,  Wilson, 
Caldwell,  McNeil,  Ferson,  and  Smith ;  and  in  twenty-two  years  from 
the  time  of  its  settlement  it  contained  fifty-six  persons,  a  saw  and  grain 
mill,  and  thirty-one  dwelling-houses,  —  sufficient  evidence  that  the  early 
inhabitants  were  men  of  energy  and  perseverance.  The  Presbyterian 
church,  organized  in  1768,  was  the  first  religious  society.  Over  this 
church  Rev.  Solomon  Moore,  a  native  of  Ireland,  educated  at  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  was  settled  September  6,  1768.  Mr.  Moore  was  suspected  of 
toryism  during  the  Revolutionary  period,  was  arrested,  taken  to  Exeter, 
and,  it  is  pVesumed,  endured  a  short  imprisonment.  He  afterwards  gave 
in  his  allegiance  to  the  state,  and  ministered  to  the  people  here  till  his 
death,  May  -3,  1803.  Rev.  Ephraim  P.  Bradford  was  ordained  pastor, 
February  26,  1806,  and  continued  such  till  his  decease,  December  15, 
1845.  He  was  a  good  scholar  and  a  zealous  pastor,  and  at  one  time  his 
name  was  proposed  to  fill  the  vacancy  of  president  of  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege. He  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  flock  and  by  the  members  of 
his  profession,  and  his  funeral  obsequies  were  attended  by  a  large  con- 
course of  sorrowing  friends. 

The  surface  of  New  Boston  is  of  an  undulating  character ;  the  uplands 
are  fertile,  and  valuable  for  agricultural  purposes ;  and  the  meadows  are 
good  for  grazing.  There  are  many  beautiful  farms.  In  the  south  part 
there  is  a  considerable  elevation,  called  Jo  English's  hill,  one  side  of 
which  is  nearly  perpendicular,  its  height  being  about  572  feet.  New 
Boston  is  watered  by  Piscataquog  river  and  several  other  streams. 
Beard's  and  Jo  English's,  the  latter  lying  partly  in  Amherst,  are  the  two 
principal  ponds.  The  town  has  one  village  ;  two  churches  —  Presbyte- 
rian and  Baptist ;  seventeen  school  districts ;  and  one  post-office :  also, 
several  saw  and  grist-mills,  and  other  mechanical  establishments.  Popu- 
lation,  1,477 ;   valuation,  $597,009. 

Newbury,  in  the  western  part  of  Merrimack  county,  has  Sunapee 
lake  on  the  north,  and  is  thirty-five  miles  from  Concord.  Efforts  for  its 
settlement  were  first  made,  in  1762,  by  Zephaniah  Clark.  It  was  first 
called  Dantzic,  and  at  the  time  of  its  incorporation,  which  was  in 
November,  1778,  Fisherfield,  in  honor  of  John  Fisher,  who  afterwards 
went  to  England.  This  name  was  altered  in  1836  to  the  one  it  now 
bears.     The  Free-will  Baptists  are  the  principal  religious  denomination. 

50* 


594  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

The  surface  is  somewhat  mountainous,  and  the  soil  very  indifferent, 
being  hard  and  rocky.  In  the  western  part,  the  hills  rise  to  a  considera- 
ble height,  and  the  land  is  broken,  but  adapted  to  grazing.  Water  is 
very  abundant,  but  there  is  no  stream  of  any  magnitude.  Todd  pond, 
five  hundred  rods  in  length  and  sixty  in  width,  affords  a  small  branch  to 
Warner  river;  and  from  Chalk  pond,  in  the  north  part,  issues  a  small 
stream,  communicating  with  Sunapee  lake,  a  considerable  portion  of 
which  lies  here.  There  are  two  villages,  called  Newbury  and  South 
Newbury,  two  Union  churches,  thirteen  schools,  and  two  post-offices, 
one  at  each  of  the  villages.     Population,  738  ;  valuation,  $248,678. 

New  Castle,  Rockingham  county,  is  an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Piscataqua  river,  at  the  entrance  to  Portsmouth  harbor,  from  which 
city  it  is  about  three  miles  distant.  Rye,  Greenland,  Newington,  and 
Portsmouth  were,  in  connection  with  New  Castle,  originally  one  town, 
and  it  was  here  that  the  first  settlement  in  New  Hampshire  was  begun, 
in  1623.  It  was  formerly  known  as  Great  Island ;  and,  in  ancient 
times,  when  Strawberry  Bank  was  the  mere  skeleton  of  the  present 
prosperous  city  of  Portsmouth,  most  of  the  business  of  the  immediate 
vicinity  was  transacted  on  it.  A  church  was  early  organized  in  this 
settlement,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Moodey,^  son  of  Rev.  Joshua  Moodev, 
preached  here  previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. In  1693,  in  compliance  with  a  petition  from  the  inhabitants. 
New  Castle  was  separately  incorporated.^  In  1706,  a  new  meeting- 
house was  erected  in  the  style  of  the  period,  but  finished  wdth  more 
than  ordinary  elegance.  It  had  a  fine-toned  bell,  imported  from  Eng- 
land, was  decorated  with  a  beautiful  altar-piece,  and  furnished  Avith  a 
communion-service  of  silver.  A  large  silver  cup  was  presented  by 
Mrs.  Jane  Turrell,  sister  of  Sir  William  Pepperrell,  and  a  large  folio 
bible,  with  illuminated  letters,  printed  at  the  University  of  Oxford,  was 
bequeathed  by  Madam  Mary  Prescott.  From  1778  to  1784,  the  period 
of  the  American  Revolution,  the  people  suffered  under  great  anxiety 
and  pecuniary  embarrassiTient,  and  the  threat  of  a  British  man-of-war, 

^  It  is  related  of  this  clergyman,  that,  while  addressing  some  of  his  hcarei-s,  most  of 
•whom  were  sailors,  on  the  occasion  of  a  shipwreck,  he  inquired:  "Supposing,  my 
brethren,  any  of  you  should  be  taken  short  in  the  bay,  in  a  northeast  storm — your 
hearts  trembling  with  fear,  and  nothing  but  death  before  you  —  whither  would  your 
thoughts  turn  —  what  would  j-ou  do  ?  "  He  paused,  and  an  untutored  sailor,  whose 
attention  was  arrested  by  the  description  of  a  storm  at  sea,  supposing  lie  waited  for  an 
answer,  replied,  "  Wli)',  in  that  case,  d'  ye  see,  I  should  immediately  hoist  the  foresail,  and 
scud  away  for  Squani."  —  Farmer  and  Moore's  Collections,  vol.  n.,  p.  297. 

'  The  charter,  under  the  royal  seal  of  Williara  and  Mary,  is  still  preserved  in  the 
archives  of  the  town.     It  is  written  on  parchment,  in  old  English  black-letter. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   NEW   CASTLE.  595 

to  burn  the  place,  compelled  many  of  the  inhabitants  to  abandon  the 
island. 

Fort  William  and  Mary  formerly  stood  on  this  island ;  and,  prior  to 
the  Revolution,  was  the  scene  of  one  of  the  first  outbursts  of  colonial 
indignation  at  the  measures  of  the  British  government.  By  an  order  in 
council,  a  prohibition  was  laid  on  the  exportation  of  gunpowder,  and 
other  military  stores,  to  America  ;  and  a  copy  of  the  order  having  been 
brought  by  express  to  Portsmouth,  December  13,  1774,  when  a  British 
ship  with  troops  was  daily  expected  from  Boston  to  take  possession  of 
the  fort,  the  committee  of  the  town  conceived  the  design  of  attacking 
the  fortress,  and  taking  from  it  some  of  its  contents.  A  company,  com- 
posed of  men  from  Portsmouth  and  neighboring  towns,  was  formed  with 
secrecy  and  despatch,  and  came  to  New  Castle  ;  and,  after  taking  the 
fort  and  confining  the  garrison,  which  consisted  of  only  a  captain  and 
five  men,  they  carried  off  one  hundred  barrels  of  powder.  The  day 
after,  another  company  came  here,  and  relieved  the  fort  of  fifteen  of  its 
lightest  cannon  and  all  the  small  arms,  with  other  munitions  of  war, 
which  were  distributed  in  the  several  towns.  General  (then  major) 
John  Sullivan  and  Governor  (then  captain)  John  Langdon,  took  a 
prominent  part  in  this  affair.^  The  powder  was  conveyed  to  Bunker 
Hill,  and  did  good  service  on  the  memorable  17th  of  June,  1775. 

Rev.  Joseph  Walton,  a  Congregational  minister,  much  beloved  and 
respected  in  Portsmouth,  was  a  native  of  New  Castle,  as  was  also 
Hon.  Theodore  Atkinson,  chief  justice  of  the  province  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  secretary  and  president  of  the  council.  He  died  September 
22,  1789.  Shadrach  Walton  was  also  a  native  and  resident  of  this 
town.  He  was  born  in  1658,  was  son  of  George  Walton,  and  was 
a  man  of  wealth,  as  well  as  public  distinction.  He  was  ensign  in 
1691,  engaged  in  the  Indian  wars  of  1707,  was  major  of  the  New 
Hampshire  troops  in  the  unfortunate  attack  on  Port  Royal  in  1707, 
and  their  colonel  in  the  reduction  of  that  place  in  1710.  He  was 
also  in  service  the  same  year  as  colonel  of  the  Rangers.  He  was 
appointed  councillor  by  mandamus  in  1716 ;  was  senior  member  and 
acting  president  of  the  province  in  1733,  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  from  1695  to  1698,  judge  of  the  superior  court  in  1698-9,  and 
again  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  from  1716  to  1737.  He 
died  October  3,  1741.  Benjamin  Randall,  who  follows,  was  his  great- 
grandson. 

Benjamin  Randall,  the  founder  of  the  "  Free-will  Baptist  connection," 
was    born   in    New    Castle,  February    26,    1749,   the    son    of    Captain 

'  Belknap's  Hist.  New  Hamp.,  Farmer's  ed.,  vol.  i.,  p.  353. 


596  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NE\y   ENGLAND. 

Benjamin  Randall,  a  shipmaster.  He  acquired  a  decent  mercantile 
education,  was  employed  as  a  sail-maker,  and  was  in  the  army  for  a 
short  period.  Becoming  converted  under  the  labors  of  Rev.  George 
Whitefield,  he  united  with  the  Congi-egational  church  in  1772;  but, 
becoming  Baptist  in  sentiment,  was  baptized  by  immersion  in  Madbury, 
and  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist,  April  5,  17S0,  at  New  Durham,  to 
which  place  he  had  removed  his  residence,  and  where  he  lived  till  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  there  organized  the  first  Free-will  Baptist 
church,  but  employed  himself  in  itinerant  labors  to  a  great  extent. 
Other  churches  of  the  same  faith  were  added,  his  labors  being  abun- 
dantly successful,  until,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was  the  virtual 
head  of  churches  embracing  nearly  20,000  souls,  gathered  by  the  efforts 
which  he  originated.     He  died  October  22,  1808. 

A  handsome  bridge,  erected  in  1821,  connects  this  town  with  Ports- 
mouth. Fort  Constitution,  and  a  light-house,  are  located  on  the  island 
in  very  advantageous  positions.  The  little  soil  that  the  town  possesses 
is  zealously  cultivated,  and  made  to  yield  a  profitable  return.  Fishing, 
however,  is  the  principal  occupation  of  the  people,  and  many  of  the 
men  and  youth  of  the  place  are  frequently  absent  from  the  island 
in  pursuit  of  this  business.  The  town  has  one  village,  two  churches 
(Congregational  and  Baptist),  and  two  public  schools.  Population,  800  ; 
valuation,  $53,620. 

New  Durham,  the  most  northerly  town  of  Strafford  county,  thirty-five 
miles  from  Concord,  was  granted  to  Ebenezer  Smith  and  others  in 
1749,  and  incorporated  December  7,  1762.  Colonel  Thomas  Tash, 
who  was  very  energetic  in  developing  the  new  settlement,  resided  here 
during  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life.  He  served  in  the  French  and 
Revolutionary  wars,  and  was  a  man  of  considerable  bravery.  The 
Free-will  Baptists  are  the  largest  denomination.  Elder  Benjamin 
Randall  ^  began  his  work  here  in  1780,  and  organized  a  church. 

The  surface  of  New  Durham  is  not  very  even,  and  a  part  of  it 
abounds  in  rocks,  —  so  much  so  as  to  unfit  it  for  cultivation.  The  soil 
is  adapted  to  grazing.  The  principal  elevations  are  Mount  Betty, 
Copple-Crown,  and  Straw's  mountains,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the 
latter  of  which  is  a  remarkable  cave.  Rattlesnake  hill  lies  in  the  centre 
of  the  town :  its  south  side  is  almost  one  hundred  feet  high,  and  nearly 
perpendicular.  A  curious  fountain,  over  which  a  part  of  Ela's  river 
flows,  exists  here,  the  depth  of  which  has  not  been  ascertained.  Water, 
extremely  cold  and  pure,  may  be  obtained  from  this  fountain  by  sinking 
a  small-mouthed   vessel.      The  principal  stream  is  Ela's  river,  and  the 

'  See  Now  Castle. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF    NEW   HAMPTON.  597 

largest  collection  of  water  is  Merrymeeting  pond,  about  ten  miles  in 
circumference,  from  which  a  perpetual  stream  runs  into  Merrymeet- 
ing bay,  in  Alton.  Wood  and  lumber  comprise  the  chief  articles  of 
trade. 

New  Durham  contains  two  villages,  the  principal  of  which  is  called 
sometimes  Downing's  Mills  and  sometimes  Raudallsville ;  the  other  is 
known  by  the  name  of  Eureka  Powder-works,  situated  on  the  outlet  of 
Merrymeeting  pond,  a  very  fine  water  privilege.  There  are  two  Free- 
will Baptist  meeting-houses  in  town ;  fourteen  school  districts ;  and  one 
post-office:  also,  the  gunpowder  works,  five  saw-miUs,  two  grist-mills, 
four  shingle  mills;  and  three  stores.  The  Cochecho  Railroad  crosses 
New  Durham.     Population,  1,049 ;  valuation,  $332,750. 

New  Hampton,  lying  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Belknap  county,  thirty 
miles  from  Concord,  was  first  settled  in  1775,  by  Samuel  Kelley.  The 
origin  of  the  grant  of  this  town  occurred  in  this  wise.  General  Jona- 
than Moulton,  of  Hampton,  was  desirous  of  making  a  present  to 
Governor  Wentworth ;  and  accordingly,  having  fattened  an  ox  so  that 
it  weighed  some  fourteen  hundred  pounds,  he  hoisted  a  flag  on  its  horns 
and  drove  it  to  Portsmouth,  to  the  governor,  who  wished  to  remunerate 
the  general  for  so  rich  a  gift.  The  latter  strenuously  refused  to  receive  any 
thing,  but  said  he  would  like,  merely  as  a  token  of  the  governor's  friend- 
ship and  esteem,  to  have  a  charter  of  a  small  gore  of  land  he  had  dis- 
covered near  the  town  of  Moultonborough,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
principal  proprietors.  The  request  was  acceded  to,  and  he  named  it 
New  Hampton,  in  honor  of  his  native  town.  It  was  incorporated 
November  27,  1777,  and  at  that  time  embraced  Centre  Harbor.  The 
first  church  organized  here  was  a  Baptist,  formed  in  1782,  of  members 
from  Holderness,  Bridgewater,  and  New  Hampton, —  Elder  Jeremiah 
Ward  being  ordained  pastor,  who  died  in  1816.  A  Congregational 
church  was  organized  in  1800,  and  Rev.  Salmon  Hebard  ordained  pas- 
tor ;  but  this  church,  after  fluctuating  for  a  number  of  years,  has  now 
ceased  to  exist.  The  Baptist  female  seminary,  a  very  influential  and 
extensively  patronized  institution,  and  the  theological  institute  of  the 
same  sect,  both  which  are  now  located  in  Fairfax,  Vt.,  were  originally 
in  New  Hampton.  The  Free-will  Baptists,  in  1854,  came  into  posses- 
sion of  the  premises  formerly  occupied  by  these  institutions,  and  have 
establishecl  a  school  of  considerable  influence. 

The  surface  of  New  Hampton  is  broken  and  uneven,  though  the  soil 
is  very  valuable  for  agricultural  purposes,  producing  grain  and  grass  in 
abundance.  A  high  hill,  conical  in  form,  lies  in  the  south  part,  and  it 
can  be    seen    in    almost  any  direction    for  many  miles.     A  very  pic- 


598  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

turesque  view  can  be  obtained  from  its  summit.  The  principal  stream 
is  Pemigewasset  river,  which  washes  the  western  boundary ;  and  over  it 
is  thrown  the  bridge  which  connects  this  town  with  Bristol.  On  the 
west  side  of  Kelley's  hill  is  a  remarkable  spring,  from  which  flows  a 
stream  supplying  water  power  for  several  mills,  never  affected  by  rains 
or  drought.  There  are  five  ponds,  the  most  noted  of  which  are  Pemige- 
wasset and  Measley  ponds,  the  former  being  about  two  hundred  rods  in 
diameter. 

There  are  two  villages  —  Smith's  village,  which  is  the  larger  and 
more  important,  and  Centre  village,  which,  as  its  name  denotes,  lies  in 
the  centre  of  the  town,  two  miles  north  of  the  former.  The  church 
edifices  are  three  in  number,  two  of  which  are  occupied  by  the  Free- 
will Baptists,  and  one  by  the  Baptists.  The  town  is  divided  into  fifteen 
school  districts,  and  has  one  post-office.  The  New  Hampton  Literary 
and  Biblical  Institution  is  situated  in  Smith's  village,  and  is  the  only 
Biblical  seminary  of  the  Free-will  Baptist  denomination  in  New  Eng- 
land. It  was  founded  in  1853,  and  consists  of  a  literary  and  theological 
department,  and  has  an  average  attendance  of  175  students.  The 
Mount  Ascension  Academy  is  situated  at  Centre  village,  and  depends 
for  its  support  upon  its  patronage,  and  the  liberality  of  the  citizens  in 
the  immediate  vicinity.  There  are,  beside  these,  four  incorporated  liter- 
ary societies,  namely,  the  Literary  Adelphi,  having  a  library  of  one 
thousand  volumes ;  Social  Fraternity,  having  also  a  library  with  a  simi- 
lar number  of  volumes ;  the  Germanae  Dilectaj  Scientia,  and  the  Theo- 
logical Research.  There  are  four  lumber  mills,  and  one  sash  and  blind 
factory.     Population,  1,612 ;  valuation,  ^415,025. 

Newington,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  having  the 
Piscataqua  river  for  its  northeastern  boundary,  was  originally  a  part  of 
Portsmouth  and  Dover,  and  its  settlement  was  commenced  at  an  early 
date.  That  part  which  was  from  Dover  was  called  "  Bloody  Point." 
Its  terrible  name  was  given  to  it  because,  in  1631,  Captain  Neal  and 
Captain  Wiggin,  rival  agents,  came  near  shedding  blood  there,  about 
the  possession  of  the  land ;  "  but,"  says  the  worthy  Mr.  Hubbard,  "  both 
the  litigants  had  so  much  wit  in  their  anger  as  to  waive  the  battle,  each 
accounting  himself  to  have  done  very  manfully  in  what  was  threat- 
ened; so  as  in  respect  merely  of  what  might  have  fallen  out,  the 
place  to  this  day  retains  the  formidable  name  of  Bloody  Point."  In 
1643,  the  Bloody  Point  part  was  in  controversy  between  Portsmouth  and 
Dover;  but  it  ^vas  assigned  to  Dover.  The  male  inhabitants  then  were 
Johnson,  Canney,  Ffursen,  Fray,  Jones,  Trickey,  Goddard,  LangstalTe, 
Fayer,  Trimings,  and  Lewis.     Langstaffe  died  in  1705,  aged  one  hun- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OF   NEW   IPSWICH.  599 

dred,  "  a  hale,  strong,  hearty  man."  Newington  was  incorporated  as  a 
parish,  July  16,  1713,  and  as  a  town  in  July,  1760.  Rev.  Joseph  Adams, 
uncle  of  President  John  Adams,  was  the  first  minister. 

The  Indians  made  several  incursions  into  this  town,  the  principal  of 
which  was  in  May,  1690,  when  a  party,  under  a  sagamore  called  Hope- 
hood,  assaulted  the  settlement  at  Fox  point,  burned  several  houses, 
killed  about  fourteen  people,  and  carried  away  six  as  prisoners.  They 
were  pursued  by  Captains  Floyd  and  Greenleaf,  with  some  of  the  set- 
tlers, who  came  up  with  the  enemy,  and  recovered  several  of  the  cap- 
tives and  some  of  the  spoil  after  a  severe  contest,  in  which  the  Indian 
sagamore  was  wounded. 

This  is  not  a  very  good  agricultural  town,  the  soil  being  generally 
sandy  and  unproductive.  On  the  margin  of  the  river  there  is  some  good 
land,  which  yields  average  crops  of  grain  and  grass.  Granite  is  quar- 
ried to  some  extent.  Newington  Avas  connected  with  Durham  by  a 
bridge  crossing  the  Piscataqua  river  at  Fox's  point  to  Goat  island,  and 
thence  to  the  shore — which  was  erected  in  1793.  This  bridge  was  2,600 
feet  long  and  forty  wide,  and  cost  $65,401 ;  but  a  portion  having  been 
carried  away  a  few  years  since,  it  has  been  abandoned.  There  are  two 
churches  (Methodist  and  Congregational),  one  school  district  and  one 
school,  and  a  post-office.     Population,  472 ;  valuation,  $191,215. 

New  Ipswich,  the  southwest  corner  town  of  Hillsborough  county,  fifty 
miles  from  Concord,  was  first  settled  under  Massachusetts ;  but  when 
it  was  commenced  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  It  is  asserted  on  good 
authority,  however,  that,  in  the  early  part  of  the  war  with  the  French 
and  Indians,  which  closed  in  1748,  a  family  by  the  name  of  Fitch  was 
taken  by  the  Indians  from  the  south  side  of  Wataticlc  mountain,  which 
so  alarmed  the  inhabitants  that  they  all  left.  In  1750,  the  Masonian 
proprietors  granted  a  considerable  part  of  the  town  to  thirty-four  indi- 
viduals, thirteen  of  whom  already  occupied  lands  in  the  place.  Among 
these  were  Reuben  Kidder,  Archibald  White,  Joseph  and  Ebenezer  Bul- 
lard,  Joseph  Stevens,  and  Abijah  Foster,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the 
first  to  bring  his  family  here.  An  earnest  desire  was  manifested  to 
have  religious  worship  from  the  earliest  date.  In  1752,  it  was  voted  to 
have  constant  preaching,  and  to  build  a  meeting-house,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  1754.  A  Congregational  church  was  organized  October  21, 
1760,  and,  the  next  day.  Rev.  Stephen  Farrar  was  ordained  pastor,  in 
which  post  he  continued  till  his  death,  June  23,  1809.  During  his  min- 
istry the  church  flourished. 

The  history  of  New  Ipswich  embraces  little  worthy  of  note.  There 
is  no  account  of  Indian  assaults,   save  that  already  given  ;  the  inhabi- 


600  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

tants  struggling  only  against  the  common  difficulties,  hardships,  and 
self-denials  common  to  new  settlements,  which  they  manfully  overcame. 
In  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  the  movements  of  the  people  show  that 
they  caught  the  spirit  of  those  days  of  peril,  and  were  anxious  for  the  per- 
formance of  duty  with  great  promptitude  and  at  any  sacrifice.  Among 
the  distinguished  natives  of  this  town  are  found  the  names  of  Jesse 
Appleton,  D.  D.,  president  of  Bowdoin  College  ;  Hon.  Nathan  Apple- 
ton,  and  the  late  Samuel  Appleton,  of  Boston  ;  the  late  Timothy  Farrar, 
for  forty  years  judge  of  the  New  Hampshire  courts,  who  lived  to  the 
age  of  101  years,  and  for  a  time  was  the  oldest  living  graduate  of  Har- 
vard College ;  besides  several  others,  who  have  acquired  high  reputation 
in  mercantile  life.  Hon.  Ebenezer  Champney,  judge  of  probate,  and 
his  son  Benjamin,  an  eminent  lawyer,  were  resident  here. 

The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  September  9,  1762.  The 
Pratt  pond  is  a  small  collection  of  water  in  the  southwest  part,  and 
gives  rise  to  one  branch  of  the  Souhegan  river.  On  this  river,  which 
takes  a  northeast  course,  are  several  cotton  factories,  —  Brown's  Tick- 
ing Mills,  the  Mountain  Mills,  and  the  Columbian  Manufacturing 
Company,  ■ —  which  have  given  rise  to  three  small  villages  contiguous 
to  each  other,  and  considerably  increased  the  business  of  the  place. 
The  first  cotton-mill  in  this  place  was  among  the  earliest  in  the  country. 
Besides  the  factories  already  noticed,  there  is  a  match  factory.  There 
are  six  villages  —  Centre,  High  Bridge,  Bank,  Smith's,  Gibson's,  and 
Wilder's,  —  the  principal  one  of  which,  the  Centre,  has  increased  very 
considerably,  within  the  last  thirteen  years,  in  population,  business,  and 
buildings.  At  this  village  is  situated  the  New  Ipswich  Appleton  Acad- 
emy, for  which  there  has  been  erected  a  new  building  at  a  cost  of 
$12,000,  being  assisted  by  a  donation  from  Hon.  Samuel  Appleton. 
There  are  also  thirteen  schools,  four  meeting-houses  —  two  Congrega- 
tional, one  Baptist,  and  one  Methodist ;  a  town-house,  a  bank,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,000,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  batting  factory,  three 
chair  factories,  one  bedstead  factory,  one  cigar-box  factory,  four  saw- 
mills, and  one  grist-mill.     Population,  1,877  ;  valuation,  $743,095. 

New  London,  Merrimack  county,  Hes  on  the  east  of  Sunapee  lake, 
which  separates  it  from  Sunapee,  and  is  thirty-three  miles  from  Concord. 
The  first  persons  who  arrived  were  Nathaniel  Merrill  and  James  Lamb, 
who  were  followed  by  Eliphalet  Lyon  and  Ebenezer  Hunting.  New 
London  was  incorporated  June  25,  1779.  Its  first  name  was  Dantzic. 
Dr.  Belknap  says  it  was  Heidelburg.  A  part  of  Wendell  (now  Sunapee) 
was  annexed  to  this  town,  June  19, 1817.  The  Baptists  were  the  first  to 
establish  a  church,  which  was  formed  October  23,  1788,  Rev.  Job  Sea- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  NEWMARKET.  601 

mans  having  been  ordained  pastor,  January  21,  1789.  Mr.  Seamans 
was  still  pastor  of  the  church  in  1856,  which  consisted  of  226  members, 
—  the  largest  Baptist  church,  with  one  exception  (Newport),  in  New 
Hampshire.  Ex-governor  Anthony  Colby  is  a  resident  of  this  town. 
The  surface  is  undulating,  and  in  some  places  broken.  There  are  sev- 
eral large  swells.  The  soil  is  deep,  and  on  the  average  good,  though 
some  of  it  is  rocky.  Lake  Sunapee,  which  is  the  main  source  of  Sugar 
river,  furnishes  abundance  of  water.  There  are  four  large  ponds  — 
Little  Sunapee,  one  and  a  half  miles  in  length  and  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  in  width ;  Harvey's  and  Messer's,  each  about  a  mile  in  length  and 
three  quarters  in  width,  which  are  separated  by  a  bog,  many  parts  of 
which  rise  and  fall  with  the  water ;  and  Pleasant  pond,  which  is  nearly 
two  miles  long  and  one  wide.  The  town  has  three  villages,  the  names 
of  which  are  Four  Corners,  Scythe  Factory,  and  Hemphill's  Mills ;  two 
church  edifices  —  Baptist  and  Union ;  seven  school  districts,  one  acad- 
emy, established  by  the  Baptist  denomination ;  and  one  post-office : 
also,  one  large  scythe  factory  and  five  stores.  Population,  945 ;  valua- 
tion, $370,846. 

Newmarket,  Rockingham  county,  lies  on  the  west  of  Squamscot  river 
and  Great  Bay,  and  was  originally  a  part  of  Exeter,  from  which  it  was 
detached  and  incorporated  December  15,  1727.  Mrs.  Fanny  Shute, 
who  died  in  this  town  in  September,  1819,  was  regarded  with  great 
respect,  as  much  for  her  excellent  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  as  for  the 
adventures  she  met  with  in  her  youth.  When  thirteen  months  old, 
she  was  captured  by  a  party  of  Indians,  carried  to  Canada,  and  given 
to  the  French.  She  was  educated  in  a  nunnery ;  and,  after  remaining  in 
captivity  thirteen  years,  was  redeemed  and  restored  to  her  friends. 
South  Newmarket  was  formerly  a  part  of  Newmarket,  from  which  it 
was  set  off  in  1849.  The  Orthordox  Congregational  church  was  organ- 
ized March  27,  1828,  over  which  Rev.  David  Sanford  was  ordained 
May  22,  1828,  he  having  preached  the  previous  year,  and  been  mainly 
instrumental  in  forming  the  church.  Through  his  efforts  a  house  of 
worship  was  erected ;  thus  involving  him,  by  his  disinterested  en- 
deavors, in  great  pecuniary  liabilities.  He  was  dismissed  June  22, 1830. 
Prior  to  the  formation  of  this  church,  the  Methodists  had  been  the  pre- 
dominant denomination.  Winthrop  Hilton,  a  descendant  of  the  Ed- 
ward Hilton  who  came  from  London  to  New  Hampshire  in  1623  and 
settled  at  Dover,  was  a  native  of  this  town.  He  was  an  active  and 
useful  officer  of  the  militia.  His  death  was  occasioned  by  the  fall  of  a 
tree  in  Northwood,  January  11,  1775.  A  tract  of  land  was  annexed  to 
this  town  from  South  Newmarket,  December  17,  1852. 

VOL.  I.  51 


602  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  surface  of  Newmarket  is  somewhat  uneven,  and,  in  the  south- 
west portion,  generally  hilly.  Lamprey  river  touches  the  northwest  and 
northeast  corners  of  the  town,  emptying  into  Great  bay,  whilst  the 
Squamscott,  upon  the  southeast,  divides  Newmarket  from  Stratham,and 
the  Piscassick  runs  north  into  the  Lamprey.  The  Boston  and  Maine 
Railroad  runs  through  the  eastern  part,  connecting  with  the  Portsmouth 
and  Concord  Railroad  at  the  junction  in  South  Newmarket.  There  are 
two  villages  —  Newmarket  and  Lamprey  River  ;  four  church  edifices  — 
Universalist,  Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Unitarian ;  five  school  districts  with 
nine  schools,  and  one  post-ofRce :  also,  one  cotton  mill,  owned  by  the 
Newmarket  Manufacturing  Company,  manufacturing  4,500,000  yards 
of  cloth  annually ;  two  establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  various 
kinds  of  machinery ;  four  stores ;  and  one  bank,  with  a  capital  of 
1,000.     Population,  1,937  ;  valuation,  $812,897. 


Newport  is  the  shire  town  of  Sullivan  county,  and  adjoins  Claremont 
on  the  west,  being  distant  from  Concord  forty  mUes.  It  was  granted 
by  charter,  October  6,  1761,  and  the  first  settlement  was  made  by  Jesse 
Wilcox,  Ebenezer  Merritt,  Jesse  Kelsey,  and  Samuel  Hurd,  in  the  fall 
of  1763.  Those  who  first  settled  here  came  principally  from  North 
Killingworth,  Conn.  It  is  stated  with  regard  to  Newport,  —  a  circum- 
stance worthy  of  record  — that,  upon  the  first  Sabbath  after  the  arrival 
of  the  early  settlers,  they  convened  for  public  worship  ;  and  neither  they 
nor  their  descendants  have  permitted  a  Sabbath  since  to  pass  without  a 
similar  observance.  The  first  spot  where  they  assembled  was  under 
a  tree ;  afterwards  they  worshipped  in  a  private  log-hoase,  where  they 
continued  their  services  for  seven  years.  They  had  no  preacher  at  this 
early  day,  being  satisfied  with  listening,  in  the  absence  of  a  more 
enlightened  expositor  of  the  word,  to  one  of  their  number,  who  read 
passages  from  Scripture  and  from  published  sermons.  A  meeting- 
house was  directed  to  be  built  in  November,  1772.  The  Congrega- 
tional church  is  the  oldest,  having  been  organized  in  1779,  over  which 
Rev.  John  Remeli  was  ordained  pastor.  This  church  was  considerably 
m  advajice  of  other  churches  in  its  efforts  to  check  the  evils  of  intem- 
perance, and,  in  1831,  made  total  abstinence  from  the  use  of  ardent 
spirits  a  condition  of  membership. 

The  surface  is  composed  of  hills  and  valleys,  and  the  soil  is  generally 
productive;  being  divided  into  three  classes,  alluvial,  dry  and  gravelly, 
and  moist.  The  eminences  deserving  of  notice  are  Bald,  Coit,  East' 
and  Blueberry  mountains.  The  town  is  watered  by  Sugar  river,  the 
three  branches  of  which  unite  near  the  principal  village,  from  whence  it 
passes  through  Claremont  into  the  Connecticut.     This  river  furnishes 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OP  NEWTON.  603 

excellent  water  power  for  mills  and  machinery.  Nettleton's  and 
Chapin's  ponds,  the  former  in  the  easterly  and  the  latter  in  the  north- 
west part,  are  of  small  extent. 

Newport  is  a  place  of  considerable  note,  as  much  from  the  fact  of 
its  being  the  shire  of  the  county  as  from  its  central  situation,  which 
renders  it  quite  a  business  locality.  The  principal  village,  called 
Newport,  is  almost  walled  in  by  hills,  above  which  may  be  seen  eleva- 
tions and  mountains  towering  in  the  distance.  The  scenery  in  summer 
is  romantic  and  beautiful,  while  in  winter  it  is  wild  and  sublime.  A 
broad  street,  about  a  mile  in  length,  runs  through  the  village,  on  which 
are  erected  some  tasty  residences,  having  commodious  yards  and  well- 
tended  gardens.  The  county  buildings  are  located  with  a  regard  to 
convenience,  and  are  built  of  substantial  materials.  The  climate  is 
good,  and  opportunities  are  afforded  for  hunting  and  fishing  rarely  met 
with  ;  which  circumstances  render  the  town  a  place  of  considerable  resort 
for  those  in  search  of  recreation.  There  is  another  village,  called 
North ville,  which  is  a  place  of  moderate  business.  Newport  contains 
four  churches  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  Universalist,  and  Congregational ; 
seventeen  school  districts,  having  a  like  number  of  schools ;  the  Sugar 
river  bank,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000;  one  newspaper  —  the  Argus 
and  Spectator ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  three  woollen  mills,  two 
tanneries,  and  one  scythe  factory.  Population,  2,020;  valuation, 
$741,224. 

Newton,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Rockingham  county,  forty  miles 
from  Concord,  was  first  settled  in  1720,  by  Joseph  Bartlett,  soon  after 
whose  arrival  came  several  others.  This  man,  twelve  years  previous  to 
his  settling  here,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  in  Haverhill,  and 
conveyed  to  Canada,  where  he  remained  four  years.  Newton  was 
incorporated  in  1749,  when  it  was  called  Newtown,  which  was  changed 
July  10,  1846.  Rev.  Jonathan  Eames  was  settled  over  the  Congrega- 
tional church  in  this  town,  January  17, 1759,  and  was  dismissed  in  1791, 
after  a  ministry  of  thirty-two  years.  The  Congregational  church  has 
long  been  extinct.  The  oldest  Baptist  society  in  New  Hampshire  is 
in  existence  here,  having  been  formed  in  1755,  when  Rev.  Walter 
Powers  was  settled  as  the  first  pastor.  The  centennial  anniversary  of 
the  formation  of  this  church  was  celebrated  with  some  very  interesting 
ceremonies.  A  farm  of  twenty  acres  was  annexed  to  Newton  from 
East  Kingston,  July  2,  1845.  The  soil  is  good  for  the  production  of 
grain  or  grass.  Part  of  a  pond,  known  by  the  name  of  Country  pond, 
lies  here.  The  prosperity  of  the  town  has  been  much  advanced  by 
the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad,  which  passes  through  its  westerly  part 


604  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

At  the  depot,  a  thriving  little  village  has  sprung  up.  The  manufacture 
of  shoes  is  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent,  —  in  fact,  most  of  the 
people  are  engaged  in  this  business.  Besides  the  village  already  men- 
tioned, there  are  two  others,  known  by  the  names  of  the  Centre  and 
Carter's.  There  are  two  churches  —  Baptist  and  Christian;  six  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  685 ;  valuation,  $277,869. 

NORTHFIELD,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Merrimack  county,  seventeen 
miles  from  Concord,  contains  19,000  acres,  and  was  settled,  in  1760,  by 
Benjamin  Blanchard  and  others.  It  was  incorporated  in  the  year  1780. 
Nothing  seems  to  have  been  done  in  the  way  of  advancement  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  first  church  organized  was  that  of  the  Meth- 
odist denomination,  in  1806,  when  the  people  erected  a  meeting-house, 
open  to  all  denominations.  The  Congregational  church  was  formed  in 
1822,  and,  in  1841,  was  united  with  that  at  Sanbornton  Bridge.  Part 
of  Franklin  was  annexed  to  this  town,  July  3,  1830.  Northfield  has  an 
uneven  surface,  with  some  hills,  —  the  soil  on  which  is  the  most  pro- 
ductive in  the  town :  the  other  portions  are  but  moderately  good. 
Bean  hill,  the  largest  eminence,  separates  Northfield  from  Canterbury. 
Chestnut  pond,  the  waters  of  which  have  an  outlet  into  the  Winnepe- 
saukee,  is  situated  in  the  east  part ;  and  Sondogardy  pond  in  the  south 
part,  draining  into  the  Merrimack.  Near  Webster's  falls,  in  the  northwest 
part,  the  Winnepesaukee  falls  into  the  Pemigewasset,  both  of  which 
form  the  Merrimack.  The  people  are  mostly  engaged  in  farming. 
Northfield  has  one  village,  called  Northfield  Factory  ;  and  one  meeting- 
house —  Methodist.  The  Northfield  Conference  Seminary  and  Female 
College  is  a  large  and  flourishing  institution,  under  the  control  of  the 
Methodist  denomination.  The  building  and  grounds  are  situated  on 
an  eminence,  a  short  distance  from  Winnepesaukee  river  and  San- 
bornton Bridge.  There  is  one  woollen  manufacturing  company  and 
one  wrapping-paper  mill :  also,  thirteen  school  districts.  The  Boston, 
Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  has  a  station  in  Northfield.  Popu- 
lation, 1,332 ;  valuation,  $482,098. 

North  Hampton,  Rockingham  county,  in  the  extreme  eastern  part 
of  the  state,  is  a  seaport  town,  and  is  forty-seven  miles  from  Concord. 
It  was  formerly  a  parish  of  Hampton,  called  North  Hill  (which  name  it 
retains  to  some  extent  even  at  the  present  day),  and  was  incorporated 
November  26,  1742.  Settlements  were  early  commenced  here,  but  by 
whom,  or  at  what  particular  time,  we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain. 
A  dread  of  the  Indians  made  it  necessary  for  the  inhabitants  to  dwell 
in  garrisons.     The  first  meeting-house  was  erected  about  the  year  1734, 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   NORTHUMBERLAND.  605 

and  near  it  stood  a  garrison  house,  erected  for  prot-ection  against  the 
Indians,  who,  on  the  13th  of  June,  1677,  killed  four  persons  named 
Edward  Colcord,  Jr.,  Abraham  Perkins,  Jr.,  Benjamin  Hilliard,  and 
Caleb  Towle.  In  this  house,  tradition  says,  Simon  Dearborn  (father 
of  Captain  John  and  Major-General  Henry  Dearborn)  was  born  July 
31,  1706.  The  Congregational  church,  originally  the  fourth  church  of 
Hampton,  was  organized  November  17,  1738.  Rev.  Nathaniel  Gookin, 
son  of  the  late  Rev.  Nathaniel  Gookin  of  Hampton,  was  the  first 
minister,  having  been  ordained  October  31,  1739.  Rev.  Jonathan 
French,  D.  D.,  has  served  this  church  for  a  period  of  fifty-six  years.  He 
was  ordained  November  18,  1801,  and  continues  in  the  office  of  senior 
pastor  at  the  present  time. 

The  soil  is  generally  of  a  productive  character,  and  most  of  the 
people  are  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Many  of  them  are  trades- 
men as  well  as  farmers ;  and  those  who  reside  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
ocean  employ  a  portion  of  their  time  in  fishing.  Between  North  hill 
and  one  a  short  distance  from  it,  at  the  south,  a  number  of  springs 
unite  and  form  a  brook,  which,  taking  a  west  and  northwest  direction, 
and  receiving  supplies  from  other  sources,  forms  the  Winnicut  river. 
This  river,  after  running  through  Strathara  and  Greenland,  empties  into 
Great  bay,  which,  through  branches  of  the  Piscataqua,  mingles  with 
the  ocean.  A  very  useful  mill  stream  originates  from  two  small  ones 
running  nearly  parallel  from  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  from 
numerous  springs  collected  in  a  circle  at  the  foot  of  Breakfast  hUl. 
Little  river  mingles  with  the  ocean  between  Little  Boar's  head  in 
North  Hampton  and  Great  Boar's  head  in  Hampton,  and  near  the 
celebrated  Rye  beach.  The  towir  contains  two  churches  —  Congrega- 
tionahst  and  Baptist;  three  school  districts,  and  one  post-office:  also, 
three  saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill.  Population,  822;  valuation, 
$331,893. 

Northumberland,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Coos  county,  adjoining 
Lancaster,  is  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  in- 
corporated November  17,  1779 ;  and  the  first  settlers,  who  arrived  in 
June,  1767,  were  Thomas  Burnside  and  Daniel  Spaulding,  with  their 
families.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  a  small  fort  stood  here,  and 
was  placed  under  the  command  of  Captain  Jeremiah  Eames,  a  man  of 
great  industry  and  ready  wit  The  soil  along  the  Connecticut,  and,  in 
fact,  a  good  portion  of  that  in  town,  is  of  a  productive  quality.  Lying 
near  the  centre  is  Cape  Horn,  an  abrupt  mountain  of  one  thousand 
feet.  A  neck  of  plain  land  separates  its  base  from  the  Connecticut,  and 
the  Upper  Amraonoosuc  passes  its  base  on  the  east,  as  it  falls  into  the 

51* 


606  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Connecticut.  There  is  a  handsome  bridge  between  Northumberland 
and  Guildhall,  at  the  falls  of  the  Connecticut,  below  the  entrance  to  the 
Ammonoosuc.  Stock-raising  is  pursued  to  a  limited  extent,  and  farm- 
ing engages  a  great  deal  of  attention.  There  are  two  villages  —  North- 
umberland and  Grovetown,  with  a  post-office  at  each ;  and  five  school 
districts :  also,  two  saw-mills,  two  blacksmith's  shops,  and  three  stores. 
The  Grand  Trunk  Railway  passes  through  this  town.  Population, 
429 ;  valuation,  $217,437. 

NORTHWOOD,  situated  in  the  north  corner  of  Rockingham  county, 
eighteen  miles  from  Concord,  originally  composed  a  part  of  Nottingham, 
and  received  its  name  from  straggling  parties  who  visited  this  place, 
and  who  designated  it  "  north  woods,"  to  distinguish  it  from  other 
wooded  localities.  Northwood  was  settled  in  1763,  —  John  Davis,  In- 
crease and  James  Batchelder,  Moses  Godfrey,  Solomon  Bickford,  and 
Samuel  and  Moses  Johnson,  being  among  the  first  settlers.  The  place, 
it  is  presumed,  from  the  number  of  antiquities  found  here,  was  frequently 
visited  by  roving  bands  of  Indians  ;  but  the  only  permanent  settlement, 
of  which  there  is  knowledge,  was  near  the  north  part  of  North  River 
pond,  near  the  line  which  now  divides  Nottingham  from  Northwood, 
and  within  the  limits  of  the  latter.  Here  lived  a  tribe  of  Indians,  at 
the  head  of  which  was  a  chief  by  the  name  of  Swansen.  There  were 
quite  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Northwood  engaged  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  many  served  in  the  last  war  against  Canada. 
Colonel  Samuel  Johnson  and  Sergeant  Bickford,  son  of  Solomon,  took 
an  active  part  in  the  contest.  The  town  was  incorporated  February 
6, 1773. 

A  Congregational  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1781,  and  the  first 
church  organized  November  29,  1798,  consisting  of  eight  members,  four 
males  and  four  females.  The  first  minister  was  Rev.  Josiah  Prentice, 
who  was  ordained  May  29,  1799,  and  continued  in  the  pastoral  office 
until  May  10,  1842,  when,  in  consequence  of  old  age,  he  requested,  and 
obtained  dismission.  The  house  erected  in  1781  was  occupied  as  a 
town-hall  from  1840  until  1847,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Another 
Congregational  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1840,  at  an  expense  of 
about  $2,500. 

The  surface  is  hilly,  and  there  are  no  plains  of  even  moderate  extent 
to  relieve  the  eye  from  the  continued  monotony  of  the  hills.  Were 
it  not  for  its  silver  lakes,  Northwood  would  be  viewed  by  travellers  wilh 
feelings  similar  perhaps  to  what  would  be  experienced  by  one  in  an 
uninhabited  country,  and  at  a  great  distance  from  home.  There  are 
many  large  swells  of  land,  on  which  are  the  best  farms  ;  but  only  one 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TO^TN   OF  NOTTINGHAM.  607 

can  claim  the  name  of  mountain,  which  is  called  Saddleback,  and  has 
an  elevation  of  1,032  feet.  The  soil  of  Northwood  holds  oat  but  few 
inducements  to  its  inhabitants,  being  generally  very  rocky,  and  hard  to 
cultivate.  There  are  ten  ponds  —  Bow,  Suncook,  Jenness,  Swain, 
Long,  Pleasant,  Littleton,  North  River,  Lucas,  and  Bargain's ;  four  of 
which  —  Bow,  Jenness,  Pleasant,  and  North  River  —  are  but  partly 
within  Northwood.  The  north  branch  of  Lamprey  river  has  its  rise 
near  Saddleback  mountain.  The  town  contains  three  meeting-houses  — 
Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  eight  school  districts ; 
and  two  post-offices  —  East  Northwood  and  West  Northwood.  Popu- 
lation, 1,308 ;  valuation,  $439,680. 

Nottingham,  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Rockingham  county, 
twenty-five  miles  from  Concord,  containing  25,800  acres,  was  chartered 
May  10,  1722,  and,  five  years  afterwards,  was  settled  by  Joseph  Cilley 
and  others.  In  1752,  during  the  last  Indian  war,  Nottingham  was 
visited  by  a  party  of  Indians,  and  a  Mr.  Beard,  Mrs.  Folsom,  and  Mrs. 
Simpson  (wife  of  Andrew  Simpson),  who  had  left  their  station  at  the 
garrison  to  perform  some  business  at  their  houses,  were  surprised  and 
put  to  death.  The  religious  denomination  which  first  introduced  their 
ministrations  here  was  the  Congregational,  who  established  a  society  in 
1742,  Rev.  Stephen  Emery  being  the  first  minister.  He  was  dismissed 
after  seven  years'  service.  In  1758,  Rev.  Benjamin  Butler  was  settled, 
and  remained  till  August  1,  1770,  since  which  time  the  church  has  been 
without  a  settled  minister.  Mr.  Butler  was  afterwards  a  civil  magis- 
trate in  this  town,  and  remained  such  till  his  death,  December  26,  1804. 
General  Joseph  Cilley,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Nottingham,  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary hero  of  some  note  and  distinction,  having  commanded  the 
first  New  Hampshire  regiment.  He  was  also  a  representative,  senator, 
and  counsellor.  He  died  August,  1799,  aged  sixty-five.  Hon.  Thomas 
Bartlett,  also  a  resident,  was  one  of  the  committee  of  safety  during  the 
Revolutionary  period,  lieutenant-colonel  under  Stark  at  the  capture  of 
Burgoyne,  and  colonel  of  a  regiment  at  West  Point  in  1780,  when  Ar- 
nold's treacherous  conduct  was  discovered.  He  held  several  civil  offices  of 
distinction,  and  died  June  30,  1807,  aged  fifty-nine.  General  Henry  But- 
ler, an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  major-general  of  militia,  justice  of  peace, 
and  senator  of  the  legislature,  died  here  July  20,  1813,  aged  sixty-two. 

Nottingham  has  a  rough  and  broken  surface,  with  a  range  of  hills 
lying  on  the  western  boundary,  known  as  the  Upper,  Middle,  and  Lower 
mountains ;  the  latter  separated  into  two  nearly  equal  divisions  by  a 
dyke  of  greenstone  trap.  This  dyke  assumes  the  form  of  columns,  and, 
on  a  bare  ledge,  inclined  about  forty  degrees,  there  are  a  series  of  nat- 


608  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

ural  steps,  fifteen  or  sixteen  in  number,  about  nine  inches  in  height, 
and  known  as"  The  Stairs."  Saddleback  mountain,  having  an  elevation 
of  1,032  feet,  lies  partly  here.  The  soil  is  well  suited  to  pasturage,  and 
is  cultivated  to  a  considerable  extent.  There  is  an  inexhaustible  supply 
of  white  granular  quartz ;  also  various  other  mineral  substances,  among 
which  is  bog  iron  ore.  This,  however,  is  not  at  present  worked.  The 
principal  point  is  called  "  The  Square,"  which  has  a  pleasant  situation 
on  an  eminence  about  450  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  North  river 
passes  through  the  town,  and  Little  river  and  several  lesser  streams 
originate  here  ;  besides  which  there  are  a  few  ponds,  all,  however,  of 
small  size.  The  Newmarket  Manufacturing  Company  have  a  reservoir 
in  Nottingham,  covering  upwards  of  one  thousand  acres,  and  distant 
from  the  mills  about  twelve  miles.  There  are  two  church  edifices  — 
Congregational  and  Baptist ;  two  seminaries  —  the  Union  and  the 
Pawtuckaway  Institutes ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices 
—  Nottingham  and  Nottingham  Turnpike :  also,  six  saw-mills,  two 
grist-mills,  and  six  shingle  and  clapboard  mills.  Population,  1,268  ; 
valuation,  $375,997. 

Orange,  in  the  southeastern  division  of  Grafton  county,  forty  miles 
from  Concord,  was  formerly  called  Cardigan,  having  received  that  name 
at  the  time  of  its  being  granted,  February  6,  1769.  Isaac  Fellows  and 
others  were  the  proprietors.  It  was  first  settled,  in  1773-4,  by  Silas 
Harris,  Benjamin  Shaw,  David  Eames,  Elisha  Bayne,  and  Joseph 
Kenney.  In  1820,  nearly  one  third  of  its  territory  was  set  off  to  Alex- 
andria. A  Congregational  church  was  formed  in  May,  1828  ;  but  there 
has  never  been  a  settled  minister.  There  is  also  a  small  society  of 
Free-will  Baptists.  Orange  is  uneven  in  surface,  though  the  soil  in 
several  parts  is  productive.  The  only  eminence  of  note  is  Cardigan 
mountain,  which  lies  in  the  east  part.  In  this  town  are  found  many 
mineral  substances,  such  as  lead  and  iron  ore.  A  species  of  paint 
called  spruce  yellow,  chalk  intermixed  with  magnesia,  yellow  ochre  of  a 
quality  superior  to  that  imported,  and  clay  (the  latter  in  considerable 
abundance),  are  also  found  here.  The  Northern  Railroad  passes  throuo-h 
the  southwestern  corner.  The  trade  of  Orange  consists  of  lumber, 
charcoal,  and  pottery,  in  all  of  which  much  business  is  done.  There  are 
seven  school  districts,  and  one  Union  meeting-house  :  also,  four  clap- 
board mills,  four  shingle-mills,  and  one  saw-mill.  Population,  451 ; 
valuation,  $110,554. 

Orford,  in  the  western  part  of  Grafton  county,  is  opposite  to  Fairlee, 
Vt.,  and  is  sixty-two  miles  from  Concord.      It  was  gi-anted  to  Jonathan 


KEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN  OF  ORFORD.  609 

Moulton  and  others,  September  25,  1761 ;  and  Daniel  Cross  and  wife 
were  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  place,  having  arrived  in  June,  1765, 
from  Lebanon,  Conn.  John  Mann  and  wife,  both  of  Hebron,  Conn., 
came  in  on  the  24th  of  October,  1765,  the  former  being  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  and  the  latter  sixteen.  They  had  but  one  horse,  on  which 
they  both  rode,  with  their  supply  of  clothing,  to  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  a 
distance  of  150  miles.  Here  a  bushel  of  oats  was  purchased,  and 
some  bread  and  cheese ;  and,  thus  equipped,  they  started  on  their  jour- 
ney for  Orford,  Mann  being  on  foot,  and  his  wife  and  the  luggage  on 
horseback.  The  road  was  not  of  the  best  description,  being  obstructed 
with  fallen  trees,  whenever  they  came  to  which,  wife,  oats,  bread,  and 
cheese  were  compelled  to  dismount.  This  was  repeated  till  the  old 
horse  grew  tired  of  the  ceremony ;  and,  without  waiting  orders,  attempted 
a  clean  leap,  the  sudden  result  of  which  was  to  scatter  wife,  oats, 
bread,  and  cheese  in  various  directions,  Dobbin  himself  being  in  the 
catalogue  of  objects  spilled.  They  rallied,  however,  conquered  all  diffi- 
culties, and  completed  their  journey.  Jonathan  and  Edward  Sawyer, 
General  Israel  Morey,  and  a  Mr.  Caswell,  came  in  the  same  autumn. 
John  Mann,  Jr.,  was  born  May  21,  1766,  and  was  the  first  white  child 
claiming  nativity  in  Orford.  A  church  was  organized,  on  the  Presby- 
terian platform,  by  Rev.  Peter  Powers,  August  27,  1770.  Mr.  Obadiah 
Noble  was  ordained  as  pastor,  November  5,  1771,  receiving  £60  settle- 
ment and  £40  salary  for  the  first  year,  the  former  to  be  paid  in  materials 
for  building  and  labor,  and  the  latter  in  wheat  at  4s.  per  bushel,  rye  at 
3s.,  corn  at  2s.,  and  oats  at  Is.  2d.  Twenty  cords  of  good  firewood 
were  also  to  be  furnished  him  annually.  Mr.  Noble  was  dismissed  in 
December,  1777,  for  want  of  means  to  support  him.  Rev.  John  Sa\\'yer, 
a  son  of  one  of  the  early  settlers,  w^as  the  next  minister,  having  been 
ordained  pastor,  October  3,  1787.  Prior  to  his  settlement,  on  the  6th  of 
June,  1786,  the  church  became  Congregational.  Mr.  Sawyer's  salary 
was  entirely  paid  in  produce.  He  was  dismissed  December  17,  1795, 
having  become  obnoxious  to  some  of  the  members  from  a  too  rigorous 
observance  of  discipline.  Among  other  ministers  who  have  followed 
was  Rev.  Sylvester  Dana,  who  served  the  church  with  much  success  for 
a  period  of  twenty  years,  having  been  settled  May  20,  1801.  The  town 
lies  on  Connecticut  river,  and  a  biidge  connects  it  with  Fairlee.  It  has 
many  advantages,  both  as  regards  situation  and  soil.  There  are  a 
number  of  farms  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  which  are  laid  out 
with  much  taste,  and  are  exceedingly  fertile.  Mounts  Cuba  and  Sun- 
day, lying  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  are  two  considerable  elevations, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  former  of  which  are  beds  of  limestone,  excellent 
for  building  purposes.     Several  minerals  have  been  found,  such  as  sul- 


610  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

phuret  of  copper,  magnetic  iron  ore,  and  lead  ore.  Soap-rock,  or  cotton- 
stone,  is  found  in  great  abundance.  Tliere  are  four  or  five  ponds  of 
considerable  size,  those  particularly  worthy  of  note  being  Baker's  Upper 
pond  and  Indian  pond,  the  former  of  which  empties  into  Baker's  river 
in  Wentvvorth,^  and  the  latter  into  the  Connecticut. 

Orford  contains  two  villages,  —  Orford  and  Orfordville,  —  the  former 
of  which  has  a  beautiful  site,  being  situated  on  an  extensive  plain,  hav- 
ing on  the  west  magnificent  tracts  of  interval.  "  The  hills  on  both  sides 
of  the  river,  near  the  centre  of  the  expansion,  approach  each  other  so  as 
to  form  a  kind  of  neck,  and,  with  a  similar  approximation  at  the  two 
ends,  give  the  whole  the  appearance  of  a  double  amphitheatre,  or  of  the 
numerical  figure  8.  The  greatest  breadth  of  each  division  is  about  a 
mile  and  a  half,  and  the  length  of  each  between  two  and  three  miles." 
The  dwellings  are  substantially  built,  with  a  strict  view  as  well  to  com- 
fort as  to  elegance.  Orfordville  is  situated  about  two  miles  from 
Orford,  and  has  a  pleasant  location  and  considerable  business. 

The  churches,  of  which  there  are  three,  are  handsome  structures : 
two  of  them  belong  to  the  Congregationalists,  and  the  other  to  the  Uni- 
versalists.  A  large  three  story  brick  edifice  has  been  erected  for  the  use 
of  the  academy.  The  educational  interests  of  the  youth  are  properly 
cared  for,  there  being  sixteen  schools.  Five  stores  supply  the  necessary 
wants  of  the  people.  A  large  tannery,  a  chair  factory,  ten  saw-mills,  a 
starch  factory,  a  grist-mill,  a  sash,  bUnd,  and  door  factory,  and  two  boot 
and  shoe  manufactories,  engage  the  attention  of  many  of  those  who  are 
not  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Post-offices  have  been  estab- 
lished at  each  of  the  villages.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic 
Rivers  Railroad  passes  through  Orford.  Population,  1,406  ;  valuation 
$664,050. 

OssrPEE,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Carroll  county,  is  the  shire  town,  and 
is  distant  from  Concord  sixty  miles.  The  town  was  incorporated  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1785.  We  have  no  particulars  as  to  its  early  history.  That 
it  was  much  frequented  by  the  Indians  common  to  this  section  of 
country  is  evident  from  the  fact,  that  from  a  mound  of  earth,  forty-five 
or  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  near  the  west  shore  of  Ossipee  lake,  have  been 
exhumed  several  entire  skeletons,  as  well  as  tomahawks  and  other 
Indian  implements.  The  first  church  organized  was  the  Baptist, 
between  1796  and  1800,  over  which  Rev.  Wentworth  Lord  was  pastor 
about  twenty  years.  The  first  meeting-house  was  built  about  the  year 
1800,   and   was   occupied    by  this   denomination.      A   Congregational 

'  See  article  on  AYentworth. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   PELHAM.  611 

church  was  organized  September  26,  1806,  and  a  meeting-house  built 
in  1827.  Rev.  Samuel  Arnold  was  the  first  pastor,  having  been  or- 
dained September  23,  1829,  and  dismissed  in  1831,  agreeably  to  his 
own  request.  Four  ministers  have  been  inducted  into  the  pastorate 
since  that  time. 

The  surface  is  rough  and  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  rocky  and 
mountainous  to  a  considerable  extent ;  but  it  affords  excellent  pas- 
turage. The  soil  is  very  strong,  and  suited  to  the  raising  of  wheat 
and  potatoes.  Ossipee  mountain,  a  rough  and  broken  range,  some  six 
or  eight  miles  in  length,  lies  in  the  northwest,  extending  into  the  ad- 
joining towns.  It  is  so  high  that,  when  easterly  storms  prevail,  the 
winds  break  over  its  summits,  frequently  causing  much  injury  to  the 
farms  at  its  base.  Ossipee  lake,  a  fine  body  of  water  of  an  oval  form, 
and  covering  about  seven  thousand  acres,  lies  partly  in  this  town  and 
partly  in  Effingham.  From  this  lake  flows  Ossipee  river,  forming  the 
bays  east  of  the  lake,  from  whence  it  passes  through  Effingham  into 
the  Saco,  in  Maine.  Pine  river  intersects  the  east  part  of  the  town, 
and  Bearcamp  river  falls  into  the  lake  on  the  northwest.  The  prin- 
cipal pond  is  about  four  hundred  rods  long,  and  lies  partly  iti  Tufton- 
borough.  The  trade  of  the  town  is  chiefly  in  produce,  lumber,  and 
cattle.  Ossipee  contains  five  villages  —  Ossipee  Corner,  Centre  Ossipee, 
West  Ossipee,  Water  Village,  and  Leighton's  Corner,  each  of  which 
has  a  post-office  ;  six  church  edifices  —  one  Congregational,  four  Free- 
will Baptist,  and  one  Union ;  and  twenty-three  school  districts : 
also,  twelve  saw-miUs,  five  grist-mills,  twelve  clapboard  and  shingle 
mills,  one  bedstead  factory,  one  door  factory,  one  sash  and  blind 
factory,  one  paper-mill,  four  tanneries ;  and  the  Pine-river  Bank,  with 
a  capital  of  $50,000.     Population,  2,123 ;  valuation,  $399,886. 

Pelham,  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Hillsborough  county,  adjoins 
Lawrence  and  Dracut,  Mass.,  and  is  thirty-seven  miles  from  Concord. 
The  territory  comprised  in  this  town  was  included  in  the  purchase  of 
Wheelwright  and  in  the  patent  of  Mason.  Although  only  distant 
about  thirty  miles  from  the  capital  of  New  England,  no  settlements 
were  commenced  here  till  1722,  a  century  after  the  landing  at  Plymouth. 
John  Butler,  William  Richardson,  and  others  were  among  the  first  set- 
tlers. Pelham  was  incorporated  July  5,  1746,  about  five  years  after  the 
establishment  of  the  state  line,  by  which  a  portion  of  the  eastern  terri- 
tory of  Dracut  was  taken  from  that  town ;  the  western  part  was  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  Dunstable  (Nashua).  Eighty-seven  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Pelham  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  A  meeting-house 
was  erected  in  1747,  and,  November  13,  1751,  a  Congregational  church 


612  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

was  organized,  Rev.  James  Hobbs  (Arminian  in  sentiment)  being  or- 
dained pastor  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Hobbs  died  June  20,  1765.  Rev. 
Amos  Moody  was  ordained  November  20,  1765,  and  dismissed  October 
20,  1792,  in  consequence  of  opposition  manifested  by  some  of  his 
charge,  who  had  become  so  much  dissatisfied  as  to  form  a  new  church, 
which  subsequently,  however,  united  with  the  original  one.  Rev.  J.  H. 
Church  was  ordained  pastor,  October  31, 1798,  when  the  denominational 
sentiments  of  the  church  became  more  prominent  than  they  had  been 
under  the  previous  pastors.  Dr.  Church  was  dismissed  by  mutual  con- 
sent, September  30,  1835,  after  a  successful  pastorate  of  nearly  thirty- 
seven  years.  Four  divines  have  since  occupied  the  pulpit  at  different 
periods. 

The  land  comprises  valuable  meadow,  productive  pine,  and  good 
grazing.  The  soil  is  strong.  Fruit  is  raised  in  considerable  quantities, 
for  which,  and  for  the  overplus  productions  of  all  kinds,  a  ready  sale  is 
found  in  Lowell,  Lawrence,  Nashua,  and  Haverhill.  Pelham  is  rich 
in  granite  of  a  superior  quality,  which  is  carried  to  the  above-men- 
tioned places  for  building  purposes.  There  are  two  business  localities 
in  Pelham,  called  the  Centre  and  Butler's  mills ;  two  church  edifices  — 
Congregational  and  Free-will  Baptist;  six  common  schools,  one  high- 
school,  and  one  post-ofHce :  also,  one  woollen  mill,  three  grist-mills,  four 
saw-mills,  one  pruning-shcar  factory,  and  two  stores.  Population,  1,071 ; 
valuation,  $560,936. 

Pembroke,  in  the  southeast  of  Merrimack  county,  west  of  the  Merri- 
mack river,  six  miles  from  Concord,  was  the  ancient  Suncook  of  the 
Indians,  and  was  granted  under  that  name  by  the  government  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  May,  1727,  to  Captain  John  Lovewell  and  his  brave  asso- 
ciates, in  consideration  of  their  services  against  the  savages.  The  pro- 
prietors were  sixty  in  number,  forty-six  of  whom  attended  the  brave 
Lovewell  in  his  last  expedition  to  Pequawket,  the  remaining  thirteen 
having  shared  his  fortunes  in  his  first  enterprises  against  the  Indians. 
The  town  was  surveyed  in  1728,  and  settlements  were  commenced  by 
several  of  the  grantees  the  following  year.  The  Indians  made  many 
attacks  on  the  settlement,  and  as  a  consequence  it  increased  very  slowly. 
James  Carr,  who  was  killed  May  1,  1748,  was  the  only  person  who  lost 
his  life  by  the  Indians.  The  inhabitants  of  Pembroke  were  interested, 
with  Concord,  in  the  long  dispute  maintained  by  Bow  against  the 
grantees  of  land  in  this  vicinity.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed 
November  1,  1759,  when  the  present  name  was  given.  Most  of  the 
original  settlers  were  of  Scotch  and  English  descent,  and  the  first 
church  organized  was  of  the  Congregational  denomination,  in  March, 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  PETERBOROUGH.  613 

1737,  over  which  Rev.  Aaron  Whittemore  was  pastor  from  March  12, 
1737,  until  November  16,  1767,  when  he  was  seized  with  paralysis  in 
the  pulpit,  and  shortly  after  died.  A  Presbyterian  church  was  organized 
before  the  death  of  Mr.  Whittemore  (the  date  is  not  known),  over 
which  Rev.  Daniel  Mitchel,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  the  pastor  from 
December  3,  1760,  until  his  death,  December  16,  1776.  This  church 
afterwards  united  with  the  first  church,  and  became  Congregational. 
Under  the  new  organization.  Rev.  Abraham  Burnham,  D.  D.,  ordained 
March  2,  1808,  served  the  church  forty-three  years. 

The  soil  of  Pembroke  is  of  a  varied  character,  and  is  generally  pro- 
ductive. On  the  margin  of  the  streams  are  small  but  valuable  tracts  of 
interval ;  and  from  these  the  land  rises  in  extensive  and  beautiful  swells, 
yielding  abundant  crops  when  under  proper  cultivation.  Suncook  river 
and  other  streams  water  the  town,  the  former  affording  several  valuable 
miU  seats.  Pembroke  is  well  laid  out,  the  public  roads  being  mostly  in 
right  angles.  The  principal  street  is  very  pleasant,  running  in  a  direct 
course  south  24°  east  about  three  mUes,  nearly  on  a  parallel  with,  and 
about  half  a  mile  from,  Merrimack  river.  On  this  street  are  many 
beautiful  residences  and  some  handsome  public  buildings. 

Suncook  village,  situated  in  the  south  part,  on  Suncook  river,  is  a 
thriving  little  place ;  but  is  just  now  only  recovering  from  the  effects  of 
a  fire,  which  occurred  August  31,  1854,  destroying  property  to  the 
amount  of  ^25,000.  The  Congregationalists  have  a  church  here,  and 
the  Methodists  have  two.  The  educational  interests  are  probably  on  as 
firm  and  extensive  a  basis  as  any  in  the  county,  consisting  of  nine  pub- 
lic schools  and  two  incorporated  academies,  —  the  Blanchard  Academy, 
and  the  Literary  Institute  and  Gymnasium.  The  Chelmsford  Glass 
Company  manufacture  the  several  varieties  of  glass ;  and  the  Pembroke 
Mills,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000,  manufacture  sheetings  and  printed 
goods.  There  are  other  mills,  as  well  as  two  post-offices  —  Pembroke 
and  Suncook.  The  Portsmouth  and  Concord  Railroad  passes  through 
Pembroke.     Population,  1,732 ;  valuation,  §620,720. 

Peterborough,  Hillsborough  county,  lies  in  a  northeast  direction  from 
the  Grand  Monadnock,  and  is  forty  miles  southwest  from  Concord. 
It  was  granted,  in  1738,  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts  (within 
the  jurisdiction  of  which  it  was.  supposed  to  lie),  to  Samuel  Haywood 
and  others,  who  afterwards  transferred  their  title  to  Jeremiah  Gridley, 
John  Hill,  Fowle  and  William  Vassal,  the  first  settlements  being  made 
under  purchases  from  the  last-named  gentlemen.  Two  or  three 
ineffectual  attempts  at  settlement  were  made  here  prior  to  1749,  the 
first  of  which  was  made  in  1739.     In  the  former  year  a  permanent 

VOL.  I.  52 


614  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

settlement  was  commenced,  when  the  first  adventurers  returned,  and 
received  large  accessions  to  their  numbers  from  Londonderry,  Lunen- 
burg, Mass.,  and  other  places,  most  of  them  being  of  the  Scotch-Irish 
stock.  From  this  time  the  plantation  increased  rapidly,  so  that  in  ten 
years  it  embraced  fifty  families.  It  was  incorporated  January  17,  1760, 
and  took  its  name  from  Peter  Prescott,  of  Concord,  Mass.  The  petition 
for  incorporation  is  signed  by  Thomas  Morrison,  Jonathan  Morrison, 
and  Thomas  Cunningham.  The  hardships  experienced  by  the  first 
settlers  were  severe ;  far  more  so  than  those  now  experienced  by  the 
pioneers  in  our  western  territories.  They  were  several  times  driven  off 
by  the  enemy,  and  many  of  them  almost  ruined  as  to  property ;  yet, 
their  little  all  was  centred  here,  and  "  they  returned  to  the  settlement 
as  soon  as  prudence  would  admit,"  where  they  continued,  with  willing 
hearts,  to  stem  the  tide  of  misfortune,  which  eventually  yielded  to  their 
will,  and  was  supplanted  by  happiness  and  prosperity. 

The  first  church  was  Presbyterian,  and  was  probably  organized  about 
1766,  when  Rev.  John  Morrison,  a  Scotchman,  was  settled  as  pastor, 
who  remained  about  five  years.  Rev.  David  Annan,  also  a  Scotchman, 
succeeded  him,  being  settled  in  1788,  and  dismissed  in  1792.  Both 
these  divines  were  men  of  profligate  habits,  and  instead  of  religion 
prospering  under  their  hands,  it  deteriorated.  Mr.  Morrison  afterwards 
enlisted  in  the  British  army,  and  died  in  South  Carolina.  Mr.  Annan 
was  deposed  from  the  ministry  by  the  presbytery  of  Londonderry. 
This  church  is  now  Unitarian.  A  Presbyterian  church  was  again 
organized  June  19,  1822,  of  several  members  of  the  old  church,  who 
built  a  meeting-house,  and  settled  Rev.  Peter  Holt  as  their  pastor.  A 
Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1853,  which  has  occasional 
preaching  in  the  Presbyterian  house.  Ex-governor  John  H.  Steele  is  a 
resident  of  this  town. 

The  first  settlers  of  Peterborough  and  their  descendants  have  exhib- 
ited energy,  courage,  and  patriotism.  During  the  war  which  com- 
menced in  1755,  a  number  of  young  men  enlisted  in  Rogers's  company 
of  rangers,  and  on  the  13th  of  March,  1758,  a  party  of  eight  of  them 
having  fallen  into  an  Indian  ambuscade  near  Lake  George,  six  of  them 
were  killed.  The  inhabitants  were  zealous  also  in  the  struggle  for 
independence.  Twenty-two  were  present  at  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  seventeen  were  actually  engaged  in  that  memorable  conflict. 
Few  towns  in  New  England  took  a  livelier  interest  in  the  cause,  or 
furnished  a  greater  number  of  soldiers  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  inhabitants.  There  was  not  a  man  in  the  town  who  favored  the 
British ;  and  this  patriotism  has  its  fruit  in  the  comforts,  conveniences, 
and  plenty  which  now  surround  the  inhabitants. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   PIERMONT.  615 

The  surface  of  Peterborough  is  beautifully  diversified  with  hills,  vales, 
meadows,  broad  swells,  brooks,  rivulets,  and  rapidly  flowing  rivers. 
Contoocook  river  and  the  North  Branch  river  afford  not  only  a  constant 
supply  of  water,  but  several  valuable  mill  privileges.  On  the  latter 
stream  are  some  of  the  best  waterfalls  in  the  state.  A  subject  of  no 
little  interest  in  this  town  is  its  manufacturing  enterprise.  In  1810,  the 
first  cotton  factory  was  put  in  operation,  since  which  time  no  less  than 
four  others,  and  one  for  the  manufacture  of  woollens,  have  been  set 
in  motion ;  besides  two  paper-mills,  an  iron  foundery,  a  machine-shop, 
a  carriage  and  a  basket  factory,  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture 
of  trusses  and  supporters,  and  one  for  boots  and  shoes :  also,  seven 
saw  and  three  grain  mills,  as  well  as  nine  stores  and  two  hotels.  There 
are  four  meeting-houses  —  Unitarian,  Presbyterian,  Baptist,  and  Meth- 
odist ;  ten  school  districts ;  an  academy ;  a  bank,  with  a  capital  of 
^50,000 ;  a  weekly  newspaper  —  the  Peterborough  Transcript ;  three 
social  libraries ;  and  one  post-office.  Population,  2,222 ;  valuation, 
$987,323. 

PiERMONT,  in  the  western  part  of  Grafton  county,  adjoins  Haverhill  on 
the  north,  and  is  seventy  miles  from  Concord.  John  Temple  and  fifty- 
nine  others  were  the  grantees,  having  received  their  charter,  November 
6,  1764.  Piermont  was  settled,  in  the  spring  of  1768,  by  Ebenezer 
White,  Levi  Root,  and  Daniel  Tyler,  who  located  on  the  meadows ;  and, 
in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  David  Tyler,  wife,  and  son  Jonathan, 
came  on  from  Lebanon,  Conn.  Game  was  exceedingly  abundant  at 
this  time,  and  many  are  the  exploits  which  the  earlier  inhabitants  had 
with  bears.  Jonathan  Tyler,  who  came  with  his  parents  in  1768, 
served  his  country  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  when  the  Americans 
retreated  from  Ticonderoga  at  the  approach  of  Burgoyne's  army,  he 
was  taken  prisoner,  but  managed  to  effect  his  escape,  with  two  other 
captives.  They  suffered  extremely  for  want  of  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  had  to  subsist  on  leaves,  buds,  and  twigs  of  trees,  and  roots  which 
they  dug  out  of  the  ground.  The  Congregational  church  was  organ- 
ized in  1771. 

Piermont  is  about  an  average  agricultural  town.  There  are  exten- 
sive tracts  of  interval  and  some  fine  plains,  suited  to  the  raising  of 
wheat,  corn,  and  all  kinds  of  grain  and  grass.  Back  from  the  Connec- 
ticut river  the  surface  is  composed  of  swells,  well  watered  with  brooks 
and  springs,  and  excellently  adapted  for  mowing  and  grazing.  East- 
man's ponds,  three  considerable  bodies  of  water,  lie  in  the  northeast 
part,  and  from  them  issues  Eastman's  brook,  which  falls  into  Connecti- 
cut river,  affording  many  excellent  mill  privileges.     Mills  are  erected  on 


616  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Indian  brook,  in  the  south  part.  In  Connecticut  river,  in  the  southwest 
of  the  town,  is  a  small  island,  known  by  the  name  of  Barron's  island, 
which  possesses  an  extensive  quarry  of  stones,  suitable  for  mills,  and 
various  purposes  in  building.  Piermont  is  the  only  village.  There  are 
three  churches  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Christian ;  fourteen 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  four  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill, 
one  shingle  mill,  one  clapboard  mill,  and  one  carriage  factory.  The 
Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  runs  through  Piermont. 
Population,  948;  valuation,  $379,281. 

Pittsburgh,  Coos  county,  lies  in  the  extreme  northern  end  of  the 
state,  165  miles  north  by  east  from  Concord,  and  contains  two 
hundred  thousand  acres.  Pittsburgh  is  composed  of  all  the  land 
originally  known  as  the  Indian  Stream  territory,  the  Carlisle  grant, 
Colebrook  Academy  grant,  and  some  sixty  thousand  acres  of  the 
state  lands.  It  was  the  theatre  of  the  Indian  Stream  war ;  and  over  the 
territory  known  by  that  name  the  British  government  had  jurisdiction 
until  1842,  when  the  Webster  and  Ashburton  treaty  decided  the 
question  in  favor  of  the  United  States.'  Pittsburgh  was  first  settled 
about  1810.  General  Moody  Bedel,  an  officer  in  the  war  of  1812,  John 
Haines,  Rev.  Nathaniel  Perkins,  Jeremiah  Tabor,  Ebenezer  Fletcher, 
and  about  fifty  others,  were  early  settlers.  They  each  claimed  two 
hundred  acres  of  land,  which  they  represented  to  be  by  proprietary 
grants,  a  title  which  the  state  refused  at  first  to  acknowledge.  In  con- 
sideration, however,  of  the  hardships  and  privations  endured  by  these 
pioneers,  the  state  subsequently  reversed  its  former  decision,  and  rein- 
stated them  in  their  possessions.  The  town  was  incorporated  Decem- 
ber 10,  1840. 

Pittsburgh  is  by  far  the  most  extensive  town,  in  point  of  territory,  in 
the  state,  and  has  a  rough  and  uneven  surface.  Large  tracts  of  interval 
are  found  on  the  streams.  It  has  agricultural  facilities  of  a  high  order, 
and  Indian  corn,  buckwheat,  and  the  English  grains,  are  produced 
abundantly.  Spruce,  birch,  beech,  and  rock  maple  are  the  prevailing 
trees,  and  white  pine  exists  in  small  quantities.  Indian,  Hall's,  and 
Perry's  streams  He  within  the  town ;  and,  during  the  spring  and  fall, 
have  sufficient  water  to  raft  timber  for  several  miles.  In  the  northeast 
part  is  Connecticut  lake,  five  and  a  half  miles  in  length  and  two 
and  a  half  in  width,  the  source  of  one  of  the  principal  branches  of 
Connecticut  river.  Four  miles  above  this  is  Second  lake,  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  long,  and  one  and  three  quarters  wide,  being  joined 

'  For  a  more  extended  account,  see  ante,  p.  390. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   PITTSFIELD.  617 

to  Connecticut  lalce  by  a  considerable  stream.  Third  lake,  cover- 
ing about  two  hundred  acres,  is  situated  near  the  highlands  dividing 
New  Hampshire  from  Canada.  Game  is  plenty,  and  the  waters 
abound  in  fish.  There  are  two  religious  societies  —  Methodist  and 
Christian ;  six  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  four  saw-mills, 
two  grist-mills,  and  one  starch  factory.  Population,  425 ;  valuation, 
$78,466. 

PlTTSFlELD,  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Merrimack  county,  fifteen 
miles  from  Concord,  is  a  small  town,  originally  the  northerly  part  of 
Chichester,  and  was  incorporated  May  27,  1782.  Nearly  all  the  land 
in  this  part  of  the  parent  town  was  owned  by  Colonel  Tappan  of 
Hampton,  a  wealthy  land-owner.  Permanent  settlements  were  not 
made  till  near  1771,  when  Colonel  Tappan  presented  John  Cram  of 
Hampton  with  the  mill  privilege  where  the  cotton-mill  now  stands,  and 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  that  vicinity,  as  an  inducement  to  settle,  and 
build  a  saw-mill.  Nathaniel  Chase  and  Abraham  Green  of  Seabrook, 
and  Jabez  Tucker  of  Salisbury,  accompanied  Mr.  Cram,  and  made  im- 
provements about  the  same  time.  As  Pittsfield  was  not  settled  till  a 
late  date,  the  inhabitants  did  not  taste  any  of  the  bitterness  of  Indian 
warfare.  Traces  of  wigwams  and  corn-fields  have  been  found,  and  do- 
mestic implements  and  other  articles  have  turned  up,  which,  with  the 
remains  of  a  pipe-kiln  near  Wild-goose  pond,  give  presumptive  evidence, 
if  nothing  more,  that  this  town  was  once  quite  a  resort  of  the  savages. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  6,  1782,  the  town  voted  to  erect  a  meet- 
ing-house for  the  Congregational  society,  and  that  it  should  stand  where 
the  present  town-house  now  is.  It  was  raised  in  1787,  and  completed, 
in  1789.  Jonathan  Brown,  a  schoolmaster,  was  hired  by  vote  of  the 
town,  May  3,  1783,  to  keep  school  six  months,  at  $9  per  month,  and  it 
was  voted  to  hire  a  minister  for  two  months.  A  vote  occurs  on  the 
town  books,  May  16,  1784,  which  is  worthy  of  emulation  in  these  mod- 
ern days,  namely :  "  To  take  some  method  to  take  care  of  those  persons 
in  town  who  spend  their  time  in  idleness  and  are  out  of  employment,. 
and  set  them  to  work."  A  Congregational  society  was  formed  Novem- 
ber 17,  1789,  Rev.  Christopher  Paige  being  the  first  minister.  He  was 
dismissed  January  7,  1796,  since  which  time  the  pastoral  relation  has 
been  sustained  at  short  intervals  by  different  divines.  The  cause  of  so 
many  changes  is  attributable  to  the  inability  of  the  society  to  support 
the  ministry.  A  Free-will  Baptist  church  was  formed  some  twO' 
months  after  the  Congregational,  and  a  Baptist  church  organized  in 
1801,  over  which  Rev.  Benjamin  Sargent  was  ordained  pastor.  The 
Baptist  and  Congregational  societies  afterwards,  April  29,  1802,  com- 

52* 


618  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

muiied  together  under  Mr.  Sargent,  and  continued  thus  till  his  death, 
March  15,  1818.  The  Baptist  church  reorganized  October  29,  1818,  so 
that  the  union  so  long  existing  was  dissolved.  The  old  church  edifice, 
where  meetings  were  held  for  half  a  century,  is  now  used  as  a  town- 
house. 

The  surface  of  Pittsfield  is  diversified,  though  the  soil  is  fertile  and 
well  cultivated.     Catamount  mountain,  so  named  by  some  hunters  who 
killed  a  catamount  on  its    side,  is  the  principal   elevation,  extending 
across  the  southeasterly  part ;  and  from  it  a  fine  view  of  the  surround- 
ing country  can  be  obtained.     Mineral  ore  abounds  about  this  moun- 
tain, which  has  attracted  some   attention  of  late,  and  materially  affects 
the  magnetic  needle.     The  town  is  drained  by  Suncook  river,  which 
affords  excellent  water  power.     There   is  a  mineral   spring   in   Wolf 
meadow,  said  to  possess  some  medicinal  properties.     Wild  goose  pond, 
situated  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  and  Berry  pond,  on  the 
mountain,  are  the  largest  collections  of  water.    The  village,  on  the  banks 
of  the   Suncook,  is   a  place  of   considerable   trade.     It   contains   five 
church  edifices  —  Friends,  Baptist,  Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist, 
and   Second   Advent ;  one  bank,  the    Pittsfield,   capital    $50,000 ;    the 
Pittsfield  Savings  Bank;  a  flourishing  academy;  and  one  cotton-mill  — 
the  Pittsfield  Manufacturing  Company.     The  town   has  two  other  vil- 
lages—  Upper  City  and  Dow  Borough;  ten  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office  :  also,  one  grist-mill,  with  four  run  of  stones,  and  machinery 
for  bolting  flour ;  two  saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  two  clapboard  mills, 
and  one  door,  sash,  and  blind  factory.     The  social  and  religious  priv- 
ileges of  Pittsfield  are  unusually  good ;  but  the  business  interests  suffer 
for  the  want  of  a  closer  proximity  to  the  railroad.     Population,  1,828 ; 
valuation,  $638,510. 

Plainfield,  in  the  western  part  of  Sullivan  county,  on  Connecticut 
river,  and  opposite  Hartland,  Vt.,  is  fifty-five  miles  from  Concord.  It 
was  granted  August  14,  1761,  and  the  settlement  is  said  to  have  been 
commenced  in  1764,  by  L.  Nash  and  J.  Russel.i  Its  name  was  derived 
from  a  place  in  Connecticut,  where  the  proprietors  held  their  first  meet- 
ing. About  one  half  of  Grantham  was  annexed  to  Plainfield  about 
two  years  since.     The   Congregationalists  organized  the   first  church, 

'  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  his  History  of  the  Coos  Country,  says,  that  -when  John  Mann, 
on  his  journey  from  Charlestown  to  Orford,  where  he  settled  in  1765,  passed  throu<Th' 
Plainfield,  the  only  family  in  town  was  that  of  Francis  Smith,  whose  wife  was  "  terribly  " 
homesick,  and  declared  she  "  would  not  stay  there  in  the  woods."  Those,  therefore 
who  are  represented  as  having  settled  in  1764,  must  have  become  discouraged  and  left' 
or  the  date  must  be  wron".  °  ' 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   PLAISTOW.  619 

over  which  Rev.  Abraham  Carpenter  was  settled,  in  1773  or  1774,  with- 
out any  action  on  the  part  of  the  town.  In  1779,  the  town  voted  to 
accept  of  Mr.  Smith  Carpenter,  who  received  the  grant  of  land  for  the 
first  settled  minister.  He  was  accustomed  to  preach  in  "his  own 
kitchen,  and  in  other  private  houses  in  the  winter ;  and  in  the  open  air, 
or  in  a  meeting-house  having  neither  doors  nor  windows,  in  the  sum- 
mer." In  1804,  a  second  church  was  formed,  over  which  Rev.  Micaiah 
Porter  was  minister  for  about  twenty  years.  In  1839  and  1840  two 
meeting-houses  were  built,  the  second  jointly  by  Universalists,  Bap- 
tists, and  Methodists.  Recently  an  Episcopal  society  has  been  organ- 
ized. 

The  agricultural  advantages  of  Plainfield  are  good.  On  the  margin  of 
the  Connecticut  there  are  extensive  tracts  of  valuable  interval,  and  in 
other  parts  of  the  town  are  excellent  meadows.  Water  is  supplied 
by  a  small  stream,  which  flows  from  Croydon  mountain.  Water- 
queechy  falls  is  the  only  water  power  of  any  note.  Hart's  island,  con- 
taining nineteen  acres,  situated  in  Connecticut  river,  lies  southwest  of 
this  town.     There  are  two  ponds. 

Plainfield  contains  three  villages  —  Plainfield,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Connecticut,  having  two  church  edifices  and  a  town-house.  One  of  the 
churches  is  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists,  and  the  other  by  various 
religious  denominations.  Meriden  is  the  principal  village,  and  is  pleas- 
antly situated  on  a  beautiful  plain,  having  a  street  intersecting  it  from 
north  to  south.  In  this  village  is  located  the  Kimball  Union  Academy, 
a  flourishing  institutioti,  one  of  the  best  endowed  and  most  popular 
in  the  state.  To  the  late  Hon.  Daniel  Kimball  belongs  the  honor  of 
having  permanently  established  so  meritorious  an  institution.  A  great 
number  of  young  men  and  women  are  annually  educated  here.  There 
is  a  church  edifice  in  this  village  (having  a  town-hall  underneath),  which 
is  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists.  East  Plainfield  has  an  old 
church  edifice,  which  is  occasionally  occupied.  There  are  in  town 
twelve  school  districts;  two  stores;  and  three  post-offices,  one  in  each 
of  the  villages.     Population,  1,392 ;  valuation,  $557,500. 

Plaistow,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  adjoins 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  is  thirty-six  miles  from  Concord.  The  territory 
originally  belonged  to  Haverhill,  and  was  included  in  the  tract  pur- 
chased from  the  Indians,  November  16,  1642.  The  settlement  of  Plais- 
tow was  commenced  very  early,  but  the  exact  date  cannot  be  ascer- 
tained. The  names  of  some  of  the  early  settlers  have,  however,  come 
down  to  us,  such  as  Captain  Charles  Bartlett,  Nicholas  White,  Ben- 
jamin  Kimball,  and  J.  Harriman,  some  of  whose  posterity  still  reside 


620  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

here.  After  the  annexation  of  Plaistow  to  New  Hampshire,  a  charter 
was  granted,  dated  February  28,  1749.  The  Congregational  church 
here  originally  belonged  to  the  '•  north  precinct  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,"  and 
was  organized  November  4, 1730.  James  Gushing  was  ordained  pastor 
December  2,  1731,  and  continued  with  the  church  until  his  death,  May 
13,  1764.  Gyles  Merrill  was  pastor  from  March  6, 1765,  until  his  death, 
April  27,  1801.  After  this,  the  church  was  without  a  settled  minister 
twenty-five  years,  since  which  it  has  had  four  pastors.  Eight  men  have 
entered  the  ministry  from  this  church  —  six  of  them  Congregationalists, 
one  Methodist,  and  one  Episcopalian.  Deacon  J.  Harriman,  said  to 
have  been  the  first  man  in  New  Hampshire  who  adopted  Baptist  senti- 
ments, died  here  in  1820,  aged  ninety-seven. 

The  surface  is  in  some  parts  rocky  ;  but  the  soil  —  a  mixture  of  black 
loam,  clay,  or  gravel  —  is  generally  good.  Mineral  substances  have 
been  discovered ;  and  clay  is  abundant  in  some  parts  of  the  town,  from 
which  bricks  are  made  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  fields  and  pas- 
tures are  well  watered  by  springs.  A  stream,  the  principal  one  in  town, 
is  formed  near  the  centre,  by  the  junction  of  two  smaller  streams, 
one  of  which  runs  from  Kingston  and  the  other  from  Hampstead. 
Plaistow  Centre  is  the  only  village.  There  are  two  Baptist  churches 
and  one  Congregational  ;  four  school  districts  and  one  post-office : 
also,  three  grist-mills  and  two  saw-mills.  There  is  a  station  of  the 
Boston  and  Maine  Railroad  in  this  town.  Population,  748  ;  valuation, 
$263,587. 

Plymouth,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  is  one  of  the  shire 
towns,  and  is  forty  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  July  15,  1763, 
to  Joseph  Blanchard  and  others,  and  was  settled  in  June,  1764,  by 
Captain  James  Hobart  and  Lieutenant  Zachariah  Parker,  with  their 
families,  who  came  from  Hollis.  In  September  of  the  same  year,  the 
settlement  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Captain  Jotham  Cummings, 
Colonel  David  Webster,  Lieutenant  Josiah  Brown,  Ephraim  West  on 
James  Blodget,  Stephen  Webster,  and  Samuel  Dearborn,  who,  with 
the  exception  of  Weston  and  Dearborn,  also  came  from  Hollis.  When 
these  pioneers  came  in,  there  was  no  bridge  across  any  stream  between 
Plymouth  and  Salisbury  Lower  Village,  and  no  road  but  that  marked 
out  by  spotted  trees.  In  their  route  to  this  town  they  passed  over  the 
Merrimack  into  Litchfield,  and  pursued  their  journey,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  until  they  reached  Holderness,  where  they  crossed  the  Pem- 
igewasset  into  Plymouth,  a  short  distance  south  of  Baker's  river.  The 
first  meeting-house  was  built  of  logs,  and  a  minister  was  settled  July 
10,  1765,  when  there  were  only  eight  families  in  the  plantation.     Rev. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OP   PLYMOUTH.  621 

Nathan  Ward  was  the  first  preacher,  and  received  as  salary  one  hundred 
and  fifty  ounces  of  silver  (which  was  equal  to  about  $166.50)  and  thirty 
cords  of  wood.  Lydia  Webster,  born  April,  1765,  and  Josiah  Hobart, 
were  the  first  children  claiming  nativity  in  Plymouth.  Meal  was 
brought  from  Concord,  during  the  first  years  of  the  settlement,  on  a  hand- 
sled.  Ephraim  Lund  erected  the  first  saw  and  grist-mill.  Moose,  bears, 
deer,  and  wolves  were  numerous  when  the  first  inhabitants  arrived. 

The  intervals  in  Plymouth  were  formerly  occupied  by  the  Indians. 
It  is  stated,  that,  prior  to  the  old  French  war,  Massachusetts  sent  a  com- 
pany, commanded  by  one  Captain  Baker  from  old  Newbury,  in  search 
of  the  Indians,  who  had  a  settlement  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Pemigewas- 
set,  and  that  they  discovered  the  Indians  on  the  north  bank  of  Baker's 
river,  in  great  numbers,  secure,  as  they  supposed,  from  harm.  Having 
chosen  their  position,  the  company  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  sav- 
ages, several  of  whom  were  killed,  while  the  others  ran  in  search  of 
their  hunters.  Baker  and  his  men  crossed  the  river,  where  they  found 
a  large  stock  of  furs  hidden  in  holes  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  which, 
after  destroying  the  wigwams,  they  took  away  with  them.  In  a  poplar 
plain  in  Bridgewater,  however,  the  Indians  came  up  with  Baker  and  his 
men,  when  a  fight  ensued,  in  which  the  former  were  worsted.^  In  New 
Chester,  the  whites  sat  down  to  refresh  themselves,  fearful,  however,  that 
the  Indians  would  overtake  them.  The  friendly  Indian,  who  had  been 
with  them  through  the  whole  expedition,  advised  that  each  man  should 
build  an  extra  number  of  fires,  and  that  each  should  roast  his  pork  on 
four  or  five  forks  of  crotched  sticks,  so  that,  when  the  enemy  came  up 
and  counted  the  sticks,  they  would  imagine  there  was  a  large  force, 
and  would  be  inclined  to  give  up  the  pursuit.  The  stratagem  was  suc- 
cessful ;  the  Indians  came  up  before  the  fires  were  extinguished,  but  as 
soon  as  they  had  counted  the  fires  and  the  sticks,  retreated  precipitately.^ 
Noah  Johnson,  one  of  Lovewell's  men,  died  in  Plymouth,  in  the  one 
hundredth  year  of  his  age.  Two  lots  in  the  eleventh  range  of  Hebron 
were  annexed  to  this  town,  June  26,  1845. 

Plymouth  is  in  some  parts  uneven ;  but  along  the  banks  of  the  Pemi- 
gewasset  and  Baker's  rivers  there  is  some  excellent  interval.  The  soil 
generally  is  tolerably  good,  and  is  attentively  cultivated.  Water  is 
abundant.     Besides  Pemigewasset  and  Baker  rivers,  there  are  numer- 


fa 


'  Mr.  Samuel  Dearborn,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  visited  this  plain,  and  found  scve^l 
skulls,  which  he  supposed  to  be  of  persons  who  fell  in  that  engagement,  one  or  two  of 
which  were  perforated  by  bullets. 

^  From  this  circumstance,  it  is  supposed,  Baker's  river  derived  its  name.  See  Grant 
Powers's  History  of  Coos  Country. 


622  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ous  lesser  streams.  There  is  but  one  village,  which  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated and  beautifully  ornamented  with  trees,  while  the  roads  intersecting 
it  in  various  directions  are  adorned  with  shade  trees.  The  private  resi- 
dences are  superior  to  those  generally  found  in  country  towns,  being 
large,  and  some  of  them  making  claim  to  architectural  elegance.  The 
court-house  is  a  substantial  brick  building.  The  location  for  trade  with 
the  surrounding  towns  is  all  that  could  be  wished,  and  gives  Plymouth 
many  advantages.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad 
renders  communication  with  various  points  easy  and  expeditious. 
There  are  three  church  edifices  —  one  Congregational  and  two  Meth- 
odist ;  a  high  school,  called  the  Pemigewasset  Academy ;  twelve  school 
districts  ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Plymouth  and  West  Plymouth :  also, 
three  establishments  for  making  buckskin  gloves  and  mittens,  two  car- 
riage factories,  two  grist-mills,  six  saw-mills,  one  planing  mill,  and 
many  mechanic  shops,  besides  several  stores  and  hotels.  Population, 
1,290 ;  valuation,  $400,168. 

Portsmouth,  Rockingham  county,  lying  on  the  south  side  of  Piscata- 
qua  river,  is  forty-two  miles  from  Concord,  and  the  only  seaport  in  the 
state.  This  city  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  New  England,  having 
been  visited  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  by  Captain 
Martin  Pring,  sent  out  under  the  patronage  of  some  merchants  of  Bris- 
tol, England,  April  10,  1603,  with  two  ships,  the  Speedwell  and  Discov- 
erer, for  the  purpose  of  explorations.  Pring  entered  the  channel  of  the 
Piscataqua  and  explored  it  for  three  or  four  leagues,  and  landed,  it  is 
presumed,  upon  the  present  site  of  the  city,  having  come  in  search  of 
sassafras,  then  considered  of  great  value  as  a  medicine.  In  1623,  one  of 
the  two  parties  of  settlers  sent  out  by  the  company  of  Laconia,  landed  at 
Portsmouth, — David  Thompson,  a  Scotchman,  being  prominent  amongst 
them,  who  built  a  house,  the  year  of  his  arrival,  at  Odiorne's  Point, 
a  few  rods  north  of  the  evident  remains  of  an  ancient  fort  now  visible, 
which  was  the  first  house  in  the  settlement,  and  was  afterwards  called 
Mason  Hall.  In  1624,  Thompson  left  the  settlement,  and  located  himself 
on  an  island  in  Massachusetts  bay,  now  known  as  Thompson's  island. 
The  object  of  this  settlement  was  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting  the  fish- 
eries ;  and,  as  a  large  quantity  of  salt  was  necessary  for  the  preservation 
of  the  fish,  salt-works  were  erected  here,  and  salt  manufactured  to  good 
advantage. 

In  November,  1631,  all  that  territory  comprised  in  the  original  limits 
of  Portsmouth  which  included  the  towns  of  New  Castle,  Rye,  and  a 
part  of  Newington   and    Greenland,  was  granted  to    Sir  Ferdinando 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  CITY   OF   PORTSMOUTH.  623 

Gorges,  Captain  John  Mason,  John  Cotton,  Henry  Gardner,  and  five 
others.  The  settlements  did  not  advance  very  rapidly.  The  first  house 
erected  within  the  present  limits  of  Portsmouth  was  built  about  three 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  main  river  near  the  corner  of  Water  and 
Court  streets,  and  was  called  the  Great  House.  A  large  number  of 
servants  were  sent  over  by  Mason,  among  whom  were  six  stewards  and 
twenty-two  women,  together  with  arms,  ammunition,  stores,  provisions, 
and  cattle. 

The  bank  of  the  river  above  where  the  Great  House  was  built,  and 
extending  some  distance  above  what  is  now  called  Church  hill,  pro- 
duced a'  large  quantity  of  strawberries,  on  which  account  Portsmouth 
■«'as  called  Strawberry  Bank.  In  1640,  there  being  no  efficient  govern- 
ment, the  inhabitants  decided  to  establish  one  among  themselves,  and 
elected  Francis  Williams  governor,  with  Ambrose  Gibbins  and  Thomas 
Wannerton  as  assistants.  This  continued  till  the  following  year,  when 
the  union  with  Massachusetts  was  formed. 

In  1640,  fifty  acres  of  land  were  set  apart  for  a  church  and  parsonage, 
and  Richard  Gibson  was  chosen  the  first  minister.  The  members  of 
this  church  were  not  Puritans  ;  but,  says  Governor  Winthrop,  "  some 
of  them  were  professed  enemies  to  the  way  of  our  churches."  A  part 
of  this  estate  is  now  situated  in  the  compact  part  of  the  town,  on  the 
westerly  side  of  Court  street.  The  chapel  was  furnished  with  one  great 
Bible,  twelve  service-books,  one  pewter  flagon,  one  communion  cup 
with  cover  of  silver,  two  fine  tablecloths,  and  two  napkins,  sent  over  by 
Mason.  Mr.  Gibson  had  not  been  long  at  Portsmouth  when  he  was 
summoned  before  the  court  of  Boston,  although  out  of  their  jurisdiction, 
for  an  alleged  offence  against  the  government.  It  seems  that  he  had 
expressed  himself  very  freely  about  the  government  of  Massachusetts, 
as  interfering  with  that  of  New  Hampshire.  There  was  no  trial,  or  he 
would  have  been  acquitted  of  any  charges  against  him.  The  general 
court  of  Massachusetts  agreed  to  dismiss  all  action,  provided  he  would 
leave  the  country.     Accordingly,  he  promptly  returned  to  England. 

In  1656,  the  town  participated  in  the  terrible  delusion  then  sweeping 
over  New  England.  Jane  Walford  was  tried  for  witchcraft.  In  1662, 
it  was  ordered  at  town  meeting  "  that  a  cage  be  made,  or  some  other 
means  be  invented  by  the  selectmen  to  punish  such  as  sleep,  or  take 
tobacco  on  the  Lord's  day,  out  of  the  meeting  in  the  time  of  the  public 
exercise ;  "  and,  "  that  whoever  shall  kill  a  wolf  within  the  bounds  of  this 
town,  and  shall  bring  some  of  the  next  neighbours  where  such  wolf  is 
killed,  to  testify  it  was  done  in  the  town's  bounds,  and  shall  nayle  the 
head  of  such  wolf  killed,  upon  the   meeting-house,  he  shall  have  five 


624  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

pounds  for  his  paynes."  ^  In  1665-6,  the  town  was  visited  by  royal 
commissioners  appointed  at  the  instance  of  Mason  and  his  heirs,  who 
complained  that  Massachusetts  was  guilty  of  encroachnoients,  in  the 
exercise  of  jurisdiction,  and  in  making  grants  in  New  Hampshire ;  but, 
after  the  withdrawal  of  the  commissioners,  who  decided  nothing  re- 
specting Mason's  claims,  Massachusetts  again  peaceably  exercised 
authority,  and  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  appeared  satisfied. 
Although  these  troubles  were  renewed,  and  lasted  for  many  years, 
during  which  this  town  was,  for  the  most  part,  the  theatre  of  the  con- 
troversy, as  they  were  not  merely  local  in  character,  the  propriety  of  the 
omission  of  them  here  will  be  at  once  perceived. 

In  1669,  the  inhabitants  made  a  subscription  of  £50  towards  the 
erection  of  a  new  building  for  Harvard  College,  and  pledged  the  same 
amount  annually  for  seven  years,  which  obligation  was,  in  1673, 
assumed  by  the  town.  Rev.  Joshua  Moodey,  who  had  preached  for  the 
church  here  from  1658  to  1671,  was  settled  in  the  latter  year,  and  con- 
tinued to  fill  the  pastoral  office,  with  great  influence  and  acceptability 
to  his  parish,  until  his  persecution  and  imprisonment  by  Governor 
Cranfield  in  1684.  He  was  obliged  to  quit  the  province ;  but  his  pas- 
toral relations  were  not  formally  dissolved  until  1691,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  John  Cotton  for  a  short  time.  Mr.  Moodey  resumed 
his  labors,  upon  urgent  solicitation,  in  1693,  and  remained  till  his  death 
in  1697.  In  1739,  the  inhabitants  of  Portsmouth  took  a  very  active 
part  against  the  proposed  consolidation  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massa- 
chusetts under  one  government,  which  resulted  in  the  entire  separation 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  the  appointment  of  Benning  Wentworth  as 
governor. 

In  1745,  the  people  of  this  place  listened  to  the  fervid  eloquence  of 
that  eminent  servant  of  God,  George  Whitefield.  During  a  severe 
illness  here  of  several  weeks,  which  nearly  proved  fatal,  he  received 
attentions  from  his  devoted  friend.  Colonel  —  afterwards  Sir  William  — 
Pepperrell.  In  1770,  during  the  week  preceding  his  death,  he  preached 
four  times  in  Portsmouth.  In  1761,  a  two-horse  stage  commenced 
running  between  Portsmouth  and  Boston,  making  the  route  in  two 
days.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  stage  which  was  run  in 
America.  The  settlement  progressed  rapidly,  and  improvements  were 
prosecuted  vigorously.  Contentions  sometimes  arose  and  difficulties 
were  encountered,  which  would  occupy  too  much  space  to  recount; 
suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  former  were  in  time  quieted  and  the  latter 
surmounted.     Within  the  memory  of  the  present  generation,  a  garrison 

'  Similar  enactments  were  made  in  quite  a  number  of  other  towns  in  New  Enn-land. 


NEW   ILiMPSHIKE  —  CITY  OF   PORTSMOUTH.  625 

house  stood  in  Water  street,  another  in  Fore  street,  and  a  third  at  the 
ferry-ways,  which  were  probably  the  first  houses  on  the  "  Bank."  With 
the  exception  of  these,  the  earliest  settlements  were  made  at  the  South 
road. 

Portsmouth  fortunately  almost  wholly  escaped  the  depredations  of 
the  Indians,  which  was  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  peculiar 
advantages  of  its  situation.  Secured  on  three  sides  by  the  Piscataqua, 
the  ocean,  and  an  inlet,  the  savages  could  only  gain  access  to  it  by  the 
isthmus  which  connects  it  with  the  main  land,  and,  at  this  point,  a 
stockade  fence  was  erected  for  the  purpose  of  defence.  The  houses  of 
the  settlers  were  also  buUt  in  a  compact  manner,  and  the  number  of 
inhabitants  at  an  early  date  was  considerable.  In  1773,  the  town  took 
a  prominent  part  in  resisting  the  tea  tax  ;  and,  at  a  public  meeting  of  the 
citizens,  it  passed  resolutions  indicating  a  determination  not  to  be  behind 
their  neighbors  of  Boston  in  the  protection  of  their  rights.  The  next 
year  they  had  occasion  to  make  a  practical  test  of  their  courage,  upon 
the  arrival,  in  June  and  September,  of  two  lots  of  tea,  consigned  to 
Edward  Parry.  By  public  meetings,  and  other  demonstrations  not  to 
be  mistaken,  their  object  was  effected,  as  far  as  the  tea  was  concerned, 
which  was  reshipped  and  sent  to  HaUfax.  For  the  long  struggle  which 
followed,  Portsmouth  was  found  ready,  and  in  it  her  full  proportion  of 
men  and  means  was  embarked.  In  1800,  the  national  census  showed 
this  town  to  contain  5,339,  and  in  1820,  7,327  inhabitants.  In  1802,  a 
very  destructive  fire  swept  off  whole  squares  of  buOdings,  and  property 
to  the  •  amount  of  $200,000 ;  and  in  1813,  the  town  was  visited  by  a 
stiU  more  extensive  conflagration.  In.  1823,  the  people  commemorated 
with  fitting  ceremonies  the  two  hundredth  year  from  the  settlement  of 
Portsmouth. 

Portsmouth  has  always  borne  a  high  reputation,  and,  in  the  days  of 
the  colonial  government,  was  selected  as  a  very  desirable  place  of  resi- 
dence. It  was,  for  many  years,  the  home  of  the  royal  governors  and 
the  king's  council,  and  has  been  distinguished  for  men  of  patriotism, 
among  whom  may  be  mentioned  William  Vaughan,  who  claimed  to 
be  the  projector  of  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  under  Pepperrell ;  Dr.  Cutter, 
a  surgeon  in  that  expedition;  Colonel  Meserve,  one  of  its  brightest 
spirits;  Major  Hale,  an  officer  in  one  of  the  regiments;  WilHam 
Whipple,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence ;  and 
Governor  John  Langdon,  a  distinguished  Revolutionary  officer,  and  the 
president  of  the  senate  when  General  Washington  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States ;  and  the  two  governors,  John  and  Benning 
Wentworth.     Here    also   resided   many  men  distinguished   in  general 

VOL.  I.  53 


626  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

literature,  or  belonging  to  one  or  the  other  of  the  learned  professions, 
among  whom  may  be  noticed  Rev.  Nathaniel  Rogers  (son  of  President 
Rogers  of  Harvard  College,  and  a  descendant  of  the  martyr),  who  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Moodey  in  a  pastorate  of  twenty-six  years;  Rev.  Samuel 
Langdon,  pastor  for  twenty-seven  years,  till  called  to  the  presidency  of 
Harvard  College ;  Rev.  Ezra  Stiles,  for  one  year,  till  invited  to  the  pres- 
idency of  Yale  College;  Rev.  Joseph  Buckminster,  pastor  for  thirty- 
three  years;  Rev.  Israel  W.  Putnam,  pastor  for  twenty  years;  Rev. 
Samuel  Haven,  minister  for  fifty-four  years;  his  successor,  Rev.  Timothy 
Alden,  the  antiquarian;  and  Rev.  Arthur  Brown,  minister  for  thirty- 
seven  years ;  Jonathan  M.  Sewall,  a  lawyer  and  poet ;  Nathaniel  A. 
Haven,  a  man  of  letters  and  rich  classical  attainments ;  John  Pickering, 
chief  justice;  Richard  Evans,  a  lawyer;  Woodbury  Langdon,  only 
brother  of  the  governor,  and  member  of  the  old  congress  ;  Judges  Sher- 
burne and  Parker.  Among  the  later  men,  eminent  as  statesmen  and 
lawyers,  were  Levi  Woodbury,  who  resided  here  from  1819  until  his 
death  ;  Daniel  Webster,  from  1807  to  1816,  when  he  removed  to  Bos- 
ton ;  and  Jeremiah  Mason,  from  1792  to  1832,  when  he  also  removed  to 
Boston.  The  latter  was  a  descendant  of  Captain  John  Mason.  In 
1802,  he  was  attorney-general  of  New  Hampshire,  and  a  senator  in  con- 
gress from  1813  to  1817.  Among  the  merchants  are  found  John  Cutts, 
the  Wibirds,  Daniel  Rindge,  Pierce  Long,  Theodore  Atkinson,  Mark 
H.  Wentworth,  the  Penhallows,  James  Sheafe,  and  Horace  A.  Haven. 
The  names  of  many  others  might  be  added,  whose  talents  and  achieve- 
ments have  won  them  a  page  in  history, —  names  which  will  long  be 
recalled  with  a  just  pride.  It  must  be  a  matter  worthy  of  respectful 
remembrance  by  the  people  of  Portsmouth,  that  the  great  Washington, 
the  most  honored  and  cherished  of  American  patriots,  has  walked  in 
their  streets,  fished  in  their  harbor,  slept  in  the  city,  engaged  in  public 
worship,  and  received,  with  affectionate  regard,  the  homage  of  the  citi- 
zens. 

The  name  Portsmouth  was  given  to  this  town  by  Captain  John 
Mason,  the  original  proprietor  of  the  province,  from  Portsmouth  in 
England,  of  which  he  was  governor.  The  town  is  about  five  miles  and 
three  quarters  in  length  and  three  and  a  half  in  width.  The  most  popu- 
lous and  thickly  built  portion  is  situated  on  a  peninsula  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  formed  by  the  north  and  south  mill-ponds,  and  con- 
nected with  the  main  land  by  a  narrow  isthmus  on  the  northwest,  and 
by  bridges  at  the  outlets  of  the  two  mill-ponds.  The  surface  is  uneven, 
but  the  hills  are  of  inconsiderable  height.  Many  of  the  streets  are  nar- 
row and  irregularly  laid  out;  a  number  are  paved;  and  all  of  them  have 
brick  side-walks.     The  buildings  are  principally  of  brick,  but  the  antique 


NEW   HAMPSHIKE CITY    OF   PORTSMOUTH.  627 

predominates  over  the  rriodern  style  of  architecture.  Before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century  there  were  but  four  brick  dwelling- 
houses  in  the  town,  the  rest  were  all  of  wood.  The  streets  and  dwelling- 
houses  are  well  supplied  with  water  by  the  Portsmouth  Aqueduct  Com- 
pany, from  a  spring  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Market  square. 
The  air  of  Portsmouth  is  salubrious,  and  the  inhabitants  enjoy  good 
health.  The  town  abounds  in  pleasant  drives,  and  the  scenery  by  which 
it  is  surrounded  is  beautiful  in  the  extreme  ;  from  every  elevation,  some 
handsome  landscape  view  can  be  seen.  These,  together  with  its  prox- 
imity to  the  sea  and  neighboring  beaches  and  its  general  cleanliness 
and  comfort,  render  it  a  delightful  summer  resort  The  view  given 
upon  the  opposite  page  has  lately  been  taken  from  a  prominent  point 
upon  the  south  road,  about  a  third  of  a  mile  from  the  centre  of  the  city, 
and  a  little  west  of  the  public  cemetery.  In  the  foreground  is  a  green 
mieadow  with  a  portion  of  a  neighboring  pond.  Standing  out  above 
the  horizon  is  seen  Mount  Agamenticus,  in  York,  Me.,  about  fifteen 
miles  distant  The  picture  embraces  all  the  churches  and  the  part 
containing  the  more  elegant  private  residences,  and  is  claimed  by  citi- 
zens of  Portsmouth  to  be  truthful,  and  to  present  the  city  from  the  most 
agreeable  and  familiar  point. 

Portsmouth  is  particularly  noted  for  its  safe  and  commodious  harbor, 
which  is  sheltered  by  islands  and  headlands,  not  only  from  every  storm, 
but  the  encroachments  of  an  enemy,  however  large  the  force.  The 
principal  entrance,  which  is  between  the  main  land  and  the  east  side 
of  Great  island,  is  defended  by  Fort  McCleary  on  the  former,  and 
Fort  Constitution  on  the  northwest  point  of  the  latter.  The  water  is 
from  seventy  to  eighty  feet  deep,  sufficient  for  vessels  of  the  largest 
class,  and  the  anchorage  is  good.  The  rise  of  the  tide  is  from  seven 
to  fourteen  feet;  and  the  rapidity  of  the  current  is  such  that,  in  the 
strength  of  the  tide,  it  runs  from  five  to  seven  miles  an  hour,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  channel  is  never  frozen  as  far  up  as  Dover  point, 
where  the  several  branches  of  the  river  meet  These  advantages  ren- 
der it  one  of  the  most  unrivalled  harbors  on  the  continent;  and  the 
erection  by  government  of  a  navy  yard  here  is  a  sufficient  proof  of  the 
fact  This  naval  estabUshment  is  built  upon  an  island  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  known  as  Navy  island,  where  are  fiuildings  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  officers  and  men  stationed  here ;  wharves,  where  the 
largest  ships  in  the  navy  can  lie  at  anchor ;  ship-houses,  one  of  which  is 
300  feet  long,  131  wide,  and  72  high ;  and  extensive  sheds  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  timber;  as  well  as  rigging-loft,  machine-shop,  smithery,  car- 
penters' shops,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  necessary  for  a  large  naval  sta- 
tion.   The  floating  balance  dry-dock  is  an  ingenious  piece  of  mechanism, 


628  HISTOEY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

constructed  on  the  most  approved  principles,  and  cost,  with  its  appen- 
dages, about  $800,000.  The  ship-building  facilities  in  this  yard  are 
unrivalled,  and  Portsmouth  has  just  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  reputa- 
tion in  this  respect.  The  iirst  ship  of  war  ever  built  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic;  the  first  line-of-battle  ships  built  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment ;  and  the  Congress,  the  largest  and  best  frigate  now  in  our  navy, 
were  built  here.  Seventeen  of  our  national  vessels  have  been  con- 
structed at  this  place,  and  more  are  projected.  The  territory  embraced 
within  the  limits  of  the  island  is  fifty-eight  acres.  The  usual  naval 
officers  and  seamen,  as  well  as  a  company  of  marines  with  their  officers, 
are  stationed  here. 

Portsmouth  is  still  the  centre  of  an  important  trade,  though  it  has 
considerably  diminished  from  what  it  was  in  former  years.  The  ship- 
ping belonging  to  the  port,  in  June,  1856,  according  to  the  records  at  the 
custom-house,  amounted  in  the  aggregate  to  25,293  tons.  Besides  these 
there  are  a  number  of  small  vessels,  from  five  to  twenty  tons,  employed  in 
fishing  and  other  seafaring  pursuits,  and  a  number  of  packets,  which  ply 
between  this  port  and  places  at  the  head  of  the  river  —  Dover,  Berwick, 
Exeter,  and  others.  The  three  steamers  which  run  on  Winnepesaukee 
lake,  having  in  the  aggregate  505  tons,  are  enrolled  at  the  custom-house 
in  this  port.  From  October,  1850,  to  June,  1856,  there  were  sixty-one 
vessels  built  in  Portsmouth,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  48,501  tons. 
Of  these,  forty-nine  were  ships,  one  w^as  a  bark,  two  were  brigs,  and 
eight  were  schooners.  In  1857,  there  were  six  ships  on  the  stocks,  aver- 
aging about  1,100  tons  each. 

The  soil  of  Portsmouth  is  not  good,  and  hence  the  city  has  not  been 
distinguished  in  an  agricultural  way,  though  there  are  some  excel- 
lent farms.  A  horticultural  society  has  been  established,  and  great 
interest  is  manifested  in  the  Rockingham  Agricultural  Society,  which 
held  a  meeting  here  in  the  autumn  of  1857.  The  manufacturing  inter- 
ests are  extensive.  The  most  important  corporation  in  the  city  is  the 
Portsmouth  Steam  Factory,  producing  annually  three  million  yards  of 
the  finest  quality  of  lawns,  and  giving  employment  to  about  four  hun- 
dred hands.  The  works  of  the  Sagamore  Manufacturing  Company  have 
been  purchased  by  this  company.  The  leading  manufactures  of  the 
city  comprise  ropes,  spool-cotton,  hosiery,  iron  castings,  and  boots  and 
shoes.  Portsmouth  contains  four  banks,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of 
8691,000;  a  savings  bank,  with  deposits,  up  to  January,  1856,  of 
$836,371.49 ;  an  insurance  company,  a  very  efficient  fire  department, 
and  two  cemeteries.  The  principal  public  buildings  are  the  Athenseum, 
the  Rockingham  bank,  the  almshouse,  the  market-houses,  and  the 
chapel  of  the  Episcopal  church.     The  custom-house  is  located  at  the 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   RANDOLPH.  629 

junction  of  Penhallow  and  Daniel  streets.  A  new  one  is  in  course 
of  erection  on  the  northeast  side  of  Pleasant  and  State  streets.  The 
literary  advantages  which  Portsmouth  possesses  are  very  respecta- 
ble. The  Athenaeum  has  a  library  of  over  eight  thousand  volumes, 
the  Mercantile  Library  Association  has  one  of  1,500  volumes,  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  one  of  five  hundred  volumes,  and 
there  are  several  others  belonging  to  religious  societies.  There  are 
eight  church  edifices  —  one  Episcopalian,  two  Congregational,  and  one 
each  of  Baptist,  Universalist,  Methodist  Episcopal,  Roman  Catholic, 
and  Christian,^  as  well  as  two  societies  without  churches  —  the  Advent- 
ists  and  the  Free-will  Baptists ;  three  school  districts  —  North,  Middle, 
and  South  —  with  eighteen  schools,  conducted  on  the  best  system,  hav- 
ing an  attendance  of  2,101  scholars,  one  thousand  of  which  are  girls, 
and  1,101  boys.  There  is  a  high  school  for  girls  and  boys,  which  cost, 
including  the  land,  $22,849 ;  and  the  New  Haven  school,  erected  in 
1849  at  a  cost  of  $12,000.  The  Portsmouth  Marine  Society,  the 
Mechanic  Association,  the  Howard  Benevolent  Society,  five  Masonic 
lodges,  and  three  lodges  of  Odd-Fellows,  are  institutions  of  a  meritori- 
ous character.  Nine  newspapers  are  published  here,  one  of  which  is 
issued  daily ;  and  there  is  one  post-office. 

Portsmouth  received  a  city  charter,  July  6, 1849.  It  is  connected  with 
all  the  most  important  points  by  means  of  railroads,  and  with  Kittery, 
Me.,  and  Newcastle  by  bridges.  There  are  four  light-houses  attached 
to  this  district,  namely,  Newcastle,  White's  Back,  White  island,  and 
Boone  island.  Though  Portsmouth  has  suffered  much  from  disastrous 
fires,  and  has  been  compelled  to  relinquish  to  the  larger  cities  some  of 
its  former  extensive  trade,  still  its  wealth  and  population  are  large,  and 
give  evidence  of  abundant  increase.  Population,  in  1853,  about  11,000 ; 
valuation,  $6,242,624. 

Randolph,  in  the  southern  part  of  Coos  county,  eighty-nine  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted  to  John  Durand  and  others,  from  London, 
on  the  20th  of  August,  1772,  receiving  the  surname  of  the  first  proprie- 
tor as  its  title,  which  was  altered  to  the  present  one  on  its  incorporation, 
June  16,  1824.  Joseph  Wilder  and  Stephen  Jillson  were  the  earliest 
inhabitants.  Randolph  has  a  bleak  and  rough  appearance,  and  lies  at 
the  foot  of  the  White  Mountains,  its  southern  boundary  being  far  up  on 
Mount  Madison.  There  is  a  portion  of  the  land  adapted  to  agriculture ; 
but  those  who  desire  a  home  seem  to  neglect  Randolph  for  more  popu- 

^  This  church  has  been  converted  into  dwelling-houses.     A  new  one  is  about  being 
erected  by  this  society  in  another  part  of  the  city. 

53* 


630  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

lous  regions.  The  near  view  of  the  White  Mountains  from  this  town 
is  one  of  peculiar  beauty  and  grandeur.  Randolph  Hill,  but  a  few 
miles  from  the  Glen  House,  and  many  other  elevations  here,  are  an- 
nually resorted  to  by  the  summer  traveller.  Mounts  Adams,  Jefferson, 
and  Madison  can  be  seen  entire  from  base  to  summit  on  Randolph  hill, 
and  romantic  prospects  are  visible  on  almost  every  hand.  Branches 
of  Moose  and  Israel's  rivers,  and  numerous  smaller  streams,  afford 
abundance  of  water.  There  is  no  church  edifice  or  regularly  organized 
religious  society  in  town,  but  occasional  preaching  is  had.  There  are 
two  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  hotel,  one  saw-mill, 
and  one  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard  machine.  Population,  113  :  valua- 
tion, l§39,950. 

Raymond,  near  the  centre  of  Rockingham  county,  twenty-five  miles 
from  Concord,  was  originally  that  part  of  Chester  called  Freetown.  It 
was  made  a  distinct  parish  in  1762,  and  incorporated  in  1764.  The 
first  inhabitants  came  from  Hampton,  Danville,  Kingston,  Chester,  and 
Exeter.  It  is  presumed  that  the  early  settlements  were  mostly  in  the 
easterly  part  of  the  town,  and  that,  at  the  time  of  its  incorporation,  a 
very  considerable  part  of  the  inhabitants  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  place 
called  Freetown  Mills.  The  town-meetings  were  holden  at  the  house  of 
Benjamin  Bean,  in  that  neighborhood,  for  several  years.  In  1767,  being 
three  years  after  the  charter  was  granted,  the  census  was  taken,  when 
it  was  found  that  the  total  population  was  455.  The  first  meeting-house 
was  raised  in  1786,  prior  to  which  meetings  were  held  in  the  house  of 
Benjamin  Bean.  This  meeting-house  was  surrounded  by  a  dense  for- 
est, and  Rev.  Mr.  Stearns  of  Epping,  who  preached  the  dedication  ser- 
mon, took  for  his  text  the  sixth  verse  of  Psalm  132  :  "  Lo,  we  heard  of 
it  at  Ephrata,  we  found  it  in  the  fields  of  the  wood."  A  wag,  probably 
from  the  same  circumstance,  posted  up  an  advertisement  that  he  had 
"  found  a  stray  meeting-house  in  the  woods.''  This  meeting-house  was 
subsequently  removed  from  its  semi-civilized  location  to  what  is  now 
the  present  centre  of  business.  The  Congregational  church  was  organ- 
ized in  1791.  In  the  year  1834,  a  new  meeting-house  was  built  by 
them.  Rev.  Jonathan  Stickney  was  ordained  pastor  in  the  year  1800, 
though  many  ministers  had  preached  previously  to  that  time,  but  none 
were  settled. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  several  citizens  left  the  endearments 
of  home  for  the  field  of  conflict.  The  names  of  twenty-four  are  found 
enrolled  among  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution.  Others  were  engaged 
for  a  shorter  period.  Four  were  killed  or  died  in  the  service.  David 
Oilman  of  this  town  was  second  lieutenant  in  the  second  company  of 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  RICHMOND.  631 

the  second  battalion,  raised  in  1776.  Hon.  John  Dudley,  who  resided  here 
nearly  forty  years,  deserves  a  respectful  notice.  He  was  a  hneal  descend- 
ant of  Governor  Thomas  Dudley,  who  came  to  Massachusetts  in  1630, 
w^ho  was  himself  directly  descended  from  the  barons  of  Dudley  in  Eng- 
land, and  not  unworthy  of  their  distinguished  name.  He  was  born  at 
Exeter,  April  9,  1725 ;  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  from  1775  to 
1784,  and  for  two  years  w^as  speaker  of  the  house.  He  was  also  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  committee  of  safety,  which  consisted  of  three,  and 
sat  in  the  recess  of  the  legislature  during  the  whole  period  of  the  Revo- 
lution; was,  for  nineteen  years,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas,  and  twelve  years  judge  of  the  highest  court.  Judge  Dud- 
ley died  May  21,  1805,  aged  eighty  years,  leaving  a  numerous  posterity. 
Raymond  has  an  uneven  surface,  and  soil  of  various  quality,  which  is 
not  generally  of  the  best  kind,  though  there  are  many  productive  farms. 
The  roads  are  of  a  good  description,  and  are  being  improved  daily.  A 
natural  excavation  in  the  rock,  called  the  "  oven,"  from  the  peculiarity  of 
its  mouth,  lies  in  the  northern  division  of  the  town.  It  is  an  arch,  five 
feet  in  height,  and  of  the  same  width,  extending  into  the  hill  about  fif- 
teen feet.  It  was  formerly  a  haunt  for  rattlesnakes.  The  Pawtuck- 
away  river  passes  through  the  northeast  corner  of  Raymond,  and  two 
branches  of  Lamprey  river. from  Deerfield  and  Candia  form  a  junction 
here,  receiving  the  waters  of  the  ponds  as  they  run  through.  Raymond 
Centre  is  the  only  village.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist, 
Congregational,  and  Baptist;  ten  school  districts,  and  one  post-office: 
also,  one  shoe  manufactory,  three  stores,  and  the  usual  mechanic  shops. 
The  Portsmouth  and  Concord  Railroad  passes  through  Raymond. 
Population,  1,256 ;  valuation,  $284,023. 

Richmond,  on  the  boundary  between  New  Hampshire  and  Massachu- 
setts, is  in  the  southern  part  of  Cheshire  county,  seventy  miles  from  Con- 
cord, and  was  granted  to  Joseph  Blanchard,  February  28,  1752.  It  was 
settled  some  five  years  from  that  time  by  emigrants  from  Rhode  Island 
and  Massachusetts.  The  first  native  of  the  town  was  Lemuel  Scott. 
The  first  Baptist  church  was  formed  in  1768.  Rev.  Maturin  Ballou 
was  ordained  in  1770,  and  lived  until  1804 ;  Rev.  Artemas  Aldrich  was 
settled  in  1777.  The  second  Baptist  church  was  formed  in  1776,  and 
Rev.  Isaac  Kenny  was  settled  in  1792.  The  soil  is  good,  and  is  prolific 
in  those  productions  common  to  this  section  of  New  England.  The 
surface  is,  on  the  average,  level.  Minerals  of  various  kinds  are  found 
here,  and  soapstone  is  abundant  lolite,  a  rare  mineral  and  of  consid- 
erable value,  exists  in  beautiful  specimens.  The  town  is  supplied  with 
water  by  the  Ashuelot  and  Miller's  rivers,  both  which  fall  intq  the  Con- 


632  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

necticut  There  are  three  ponds,  one  of  which  is  the  source  of  Miller's 
river.  The  manufacture  of  palm-leaf  hats  has  given  employment  to 
some  of  the  inhabitants,  several  thousand  dollars'  worth  being  made 
annually.  The  town  has  three  villages,  known  by  the  names  of  Rich- 
mond Centre,  Richmond  Four  Corners,  and  North  Richmond;  three 
church  edifices,  belonging  respectively  to  the  Baptists,  the  Quakers,  and 
the  Universalists ;  and  fourteen  school  districts.  There  are  $6,000  in- 
vested in  trade,  the  annual  sales  of  which  are  $18,000  ;  $42,000  invested 
in  manufactures,  the  annual  sales  being  |50,000.  The  names  of  the 
post-offices  are  Richmond  and  North  Richmond.  Population,  1,128 ; 
valuation,  $343,819. 

RiNDGE,  Cheshire  county,  is  situated  on  the  high  lands  between  Con- 
necticut and  Merrimack  rivers.  The  settlement  of  the  town,  originally 
called  Rowley- Canada,  or  Monadnock  No.  1,  was  commence'd  by  Jona- 
than Stanley,  George  Hewitt,  Abel  Platts,  and  others,  in  the  year  1752 ; 
and,  in  1775,  it  was  peopled  by  a  stern  and  hardy  race  of  men,  by  whom 
the  trees  of  the  forest  were  made  to  recede,  to  give  place  to  the  comfort- 
able habitations  and  the  cultivated  farms  of  civilization.  The  first  na- 
tive was  Samuel  Russell.  The  charter  of  the  town  is  dated  February 
11,  1768.  The  inhabitants  of  Rindge  were  early  opposers  of  British 
tyranny,  and  were  prompt  to  answer  the  summons  to  arms.  On  the 
night  subsequent  to  the  battle  of  Lexington,  a  messenger  arrived  at  the 
house  of  the  captain  of  the  company  of  minute-men  with  the  news  of 
the  battle.  The  men  belonging  to  this  company  resided  in  different 
parts  of  the  town  ;  and,  so  ready  were  they  to  obey  the  summons  for 
men,  that,  at  sunrise  on  the  20th  of  April,  no  less  than  fifty-four  were 
assembled  upon  the  common  ready  to  march  to  meet  the  foe.  Three 
of  the  number  fell  at  Bunker  Hill.  Rindge,  from  its  earliest  settlement, 
has  been  constant  in  the  support  of  the  ministry.  The  Congregational 
church,  the  first  one  here,  was  organized  in  November,  1765,  and  has 
only  had  three  pastors  in  a  period  of  ninety- two  years.  The  first  minis- 
ter. Rev.  Seth  Dean,  served  fifteen  years ;  the  second.  Rev.  Dr.  Payson, 
thirty-seven  years;  and  the  third.  Rev.  A.  W.  Burnham,  has  served 
thirty-six  years,  and  is  still  pastor. 

Rindge  has  been  honored  as  the  residence  of  some  distinguished  men. 
Rev.  Seth  Payson,  D.  D.,  a  man  of  piety,  talents,  and  worth,  graduated 
at  Harvard  College,  1777 ;  was  ordained  here  December  4,  1782,  and 
died  February  26,  1820,  aged  sixty-two.  He  was  for  some  time  a 
member  of  the  New  Hampshire  senate ;  one  of  the  trustees  of  Dartmouth 
College  from  1813  to  the  time  of  his  death ;  a  member  of  the  American 
BoEird  of  Foreign  Missions  from  an  early  date,  and  president  of  the  New 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   ROCHESTER.  633 

Hampshire  Bible  Society.  He  was  distinguished  for  clearness  and 
strength  of  intellect,  and  for  resolution,  firmness,  perseverance,  and  faith- 
fulness in  whatever  he  undertook  to  perform.  These  qualities  made  his 
services  of  great  value,  and  they  were  fully  appreciated  by  his  church 
and  society.  If  there  was  any  one  place  more  than  another  in  which 
he  was  conspicuous  and  eminently  useful,  it  was  as  trustee  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  especially  in  that  famous  and  important  controversy, 
in  which  the  legislature  of  New  Hampshire  attempted  to  subject  the 
college  to  the  will  of  the  state  government  In  this  controversy  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Payson  and  Judge  Timothy  Farrar  were  considered  the  honored 
leaders  ;  and,  by  their  energy  and  perseverance,  to  have  been  the  cause 
of  its  successful  termination.  This  town  is  also  the  place  where  the  still 
more  celebrated  son  of  Dr.  Payson,  Rev.  Edward  Payson,  D.  D.,  late  of 
Portland,  Me.,  was  born  and  received  his  early  training.  Hon.  Marshall 
p.  "Wilder  was  born  here,  September  22, 1798.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Samuel  L.  Wilder,  an  honored  citizen  of  Rindge,  who  removed  here  in 
early  life  from  Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  for  several  years  represented  the 
town  in  the  legislature.  Mr.  Wilder  removed  to  Boston  in  1825,  and 
since  1827  has  been  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Parker,  Wilder, 
and  Company.  Aside  from  his  character  as  a  merchant,  he  has  attained 
eminence  in  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  agriculture  and  horticulture. 
He  has  held  several  important  and  distinguished  oiSces,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned,  president  of  the  senate  of  Massachusetts,  of  the 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  of  the  Norfolk  County  Agricul- 
tural Society,  and  of  the  United  States  Agricultural  Society.  The  late 
Captain  Joel  Raymond,  an  active  business  man,  did  something  toward 
ornamenting  and  beautifying  the  town. 

The  surface  is  very  hilly,  and  the  soil  good.  There  is  no  stream 
passing  through  the  town  ;  but  by  the  aid  of  thirteen  natural  ponds,  — 
the  principal  of  which  are  Manomonack,  Emerson,  Perley,  Grassy,  and 
Bullet,  —  a  water  power  is  afforded  sufficient  for  running  the  mills  the 
greater  portion  of  the  time.  There  are  three  villages  —  Rindge  Centre, 
Blake,  and  East  Rindge ;  twelve  school  districts ;  two  church  edifices  — 
Congregational  and  Methodist;  and  one  post-office:  also,  three  grist- 
mills, thirteen  saw-mills,  thirteen  shingle  mills,  six  stave  mills,  two  plan- 
ing mills,  and  several  clapboard  mills.  Population,  1,274;  valuation, 
$511,359. 

Rochester,  Strafford  county,  is  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  lying 
on  the  southwest  of  Salmon  Falls  river,  which  divides  it  from  Berwick 
and  Lebanon,  Me.  It  was  granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  to 
a  number  of  proprietors,  and  comprised  60,000  acres,  which  have  been 


634  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

reduced  to  20,000  by  the  incorporation  of  Farmington  and  Milton.  It 
was  incorporated  May  10,  1722,  and  the  first  permanent  settlement 
was  made  December  28,  1728,  by  Timothy  Roberts  and  his  family; 
being  soon  followed  by  Eleazar  Ham,  Benjamin  Frost,  Joseph  Richards, 
Benjamin  Tibbets,  and  others.  In  the  perilous  times  which  then  sur- 
rounded most  of  the  infant  settlements,  the  progress  of  every  thing  was 
comparatively  slow,  and  Rochester  was  no  exception  to  the  general, rule. 
In  the  year  1760,  after  the  subjugation  of  Canada  by  the  British  and 
American  forces,  a  new  era  dawned.  Prior  to  that  time  much  suffering 
was  experienced  by  the  inhabitants  from  the  almost  constant  incursions 
of  those  dreaded  enemies  to  civilization,  the  savages ;  but  they  were 
not  despondent;  and,  being  trained  by  these  constant  warlike  vigils  to 
uncommon  endurance,  they  too  frequently  surpassed  their  more  war- 
like and  savage  enemies,  and  often  obtained  advantages  over  them. 
To  numbers  and  stratagem,  however,  the  settlers  too  often  fell  victims. 
On  the  27th  of  June  (old  style),  1746,  four  men  —  Joseph  Heard, 
Joseph  Richards,  John  Wentworth,  and  Gershom  Downs  —  were  killed 
by  the  hands  of  the  savages,  and  on  the  same  day  Jonathan  Richards 
was  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  and  carried  to  Canada,  from  whence  he 
soon  after  returned.  But  their  desolating  work  did  not  end  here ;  for 
a  boy  named  Jonathan  Door  was  taken  prisoner,  probably  by  the  same 
party,  on  the  road  called  Salmon  fall;  Samuel  Drown  was  wounded 
May  23,  1747 ;  and.  May  1st  of  the  next  year,  the  wife  of  Jonathan 
Hodgdon  was  kiUed  by  the  Indians,  preferring,  as  she  said,  to  be  killed, 
rather  than  taken  into  captivity.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Moses  Roberts 
was  also  killed  in  this  town;  but  not,  as  has  been  asserted,  by  the 
savages.  Having  deserted  his  post  from  some  cause  or  other,  he  was 
running  up  the  hill  towards  the  garrison,  near  which  another  sentinel 
was  stationed,  who,  seeing  the  bushes  wave,  and  supposing  that  Indians 
were  concealed  there,  fired  and  shot  Roberts. 

A  meeting-house  was  erected  here  about  1730,  which  was  "forty  feet 
by  thirty-five,  and  eighteen  feet  studs."  A  minister  was  not,  however, 
settled  till  May,  1787,  for  the  very  good  reason  that  one  could  not  be 
obtained,  when  "  the  Rev.  Mr.  Amos  Main"  was  inducted  into  the  office 
of  pastor,  which  he  held  till  his  death,  April  5,  1760.  Rev.  Samuel  Hill 
succeeded  Mr.  Main,  November  19,  1760,  and  resigned  April  10,  1775. 
On  the  10th  of  January,  1776,  Rev.  Joseph  Haven  was  settled,  and 
enjoyed  the  affection  of  the  entire  population  in  a  remarkable  deo-ree. 
He  served  the  people  forty-nine  years.  Six  ministers  have  since  filled 
the  pastorate  of  this  church.  Among  the  distinguished  men  of  Roch- 
ester may  be  mentioned  Captains  John  Brewster  and  David  Place, 
Colonel    John    McDuffie,    Hon.    John    Plumer,   James    Knowles,    Dr. 


NEW  HAMPSHIKE  —  COUNTY   OF   ROCKINGHAM.  635 

James  How,  and  John  P.  Hale,  father  of  the  present  senator,  who  had 
held  a  lieutenant's  commission  in  the  army  at  the  hands  of  General 
Washington,  and  was  an  eminent  lawyer  in  Rochester.  Here  the 
honorable  senator,  bearing  the  same  Christian  name,  was  born,  March 
31,  1806.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  Mr.  Hale  entered  Exeter 
Academy,  and,  in  1823,  Bowdoin  College  ;  Ex-president  Pierce,  and 
Nathaniel  Hawthorne,  distinguished  as  an  author,  being  among  his 
classmates.  In  1832,  he  was  chosen  representative  to  the  legislature, 
and,  in  1843,  representative  to  Congress.  In  1846,  he  became  speaker 
of  the  house  of  representatives  of  New  Hampshire,  and  at  the  same 
session  was  chosen  United  States  senator  for  six  years  from  1847. 
In  1852,  he  was  the  free-soil  candidate  for  the  presidency ;  and  in  1855, 
there  being  a  vacancy  in  the  seat  of  one  of  the  United  States  senators 
from  New  Hampshire,  Mr.  Hale  was  returned  to  this  seat,  which  he 
still  occupies  with  distinguished  ability  and  fidelity. 

The  surface  of  Rochester  is  uneven,  having  several  large  hills,  the 
principal  of  which  is  called  Squamanagonnick,  on  which  are  several 
valuable  farms.  The  greater  part  of  the  soil  is  good,  and  with  proper 
attention  will  yield  profitable  crops.  The  town  is  watered  by  Salmon 
Falls,  Cochecho,  and  Isinglass  rivers;  the  two  former  having  valuable 
water  privileges,  to  which  is  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  the  progress 
Rochester  is  making  in  population  and  wealth.  The  town  contains 
two  villages — Rochester  and  Gonic  ;  two  church  edifices  —  one  Con- 
gregational and  one  Methodist ;  nineteen  school  districts  ;  three  banks 
—  the  Rochester  Bank  (with  a  capital  of  $120,000),  the  Farmer's  and 
Mechanic's,  and  the  Norway  Plains  Savings  Bank;  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Rochester  and  Gonic :  also,  a  large  woollen  factory,  known 
by  the  name  of  the  Norway  Plains  Company,  with  a  capital  of 
$75,000 ;  and  one  of  smaller  capacity ;  one  large  tannery,  with  other 
manufactures  and  mills.  Two  railroads  enliven  the  appearance  of 
Rochester,  and  afford  facilities  for  intercommunication  and  transpor- 
tation—  the  Cochecho  Railroad,  and  the  Great  Falls  and  Conway 
Railroad.     Population,  3,006 ;  valuation,  $993,174. 

Rockingham  County,  in  the  southeast  extremity  of  the  state,  has  a 
territorial  extent  of  about  750  square  miles.  It  was  ushered  into  being 
by  the  same  act  which  created  Hillsborough,  Cheshire,  Strafford,  and 
Grafton,  passed  March  19,  1771,  when  it  embraced  Allenstown,  Bow, 
Canterbury,  Chichester,  Concord,  Epsom,  Loudon,  Northfield,  Pem- 
broke, and  Pittsfield,  in  addition  to  its  present  territory,  these  towns 
having  been  severed  from  her  to  form  a  part  of  Merrimack,  July  1,  1823. 
The  pruning-knife  was  used  again  December  10,  1824,  when  Pelham 


636  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

was  lopped  oiF  and  giveia  to  her  western  neighbor,  Hillsborough.  This 
process  of  dismemberment  has  left  her  shorn  of  a  valuable  portion 
of  territory,  and  occupying  a  very  cramped-up  position  on  the  map ; 
still  she  has  aU  the  sea-coast  embraced  in  New  Hampshire,  so  that, 
though  circumscribed  in  the  rear,  the  Atlantic  opens  before  her  a  bound- 
less extent  of  territory,  giving  her  advantages  which  no  other  county 
in  the  state  possesses.  She  is  the  first  in  point  both  of  population  and 
wealth.  Her  boundaries,  as  they  now  stand,  were  established  by  act 
passed  January  3,  1829,  encompassing  thirty-eight  towns,  the  principal 
of  which  are  Portsmouth  (the  only  seaport)  and  Exeter,  both  which  are 
shu'e  towns. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  uneven,  and,  in  the  north  part,  some- 
what hilly ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  Saddleback,  there  are  no  moun- 
tains worthy  of  mention.  The  soil  has  good  agricultural  capacities, 
and  much  attention  is  paid  to  its  cultivation.  Water  is  abundant,  and 
the  water  power  excellent.  Lamprey,  Beaver,  and  Exeter  are  the 
principal  rivers,  and  Great  bay  and  Massabesic  lake  the  largest  collec- 
tions of  water,  though  there  are  numerous  small  lakes  or  ponds.  The 
Eastern  Railroad,  and  the  Portsmouth  and  Concord  Railroad,  traverse 
the  county. 

Rockingham  belongs  to  the  first  judicial  district  of  the  supreme 
judicial  court,  a  law  term  of  which  is  held  annually  at  Exeter  on  the 
tliird  Tuesday  of  June.  The  trial  terms  of  this  court  are  held  at 
Portsmouth  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  October,  and  at  Exeter  on  the  fourth 
Tuesday  of  February ;  and  the  terms  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  at 
the  former  place  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  November,  and  at  the  latter 
on  the  second  Tuesday  of  April.  Population,  49,194;  valuation, 
$20,788,320. 

RoLLiNSFORD,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Strafford  county,  adjoins  South 
Berwick,  Me.,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Newichawannock  or 
Salmon  Falls  river,  forty-five  miles  from  Concord.  Its  territory  was 
formerly  a  part  of  Somersworth,  from  which  it  was  separated  and  incor- 
porated July  3,  1849.  With  Somersworth  it  was  originally  a  part  of 
Dover,  and  was  settled  at  a  very  early  date,  being  occupied  by  the  set- 
tlement made  as  early  as  1630,  which  is  described  in  "  Maine,"  and  of 
which  Ambrose  Gibbons  was  "  factor,"  or  agent.  At  the  falls  here,  cer- 
tain persons,  sent  over  by  Mason,  "  built  a  saw-mill,"  and  a  "  stamping- 
mill  for  corne,"  about  1634 ;  but  the  mills  were  burnt  before  1644.  Prior 
to  1700,  the  falls  came  into  possession  of  Judge  Thomas  Tuttle,  of 
Dover,  who  owned  large  tracts  of  land  adjoining,  and  resided  there,  and 
who  erected  mills.     Other  facts,  and  especially  those  relating  to  Indian 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  ROXBTJRY.  637 

difficulties,  are  included  in  the  account  of  Somersworth.  It  was  called 
RoUinsford  from  a  number  of  enterprising  and  wealthy  farmers  by  the 
name  of  Rollins,  who  were  then  residents.  Manufacturing  was  first 
commenced  about  the  year  1821,  previous  to  which  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  saw-mills  in  operation.  James  Runlet,  an  enterprising  citizen  of 
Portsmouth,  erected  the  first  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  woollen  goods  ; 
this  was  burned  in  1834,  by  which  some  lives  were  lost.  It  was  rebuilt ; 
but  the  manufacture  to  which  it  was  formerly  devoted  not  being  profita- 
ble, it  is  now  run  for  the  manufacture  of  cottons. 

RoUinsford  is  small  in  territory,  but  has  an  even  surface  and  an  excel- 
lent soil,  a  clay  loam.  Salmon  Falls  river  washes  its  eastern  boun- 
dary, and  affords  many  valuable  mill  privileges.  The  Boston  and 
Maine  Railroad  passes  through  this  town,  forming  a  junction  with  the 
Conway  Railroad. 

The  principal  village  is  Salmon  Falls,  so  named  from  the  large  quan- 
tities of  salmon  which  were  captured  before  the  falls  were  obstructed 
by  dams.  Here  all  the  manufacturing  interests  are  centred.  It  is  one 
of  the  pleasantest  villages  in  the  state,  and  much  pains  has  been  taken 
in  the  orderly  arrangement  of  the  buUdings,  and  in  the  planting  of 
ornamental  and  shade  trees.  There  are  three  church  edifices —  Congre- 
gational, Episcopal,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  six  school  districts ;  and  two 
post-ofRces  —  RoUinsford  and  Salmon  Falls.  The  Salmon  FaUs  Manu- 
facturing Company  have  two  mills,  and  use  4,968,936  pounds  (about 
10,000  bales)  of  cotton  per  year.  This  company  has  in  operation 
32,000  spindles  and  980  looms.  It  manufactured  for  the  year  ending 
May,  1857,  6,263,781  yards  of  driUings,  4,841,972  yards  of  sheetings, 
and  726,621  yards  of  cotton  flannel.  The  Somersworth  Machine  Com- 
pany are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  stoves,  gas-pipe,  and  other 
eastings,  and  are  contractors  for  the  erection  of  coal  gas-works.  Among 
other  buildings  is  a  very  neat  and  creditable  school-house.  Salmon 
FaUs  Bank,  in  this  town,  has  a  capital  of  $50,000.  The  RoUinsford  Sav- 
ings Bank,  incorporated  in  1850,  is  a  very  successful  and  useful  institu- 
tion, and  holds  in  trust,  from  550  depositors,  $112,000.  Population, 
1,862 ;  valuation,  $867,122. 

RoxBURT,  in  the  centre  of  Cheshire  county,  distant  from  Concord 
fifty  miles,  was  formed  from  territory  detached  from  the  east  part  of 
Keene,  the  north  part  of  Marlborough,  and  the  southwest  part  of  Nel- 
son, and  was  incorporated  December  9,  1812.  The  inhabitants  are  for 
the  most  part  engaged  in  agriculture,  which  the  fertility  of  the  land  — 
though  lying  in  considerable  sweUs,  giving  the  town  a  very  uneven  ap- 
pearance —  enables    them    to    prosecute    advantageously.      There    are 

VOL.  I.  54 


638  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

large  quarries  of  granite  here,  which  are  worked  successfully.  The 
north  branch  of  Ashuelot  river  divides  the  town  from  Keene.  On  the 
south  is  Roaring  brook,  which  enters  into  the  Ashuelot  at  the  south- 
west corner ;  this  river  has  on  its  margin  several  small  tracts  of  meadow 
land.  Roaring  Brook  pond  lies  on  the  east  side.  Most  of  the  buildings 
are  erected  in  the  centre,  where  is  a  Congregational  meeting-house. 
The  business  of  Roxbury  is  transacted  principally  at  Keene,  which  lies 
about  five  miles  from  its  centre  ;  and  Marlborough,  distant  about  four 
miles,  is  where  its  mechanical  business  is  done.  There  are  two  saw- 
mills, one  grist-mill,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  260  ;  valuation, 
$93,744. 

RuMNEY,  nearly  in  the  centre  of  Grafton  county,  forty-seven  miles 
from  Concord,  was  twice  granted :  first  to  Samuel  Olmstead,  and  next, 
on  the  18th  of  March,  1767,  to  Daniel  Brainerd  and  others.  Among 
the  names  of  the  first  settlers  were  Captain  Jotham  Cummings,  Moses 
Smart,  Daniel  Brainerd,  James  Heath  of  Canterbury,  and  Alexander 
Craig,  who  arrived  in  1765.  The  late  General  Stark,  in  company 
with  his  brother  William,  Amos  Eastman  of  Concord,  and  David  Stin- 
son  of  Londonderry,  visited  this  town  on  a  hunting  expedition  on  the 
28th  of  April,  1752,  when  they  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  Indians 
under  the  command  of  Francis  Titigaw.  The  General  and  Eastman 
were  taken  prisoners,  Stinson  was  killed  and  scalped,  and  William  made 
his  escape.  A  pond,  mountain,  and  brook  in  the  vicinity  where  Stinson 
was  slain  will  long  perpetuate  the  event,  and  render  it  familiar  as  a 
"  household  word." 

The  soil  of  Rumney  is  of  a  fertile  character,  though  there  are  a  few  ele- 
vations, particularly  Stinson's  and  Webber's  mountains  in  the  east  part, 
and  a  small  part  of  Carr's  mountain  (which  here  obtains  the  name  of 
Rattlesnake  mountain)  on  its  northwest  border.  Baker's  river  —  of 
which  a  large  branch  flows  from  Stinson's  pond  and  is  called  Stinson's 
brook  —  waters  the  town.  Part  of  Loon  pond  is  on  the  east  line. 
There  are  two  villages  —  Rumney  and  West  Rumney ;  three  church 
edifices  ■ —  one  Universalist,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Union,  composed  of 
Methodists  and  Universalists ;  eleven  school  districts  ;  and  two  post- 
offices,  one  at  each  of  the  villages :  also,  a  large  tannery,  fifteen  saw- 
mills, and  a  ladder  factory.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal 
Railroad  runs  through  West  Rumney.  Population,  1,109 ;  valuation, 
$326,787. 

Rye,  Rockingham  county,  is  situated  on  the  sea-coast,  about  six  and  a 
half  miles  from  Portsmouth,  and  fifty-one  from  Concord.     It  was  early 


NEW  HAMPSHIRK  —  TOWN   OF  RYE.  639 

settled,  and  possesses  some  very  interesting  features  in  its  history.  The 
name  is  supposed  to  have  been  derived  from  a  town  in  England  from 
which  several  of  the  early  inhabitants  emigrated.  The  town  was  formed 
from  portions  of  the  territory  of  Portsmouth,  Greenland,  Hampton,  and 
Newcastle ;  and  though  it  was  inhabited  as  early  as  1635,  it  was  not 
endowed  with  corporate  privileges  until  1719.  The  settlement  must 
have  been  obstructed  by  some  unhappy  calamity,  or  the  settlers  must 
have  been  exceedingly  poor;  as  for  about  ninety  years  they  had  no  set- 
tled minister  of  the  gospel  among  them,  and  were  forced  to  attend  pub- 
lic worship  in  some  of  the  neighboring  towns,  particularly  at  Ports- 
mouth and  Newcastle.  The  names  of  some  of  the  first  settlers  were 
Berry,  Seavey,  Rand,  Bracket,  Wallis,  Jenness,  and  Locke,  the  descend- 
ants of  some  of  whom  are  still  residing  here. 

Rye  experienced  some  of  the  desolating  effects  of  Indian  warfare. 
In  1694,  John  Locke,  living  on  the  Neck,  while  reaping  grain  in  his 
field,  was  surprised  and  killed  by  the  natives.  In  1696,  at  Sandy  Beach, 
no  less  than  twenty-one  were  either  killed  or  carried  away  by  them. 
The  inhabitants  exhibited  a  ready  acquiescence  in  the  demands  upon 
them  for  men  during  the  Canada  or  French  war,  fourteen  of  them  hav- 
ing died  or  been  killed  in  the  service ;  and,  during  the  Revolutionary 
war,  their  abhorrence  of  the  overbearing  course  which  Great  Britain 
pursued  towards  these  colonies  is  fully  attested  by  the  fact  that  no  less 
than  thirty-eight  lost  their  lives  in  the  struggle,  by  sea  or  land.  A  Con- 
gregational church  was  organized  July  10,  1726,  a  meeting-house  having 
been  built  tlie  previous  year.  Rev.  Nathaniel  Merrill  was  the  first  min- 
ister, having  been  ordained  September  14,  1726,  and  continued  seven 
years.  Rev.  Samuel  Parsons,  ordained  November  3,  1736,  served  this 
church  nearly  half  a  century.  He  died  January  4,  1789,  and  his  mem- 
ory is  still  revered  by  those  who  remember  his  many  virtues.  Rev. 
Huntingdon  Porter  served  this  church  over  half  a  centary.  He  was 
ordained  as  colleague  with  Mr.  Parsons,  December  29,  1784,  and  died 
in  Lynn,  Mass.,  March  7,  1844,  aged  nearly  eighty-nine. 

Rye  possesses  few  advantages  as  regards  soil,  it  being  naturally  hard, 
and  difficult  to  cultivate.  However,  by  a  proper  use  of  various  kinds  of 
manures,  and  attention  on  the  part  of  agriculturists,  it  is  made  to  yield 
corn,  potatoes,  and  hay  in  large  quantities.  The  town  extends  on  the 
sea-coast  about  six  miles,  which  is  nearly  one  third  of  the  coast  in  the 
state.  There  are  three  beaches,  —  Sandy,  Jenness,  and  Wallis,  — 
considerable  in  extent  and  very  pleasant,  all  which  are  places  largely 
resorted  to  by  persons  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  both  for  health 
and  for  pleasure.     On  the   right,  just  at   the    head  of  the   beach,  as 


640  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

it  is  approached,  is  the  Surf  House ;  and  a  few  steps  further,  on  the 
left,  the  Ocean  House,  both  substantially  built  and  richly  furnished. 
The  latter  house  commands  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  ocean,  is  sur- 
rounded by  garden,  grove,  and  lawn,  and  is  well  adapted  to  the  comfort 
of  visitors.  There  is  a  small  harbor,  with  a  sufficient  depth  of  water 
for  the  accommodation  of  vessels  of  from  seventy  to  eighty  tons,  which, 
at  a  moderate  expense,  might  be  made  to  answer  very  important  pur- 
poses both  public  and  private.  Fishing  by  boat  is  prosecuted  with  con- 
siderable advantage,  more  particularly  in  the  fall  and  winter  seasons. 

Near  the  sea-coast  there  was  formerly  a  large  fresh  water  pond,  cover- 
ing a  surface  of  about  three  hundred  acres,  between  which  and  the  sea 
a  communication  was  opened  by  the  inhabitants  a  short  time  after  the 
settlement  of  the  town.  The  waters  were  discharged  into  the  sea,  leav- 
ing a  tract  of  marsh,  which,  being  watered  by  the  regular  flow  of  the 
tide,  yields  annually  large  quantities  of  salt  hay.  Between  Rye  and 
Greenland  there  is  a  hill  called  Breakfast  hill,  rendered  notorious  from 
the  fact  that  a  party  of  Indians  were  surprised,  at  the  time  of  their 
incursion  in  1696,  while  indulging  in  their  morning  meal.  In  the  rocks, 
of  which  this  hill  is  mainly  composed,  are  small  circular  holes,  supposed 
to  have  been  made  use  of  for  different  purposes  by  the  Indians.  The 
town  has  a  Congregational,  a  Baptist,  and  a  Methodist  church ;  four 
school  districts ;  and  one  post-office  :  also,  three  grocery  stores,  two  saw- 
mills, and  four  grist-mills.     Population,  1,295 ;  valuation,  $425,600. 

Salem,  in  the  southern  part  of  Rockingham  county,  is  about  nine 
miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  about  two  and  a  half  miles  in 
width  near  the  centre,  touching  Windham  on  the  west,  and  Methuen, 
Mass.,  on  the  east.  It  was  incorporated  May  11,  1750 ;  and  was  pre- 
viously a  part  of  Methuen,  being  sometimes  called  the  "  Methuen  and 
Dracut  district ; "  but  more  generally  the  "  North  parish  in  Methuen." 
The  Congregational  church  was  organized  January  16,  1740,  and  is 
some  eleven  years  older  than  the  town,  having  been  established  when 
Salem  and  Methuen  were  one  and  the  same.  Rev.  Abner  Bailey  was 
the  first  minister.  A  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1739.  When  under 
the  dominion  of  the  British  government,  many  of  the  inhabitants 
served  in  the  Canada  war,  as  well  as  in  several  other  expeditions  prose- 
cuted by  the  crown.  More  than  seventy-live  men  participated  in  that 
memorable  struggle,  which  won  for  us  our  independence.  The  records 
of  the  town  also  exhibit  many  evidences  that  those  who  were  left  at 
home  were  equally  ardent,  by  words  and  by  acts,  in  the  good  cause. 
Hon.  Silas  Betton  was  a  resident  of  this  town.     He  was  a  representa- 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   SALISBURY.  641 

tive  and  senator  in  the  state  legislature,  member  of  congress,  and  after- 
wards sheriff  of  Rockingham  county.     He  died  in  1822. 

The  surface  of  Salem  is  uneven ;  but  the  soil  is  generally  of  a  fertile 
description.  Policy  pond,  partly  in  this  town  and  partly  in  Windham, 
is  the  largest  body  of  water :  there  are,  however,  other  ponds,  but  they 
are  limited  in  extent.  The  principal  business  is  the  manufacture  of 
shoes  and  woollens.  The  former  is  carried  on  in  Salem,  which  is  the 
principal  village,  and  the  mills  (four  in  number)  for  the  prosecution  of 
the  latter,  are  situated  on  Spiggot  river,  a  small  stream  which  rises  at 
Island  pond  in  Hampstead,  emptying  into  Merrimack  river  at  Law- 
rence, Mass.  There  are  two  villages  —  Salem  and  North  Salem  ;  three 
church  edifices  —  two  Methodist  and  one  Congregational;  ten  school 
districts ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Salem  and  North  Salem :  also,  four 
shoe  factories,  five  stores,  and  a  number  of  saw-mills  and  grist-mills. 
The  Manchester  and  Lawrence  Railroad  has  a  depot  at  a  place  called 
Messer's  Crossing.     Population,  1,555 ;  valuation,  $506,318. 

Salisbury,  in  the  northern  part  of  Merrimack  county,  is  pleasantly 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Pemigewasset  and  Merrimack  rivers,  fifteen 
miles  north  of  Concord.  It  was  originally  granted  by  Massachusetts, 
and  was  known  by  the  name  of  Bakerstown.  It  was  afterwards 
granted  by  the  Masonian  proprietors,  October  25,  1749,  and  was  then 
called  Stevenstown,  from  Colonel  Ebenezer  Stevens,  of  Kingston,  who, 
with  fifty-six  others,  were  the  grantees,  fifty-four  of  whom  belonged  to 
Kingston ;  and  the  town  was  incorporated,  by  charter  from  the  govern- 
ment of  New  Hampshire,  March  1,  1768,  when  it  took  the  name  of 
Salisbury.  The  settlement  was  commenced  here  as  early  as  1750  by 
Philip  Call  and  Nathaniel  Meloon,^  who  had  recently  removed  from  the 
fort  in  Boscawen,  the  former  into  the  eastern,  and  the  latter  into  the 
western,  part  of  Salisbury.  Benjamin  Pettingill,  John  and  Ebenezer 
Webster,^  Andrew  Bohonon,  Edward  Eastman,  and  many  others,  mostly 
from  Kingston,  also  took  up  their  residence  here. 

The  first  inhabitants  experienced  several  assaults  from  the  Indians ;  the 
first  attack  having  been  made  on  the  11th  of  May,  1753,  when  Nathan- 
iel Meloon  was  captured,  together  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  — 
Sarah,  Rachel,  and  Daniel,  —  who  were  carried  to  Canada,  where  he 
and  his  wife  were  sold  to  the  French  in  Montreal,  the  three  children 
being  kept  by  the  Indians.  Mr.  Meloon  returned  to  his  farm  in  Salis- 
bury, after  a  captivity  of  four  years  and  a  half,  having  had  a  son  born 
in  Canada.     His  daughter   Sarah  died  while  with  the  Indians ;   and 

1  See  Boscawen,  p.  425.  '  See  Franklin,  p.  497. 

54* 


642  HISTOEY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Rachel,  who  had  been  nine  years  with  the  savages,  was,  when  she  was 
released,  so  attached  to  them  that  she  was  about  to  be  married  to  Peter 
Louis,  a  son  of  Colonel  Louis,  one  of  their  chiefs.  She  acquired  their 
habits,  and  learnt  their  language.  In  August,  1753,  the  Indians  visited 
Salisbury,  and  captured  Samuel  Scribner  and  Robert  Barber.  It  was 
in  Salisbury  that  Sabatis  and  Plausawa,  mentioned  in  the  article  on 
Canterbury,  were  buried  under  a  bridge,  now  called  Indian  bridge.  The 
first  church  was  a  Congregational,  established  November  17,  1773,  Mr. 
Jonathan  Searle,  who  was  ordained  the  same  day,  being  the  first  minis- 
ter, in  which  office  he  remained  till  November  8,  1791.  The  meeting- 
house which  existed  in  Mr.  Searle's  time  was  located  on  a  very  high 
hill  (now  known  as  Searle's  hill),  some  three  miles  from  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  town ;  but,  despite  the  distance  and  the  extreme  height 
of  the  hill,  the  people  —  men,  women,  and  children — were  regular  at- 
tendants at  the  little  temple.  This  church  was  never  thoroughly  com- 
pleted, and  was  sold  in  1790.  Two  new  houses  of  worship  were  subse- 
quently erected,  one  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists 
and  the  other  by  the  Baptists,  who  established  a  society.  May  25,  1789, 
Rev.  Otis  Robinson,  the  first  minister,  being  settled  in  1809.  The  late 
Hon.  Ichabod  Bartlett,  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Pettingill,  and  Hon.  Charles 
B.  Haddock,  for  many  years  professor  in  Dartmouth  College  and 
chargS  d'affaires  to  Portugal,  were  natives  of  this  town. 

Salisbury  is  quite  an  agricultural  town.  The  soil  of  the  upland  is 
strong,  deep,  and  loamy,  and,  when  well  cultivated,  is  very  productive. 
There  is  a  tract  of  about  three  hundred  acres  of  fine  interval  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  Salisbury,  on  which  are  several  fine  farms,  and  on 
Blackwater  river,  which  runs  through  the  western  part,  there  is  land  that 
is  equally  fertile.  The  hilly  part  afibrds  some  fine  tracts  for  tillage.  A 
considerable  portion  of  Kearsarge  mountain,  which  rises  to  a  height  of 
2,461  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  lies  within  this  town.  The  prospect 
from  the  summit  of  this  mountain  is  variegated  and  highly  magnificent. 
The  east  part  of  Salisbury  is  watered  by  the  Pemigewasset  and  Mer- 
rimack rivers,  above  the  junction  of  which  boat  navigation  terminates. 
Blackwater  river  furnishes  several  mill  privileges. 

There  are  three  villages,  known  as  South  Road,  the  Centre  Road, 
and  Pemigewasset  or  East  Village,  all  of  which  are  pleasantly  situated, 
and  are  considerable  places  of  trade.  The  town  contains  two  church 
edifices — Congregational  and  Baptist;  thirteen  school  districts;  an 
academy,  and  one  post-office:  also,  three  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  two 
tanneries,  one  manufacturing  establishment,  one  blacksmith's  shop  with 
trip-hammers,  the  usual  variety  of  mechanic  shops,  and  several  stores. 
Population,  1,228  ;  valuation,  ^439,464. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   SANBORNTON.  643 

Sanbornton,  in  the  western  part  of  Belknap  county,  is  seventeeti 
miles  from  Concord  by  the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad, 
which  also  connects  it  with  Meredith  Bridge.  It  was  granted  in  1748 
by  the  Masonian  proprietors  to  twelve  persons  by  the  name  of  Sanborn, 
and  forty-eight  others,  and  its  settlement  was  commenced  in  1764-5 
by  John  Sanborn,  Andrew  Rowen,  David  Dustin,  Thomas  Danford, 
Solomon  Copp,  Daniel  Fifield,  and  others.  At  the  time  of  the  arrival 
of  these  settlers,  the  Indians  had  entirely  deserted  the  town,  although 
it  had  once  been  the  abode  of  a  powerful  tribe,  or,  at  least,  a  place 
where  they  resorted  for  defence.  At  the  head  of  Little  bay,  on  the 
'  Winnepesaukee,  the  remains  of  an  ancient  fortification  are  still  visible. 
It  consisted  of  six  walls,  —  one  extending  along  the  river  and  across  a 
point  of  land  into  the  bay,  and  the  others  at  right  angles,  connected  by 
a  circular  wall  in  the  rear.  Numerous  Indian  relics  have  been  found 
in  the  fort,  as  also  on  an  island  in  the  bay.  These  walls  were  some 
four  feet  high  when  the  first  settlers  took  up  their  residence  here,  and 
within  the  enclosure  large  oaks  were  growing. 

Sanbornton  was  incorporated  in  1770.  At  this  time  wild  beasts  were 
plenty,  and  somewhat  troublesome  to  the  settlers,  and  deer  and  other 
game  were  numerous.  The  people  of  this  town  were  active  partici- 
pants in  the  struggle  of  the  Revolution.  More  than  half  of  the  men 
were  out  either  as  militia-men  or  in  the  continental  army;  and  all  were 
ready  to  sacrifice  every  thing  in  life,  and  even  that,  at  the  shrine  of 
freedom.  The  Congregational  church  was  organized  as  early  as  1771, 
w^hen  there  were  about  fifty  families  here,  and  when  there  was  no 
meeting-house  or  school-house  in  which  to  hold  meetings.  The  first 
minister,  Rev.  James  Woodman,  ordained  November  13th,  same  year,  in 
a  private  house,  continued  with  the  church  thirty-five  years.  His 
successor.  Rev.  Abraham  Bodwell,  ordained  November  13,  1806,  was 
pastor  for  about  forty-six  years,  having  been  dismissed,  on  account  of 
feeble  health,  June  24,  1852,  retaining  the  full  confidence  of  his  congre- 
gation, by  whom  a  part  of  his  armual  support  is  still  continued.  Rev. 
John  Crockett  was  settled  over  the  first  Baptist  society  in  1793. 

The  surface  of  Sanbornton  is  pleasantly  diversified  with  large  swells 
and  valleys.  Salmon  Brook  mountain,  in  the  north  part,  is  the  only 
eminence  of  note.  There  are  no  rivers  or  ponds  of  magnitude,  though 
the  town  is  almost  surrounded  by  water,  the  bays  and  rivers  encircling 
it  being  nearly  thirty  miles  in  extent,  while  Great  bay,  between  San- 
bornton and  Meredith,  is  three  miles  in  width.  Salmon  brook  is  the 
principal  stream,  and  affords  several  mill  seats,  as  also  does  the  Winne- 
pesaukee river,  over  which  there  are  eight  bridges.  The  only  natural 
curiosity  in  this  town  is  a  galf  extending  nearly  a  mile  through  hard, 


644  IIISTOllY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

rocky  ground,  thirty-eight  feet  in  depth,  with  walls  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  feet  asunder,  the  sides  so  nearly  corresponding  as  to  favor  the 
opinion  that  they  were  once  united.  In  the  declivity  of  a  hill  is  a 
cavern,  which  may  be  entered  horizontally  the  distance  of  twenty  feet. 

Sanbornton  has  two  villages,  —  one  known  as  Sanbornton  Square, 
which  was  the  first  point  on  which  settlements  were  commenced, — 
and  the  other  as  Sanbornton  Bridge.  It  has  one  bank  (capital  $50,000) ; 
eight  meeting-houses — two  Congregational,  three  .  Baptist,  two  Free- 
will Baptist,  and  one  Methodist;  twenty-eight  common  schools;  an 
academy,  incorporated  in  1820 ;  and  four  post-offices  —  Sanbornton, 
North  Sanbornton,  Sanbornton  Bridge,  and  East  Sanbornton:  also, 
fifteen  saw-mills,  fourteen  grist-mills,  six  carding-machines,  and  manu- 
factories of  satinets,  tweeds,  and  cottons,  of  piano-fortes  and  boxes. 
Population,  2,695 ;  valuation,  $867,504. 

Sandown,  centrally  situated  in  Rockingham  county,  has  Chester  and 
Derry  on  the  west  side,  and  is  thirty-one  miles  from  Concord.  It 
was  originally  a  part  of  Kingston,  and  was  settled,  about  the  year  1736, 
by  Moses  Tucker,  Israel  and  James  Huse,  and  others.  It  was  incorpo- 
rated April  6,  1756.  A  Congregational  church  was  formed  in  1759, 
over  which  Rev.  Josiah  Cotton,  a  descendant  of  the  celebrated  John 
Cotton  of  Boston,  was  ordained  pastor,  November  28th,  same  year,  and 
continued  till  his  death.  May  27,  1780.  Rev.  John  Webber,  a  brother 
of  the  late  President  Webber,  was  minister  from  1795  to  1800,  since 
which  time  the  church  has  become  extinct,  the  greater  part  of  the  popu- 
lation being  in  favor  of  Methodism.  The  surface  of  Sandown  is  some- 
what uneven,  but  the  soil  is  suitable  for  raising  grain  and  grass  of  every 
variety.  The  principal  body  of  water  is  Phillips  pond,  lying  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  and  covering  about  425  acres.  There  are  several  ponds 
smaller  than  this,  among  which  is  Angle  pond,  in  the  east  part,  having 
an  area  of  about  125  acres.  From  Phillips  pond  proceeds  Squamscott 
river,  in  nearly  a  level  course  for  one  and  a  half  miles,  when  it  unites 
with  another  stream,  which,  on  occasions  of  sudden  freshets,  causes  the 
current  to  set  back  with  considerable  force  towards  the  pond.  Sandown 
contains  two  church  edifices  —  Methodist  and  Union  ;  four  school  dis- 
tricts, and  one  post-office:  also,  five  saw-mills  and  two  grist-mills. 
The  trade  is  principally  in  wood  and  lumber.  Population,  566  ;  valua- 
tion, $243,441. 

SANDWicir,  in  the  western  part  of  Carroll  county,  about  fifty  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted  by  Governor  Benning  Wentworth,  October 
25,  1763,  to   Nicholas  Gilman,  J.  T.  Oilman,  and  others  of  Exeter,  and 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   SEABllOOK.  645 

comprised  six  miles  square.  The  territory,  however,  was  increased  in 
September,  1764,  on  the  representation  of  the  grantees  that  the  north 
and  west  sides  of  the  town  were  so  mountainous  and  barren  as  to  be 
uninhabitable.  Now  it  is  ten  miles  square.  Sandwich  was  settled, 
about  the  year  1768,  by  Daniel  Beede,  John  Prescott,  David  Bean,  Jere- 
miah Page,  Richard  Sinclair,  and  others.  A  Baptist  society  was  organ- 
ized about  1780,  but  is  now  extinct.  The  Friends,  however,  were  the 
earliest  who  assembled  for  worship.  The  Free-will  Baptists  were  early 
organized  here,  and  the  Methodists  next.  The  Congregationalists 
formed  a  society,  December  8,  1824. 

Quite  a  number  of  mountains  lie  in  this  town.  The  Sandwich 
range,  extending  into  Albany,  is  very  lofty;  and  Squam  mountain, 
running  from  Holderness  through  a  corner  of  Campton  into  this  place, 
is  an  eminence  of  considerable  magnitude.  Sandwich  is  watered  by 
Bearcamp  river,  the  west  branch  of  which  passes  through  Bearcamp 
pond.  Red  Hill  river,  which  falls  into  Winnepesaukee  lake,  has  its 
origin  in  a  pond  in  this  town.  A  small  portion  of  Squam  lake  lies  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  Sandwich,  which,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
bold  promontories  which  surround  it,  presents  a  picturesque  scene. 
The  excellent  mountain  pastures  and  pine  meadows  with  which  this 
town  abounds,  render  it  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  raising  of  cattle.  It 
is  said  to  send  more  stock  to  market  than  any  other  town  in  the  state. 
Large  quantities  of  maple  sugar  are  made  annually,  —  no  less  than 
fifty  tons  being  manufactured  during  the  spring  of  1857.  Dried  apples 
are  also  put  up  in  considerable  quantities :  about  ^6,000  worth  were 
exported  in  the  fall  of  1855.  Sandwich  has  two  villages  —  Sandwich 
and  Centre  Sandwich;  seven  churches  —  one  Congregational,  two 
Baptist,  two  Methodist,  and  two  Friends ;  twenty  school  districts ;  one 
bank  (capital  $50,000);  and  three  post-offices — Sandwich,  Centre 
Sandwich,  and  North  Sandwich :  also,  six  stores,  one  carding  mill,  and 
one  satinet  factory.  The  total  amount  invested  in  trade  and  manufac- 
tures is  |50,000.     Population,  2,577 ;  valuation,  $541,150. 

Seabrook,  in  the  southeastern  extremity  of  the  state  and  of  Rock- 
ingham county,  lies  on  the  Atlantic  ocean,  and  is  forty-five  miles  from 
Concord.  The  southern  section  was  originally  a  part  of  the  territory 
of  Massachusetts.  The  remaining  portion  was  set  off  from  Hampton 
Falls,  having  been  granted  to  Jonathan  Weare  and  others,  June  3, 
1768.  It  was  settled  in  1638,  by  Christopher  Hussey,  Joseph  Dow,  and 
Thomas  Philbrick.  The  first  inhabitants  emigrated  from  Massachu- 
setts, and  experienced  some  of  the  desolating  warfare  of  the  savages. 
On  one  occasion  a  Mr.  Dow,  who  lived  near  a  marsh  overgrown  with 


646  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

trees  and  shrubs,  thought  he  heard  Indians  prowling  round  his  hut  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  went  into  the  woods  to  watch.  He  had  not  taken 
his  position  long  before  he  saw  them  coming  forth  from  their  hiding- 
place,  when  he  ran  into  the  street,  and  raised  an  alarm.  No  less  than 
twenty-four  were  seen  issuing  from  their  concealment,  crawling  like 
beasts  of  prey.  Mrs.  Hussey,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Friends,  who 
was  passing  by  the  swamp,  was  taken  by  them,  and  suffered  death  under 
the  blows  of  the  tomahawk.  She  was  much  lamented  by  the  society. 
Thomas  Lancaster  was  the  next  victim ;  and  although  his  cries  were 
heard  by  some  men  who  were  engaged  in  the  erection  of  a  garrison 
near  by,  the  superior  force  of  the  Indians  prevented  their  lending  him 
any  assistance.  Jonathan  Green  was  nmrdered  in  a  most  brutal  man- 
ner, his  brains  having  been  beaten  out  by  the  Indians  with  the  butts 
of  their  guns,  and  his  body  terribly  mangled.  A  child,  left  by  its 
mother  in  charge  of  two  girls  (who  fled  on  the  approach  of  the  Indians), 
was  taken  by  the  savages,  who  dashed  its  head  against  a  plough  stand- 
ing near,  killing  it  instantly.  Nicholas  Bond  was  killed  and  scalped 
in  his  own  house. 

The  father  and  grandfather  of  Hon.  Meshech  Weare  both  resided  in 
Seabrook.  The  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Weare,  was  an  agent  for  the 
colony,  and  spent  considerable  time  in  England  in  preferring  the  com- 
plaints of  the  colonists  against  that'  tyrannical  tool  of  royalty,  Edward 
Cranfield.  The  father,  also  named  Nathaniel,  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  affairs  of  the  colony.  Edward  Gove,  the  leader  of  the  outbreak 
known  as  "  Gove's  rebellion,"  was  also  a  resident  of  Seabrook.  The 
order  for  his  release  from  the  tower  of  London  is  still  preserved.  The 
Friends  were  the  earliest  religious  denomination  here.  Then  came  the 
Presbyterians,  who  estabUshed  a  church,  November,  1764,  which  has 
now^  become  extinct.  A  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1799, 
which  has  also  become  extinct.  Another  church  of  this  order  was  or- 
ganized July  12,  1836,  being  composed  of  members  from  this  toAvn  and 
from  Hampton  Falls,  which  is  still  flourishing.  Rev.  S.  T.  Abbott  was 
its  pastor  from  its  formation  till  his  death  in  1855. 

The  face  of  the  country  in  Seabrook  is  generally  level ;  and  the  soil, 
though  light,  has  good  agricultural  capacity.  A  heavy  growth  of  wood 
is  still  standing,  and  there  are  several  extensive  tracts  of  salt  marsh. 
Cam's  brook  runs  through  the  southeast  part,  and  has  a  water  power  of 
moderate  capacity.  Seabrook  river,  which  forms  a  junction  with  Hamp- 
ton river,  is  formed  from  several  small  streams,  ^vhich  have  their  origin 
in  this  and  adjacent  towns.  Good  views  of  the  country  surrounding 
Seabrook,  and  the  Atlantic  ocean,  are  obtainable  from  Titcomb's  hill 
and  Grape  hill,  the  former  lying  partly  in  South  Hampton,  and  the  lat- 


NEW  HAMPSHIKE  —  TOWN   OF   SHARON,   ETC.  647 

ter  partly  in  Massachusetts.  Agriculture  is  pursued  by  some  of  the 
inhabitants ;  boat  building  and  seafaring  by  others.  The  shoe  business 
is  also  largely  prosecuted.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  one 
Congregational,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Friends.  Dearborn  Academy, 
endowed  by  a  bequest  of  $15,000  from  the  late  Edward  Dearborn, 
M.  D.,  —  eminent  in  his  profession  and  a  citizen  of  note,  —  was  founded 
in  1851.  An  edifice  of  brick,  fifty-four  feet  by  forty,  has  been  erected 
on  a  pleasant  site,  which  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
scenery.  There  are  five  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  two 
grist-mills,  two  saw-mills,  and  other  mechanical  establishments.  The 
Eastern  Railroad  connects  Seabrook  with  many  of  the  most  populous 
towns.     Population,  1,296 ;  valuation,  $353,221. 

Sharon,  in  the  west  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  is  forty-eight 
miles  from  Concord.  It  was  incorporated  June  24,  1791.  This  is  a 
very  small  township,  both  in  extent  of  territory  and  in  population.  The 
surface  is  uneven  and,  in  some  parts,  mountainous.  Boundary  moun- 
tain, rising  some  two  hundred  feet  above  the  surrounding  country, 
divides  the  town  from  Temple.  Sharon  is  watered  by  small  branches 
of  the  Contoocook  river,  which  rise  near  the  southeast  corner.  The 
people  are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  farming  operations.  There  is  no 
regularly  organized  religious  society,  no  church  edifice,  nor  any  village, 
in  the  town.  There  are  three  school  districts,  and  three  saw-mills.  The 
population  has  decreased.  In  1823,  there  were  four  hundred  persons 
in  the  town,  now  there  are  but  229.     Valuation,  f  116,136. 

Shelburne,  Coos  county,  adjoins  Gilead,  Me.,  on  the  east,  and  has  the 
White  Mountains  on  the  south.  It  was  chartered  as  early  as  1668,  and 
re-chartered  in  the  year  1771,  by  George  III.,  to  Mark  H.  "Wentworth 
and  six  others,  and  included  Gorham.  Among  the  first  settlers  who 
arrived  here  between  the  years  1770  and  ]  772  were  Hope  Austin,  Ben- 
jamin and  Daniel  Ingalls,  Thomas  G.  Wheeler,  Nathaniel  Porter,  and 
Peter  Poor,  the  last  of  whom  was  afterwards  killed  by  the  Indians. 
The  history  of  Shelburne  contains  numerous  incidents  which  strikingly 
illustrate  the  scenes  of  toil  and  hardship  which  the  first  settlers  endured 
not  only  on  their  journey  to  the  settlement,  but  when  they  had  become 
inhabitants  of  it.  Females  bore  up  under  weights  of  affliction  which 
would  appall  the  hearts  of  quite  a  number  of  our  present  so-called  "lords 
of  creation,"  while  the  mere  recital  of  some  of  them  would  throw  many 
of  our  modern  belles  into  hysterics.  Encamping  at  night  in  dense 
storms,  fording  rivers  with  heavy  burdens  on  their  baclcs,  travelling 
through  snow  three  or  four  feet  deep,  and  suffering  from  hunger,  —  these 


648  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

are  but  a  tithe  of  what  the  early  settlers  had  to  endure,  in  which  the 
females  participated  almost  as  much  as  the  males. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  1781,  a  party  of  six  Indians,  who  had  visited 
Bethel  and  Gilead,  Me.,  in  the  former  of  which  they  captured  three 
men,  and  in  the  latter  killed  one,  visited  this  place  on  their  way  to  Can- 
ada with  their  prisoners.  They  first  went  to  the  house  of  Hope  Austin, 
but  finding  nothing,  they  proceeded  to  the  house  of  Captain  Rindge, 
where  they  killed  and  scalped  Peter  Poor,  and  took  Plato,  a  colored 
man,  prisoner.  The  inhabitants  fled  in  a  body  —  after  spending  the 
night  on  "  Hark  Hill,"  in  full  hearing  of  the  whoopings  and  shoutings 
of  the  Indians  —  to  Fryeburg,  a  distance  of  fifty -nine  miles,  where  they 
remained  till  the  danger  was  passed. 

Shelburne  was  incorporated  December  13,  1820.  The  soil  on  both 
sides  of  the  Androscoggin  river,  which  waters  the  town,  is  excellent; 
but  that  a  short  distance  from  the  river  is  mountainous,  and  unfit  for  cul- 
tivation. Mount  Moriah,  an  elevated  peak  of  the  White  Mountains,  is 
situated  in  the  south  part,  and  Moses'  Rock,  a  huge  mass  of  granite, 
sixty  feet  high,  ninety  long,  very  smooth,  and  rising  at  an  angle  of  fifty 
degrees,  is  also  located  here.  The  Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence  Railroad 
passes  through  the  southern  part  of  the  town.  Shelburne  contains  one 
village ;  one  church  edifice,  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists  and 
Free-will  Baptists ;  four  school  districts ;  and  one  post-odice.  Popula- 
tion, 480 ;  valuation,  ^152,267. 

SoMERSWOETH,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Strafford  county,  forty-five  miles 
from  Concord,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Dover.  It  was  made  a  parish, 
December  19,  1729 ;  and  erected  into  a  town,  April  22,  1754.  It  had 
been  settled,  however,  at  a  much  earlier  period,  probably  about  1630, 
in  the  part  adjoining  the  Salmon  Falls  in  the  river  Newichawannock, 
in  connection  with  the  settlements  on  the  Maine  side.  It  was  also 
settled  as  a  farming  town  by  inhabitants  of  the  other  parts  of  Dover, 
not  far  from  1650,  to  whom  the  town  made  grants  of  land.  In  this 
way  the  lower  part  of  old  Somersworth  was  occupied  prior  to  1700. 
Among  its  first  settlers  was  Elder  William  Wentworth,  an  early  resi- 
dent of  Exeter,  but  afterwards  of  Dover.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  abil- 
ities and  character,  and  the  ancestor  of  the  governors  of  that  name,  as  well 
as  of  the  entire  Wentworth  family  in  this  country.  In  the  memorable 
attack  upon  Cochecho,  in  1689,  Elder  Wentworth,  who  was  in  Heard's 
garrison,  being  awakened  by  the  barking  of  a  dog  just  as  the  Indians 
were  entering,  although  advanced  in  years,  pushed  them  out,  shut  the 
gate,  and,  falling  on  his  back,  held  it  until  the  inmates  were  alarmed 
and  secured  it.     Two  balls  were  fired  through  it,  but  both  missed  him. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   SOMERSWORTH.  649 

Other  settlers  of  Somersworth  were  Roberts,  John  Hall  (grandson  of 
Deacon  John  Hall  of  Dover),  Rollins,  and  Clements,  descendants  of  all 
of  whom  are  now  found  in  Somersworth. 

Somersworth,  from  its  sparse  population,  suffered  comparatively  little 
in  the  Indian  wars.  Various  persons,  however,  were  killed.  On  the 
7th  of  October,  1675,  a  party  of  Indians  killed  George  and  Maturin 
Ricker,  taking  away  their  guns  and  some  of  their  clothing.  In  1724, 
Ebenezer  Downs,  a  Quaker,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  at 
Indigo  hill,  and  carried  to  Canada.  Refusing  to  dance  for  them,  as  the 
other  prisoners  did,  he  was  subjected  to  many  insults.  John  Hanson 
of  Dover  redeemed  Mr.  Downs  in  1725.  Jabez  Garland  was  returning 
from  church  in  the  summer  of  1710,  and,  when  about  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  from  Varney's  hill,  was  killed  by  the  savages.  In  1711,  Gershom 
Downs  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  in  the  swamp  between  Varney's  and 
Otis's  hills.  The  first  settlements  by  Dover  people  were  made  around 
the  old  burying-ground,  at  the  union  of  the  Great  Falls  Branch  with 
the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad,  and  near  Cochecho  river.  Here  a 
church  was  erected  in  1729  ;  but,  up  to  1713,  the  inhabitants  had  been 
obliged  to  travel  from  six  to  nine  miles  to  meeting ;  and,  between  1713 
and  1729,  from  two  to  five.  Rev.  James  Pike,  the  first  minister,  was 
ordained  October  28,  1730,  and  died  here  March  19,  1792,  "  a  faithful 
servant  of  Christ."  When  business  began  to  centre  at  Great  Falls, 
the  old  meeting-house  (the  third)  w^as  abandoned,  and  it  "was  burned  a 
few  years  ago. 

The  unpopular  proceedings  of  the  mother  country  towards  the  American 
colonies  which  resulted  in  the  Revolution,  and  in  the  dissolution  of  those 
ties  which  bound  the  offspring  to  the  parent,  were  not  looked  upon  with 
indifference  by  the  people  of  Somersworth.  The  records  from  1774  to 
1779  teem  with  bright  and  glorious  evidences  of  the  sentiments  which 
filled  the  hearts  of  every  one.  Some  of  the  resolutions  breathe  as  pure  a 
spirit  of  freedom  as  ever  filled  the  mind  of  man.  But  it  was  not  in 
words  alone  that  they  manifested  their  fervid  devotion  to  the  cause. 
Their  deeds,  which  will  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  actors  to  the 
latest  day,  manifested  their  appreciation  of  the  struggle.  As  a  specimen 
of  the  ardent  love  of  freedom  which  imbued  the  men  of  those  days,  the 
following  extract  is  made  from  a  series  of  resolutions,  passed  July  1, 
1774  :  "  2d.  That  every  act  of  parliament,  imposing  a  duty  to  be  paid 
by  the  colonists  ^vithout  their  consent,  contains  as  many  shacliles  as 
there  are  freeborn  subjects  in  America;  and  tliat  he  who,  tamely  and 
without  resistance,  suffers  the  imposition,  is  a  dastard,  unworthy  the 
name  of  Englishman."     That  the  people  had  not  lost  their  respect  for 

VOL.  I.  55 


650 


HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


the  mother  country,  and  were  loyal  subjects,  the  following,  from  the 
same  resolutions,  is  abundant  evidence  :  "  5th.  That  we  are  dutiful  sub- 
jects of  his  most  sacred  majesty.  King  George  the  Third,  to  whose  crown 
and  person  we  bear  the  truest  faith  and  allegiance ;  and  that  we  will 
pay  all  due  obedience  to  men  in  authority,  while  we  are  resolutely  de- 
termined, like  those  who  value  freedom,  to  be  on  our  guard,  and,  with 
unremitted  ardor,  use  our  best  endeavors  to  support  liberty,  the  only 
bulwark  against  la^\•less  ])ower,  which  to  its  boundless  ambition  would 
sacrifice  the  best  of  men." 

In  1848,  the  town  was  divided  by  act  of  the  legislature,  and  Rollins- 
ford  was  taken  off  from  the  southerly  jjart.  Nicholas  Pike,  John  Went- 
worth,  Colonel  Paul  Wentworth,  Dr.  Moses  Carr,  Hon.  Thomas  Wal- 
lingford,  Hon.  John  Wentworth,  and  Hon.  Ichabod  Rollins  were  dis- 
tinguished individuals  who  had  their  residence  in  Somersworth. 

Somersworth  is  situated  on  Newichawannock  river.  The  surface  is 
generally  level,  and  the  soil  well  adapted  for  agriculture.  Humphrey 
pond,  on  the  line  of  Dover,  two  hundred  rods  long  and  120  wide,  and 
Cole's  pond,  150  rods  long  and  seventy-five  wide,  are  the  only  collections 
of  water.     Red  and  yellow  ochre  and  iron  ore  have  been  found  here. 

There  is  but  one  village  in  Somersworth,  called  Great  Falls,  from  a 
fall  of  that  name  in  the  river  ojaposite,  which  descends  one  hundred  feet, 
not  in    an    unbroken    descent,   but    having   three    stairs    or    precipices. 


Great  Falls  A  lUase. 


Here  most  of  the  inhabitants  reside,  and  here  all  the  manufacturin<T 
interests  are  centred.  Where  this  flourishing  village  stands  there  were, 
in  1823,  only  one  dwelling-house,  a  grist-mill,  and  a  saw-miU.      The 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN    OF   SOUTH   HAMPTON.  651 

Great  Falls  and  Conway  Railroad,  a  branch  of  the  Boston  and  Maine 
Railroad,  and  the  Great  Falls  and  South  Berwick  Branch  Railroad, 
which  connects  with  the  Eastern  Railroad,  all  concentrate  here.  There 
are  six  church  edifices  —  one  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  one  Free- 
will Baptist,  and  two  Methodist;  and  one  Roman  Catholic,  in  course  of 
construction ;  fourteen  public  schools,  acknowledged  to  be  among  the 
best  in  the  state,  consisting  of  primary,  grammar,  and  high  schools ;  the 
Manufacturers'  and  Village  library,  containing  four  thousand  volumes; 
two  banks  —  the  Great  Falls  and  the  Somersworth,  with  a  combined 
capital  of  $250,000 ;  the  Somersworth  Savings  Institution ;  and  one 
post-office.  The  glory  and  pride  of  Somersworth  are  its  manufactures. 
In  182'3,  the  Great  Falls  Manufacturing  Company  commenced  opera- 
tions, under  the  direction  of  Isaac  Wendell,  manufacturing  cotton  and 
woollen  goods  only ;  and,  at  one  time,  there  was  in  operation  the  largest 
broadcloth  and  carpet  mill  in  the  United  States.  The  woollen  business 
was,  however,  discontinued  in  1834.  This  company  has  a  capital  stock 
of  $1,500,000 ;  seven  mills,  with  83,484  spindles  and  2,119  looms ;  an- 
nually consumes  5,220,884  pounds  of  cotton,  and  manufactures  eighteen 
and  a  half  million  yards  of  cotton  drills,  print  cloths,  bleached  and 
brown  sheetings  and  shirtings;  and  employs  1,172  females  and  492 
males.  The  monthly  pay  roll  is  $36,000.  The  Somersworth  Machine 
Company,  with  a  capital  of  $40,000,  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
gas  and  water  pipe,  as  well  as  all  kinds  of  heavy  and  light  castings, 
including  stoves,  of  which  upwards  of  four  thousand  are  made  per  year. 
The  Great  Falls  Gas-Light  Company  has  a  capital  stock  of  $52,500. 
There  is  a  steam  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  carpenter 
work,  such  as  doors,  blinds,  and  sashes ;  one  for  the  manufacture  of 
coffins,  and  boxes  for  packing  cloths  and  shoes ;  and  one  for  the 
manufacture  of  wheels,  carriages,  and  coffins,  and  for  planing.  There 
is  one  marble  manufactory,  and  one  machine-shop,  where  every  variety 
of  factory  and  other  machinery  is  made.  The  trade  of  Somersworth  is 
of  the  usual  variety  found  in  a  manufacturing  community,  and  is  con- 
fined principally  to  the  village  of  Great  Falls.  Here  are  two  jewelry  and 
watch-making  establishments,  and  several  dry  goods  establishments, 
which  generally  do  an  extensive  business.  Population,  4,943,  in  1850 ; 
now  estimated  at  6,500 ;  valuation,  $1,974,992. 

Sooth  Hampton,  Rockingham  county,  on  the  boundary  line  between 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts,  is  eighteen  miles  from  Portsmouth 
and  fifty  from  Concord.  It  was  incorporated  May  25,  1742,  from 
Hampton.  A  piece  of  land  was  annexed  to  South  Hampton  from  East 
Kingston,  December  6,  1824.     The  first  church.  Congregational,  was  or- 


652  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ganized  February  22,  1743,  but  became  extinct  March  20,  1827,  when 
the  last  member  died.  Rev.  William  Parsons  served  from  1743  to  1762  ; 
and  Rev.  Nathaniel  Noyes  from  1763  to  1801.  The  surface  of  South 
Hampton,  though  possessing  a  few  swells,  is  comparatively  even.  The 
soil  is  of  an  average  quality,  and  on  its  productions  the  inhabitants 
mainly  depend  for  a  livelihood.  Powow  river  passes  through  the  town, 
affording  valuable  mill  seats.  There  is  a  Baptist  meeting-house,  and  a 
town-hall,  where  the  Universalists  occasionally  have  services.  The  town 
is  divided  into  four  school  districts ;  and  has  a  public  high  school,  en- 
dowed by  Hon.  Benjamin  Barnard,  in  honor  of  whom  it  is  named  ;  two 
stores,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  472  ;  valuation,  $263,200. 

South  Newmarket,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Rockingham  county,  is 
distant  from  Concord  thirty-six  miles.  It  is  a  small  township,  covering 
about  six  thousand  acres,  an  offshoot  from  Newmarket,  from  which  it 
was  taken  and  incorporated  June  27,  1849.  Part  of  Exeter  was  an- 
nexed to  South  Newmarket,  January  7,  1853.  The  Congregational 
church  in  this  town  originally  belonged  to  Newmarket;  but  when  it 
was  organized  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain,  on  account  of  the  loss  of 
the  records.  Rev.  John  Moody  served  the  church  from  November  25, 
1730,  to  October  15,  1778;  and  Rev.  Nathaniel  Ewers  from  1773  to 
1797;  the  former  forty-eight  years,  and  the  latter  twenty-four.  The 
soil  is  similar  to  that  of  the  parent  town,  and  the  people  are  mostly 
engaged  in  farming  pursuits.  Water  is  supplied  by  the  Squamscott 
and  the  Piscassick  rivers,  which  furnish  several  mill  privileges.  The 
Portsmouth  and  Concord  and  the  Great  Falls  Branch  Railroads  form  a 
junction  in  this  town.  South  Newmarket  contains  one  village,  called 
by  the  same  name  as  the  town ;  two  churches  —  Congregational  and 
Methodist ;  two  school  districts,  and  three  schools  ;  and  one  post-office. 
The  Swamscot  Machine  Company  manufactures  gas-pipe,  steam-pipe, 
engines,  and  all  kinds  of  tools  for  machinists ;  and  the  Newmarket 
Iron  Foundery  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  stoves  and  all  kinds 
of  castings.     Population,  516  ;  valuation,  $278,144. 

Springfield,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Sullivan  county,  thirty-five 
miles  from  Concord,  was  granted  to  John  Fisher,  Daniel  Warner,  and 
fifty-eight  others,  January  3,  1769,  and  was  called  Protectworth,  which 
name  was  changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears,  on  its  incorporation,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1794.  Three  years  after  the  grant  (1772),  Israel  Clifford,  Israel 
Clifford,  Jr.,  Nathaniel  Clark,  Samuel  Stevens,  and  others,  turned  their 
steps  towards  this  town,  and  commenced  its  settlement.  A  Congrega- 
tional church  was  organized  about  1820,  but  was  not  very  large.  Heath's 
Gore  was  annexed  to  this  town,  June  20, 1817. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   STARK.  653 

Springfield  has  a  broken  surface,  and  the  soil  is  stony ;  but  agriculture 
can  be,  and  is,  prosecuted  with  considerable  success.  Attention  is  given 
to  the  raising  of  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep  for  the  market.  Butter, 
potatoes,  wool,  lumber,  and  bark  are  articles  of  export.  A  branch  of 
Sugar  river  has  its  source  here,  and  empties  into  the  Connecticut; 
also  a  branch  of  the  Blackwater  river,  which  empties  into  the  Merri- 
mack. Station,  Cilley,  Star,  Stony,  and  Morgan's  are  the  names  of 
the  ponds,  the  first  two  being  of  considerable  size.  West  Spring- 
field is  the  only  village.  There  are  two  church  edifices,  free  to  all 
denominations ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Spring- 
field and  West  Springfield:  also,  one  grist-mill,  three  shingle  miUs, 
three  clapboard  mUls,  five  saw-mUls,  and  two  stores.  Population,  1,270 ; 
valuation,  $273,822. 

Stark,  Cobs  county,  lies  on  the  Upper  Ammonoosuc  river,  135  miles 
from  Concord,  and  was  incorporated  December  28,  1832.  It  was  first 
called  Piercy.  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  first  settler  was 
John  Cole,  who  came  into  town  about  1785.  Two  years  after,  James 
Massnere  arrived ;  and,  between  1789  and  1790,  Edward  Rowell,  Caleb, 
Isaac,  and  Benjamin  Smith,  and  Elisha  Blake  became  settlers.  Mr. 
Rowell  is  still  alive,  having  attained  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years  in 
May,  1857.  The  first  inhabitants  endured  hardships  which  are  almost 
beyond  belief.  For  example,  Elisha  Blake  drew  on  a  hand  sled  from 
Barrington  to  Stark,  a  distance  of  over  one  hundred  miles,  a  heavy 
forty -gallon  kettle,  and  an  equal  weight  in  other  articles ;  and  James 
Massnere  has  frequently  carried  on  his  back,  the  same  distance,  forty 
pounds  weight.  A  Congregational  church  of  seven  members  was  or- 
ganized in  1810.     There  is  a  small  society  of  Methodists. 

Stark  is  made  up  of  much  broken  and  mountainous  land ;  but  upon 
the  river  there  are  many  good  farms,  the  soil  being  rich,  and  free  from 
stone.  The  north  and  south  branches  of  the  Ammonoosuc  form  a 
junction  in  the  northeast  part.  Nash's  stream  falls  into  this  river  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town.  Near  the  village  there  is  a  nan-ow  passage 
way  between  the  mountains,  through  which  run  the  river,  the  Atlantic 
and  St  Lawrence  Railroad,  and  a  stage  road.  On  the  south  side  of 
the  Ammonoosuc  is  the  Mill  mountain,  rising  very  abruptly  to  the 
height  of  ten  or  twelve  hundred  feet.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
river  is  a  ledge,  called  the  "  Devil's  Slide,"  which  faces  the  river,  rising 
perpendicularly  to  the  height  of  seven  hundred  feet.  A  good  wagon 
road  might  easily  be  made  on  its  northern  side  to  the  summit.  There 
is  one  small  village,  called  Waterloo,  where  is  the  station  of  the 
Atlantic    and    St.    Lawrence    Railroad.      A   church    edifice    has  been 

55* 


654  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

erected,  which  is  occupied  by  the  several  religious  denominations. 
There  are  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  The  trade  is 
principally  in  lumber,  for  the  manufacture  of  which  there  are  five  saw- 
mills, four  shingle  machines,  and  three  clapboard  machines.  Popu- 
lation in  1850,  418,  which  has  increased  to  nearly  600 ;  valuation, 
$134,792. 

Stewartstown,  Coos  county,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut 
river,  150  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  by  Governor  John 
Wentworth  to  Sir  George  Cockburn,  Sir  George  Colebrook,  John 
Stewart,  and  John  Nelson,  three  of  whom  had  their  residence  in 
England.  The  lands  were  surveyed  by  them  prior  to  the  Revo- 
lution, and  a  few  lots  granted  to  settlers,  on  which  improvements 
were  made ;  but,  when  warlike  operations  were  commenced,  the  settle- 
ments were  abandoned  until  the  restoration  of  peace.  Colonel  David 
Webster,  at  that  time  sheriff  of  Grafton,  then  made  grants  to  settlers, 
and  the  business  of  improvement  was  again  commenced.  Stewarts- 
town  was  incorporated  by  New  Hampshire  in  December,  1799.  Dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812,  a  fort  was  erected  in  this  town,  by  a  company  of 
militia,  for  the  purposes  of  defence,  which  was  occupied  by  them  till 
August,  1814,  when  it  was  razed.  The  site  of  this  fort  is  noted  as  the 
spot  where  the  American  and  British  surveyors  and  astronomers  met 
to  ascertain  the  forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  determined  upon  by 
the  two  governments,  under  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  as  the  dividing  line 
between  their  several  territories. 

Stewartstown,  though  having  an  uneven  surface,  has  no  prominent 
elevations.  The  soil  on  the  interval  is  fertile,  on  the  swells  sterile.  A 
large  stream,  called  Bishop's  brook,  rises  here,  falling  into  the  Connecti- 
cut at  the  northwest  corner.  Dead  Water  and  Mohawk  rivers  originate 
here,  and  Hall's  stream  forms  a  junction  with  the  Connecticut.  The 
waters  of  Little  and  Great  Diamond  ponds,  lying  in  the  east  part 
of  Stewartstown  and  forming  the  Diamond  river,  are  well  stocked 
with  salmon-trout.  West  Stewartstown  is  a  small  business  place 
having  a  post-office.  The  people  are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in 
agricultural  employments ;  though  a  small  woollen  factory,  a  grist-mill, 
four  saw-mills,  and  an  iron  foundery,  would  seem  to  draw  some  of 
their  attention  into  other  channels.  The  Congregationalists  worship 
in  one  church,  and  the  Free-will  Baptists  and  Christians  in  another. 
The  town  is  divided  into  seven  school  districts ;  and,  besides  the  post- 
office  already  mentioned,  there  is  one  called  Stewartstown.  Population, 
747 ;  valuation,  $184,815. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   STODDARD,    ETC.  655 

Stoddard,  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Cheshire  county,  forty-two 
miles  from  Concord,  was  o'riginally  called  Limerick,  which  name  was 
changed  when  it  was  incorporated,  November  4,  1774,  to  the  one  it 
now  bears,  in  honor  of  Colonel  Samson  Stoddard,  to  whom  with 
others  it  was  granted.  .  In  June,  1769,  John  Taggard,  Reuben  Walton, 
Alexander  Scott,  James  Mitchel,  Richard  Richardson,  Amos  Butterfield, 
Joseph  Dodge,  and  Oliver  Parker  commenced  the  first  settlement. 
The  hardships  and  privations  of  the  family  of  John  Taggard,  the  first 
one  in  town,  were  very  great.  Peterborough,  a  distance  of  tw^enty 
miles,  was  the  nearest  place  where  they  could  procure  grain,  and  this 
distance  had  to  be  traversed  by  Mr.  Taggard  with  the  grain  on  his 
back,  through  a  path  rendered  plain  only  by  marks  on  the  trees.  On 
one  occasion  they  had  to  subsist  on  the  flesh  of  the  moose  for  seven 
days.  Most  of  the  early  settlers  came  from  Peterborough,  and  from 
Leominster,  Chelmsford,  Westford,  and  other  towns  in  Massachusetts. 
The  Congregationalists  formed  a  church,  September  4,  1787.  Rev. 
Isaac  Robinson,  D.  D.,  was  pastor  from  January  5,  1803,  till  his  death, 
in  July,  1854,  a  period  of  fifty-two  years. 

Stoddard  lies  on  the  height  of  land  between  the  Connecticut  and 
Merrimack  rivers,  and  some  of  the  dwellings  are  so  situated,  that,  w^hen 
the  rain  descends  on  the  roofs,  a  portion  will  fall  into  the  Merrimack 
and  a  portion  into  the  Connecticut.  The  surface  is  mountainous  and 
rocky ;  but  the  soil  is  deep,  bottomed  on  clay,  and  is  better  adapted 
to  grazing  than  tillage.  Butter,  cheese,  beef,  and  pork  are  articles 
of  export  Near  the  centre  of  the  town  rises  the  south  branch  of 
Ashuelot  river.  There  are  fourteen  ponds,  the  principal  of  which  are 
Long  and  Island,  the  latter  covering  about  three  hundred  acres,  and 
studded  with  islands.  Branch  river  has  many  valuable  mill  privileges. 
There  are  three  villages  —  South  Stoddard,  Mill,  and  Centre;  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Universalist ;  nine  school  districts, 
and  two  post-offices  —  Stoddard  and  South  Stoddard :  also,  two  grist- 
mills, three  saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  three  clapboard  mills,  one  pail 
factory,  two  rake  factories,  and  two  glass  factories,  each  of  which  has 
two  pot  furnaces  employed  during  six  months  of  the  year,  manufac- 
turing about  #10,000  worth  of  window-glass  and  glass  ware  of  various 
kinds.     Population,  1,105 ;  valuation,  $394,964. 

Strafford,  in  the  western  part  of  Strafford  county,  adjoining  Bar- 
rington,  is  twenty-five  miles  from  Concord,  and  was  incorporated  June 
17,  1820.  It  formerly  comprised  the  westerly  part  of  Barrington.  The 
land  is  well  adapted  to  agricultural  purposes,  in  which  the  people  are 
principally  engaged.     The  range  of  mountains  known  as  the  Blue  hills 


656  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

crosses  the  northwest  part  of  the  town.  Bow  pond,  covering  an  area 
of  1,625  acres,  lies  in  the  west  part,  and  forms  one  of  the  principal 
branches  of  Isinglass  river.  There  are  two  other  ponds,  known  by  the 
names  of  Trout  and  Wild  Goose.  Stock  raising  receives  a  large  share 
of  attention;  and  many  of  the  cattle  and  horses  are  of  a  superior 
description.  The  lumber  business  is  carried  on  to  some  extent,  there 
being  about  $20,000  invested  in  it. 

Strafford  contains  four  villages  —  Bow  Lake,  Strafford  Centre,  Straf- 
ford Corner,  and  North  Strafford;  twenty  school  districts;  five 
churches  —  two  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  one  Christian,  and 
one  Baptist ;  one  Baptist  seminary ;  and  five  post-offices  —  Strafford, 
Strafford  Centre,  Strafford  Corner,  North  Strafford,  and  Blue  Hill. 
Capital  invested  in  trade,  about  $30,000.  Population,  1,920 ;  valuation, 
$541,932. 

Strafford  County,  in  the  east-southeast  part  of  the  state,  contains 
about  350  square  miles.  It  was  established  by  act  of  the  colonial 
legislature  passed  March  19,  1771,  being  then  known  as  the  third 
county,  and  containing  an  extent  of  territory  more  than  treble  its 
present  size.  Conway  was  annexed  to  it  from  Grafton  county,  No- 
vember 10,  1778.  It  was  curtailed  to  its  present  limits  by  the  act 
of  December  23,  1840,  which  erected  Belknap  and  Carroll,  giving  to 
the  former  eight  towns,  and  to  the  latter  fourteen ;  in  short,  two 
other  counties  were  formed  bodily  from  its  territory,  leaving  it 
smaller  than  any  county  in  the  state.  It  is  now  composed  of  thir- 
teen towns,  —  Barrington,  Dover,  Durham,  Farmington,  Lee,  Madbury, 
Middletown,  Milton,  New  Durham,  Rochester,  RoUinsford,  Somers- 
worth,  and  Strafford.  It  is  separated  from  Maine  by  the  Piscat- 
aqua  and  Newichawannock  rivers.  The  surface  is  rough  and  uneven, 
and  the  land  generally  stubborn ;  though  proper  attention,  and  the 
application  of  modern  improvements  in  agriculture,  render  it  equal  in 
productive  capacity  to  most  of  that  in  other  counties.  This  county 
possesses  a  valuable  water  power,  which  is  well  improved  at  every 
available  point.  The  Piscataqua,  the  Newichawannock,  the  Cochecho, 
and  the  Lamprey  are  the  principal  rivers,  —  the  Piscataqua  being  navi- 
gable for  sloops  to  South  Berwick,  and  the  Cochecho  to  Dover.  The 
Cochecho  Railroad,  from  Dover  to  Alton  Bay;  the  Great  Falls  and 
Conway  Railroad,  finished  only  twenty  miles,  to  Union  village  in 
Wakefield  ;  and  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad,  traverse  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  county. 

Strafford  belongs  to  the  first  judicial  district  of  the  supreme  court,  a 
law  term  of  which  is  held  annually  at  Dover.     The  trial  terms  of  this 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF   STRATFORD,   ETC.  657 

court  are  held  at  the  same  place  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  March  and 
the  fourth  Tuesday  of  October ;  and  the  terms  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  January  and  the  third  Tuesday  of 
August,  each  year.     Population,  29,374 ;  valuation,  $11,324,303. 

Stratford,  in  the  western  part  of  Coos  county,  lies  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Connecticut  river,  sixteen  m.iles  above  Lancaster,  and  was  incor- 
porated November  16,  1779.  Among  the  first  settlers  were  Isaac  Johns- 
ton, James  Curtis,  James  Brown,  Josiah  Lampkins,  and  Archippus 
Blodget.  The  town  extends  ten  miles  on  the  Connecticut  river,  and  has 
a  fertile  interval,  varying  in  width  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile, 
which  is  bordered  in  several  places  by  a  narrow  plain.  The  east  and  north 
divisions  of  the  town  are  very  mountainous.  The  interval  along  the 
river  is  the  only  land  fit  for  cultivation,  and  therefore  the  other  portions 
are  but  sparsely  settled.  In  the  southeast  part  are  two  very  considera- 
ble elevations,  caUed  the  Stratford  Peaks,  which  are  of  conical  form,  and 
can  be  seen  at  a  great  distance.  From  either  side  these  twins  preserve 
their  symmetrical  form,  and  their  summits  command  views  of  great  ex- 
tent and  beauty.  They  seem  to  be  disconnected  from  the  great  range 
stretching  over  the  north  and  east  parts  of  the  town,  and  known  as  the 
Bowback  mountains.  Bog  brook,  and  several  smaller  streams,  fall  into 
the  Connecticut  at  this  place ;  and  Nash's  stream  crosses  in  a  northeast 
direction,  falling  into  the  Ammonoosuc.  There  is  but  one  pond.  The 
principal  articles  of  trade  are  lumber,  wood,  and  timber.  The  Grand 
Trunk  Railway  has  stations  at  both  villages.  The  villages  are  called 
Stratford  Hollow  and  North  Stratford.  The  town  contains  two 
churches,  occupied  by  the  Methodists  and  Baptists;  nine  school  dis- 
tricts ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Stratford  and  North  Stratford :  also,  ten 
saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  chair  factory,  one  cabinet  shop,  and  two 
shoe  shops.     Population,  552 ;  valuation,  $219,760. 

Stratham,  Rockingham  county,  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the 
west  branch  of  Piscataqua  river,  adjoining  Exeter  on  the  southwest,  is 
thirty -nine  mUes  from  Concord.  This  town  belonged  to  the  Squamscott 
patent,  or  Hilton's  purchase,  and  was  incorporated  March  20,  1716. 
The  first  legal  town  meeting  was  held  April  10,  1716,  at  which, 
after  the  election  of  town  officers,  five  individuals  were  appointed  "  to 
be  a  committey  to  take  care  to  Build  a  meeting  house  for  the  public 
worshipe  of  God  in  said  town.  And  they  are  in  full  Power  to  hiear 
workemen  to  carry  on  the  worke  and  to  finish  it."  The  meeting- 
house was  built  in  1718,  and  was  after  the  fashion  of  the  oldest  meet- 
ing-houses now  standing,  of  which,  it  is  believed,  there  are  but  two  or 


658  HISTORY    AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

three  in  the  state  ;  the  pews  being  "  built  with  winscot  work  and  all  of  a 
kind."  In  those  days,  rigorous  rules  were  adopted  in  the  churches,  one 
of  which  was  "  that  when  the  cometey  have  seatid  the  meeting  house 
every  person  that  is  Seatid  shall  Set  in  those  Seats  or  pay  five  shillings 
Pir  day  for  every  day  they  set  out  of  there  Seates  in  a  disorderly  man- 
ner to  advaince  themselves  higher  in  the  meeting  house."  An  exception 
was  made  in  the  case  of  "  Mr.  Andrew  Wiggin,"  who  had  "  Leberty  to 
set  in  what  seat  he  pleaseth."  Mr.  Henry  Rust  was  the  first  minister, 
ordained  in  1718,  having  served  the  church  thirty-one  years.  Eev. 
Joseph    Adams    served    the   church   from    1745   till   1783,   thirty-eight 

years. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  level.  Agriculture  is  almost  the  exclu- 
sive employment  of  the  people.  Strathara  is  renowned  as  a  fruit  pro- 
ducing town,  and  large  quantities  are  annually  sent  to  marjcet.  A  very 
extensive  view  of  the  beautiful  scenery  surrounding  the  White  Moun- 
tains can  be  obtained  from  Stratham  hill.  There  are  four  religious  soci- 
eties—  one  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  two  Free-will  Baptist; 
four  school  districts ;  and  one  post-office.  The  mills  and  machinery  in 
operation  in  the  town  are  valued  at  $2,330.  The  Portsmouth  and  Con- 
cord Railroad  passes  through  Stratham.  Population,  843;  valuation, 
$443,271. 

Success,  Coos  county,  is  situated  on  the  boundary  line  between  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine,  and  is  a  rough  township,  its  surface  being  almost 
entirely  covered  with  woods.  By  the  last  census  returns  it  has  but  two 
inhabitants.  Narmarcungawack  and  Live  rivers  rise  here  and  pass  into 
the  Androscoggin.  Benjamin  Mackay  and  others  were  the  proprietors, 
to  whom  it  was  granted  February  12,  1773.     Valuation,  $11,000. 

SuLLiyAN,  a  short  distance  from  the  centre  of  Cheshire  county,  adjoins 
Keene,  and  is  forty-two  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  incorporated 
September  27, 1787,  and  received  its  name  from  Gen.  John  Sullivan,  who 
was  president  of  New  Hampshire  at  that  time,  and  who  presented  the 
town  a  book  in  which  to  keep  the  records.  A  smaU  meeting-house  was 
erected  in  1791,  and  a  Congregational  church  was  organized  on  the  17th 
of  October.  Rev.  William  Muzzy  was  the  first  minister,  having  been 
ordained  February  6,  1798,  and  dismissed  May  22,  1827.  A  new  meet- 
ing-house was  dedicated  December  29,  1808.  At  the  raising  of  the 
frame,  it  was  voted  to  have  dinners  provided  for  those  who  raised  it, 
and  liquor  ad  libitum,  prayers  being  offered  by  Mr.  Muzzy,  —  a  circum- 
stance which  bears  its  own  comments,  and  the  mention  of  which  should 
induce  gratitude  to  God  that  even  one  sin  of  the  fathers  has  been  repu- 


NEW  HAMPSHIEE  —  SULLIVAN   COUNTY,   ETC.  659 

diated  by  the  children.  A  Baptist  society  was  formed  in  1808.  The 
surface  of  Sullivan  is  generally  level.  Ashuelot  river  waters  the  south- 
ern part.  There  are  no  ponds  of  any  note.  Farming  is  the  chief  pur- 
suit, and  those  who  follow  it  have,  by  their  energy  and  industry,  accu- 
mulated enough  of  this  world's  goods  to  render  them  in  a  measure 
independent.  Sullivan  contains  one  Congregational  church,  five  school 
districts,  and  two  post-offices  (Sullivan  and  East  SuUivan).  The  mills 
in  town  are  valued  at  $2,500.     Population,  468 ;  valuation,  $228,534. 

Sullivan  County,  in  the  west-southwest  part  of  the  state,  covers 
five  hundred  and  seventy  square  miles.  The  act  establishing  this  new 
territorial  division  was  passed  July  5,  1827,  Cheshire  being  despoiled 
of  about  half  its  original  limits  to  give  Sullivan  existence.  The  county 
was  made  up  of  Acworth,  Charlestown,  Claremont,  Cornish,  Croydon, 
Grantham,  Goshen,  Lempster,  Langdon,  Newport,  Plainfield,  Spring- 
field, Unity,  Washington,  and  Wendell  (now  Sunapee),  and  still  re- 
mains as  then  organized.  Newport  has  always  been  the  shire.  The 
land  in  this, county  is  elevated,  but  the  surface  is  not  generally  uneven. 
Here  and  there  mountain  ridges  and  peaks  raise  their  heads,  —  the 
most  noticeable  of  which  are  Croydon  mountain  and  the  Sunapee 
mountains.  For  the  prosecution  of  agriculture  the  soil  possesses  many 
advantages ;  that  along  the  valleys  of  the  numerous  streams  being 
particularly  fertile.  The  Connecticut  river  forms  the  western  boundary, 
and  the  Ashuelot  and  other  smaller  streams  run  through  in  different 
directions,  furnishing  a  water  power  of  large  capacity.  The  county  is 
diversified  with  numerous  ponds,  and  Sunapee  lake  lies  on  the  eastern 
border.  The  general  appearance  of  the  region  is  picturesque,  and  there 
arc  many  points  possessing  scenic  beauty.  The  Connecticut  river  is 
navigable  for  boats,  and  the  county  is  traversed  by  the  Sullivan  Rail- 
road, the  Concord  and  Claremont  Railroad  being  projected  to  connect 
with  the  Sullivan. 

The  county  belongs  to  the  third  judicial  district  of  the  supreme  court, 
a  law  term  of  which  is  held  at  Newport  on  the  third  Tuesday  of 
December.  The  trial  terms  of  this  court  are  held  in  the  same  town  on 
the  fourth  Tuesday  of  January  and  the  first  Tuesday  of  September; 
and  the  terms  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  on  the  same  days  of  each 
year.     Population,  19,375 ;  valuation,  $7,867,350. 

Sunapee,  Sullivan  county,  is  bounded  to  a  large  extent  on  the  east 
by  Sunapee  lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  nine  miles  in  length,  and 
averaging  two  and  a  half  in  width.  The  town  was  granted  November 
7,  1768,  to  John  Sprague   and  others,  under  the  name  of  Saville,  and 


660  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

was  settled,  in  1772,  by  persons  from  Rhode  Island.  It  was  incor- 
porated April  4,  1781,  under  the  name  of  Wendell,  which  it  received  in 
honor  of  John  Wendell,  one  of  the  principal  proprietors  ;  and  the  change 
to  the  present  name  was  made  July  12,  1850.  The  Baptists  organized 
the  first  church.  A  small  society  of  Congregationalists  was  incorporated 
June  24, 1819.  Sunapee  has  an  uneven  surface,  and  is  in  some  parts 
rocky  and  mountainous.  Sugar  river  has  its  source  in  Sunapee  lake, 
passing  centrally  through  this  town  into  Newport,  and  from  thence  into 
Claremont,  where  it  forms  a  junction  with  the  Connecticut.  This  river 
furnishes  several  mill  privileges.  There  are  three  small  ponds,  covering 
an  area  of  about  three  hundred  acres. 

Sunapee  is  much  resorted  to  in  the  summer  by  persons  from  the 
crowded  cities  for  pleasure  and  recreation.  The  beautiful  Sunapee 
lake,  which  abounds  in  fish,  and  the  highly  romantic  scenery,  render 
this  spot  peculiarly  adapted  for  those  purposes.  It  is  easy  of  access  from 
Concord,  the  distance  by  railroad  from  the  capital  being  thirty-five 
miles.  There  are  two  villages :  the  largest,  in  the  centre  of  the  town, 
is  called  the  Harbor,  and  the  other,  at  the  extreme  northeast,  is  called 
George's  Mills.  The  town  contains  three  church  edifices —  Universalist, 
Methodist,  and  a  Union  house ;  eight  school  districts ;  and  two  post- 
ofl!ices — -Sunapee  and  George's  Mills:  also,  one  threshing-machine 
manufactory,  one  large  tannery,  one  establishment  for  making  shoe-pegs, 
and  one  for  clothes-pins  ;  four  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  carriage  fac- 
tory, four  stores,  and  two  hotels.     Population,  787  ;  valuation,  $228,534. 

SuRRT,  towards  the  western  part  of  Cheshire  county,  fifty-two  miles 
from  Concord,  is  a  small  township,  and  was  incoriwrated  March  9, 
1769,  having  been  made  up  from  portions  of  Gilsum  and  Westmore- 
land. Its  name  was  derived  from  Surry,  England.  Peter  Hayward 
commenced  clearing  a  farm  in  the  summer  of  1763,  and  took  up  his 
residence  here  in  1764.  Whilst  clearing  his  farm  he  resided  at  the 
fort  in  Keene,  and  was  wont  to  go  to  his  labor  in  the  morning  and 
return  to  the  fort  in  the  evening,  his  only  protection  from  the  savages, 
then  lurking  near,  being  his  dog  and  his  gun.  The  first  church  organ- 
ized was  a  Congregational,  June  12,  1769.  Hon.  Lemuel  Holmes,  a 
judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  and  a  councillor  in  1793,  was  a 
resident  of  Surry.  Ashuelot  river  supplies  water  to  the  town.  Ex- 
tending the  whole  length  of  Surry,  on  the  banlcs  of  this  river,  is  a  rich 
tract  of  meadow  land.  A  precipitous  and  high  eminence,  having  a 
pond  of  three  acres  on  its  summit,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  Ashuelot 
river,  which,  from  its  situation  and  great  height  above  the  river,  may 
be  considered  a  natural  curiosity.     There  are  two  church  edifices,  free 


NEW    HAMPSHlilB TOWN    OF    SUTTON,    ETC.  661 

to  all  denominations ;  four  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also, 
one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  one  store,  and  two  hotels.  Population, 
556 ;  valuation,  $187,844. 

SuTTON,  in  the  western  part  of  Merrimack  county,  twenty-five  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted,  in  1749,  by  the  Masonian  proprietors,  to 
inhabitants  of  Haverhill,  Newbury,  and  Bradford,  Mass.,  and  Kingston, 
N.  H.  It  was  called  Periystown,  in  honor  of  Obadiah  Perry,  one  of 
its  original  and  principal  proprietors.  David  Peaslee  commenced  the 
settlement  in  1767,  and  several  others  soon  followed.  When  the  first 
inhabitants  arrived,  there  were  several  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  Kezar's  pond,  which  gave  evidence  of  having  been  cleared  of  the 
original  gi-owth  of  trees  ;  and  here  were  found  a  number  of  Indian 
hearths,  laid  with  stone,  ingeniously  and  skilfully  contrived.  There 
are  other  indications  that  the  Indians  had  a  settlement  here,  —  such  as 
a  burial  ground,  gun  barrels,  arrows,  stone  pestles,  and  mortars.  To 
what  tribe  these  Indians  belonged,  it  is  impossible,  at  this  late  day,  to 
determine.  The  moose,  the  deer,  the  beaver,  the  otter,  the  muskrat,  the 
bear,  and  the  wolf  were  commonly  seen  when  the  town  was  first  set- 
tled; and  the  two  former  frequently  approached  the  humble  cottages 
of  the  earlier  inhabitants. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  being  comprised  of  a  succession  of  hiUs  and 
dales,  while  in  several  localities  it  is  rough  and  mountainous.  There 
are  many  fine  farms  to  be  seen,  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Kear- 
sarge  mountain  extends  more  than  half  the  length  of  Sutton  on  its  east 
side.  From  its  summit,  which  is  annually  visited  by  hundreds,  an 
extensive  view  of  the  surrounding  country  can  be  had.  King's  hiE, 
another  lofty  eminence,  is  situated  in  the  western  part.  Clay,  good 
building  stone,  and  plumbago  are  found  in  considerable  quantities. 
Branches  of  Warner  and  Blackwater  rivers  run  through  this  town. 
The  principal  pond  is  Kezar's,  lying  towards  the  north  part  of  Sutton. 
The  inhabitants  are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil;  they  are  industrious,  and,  though  there  are  no  " miJlionnaires " 
among  them,  they  are  generally  happy  and  independent.  Large  quan- 
tities of  lumber  are  annually  manufactured.  There  are  three  villages  — 
South,  North,  and  Mill  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Free-will 
Baptist,  and  Universalist ;  fourteen  school  districts ;  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Sutton  and  North  Sutton.  Population,  1,387 ;  valuation, 
$442,689. 

SwANZEY,  towards  the  southern  division  of  Cheshire  county,  is  sixty 
miles  from  Concord,  and  was  first  granted,  by  Massachusetts,  in  1733, 
VOL.  I.  56 


662  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

to  sixty-four  proprietors,  who  held  their  first  meeting  in  Concord,  Mass., 
June  27,  1734.     The  plantation  was  called  Lower  Ashuelot.     On  the 
settlement   of   the    boundaries    between  New  Hampshire    and    Massa- 
chusetts, Lower  Ashuelot  was  granted  by  the  former  state,  July  2,  1753, 
under   its    present   name,  to    sixty-two    proprietors.     The   first   settlers 
came  principally  from  Massachusetts,  and  were  a  good  class  of  people. 
The  Indians  annoyed  the  inhabitants  very  severely ;  and,  being  left  un- 
protected by  Massachusetts,  whose  jurisdiction  they  then  acknowledged, 
they  were  forced  to  abandon  the  settlement  in   1747,  burying  in   the 
ground  many  articles  of  furniture.^     During  the  absence  of  the  settlers, 
all  the  buildings  save  one  were  destroyed.      Three    years    afterwards, 
the  former  inhabitants  returned.     The  first  church  was  Congregational, 
organized  November  4,  1741.     Rev.  Timothy  Harrington  was  ordained 
the  same  day ;  but,  his  house  being  burned  by  the  Indians,  March  26, 
1745,  the  records  of  the  society  were  lost.      Mr.  Hamngton  was  dis- 
missed on  application  ;  but  when   is  not  known.     He  resigned  his  right 
to  the  lot  of  land  of  the  first  minister,  and  made  the  church  a  present 
of  a   silver   cup,  which   cost   ^15.35.     In    October,    1753,  Keene    and 
Swanzey  united  in  the  support  of  the  gospel,  which  union  continued 
about  seven  years.     Rev.  Ezra  Carpenter  was  the  first  minister  of  this 
union  society,  and  remained  with  Swanzey  after  the  dissolution.     Five 
ministers  have  since  served  in  the  capacity  of  pastor. 

About  one  third  of  the  surface  of  Swanzey  is  level,  and  comprises 
equal  quantities  of  plain  and  interval.  The  Ashuelot  and  South  Branch 
rivers  are  the  only  streams  of  note,  both  having  good  mill  sites.  Great 
pond  and  Lock's  pond,  each  about  a  mile  long  and  270  rods  wide,  lie  in 
West  Swanzey.  An  abundance  of  fine  trout  are  found  in  Hyponeco 
brook.  There  are  four  villages  —  Swanzey,  on  the  Ashuelot  river,  in 
the  west  part  of  the  town ;  Westport,  on  the  line  of  Winchester,  two 
miles  below  West  Swanzey ;  Swanzey  Factory  village,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town,  about  two  miles  from  the  court-house  in  Keene ;  and 
Unionville,  in  the  southeast  part.  There  are  three  church  edifices. 
Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Universalist ;  one  academy,  called  Mount 
Caesar  Academy ;  thirteen  school  districts,  all  furnished  with  good 
school-houses;  and  three  post-ofiices — Swanzey,  West  Swanzey,  and 
Westport :  also,  a  steam-mill  at  the  Centre,  for  grinding  grain,  and  for 
the  manufacture  of  pails,  chair  stiifF,  clothes-pins,  and  other  wooden 
ware ;  at  West  Swanzey,  one  steam  wooden  ware  factory,  one  door, 
sash,  and  blind  factory,  two   saw-mills,  and  a  grist-mill ;  at  Westport, 

'  A  Bible  is  now  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  inhabitants,  which  is  said  to  have  been 
buried  under  a  brass  kettle. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    TAMWORTH.  663 

one  grist  and  saw-mill;  at  Swanzey  Factory  village,  one  wooden 
ware  factory,  one  saw-mill,  one  door,  sash,  and  blind  factory ;  and,  at 
Unionville,  two  saw-mills  and  two  establishments  for  making  wooden 
ware.  The  Ashuelot  Railroad,  a  branch  of  the  Connecticut  River 
Railroad,  passes  through  the  town.  Population,  2,106 ;  valuation, 
$635,331. 

Tam WORTH,  lying  in  the  central  part  of  Carroll  county,  sixty  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted  to  John  Webster,  Jonathan  Moulton,  and 
others,  October  14,  1766 ;  and  its  settlement  was  begun,  in  1771,  by 
Richard  Jaekman,  Jonathan  Choate,  David  Philbrick,  and  William 
Eastman.  The  early  inhabitants  endured  hardships  of  no  common 
order,  and  were  often  obliged  to  go  to  Gilmanton  and  Canterbury,  a 
distance  of  thirty  or  forty  miles,  to  procure  corn  and  grain,  which  was 
brought  from  thence  on  their  backs  or  on  hand-sleds.  Rev.  Joshua 
Nickerson,  from  Cape  Cod,  preached  here  occasionally  until  1778. 
There  were  very  strong  prejudices  among  the  people  against  "  college- 
learned  men,"  and  one  woman  declared  that  she  "  would  as  lief  see  the 
devil "  as  one  of  them.  These  prejudices  were,  however,  dispelled  under 
the  warm-hearted  addresses  of  Rev.  Samuel  Hidden,  a  young  man  fresh 
from  college,  who  commenced  preaching  January  14,  1792.  Mr.  Hid- 
den's  ordination  and  the  organization  of  a  church  were  appointed  to  be 
on  the  12th  of  September  following,  which,  after  much  wrangling  be- 
tween the  council  and  the  people  (who  were  made  up  of  Congregation- 
alists.  Baptists,  and  Free-will  Ba]itists),  came  otT  according  to  the  pro- 
gramme, a  church  of  nineteen  members  being  formed.  A  graphic  pic- 
ture of  the  ordination   has  been   given  by  a  member  of  the  council.^ 

'  "  Mr.  Hidden  was  ordained  on  a  large  rock  (twenty  feet  by  thirty,  and  fifteen  feet 
high),  on  which  fifty  men  might  stand.  His  foundation  must  be  secure  and  solid;  for 
this  rock  will  stand  till  Gabriel  shall  divide  it  by  the  power  of  God.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing the  people  assembled  around  this  rock,  men,  women,  boys,  and  girls,  together  with 
dogs  and  other  domestic  animals.  It  is  an  entire  forest  about  this  place.  The  scenery  is 
wild.  On  the  north  is  a  high  hill ;  and  north  of  this  is  a  mountain,  called  Chocorua, 
which  touches  heaven.  On  the  south,  and  in  all  directions,  are  mountains,  steep  and 
rugged.  I  had  expected  to  hear  the  howling  of  the  wolf  and  the  screeching  of  the  owl ; 
but,  instead  of  these,  were  heard  the  melting  notes  of  the  robin,  the  chirping  of  the  spar- 
row and  other  birds,  that  made  the  forest  seem  like  Paradise.  The  men  looked  happy, 
rugged,  and  fearless.  Their  trowsers  came  down  to  about  half-way  between  the  knee  and 
ankle  ;  the  coats  were  mostly  short,  and  of  nameless  shapes ;  many  wore  slouched  hats, 
and  many  were  shoeless.  The  women  looked  ruddy,  and  as  though  they  loved  their  hus- 
bands. Their  clothing  was  all  of  domestic  manufacture ;  every  woman  had  a  checked 
linen  apron,  and  carried  a  clean  linen  handkerchief.  Their  bonnets !  well,  I  cannot 
describe  them ;  I  leave  them  to  your  imagination.  But  think  of  the  grandeur  of  the 
scene  !  —  a  great  rock  the  pulpit,  —  the  whole  town  the  floor  of  the  house,  —  and  the 


664  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Mr.  Hidden  served  this  people  until  his  death  in  1837,  the  forty-sixth 
year  of  his  ministry,  during  which  period  the  church  was  much  pros- 
pered, there  being  an  average  yearly  increase  of  eleven  members.  In 
the  year  1800  there  was  a  great  religious  reformation  here,  extending 
its  influence  to  several  adjoining  towns.  The  professed  conversion  of 
about  three  hundred  persons  in  a  town  then  containing  but  757  inhab- 
itants ought  certainly  to  be  set  down  as  an  era  in  its  history.  But, 
alas  for  the  degeneracy  of  man !  it  is  said  that  but  about  one  third  of 
the  present  population  attend  religious  worship. 

The  surface  of  Tamworth  consists  of  ridges  and  valleys.  Burton 
mountain  on  the  north,  and  Ossipee  mountain  on  the  south,  lie  partly 
in  this  town.  On  the  north,  the  mountains  have  a  romantic  view. 
Bearcamp  river  passes  through  the  town  in  an  easterly  direction. 
Swift  river  runs  through  the  centre,  and  Conway  river  intersects  the 
south  line.  These  rivers,  and  other  smaller  streams,  furnish  a  plentiful 
supply  of  water,  as  well  as  some  excellent  mill  privileges.  Lead  ore 
and  argentiferous  galena  have  been  found  here.  Lumber,  neat  stock, 
and  produce  are  the  principal  articles  of  trade.  There  are  three  villages, 
—  Tamworth,  South  Tamworth,  and  Tamworth  Iron  Works,  with 
a  post-office  at  each ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Free-will 
Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  and  nineteen  school  districts :  also,  eight  saw- 
mills, fourteen  shingle  mills,  three  machine-shops,  and  one  shoe-peg 
factory.     Population,  1,766 ;  valuation,  ^285,688. 

Temple,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Hillsborough  county,  forty  miles 
from  Concord,  is  the  easterly  part  of  what  was  formerly  known  as 
Peterborough  Slip,  and  was  incorporated  August  26,  1758.  The  first 
church  organized  was  a  Congregational,  October  2,  1771.  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Webster  was  settled  over  the  church  the  same  day,  and  continued 
till  his  death,  six  years.  He  was  chaplain  in  the  northern  army  in  1777, 
and  returned  here  on  account  of  sickness,  dying  November  14,  1777. 
Rev.  Noah  Miles,  the  second  minister,  served  the  church  from  1782  till 
his  death,  November  20, 1831,  a  period  of  fifty  years.  The  Hon.  Francis 
Blood  and  Gen.  James  Miller,  the  latter  distinguished  in  the  war  of  1812, 
resided  in  Temple.  The  surface  is  uneven  and  rocky  to  a  great  extent 
though  the  quality  of  the  soil  is  such  that  it  can  be  advantageously  im- 
proved.    The  situation  of  the  town  is  very  elevated,  and  extensive  and 

canopy  of  heaven  the  roof,  —  and  the  tall  sturdy  trees  the  walls  !  Who  could  help  feel- 
ing devotional?  This  is  the  place  nature  has  formed  for  pure  worship.  Lon<r  shall  this 
stand,  like  the  rock  on  which  our  fathers  landed."  —  Lawrence's  Congregational  Churches 
p.  592.  ' 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    THORNTON.  665 

beautiful  views  can  be  obtained  from  the  east  and  south.  The  Temple 
mountains  lie  along  the  western  and  northwestern  borders,  and  many 
small  streams  originate  in  them.  Farmer  and  Moore,  thirty-five  years 
ago,  said :  "  From  the  highest  point  of  elevation,  twenty  meeting-houses 
may  be  seen  when  the  atmosphere  is  clear."  Temple  has  one  village, 
in  the  centre  of  the  town ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and 
Universalist ;  six  school  districts,  with  a  school  in  each ;  and  one  post- 
office  :  also,  two  saw-mills,  one  grist-miU,  and  one  tannery.  Population, 
579 ;  valuation,  $263,934. 

Thornton,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  fifty-eight  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted  to  Matthew,  James,  and  Andrew  Thornton, 
and  others,  July  6,  1763,  and  its  settlement  was  commenced,  in  1770,  by 
Benjamin  Hoit,  whose  son  Benjamin  was  the  first  child  claiming 
nativity  in  the  town.  Thornton  was  endowed  with  corporate  privileges, 
November  8,  1781.  A  tract  of  land,  known  as  Waterville  Gore,  was 
annexed  to  this  town,  June  23,  1842.  A  Congregational  church  of 
twelve  members  was  organized  April  11,  1780,  and  Rev.  Experience 
Estabrook,  who  had  preached  here  as  early  as  1778  or  1779,  was  or- 
dained as  pastor,  August  23, 1780.  There  was  no  church  edifice  during 
his  ministry  of  six  years,  he  having  preached  in  a  log  school-house  in  the 
winter,  and  in  barns  during  the  summer.  Mr.  Noah  Worcester  was  pas- 
tor of  the  church  from  October,  1787,  to  1809  or  1810.  He  had  come 
into  town  about  1781,  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  on  which  he  worked 
a  part  of  the  time,  and  a  part  of  the  time  at  his  trade  (shoe  making), 
another  portion  being  spent  in  study.  In  1789,  a  meeting-house  was 
built,  the  building  materials  being  paid  for  in  "  wheat,  rye,  corn,  and 
flax.'-'  At  the  dedication  of  the  meeting-house,  the  following  expenses 
were  incurred :  "Amount  for  victualling  fifty-four  persons,  $9  ;  for  brandy 
and  West  India  rum,  $5 ;  for  sugar,  $1.  Total,  $15."  The  surface  is 
uneven,  but  the  soil  is  suitable  for  grain.  There  are  quite  a  number  of 
eminences,  but  none  of  any  remarkable  height.  Along  the  Pemigewas- 
set  river,  which  intersects  Thornton  from  north  to  south,  there  is  some 
very  productive  interval.  Mad  river,  and  several  small  brooks,  furnish 
water.  There  is  a  cascade  on  Mill  brook,  the  water  of  which  falls  seven 
feet  in  two  rods,  and  then  leaps  over  a  perpendicular  rock  forty-two  feet. 
Maple  sugar  is  manufactured  in  considerable  quantities.  There  are 
three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Free-will  Baptist,  and  Meth- 
odist; twelve  school  districts;  and  two  post-offices — Thornton  and 
West  Thornton :  also,  two  saw-mills  and  two  shingle  mills.  Popula- 
tion, 1,011 ;  valuation,  $253,717. 

56* 


666  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Trot,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Cheshire  county,  fifty-four  miles 
from  Concord,  was  formerly  the  southerly  part  of  Marlborough,  the 
north  part  of  Fitzwilliam,  and  the  southerly  parts  of  Swanzey  and 
Richmond,  having  been  incorporated  June  23,  1815.  A  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  in  1814.  The  people  at  that  time  were  much  given  to 
intemperance  and  immorality,  but  have,  of  late  years,  visibly  improved 
through  religious  influences.  A  Congregational  church  was  organized 
September  14,  1815,  to  which  about  one  fourth  of  the  population  belong. 
The  first  minister  was  Rev.  Ezekiel  Rich,  who  continued  from  1815  to 
1818,  since  which  the  people  have  enjoyed  only  stated  supplies  and 
short  pastorates  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  time. 

Troy  is  small  in  territory,  and  the  surface  and  soil  are  various.  A 
branch  of  the  Ashuelot  river  enters  the  town,  but  the  streams  are  gener- 
ally small,  and  hence  the  water  power  is  not  very  extensive.  There  are 
three  church  edifices — Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Universalist;  six 
school  districts,  with  six  schools  ;  and  one  post-office  :  also,  two  AvooUen 
manufactories,  three  pail  factories,  two  rake  factories,  one  iron-mop 
factory,  one  large  tannery,  five  saw-mills,  one  peg  factory,  and  shops  for 
the  manufacture  of  clothes-pins,  pail-handles,  and  washboards.  The 
Cheshire  Railroad  has  a  station  in  Troy.  Population,  759 ;  valuation, 
$287,321. 

TuFTONBOROUGH,  in  the  southern  part  of  Carroll  county,  forty-five 
miles  from  Concord,  was  granted  to  John  Tufton  Mason,  from  whom  it 
derived  its  name,  and  was  settled  about  1780.  The  act  of  incorpora- 
tion was  passed  December  17,  1795.  Benjamin  Bean,  Phineas  Graves, 
and  Joseph  Peavey  were  among  the  earliest  inhabitants.  The  surface 
of  Tuftonborough  is  even  in  some  parts,  while  in  others  it  is  very  broken. 
The  town  is  situated  on  the  shore  of  Winnepesaukee  lake  (several 
arms  of  which  enter  Tuftonborough  some  distance),  a  view  of  which 
from  the  eminences  is  exceedingly  picturesque,  and  scarcely  surpassed 
by  any  other  scenery  in  this  locality.  There  are  a  number  of  ponds 
and  several  small  streams  which  flow  into  the  lake.  The  raising  of 
neat-cattle  and  sheep  engages  the  principal  part  of  the  attention  of  the 
inhabitants,  who  are  an  industrious  and  thrifty  people.  There  are  Free- 
will Baptist,  Christian,  and  Methodist  societies ;  eleven  school  districts, 
and  three  post-offices — Tuftonborough,  Melvin  Village,  and  Mackerel 
Corner :  also,  two  saw-mills,  one  sash,  blind,  and  door  factory,  one 
carriage  factory,  and  two  grist-mills.  Population,  1,305 ;  valuation, 
$374,713. 

Unity,  in  the  western  part  of  Sullivan  county,  fifty  miles  from  Con- 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN   OF    WAKEFIELD.  667 

cord,  was  granted  July  13,  1764,  Theodore  Atkinson,  Meshech  Weare, 
and  forty-five  others,  being  the  proprietors.  Its  name  originated  by 
reason  of  the  happy  termination  of  a  controversy,  which  had  been  car- 
ried on  for  a  length  of  time  between  certain  persons  in  Kingston  and 
Hampstead  who  claimed  the  same  tract  of  land  under  two  different 
grants.  The  settlement  of  the  town  was  begun  in  1769.  John  Ladd, 
Moses  Thurston,  Charles  Huntoon,  and  Joseph  Perkins  were  the 
earliest  inhabitants.  No  minister  of  the  gospel  has  ever  been  settled 
here,  and  the  land  reserved  for  such  minister  has  been  devoted  to  the 
support  of  schools. 

'  Unity  has  an  uneven  and  rocky  surface,  but  the  soil  is  strong.  The 
raising  of  stock  receives  considerable  attention,  the  town  being  justly 
celebrated  for  its  excellent  breeds  of  cattle  and  sheep.  Perry's  moun- 
tain, in  the  western  part,  is  the  largest  elevation,  and  lies  partly  in 
Charlestown ;  Glidden's  peak  lies  a  little  west  of  the  centre.  The  prin- 
cipal ponds  are  Cold,  Oilman's,  and  Marshall's :  the  first  is  the  head  of 
Cold  river ;  from  the  second  flows  a  branch  of  Sugar  river ;  and  the 
latter  is  the  source  of  Little  Sugar  river,  which  runs  in  a  westerly  direc- 
tion through  Unity,  and  thence  through  the  north  part  of  Charlestown, 
emptying  into  the  Connecticut.  Unity  abounds  in  minerals  of  various 
descriptions.  Granular  quartz,  used  in  the  manufacture  of  sand-paper, 
is  found ;  and  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  is  a  strong  chalybeate 
spring,  celebrated  for  its  curative  powers.  From  the  soil  around  this 
spring,  copperas  has  been  made,  by  leaching  and  evaporation.  A  con- 
siderable vein  of  copper  and  iron  pyrites  has  been  discovered,  which 
promises  to  be  very  valuable  when  worked ;  and  small  deposits  of  bog 
iron  ore  occur  here  and  there.  A  mineral,  never  before  discovered,  was 
found  here  by  Dr.  Jackson,  to  which  he  has  given  the  name  of  chloro- 
phyllite.  Crystals  of  magnetic  iron  ore,  garnets,  radiated  actinolite,  iolite 
(a  fine,  delicate,  blue-colored  stone,  highly  prized  by  jewellers),  and  titan- 
ium (much  used  in  the  arts  of  porcelain  painting  and  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  mineral  teeth),  are  found  here,  some  of  them  in  large  quantities. 
Unity  has  one  village,  situated  at  the  centre  ;  three  church  edifices  — 
Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Quaker ;  eleven  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Unity  and  East  Unity  :  also, 
one  lath  and  shingle  machine,  four  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  one  grocery 
store,  and  one  hotel.     Population,  961 ;  valuation,  $333,404. 

Wakefield,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Carroll  county,  adjoining  Newfield, 
Me.,  is  fifty  miles  from  Concord,  and  was  formerly  called  East  Town, 
having  been  incorporated  August  30,  1774.  Robert  Macklin,  a  native 
of  Scotland,  died  here  in  1787,  having  reached  the  advanced  age  of  115 


668  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

years.  He  frequently  walked  from  Portsmouth  to  Boston  in  one  day, 
returning  the  next.  The  last  time  he  performed  this  journey  was  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  The  Congregational  church,  formed  September 
17,  1785,  was  the  first  in  town,  Rev.  Asa  Piper  being  ordained  the  same 
day,  and  served  till  May  17,  1833. 

The  surface  of  Wakefield  is  diversified  with  hills,  rocks,  and  ponds, 
and  is  considerably  broken.  The  soil  is  stubborn ;  but  when  subdued 
and  brought  under  cultivation  is  very  productive.  The  largest  collec- 
tion of  water  is  called  East  pond,  but  should  be  designated  by  its 
Indian  name,  Newichawannock.  It  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  three 
miles  in  length  and  one  mile  in  width,  and  is  worthy  to  be  called  Lake 
Newichawannock.  Lovewell's  pond  received  its  name  from  the  famous 
Captain  Lovewell,  who  here  surprised  and  killed  ten  Pequawket  Indians. 
Balch  pond,  the  largest  portion  of  which  is  in  Wakefield,  extends  into 
Acton,  Me.  Pine  River  pond,  in  the  north  part,  is  the  source  of  a  small 
river  of  that  name,  which  runs  in  a  northerly  direction  and  empties  into 
a  pond  in  Ossipee.  A  rivulet  takes  its  rise  in  Newichawannock  pond, 
and,  until  it  reaches  the  Piscataqua,  sometimes  receives  the  name  of 
Salmon  Falls  river,  but  ought  properly  to  be  called  by  the  same  name 
as  the  pond  from  which  it  originates.  There  are  three  villages  —  Wake- 
field, Union,  and  Pine  River ;  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Free-will  Baptist,  Congregational  and  Methodist,  and  Free-will  Baptist 
and  Methodist;  an  incorporated  academy  having  no  funds,  and  in 
operation  bat  a  part  of  the  time;  ten  school  districts;  and  four  post- 
offices  —  Wakefield,  Union  Village,  North  Wakefield,  and  East  Wake- 
field :  also,  five  saw-mills,  five  grist-mills,  and  ten  shingle,  clapboard,  and 
planing  mills.  A  large  amount  of  lumber  is  manufactured  and  exported 
by  railroad,  and  the  shoe  business  is  pretty  extensively  carried  on. 
Population,  1,405 ;  valuation,  $345,825. 

Walpole,  in  the  western  part  of  Cheshire  county,  on  Connecticut 
river,  —  which  divides  the  town  from  Westminster,  Vt,  —  is  sixty  miles 
from  Concord,  and  was  granted  by  New  Hampshire  to  Colonel  Benja- 
min Bellows  and  sixty-one  others,  February  16,  1752,  havino-  been 
known  as  Great  Falls.^  Its  settlement  was  commenced,  in  1749,  by 
John  Kilburn  and  family,  who  were  followed,  two  years  afterwards,  by 
Colonel  Bellows.  The  Canadians  and  Indians,  ever  on  the  alert  for 
conquest  among  the  English  settlements,  did  not  allow  Walpole  to  re- 
main undisturbed.  In  the  spring  of  1755,  an  Indian,  called  Philip,  who 
understood  the  English  language,  stopped  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Kilburn, 

'  For  a  previous  gi-ant,  in  1 735,  by  the  government  of  Massachusetts,  see  article  on 
Baldwin,  Me.,  ante,  p.  43. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   WALPOLE.  669 

ostensibly  to  obtain  supplies  to  last  him  through  a  hunting  excursion 
which  he  pretended  to  be  on,  but  in  reality  to  learn  the  strength  of  the 
settlement,  —  having  visited  all  the  towns  on  the  Connecticut  with  the 
same  plausible  errand.  Shortly  after  this,  the  settlers  learned,  through 
Governor  Shirley,  that  it  was  the  design  of  four  or  five  hundred  In- 
dians, who  were  assembled  in  Canada,  to  destroy  all  the  whites  on  the 
Connecticut.  This  intelligence  was  not  encouraging;  but  these  hardy 
pioneers  immediately  prepared  for  defence  by  fortifying  their  houses. 
About  half  a  mile  from  Kilburn's  house  was  a  fort,  garrisoned  by  thirty 
men,  under  command  of  Colonel  Bellows ;  but  this  was  but  a  slight 
protection  against  the  anticipated  force. 

The  Indians  made  their  appearance  on  the  17th  of  August,  1755,  and 
were  seen  by  Kilburn  aild  his  men,  who  hastened  home,  and  com- 
menced preparations  to  defend  their  property,  or  die  in  the  attempt.  In 
the  house  were  Kilburn  and  his  son  John  (eighteen  years  of  age),  a 
man  named  Peak  and  his  son,  Mrs.  Kilburn,  and  her  daughter  Hitty. 
They  had  not  been  in  the  house  long,  before  the  Indians  came  forth 
from  their  hiding-place,  east  of  Kilburn's  house,  197  in  number,  while  a 
like  number  remained  concealed  near  the  mouth  of  Cold  river.  It  was 
decided  by  the  Indians  to  surprise  Colonel  Bellows  —  who,  with  his 
men,  was  at  work  at  his  mill  —  before  commencing  operations  on  the 
house  of  Kilburn  ;  and,  accordingly,  they  laid  in  ambush,  awaiting  his 
return.  The  colonel  and  his  party,  about  thirty  in  all,  were  returning 
to  the  fort,  each  with  a  bag  of  meal  on  his  back,  unconscious  of  danger 
till  the  dogs  began  to  give  tokens  of  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  when 
Bellows  prepared  to  act  on  the  defensive.  He  gave  directions  that 
each  man  should  relieve  himself  of  his  burden,  and,  after  crawling  care- 
fully up  the  hill,  spring  upon  his  feet,  give  a  single  yell,  and  immediately 
prostrate  himself  in  the  fern.  This  stratagem  had  the  desired  effect ; 
the  savages  came  forth  from  their  ambush  as  soon  as  they  heard  the 
yell,  and  were  received  with  a  well-directed  fire,  which  caused  them  to 
rush  into  the  bushes  without  the  discharge  of  a  shot.  Bellows  did 
not  pursue  them,  their  numbers  being  too  great ;  but  made  for  the  fort. 

The  Indians,  after  this,  proceeded  to  Kilburn's  house ;  and  Philip,  con- 
cealing himself  behind  a  tree,  summoned  the  inmates  to  surrender,  say- 
ing that  they  should  have  "  good  quarter."  "  Quarter!  "  thundered  out 
Kilburn  ;  "  you  black  rascals,  begone,  or  we  '11  quarter  you  I "  The  at- 
tack was  soon  commenced;  Kilburn,  however,  getting  the  first  fire, 
which,  it  is  thought,  was  fatal  to  PhiUp,  a  man  much  resembling  him 
having  been  seen  to  fall.  The  savages  then  rushed  forward  in  a  fit  of 
desperation,  pouring  not  less  than  four  hundred  bullets  into  the  roof  and 
sides  of  the  house  at  the  first  fire.     The  cattle  were  butchered,  the  hay 


670  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  grain  destroyed,  and  an  incessant  fire  was  kept  up  at  the  ill-fated 
house.  Kilburn  and  the  inmates,  however,  did  not  remain  idle ;  every 
thing  was  done  which  could  facilitate  matters  and  aid  in  the  defence  ; 
and,  so  constant  was  the  firing  that  the  guns  were  kept  hot,  while  each 
shot  told  with  deadly  effect  upon  the  enemy,  who,  to  escape  them,  took 
shelter  behind  the  trees  and  stumps.  The  women  were  as  active  in  the 
cause  as  the  men,  employing  themselves  in  loading  the  muskets  ;  and 
when  their  supply  of  lead  gave  out,  they  suspended  blankets  in  the  roof 
of  the  house  to  catch  the  bullets  of  the  enemy,  which  were  recast  and 
returned  to  their  original  owners,  with  inleresl.  The  Indians  made 
several  attempts  to  force  the  doors,  but  the  shots  from  within  compelled 
them  to  desist.  About  sunset,  seeing  their  efforts  unavailing,  they 
gradually  slackened  operations ;  and  when  the  sun  disappeared  below 
the  horizon,  the  savages  evacuated  the  town,  returning  again  to  Canada. 
Thus  was  thwarted  an  expedition,  which,  had  it  not  been  for  the  obsti- 
nate resistance  met  from  Kilburn,  it  is  reasonable  to  infer,  would  have 
been  fraught  with  evil  consequences  to  the  other  settlements.  Captain 
Kilburn  lived  to  see  his  fourth  generation  on  the  stage,  the  town  jjopu- 
lous  and  flourishing,  and  died  April  8,  1789,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of 
his  age.     A  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1787. 

The  surface  of  Walpole  is  diversified  with  hills  and  vales,  presenting 
a  beautiful  appearance  ;  the  intervals  are  superior  for  tillage,  and  the 
uplands  are  second  to  none  in  the  state.  Fall  mountain,  some  seven  or 
eight  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  is  the  highest  elevation.  Through 
the  north  part  runs  Cold  river,  which  unites  with  the  Connecticut.  A 
bridge  crosses  the  Connecticut,  near  the  village  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt., 
known  as  Tucker's  bridge,  from  which  a  view  of  considerable  grandeur 
is  obtained.  Here  also  are  the  celebrated  Abenaqui  Springs,  the  waters 
of  which  are  possessed  of  remarkable  medicinal  qualities.  There 
are  two  villages  —  Walpole  and  Drewsville,  the  former  of  which  is  sit- 
uated at  the  foot  of  Fall  mountain,  on  an  extensive  plain,  the  main 
street  running  north  and  south,  having  houses,  stores,  and  shops  on 
either  side.  The  streets  are  generally  wide,  shaded  with  elm  and  maple 
trees ;  and  many  of  the  residences  are  elegant  and  costly.  There  is  a 
plat  of  ground  laid  out  as  a  common,  which  is  handsomely  decorated 
with  trees.  Drewsville  is  a  pleasant  village,  situated  on  Cold  river. 
There  are  six  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Episcopalian,  Meth- 
odist, Christian,  Unitarian,  and  Universalist ;  fourteen  school  districts, 
the  schools  in  which  are  on  the  graded  system,  consisting  of  primary, 
grammar,  and  high  schools ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Walpole  and 
Drewsville  :  also,  three  grist-mills,  thre'e  saw-mills,  two  boot  and  shoe 
manufactories,   one    carriage    manufactory,    one    harness-maker's    shop. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE — TOWN   OF   WAKNEU.  671 

one  small  woollen  manufactory,  one  shingle,  lath,  and  clapboard  mill, 
one  manufactory  of  boxes  for  pills  and  other  articles,  one  shirt  manu- 
factory, various  mechanic  shops  and  stores,  and  one  hotel — known 
as  the  Walpole  House.  About  three  miles  and  three  quarters  from 
Bellows  Falls  is  a  cemetery,  in  a  secluded  spot,  far  from  the  haunts 
of  business,  to  which  appertain  many  of  the  beauties  of  nature.  In 
this  cemetery  a  marble  monument,  in  memory  of  Colonel  Benjamin 
Bellows,  has  been  erected  by  his  numerous  descendants.  The 
Cheshire  Railroad  connects  with  Walpole.  Population,  2,034;  valua- 
tion, 11,191,344. 

Warner,  in  the  western  part  of  Merrimack  county,  fifteen  miles 
northwest  of  Concord,  contains  29,620  acres,  including  Kearsage  Gore, 
which  was  annexed  in  1818.  Warner  was  first  granted  by  the  govern- 
ment of  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  1735,  to  sundry  petitioners  in  Ames- 
bury  and  Salisbury,  Mass.  Several  efforts  were  made  at  settlement  by 
these  proprietors,  who  erected,  in  1749,  four  houses,  as  also  a  saw-mill," 
but,  the  French  war  commencing  at  this  time,  no  further  proceedings 
were  taken  in  the  matter,  and  the  improvements  thus  far  commenced 
were  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  For  thirteen  years  nothing  of  conse- 
quence was  accomplished ;  and,  in  1763,  the  axe-man's  blows  again 
broke  the  silence  in  this  then  howling  wilderness.  In  1741,  the  divis- 
ional lines  between  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  were  settled, 
and  soon  after,  this  town  was  granted,  by  the  Masonian  proprietors,  to 
sixty-three  inhabitants  of  Rye,  by  the  name  of  Jennistown.  This  led 
to  considerable  trouble  between  the  two  sets  of  proprietors,  which  was 
eventually  settled  by  the  payment  of  X140  to  the  Rye  proprietors. 
Surveys  were  made  many  times,  the  last  time  in  1770 ;  but  their  num- 
ber did  not,  as  one  might  think,  lead  to  symmetry  or  compactness  in  the 
plans,  as  the  lots  are  very  irregularly  laid  out. 

The  first  settlement  was  in  1762,  by  Daniel  Annis,  and  his  sons-in- 
law  Reuben  Kimball  and  Daniel  Floyd.  Isaac  Waldron  and  his  two 
sons,  and  Pasky  Pressy,  moved  into  tow^n  with  their  families  the  year 
after.  They  were  followed  rapidly  by  others,  and  in  1773  there  were 
thirty-three  families  here,  beside  those  already  mentioned.  The  customs 
and  manners  of  the  first  settlers  were  very  simple  and  plain.  Being 
circumscribed  in  their  social  circles,  and  very  limited  in  numbers,  each 
seemed  to  take  an  interest  in,  and  seek,  his  neighbor's  welfare  with  fra- 
ternal affection.  The  town  was  incorporated  September  3,  1774, 
changing  its  name  from  New  Amesbury,  which  it  then  bore,  to  Warren. 
The  inhabitants  formed  a  Congregational  society  two  years  before  the 
incorporation  of  the  town  —  on  the  5th  of  February,  1772.     Rev.  Wil- 


672  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

liam  Kelly,  ordained  the  same  day,  served  the  church  till  1801,  when  he 
was  compelled  to  ask  for  a  dismission,  on  account  of  insufficiency  of 
salary.  A  new  church  was  erected  by  this  society,  October  20,  1819, 
which  cost  $2,400.  When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  commenced, 
Warner  was  not  behind  her  neighbors  in  preparing  for  the  contest.  The 
number  of  the  inhabitants  was  small,  and  the  people  poor;  but  they 
promptly  furnished  their  quota  of  men  for  the  field,  some  of  whom  were 
as  effective  and  brave  as  any  that  could  be  found  in  the  service.  Dur- 
ing the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  thirteen  men  from  Warner  served 
in  the  army,  and  participated  in  several  of  the  skirmishes  with  the 
enemy.  Not  one  of  the  inhabitants,  however,  was  ever  wounded  or  lost 
in  battle.  On  the  9th  of  September,  1821,  this  town  was  visited  with 
a  most  violent  and  destructive  hurricane,  by  which  four  lives  were  lost,  a 
number  seriously  injured,  and  considerable  property  destroyed. 

The  surface  of  Warner  is  broken,  but  the  soil  is  excellent.  Abun- 
dance of  water  is  supplied  by  Warner  river  and  its  tributaries,  which 
divides  the  town  into  two  equal  parts,  furnishing  several  valuable  mill 
privileges.  There  are  four  ponds  —  Thom,  Pleasant,  Bear,  and  Bag- 
ley's.  Pleasant  pond  has  no  visible  inlet  or  outlet ;  but  it  is  probably 
supplied  through  subterranean  passages,  which  raise  the  water,  at  times, 
without  any  apparent  cause,  sufficiently  high  to  overflo\v  its  banks. 
Warner  has  a  full  share  of  mountains  and  high  bluffs.  Kearsarge  moun- 
tain, on  the  north,  rears  its  majestic  head  from  the  bosom  of  a  dense 
forest  of  evergreens.  Warner  is  strictly  a  farming  town.  There  are 
four  villages  —  Davisvillc,  Lower  Village,  Centre  Village,  and  Waterloo; 
four  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Univer- 
salist ;  twenty -four  school  districts  ;  the  Warner  Bank,  with  a  cajjital  of 
$50,000 ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  four  grist-mills,  twelve  saw-mills, 
one  cabinet  manufactory,  and  one  bottle  manufactory.  The  Concord 
and  Claremont  Railroad  runs  through  Warner.  Population,  2,038  ;  val- 
uation, $638,561. 

Warren,  near  the  centre  of  Grafton  county,  is  sixty-five  miles  from 
Concord,  and  was  incorporated  July  14,  1763.  The  settlement  was 
commenced,  about  1765,  by  Joseph  Patch.  The  surface  is  mountainous 
in  the  southeast  part,  and  the  other  portions  are  not  very  even,  though 
the  soil,  which  is  strong  and  deep,  is  easily  cultivated,  and  suited  to 
mowing  and  pasturage.  Carr  mountain  lies  on  the  southerly  line  of  the 
town.  Baker's  river  has  a  southerly  course  nearly  through  the  centre 
of  Warren.  About  four  miles  from  Wan-en  village  is  a  lead-mine, 
which  is  now  worked  by  a  company.  The  vein  thus  far  discovered  is 
about  eight   hundred  feet  in  length,  and  averages  about  seven  feet  in 


NE^y   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    WASHINGTON.  673 

width.  Two  shafts  have  been  sunk,  one  forty-eight,  the  other  sixty-five, 
feet  in  depth.  The  purest  yield  of  lead  yet  taken  is  eighty-six  per 
centum.  Besides  lead,  copper  is  found  in  considerable  quantities,  and 
an  encouraging  yield  of  silver.  The  proportion  of  silver  thus  far  ob- 
tained is  fifty-five  ounces  to  each  ton  of  lead.  Three  buildings  have 
been  erected  on  the  premises,  in  one  of  which  is  an  engine  of  thirty 
horse  power,  for  crushing  and  separating.  Warren  has  one  church  edi- 
fice —  Methodist ;  ten  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  seven 
saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  four  shingle  and  lath  mills,  one  tannery,  two 
harness-makers,  two  carriage-makers,  and  two  sash,  blind,  and  door 
makers.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  passes  through 
the  town.     Population,  872 ;  valuation,  $294,547. 

Washington,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Sullivan  county,  thirty- 
five  miles  from  Concord,  was  granted,  by  the  Masonian  proprietors,  to 
Reuben  Kidder  of  New  Ipswich,  by  whom  its  settlement  was  com- 
menced in  1768.  It  was  originally  called  Monadnock  No.  8 ;  after- 
wards, from  the  date  of  its  settlement,  Camden,  which  name  it  retained 
till  December  13,  1776,  when  the  act  of  incorporation  was  passed,  and 
the  present  name  given  to  it.  The  settlers  were  encouraged  to  immi- 
grate by  the  offer  to  each  of  150  acres  of  land.  A  grist-mill  and  a  saw- 
mill were  erected  the  year  after  the  settlement.  Most  of  the  early 
inhabitants  came  from  Massachusetts,  and  were  men  of  industrious 
habits,  and  were  accustomed  to  toil  and  hardships  that  would  be 
deemed  intolerable  by  the  present  generation.  Great  self-denial  and 
strict  economy  were  practised  by  them.  The  Congregational  church 
was  organized  on  the  9th  of  May,  1789.  The  first  meeting-house  was 
completed  the  same  year.  Rev.  George  Leslie  was  the  first  minister, 
having  been  installed  in  1780.  He  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  was 
brought  here"  when  very  young.  To  give  an  idea  as  to  the  difficulty  in 
travelling  at  this  time,  it  may  be  mentioned,  that  it  took  Mr.  Leslie 
nine  days  to  come  from  Ipswich,  Mass.,  to  Washington.  During  the 
first  years  of  his  pastorate,  he  and  his  family  with  the  other  inhabitants 
suffered  much  from  cold,  and  sometimes  for  the  want  of  the  necessaries 
of  life.  Mr.  Leslie  remained  in  the  ministry  here  till  his  death,  in  1800. 
Changes  in  the  pulpit  have  been  very  frequent  since  his  removal. 

Washington  is  hilly,  but  not  mountainous  ;  and  the  soil  is  deep  and 
moist.  There  is  much  meadow  land  and  good  pasturage.  Abundance 
of  clay  is  found,  and  peat  exists  in  large  quantities  in  the  swamps  and 
low  grounds.  In  the  north  part  is  Lovewell's  mountain,  so  named 
from  Captain  John  Lovewell.  There  are  no  less  than  twenty-one 
ponds   in   Washington,  in   most   of  which   fish    are   plenty.      Springs 

VOL.  I.  57 


(374  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  rivulets  are  also  numerous,  some  of  which  furnish  good  water 
power.  The  raising  of  cattle  and  sheep  for  market  forms  an  inter- 
esting item  in  the  industrial  interests  of  Washington.  The  town  has 
one  pleasant  village;  four  meeting-houses  —  Congregational,  Baptist, 
Universalist,  and  Christian;  an  academy,  called  the  Tubbs  Union 
Academy,  a  prosperous  institution,  with  a  fund  of  01,500;  eleven 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  two  post-offices 

Washington    and    East    Washington:    also,    one    establishment   for 

making  card-boards,  one  for  wash-boards,  three  for  bobbins,  and  one 
for  ox-yokes ;  one  woollen  factory,  several  stores,  and  one  hotel.  Pop- 
ulation, 1,053 ;  valuation,  $397,037. 

Waterville,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Grafton  county,  in  the  White 
Mountain  district,  sixty  miles  from  Concord,  was  originally  known  as 
the  Gilhs  and  Foss  Grant,  having  been  granted  June  29,  1819,  to 
Josiah  Gillis,  Moses  Foss,  Jr.,  and  others.  The  settlement  was  com- 
menced, about  1820,  by  Foss.  The  name  Waterville  was  given  to  it, 
on  its  incorporation,  July  1,  1829.  Mountains  and  rocks  obstruct  the 
view  in  almost  every  direction,  and  give  a  wild  and  inhospitable 
aspect  to  the  town,  while  the  land  is  covered  with  an  almost  unbroken 
forest.  The  lovers  of  the  grand  and  sublime  here  have  an  0]3portunity 
to  enjoy  rich  scenery.  Mad  and  Swift  rivers  water  the  town,  and 
swarm  with  trout.  There  are  two  ponds,  one  school  district,  and  twelve 
legal  voters.     Population,  42 ;  valuation,  824,524. 

Weare,  on  the  northern  line  of  Hillsborough  county,  fourteen  miles 
from  Concord,  was  granted,  September  20,  1749,  to  Ichabod  Robie,  by 
the  Masoniau  proprietors,  and  was  called  Halestown.  Emigrants  from 
Massachusetts,  and  the  easterly  part  of  New  Hampshire,  began  the 
settlement.  The  charter  conferring  corporate  privileges  was  passed 
September  21,  1764 ;  the  name  being  given  to  it  in  honor  of  Meshech 
Weare,  the  first  president  of  New  Hampshire.  The  first  church  formed 
was  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  January  26,  1783.  Rev.  Amos  Wood 
was  the  first  minister,  having  been  ordained  November  19,  1788. 

Weare  is  six  miles  square,  and  has  a  broken,  but  not  mountainous, 
surface.  There  are  a  few  swamps  and  some  good  meadow  land. 
Scarcely  a  portion  of  the  town  remains  unimproved.  There  are  three 
inconsiderable  eminences,  called  Mount  Wilham,  Rattlesnake  hill,  and 
Mount  Misery.  The  north  branch  of  the  Piscataquog  river  -waters 
Weare  on  the  western  boundary,  and  has  a  circuitous  course  through 
the  north  and  east  sections,  passing  out  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
town.     There  are  three  considerable  ponds,  Icnown  as  Mount  William, 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF  ROCHESTER.  675 

Ferrins,  and  Duck.  The  names  of  the  villages  are  Weare  Centre, 
North  Weare,  East  Weare,  and  Oil  Mill.  There  are  seven  church 
edifices  —  two  Friends,  three  Free-will  Baptist,  one  Baptist,  and  one 
Universalist ;  one  academy ;  twenty-one  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools ;  and  five  post-offices  —  Weare,  East  Weare,  North 
Weare,  South  Weare,  and  Oil  Mill :  also,  one  cotton  mill,  one  woollen 
mill,  one  blind  and  sash  factory,  twelve  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills,  two 
machine-shops,  and  three  wheelwright  shops.  Quite  an  extensive 
business  is  carried  on  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes.  Population, 
2,435 ;  valuation,  !^786,457. 

Wentworth,  lying  in  the  central  part  of  Grafton  county,  fifty-six 
miles  from  Concord,  was  granted  November  1,  1766,  to  sixty  proprie- 
tors, among  whom  was  John  Page.  Most  of  these  resided  in  Kingston, 
East  Kingston,  Danville,  South  Hampton,  Seabrook,  and  Salisbury, 
Mass.  It  received  its  name  from  Benning  Wentworth,  governor 
of  the  province  of  New  Hampshire  when  under  British  rule,  and  was 
incorporated  and  settled  the  same  year,  a  Mr.  Smith  being  the  first 
settler.  The  first  child  was  born  in  1771,  and  the  first  framed  house 
erected  in  1772.  Many  of  the  first  settlers  came  from  Massachusetts. 
There  are  various  religious  denominations  here,  none  having  the  su- 
premacy. 

The  principal  stream  is  Baker's  river,  which  rises  in  the  mountains  in 
Warren  and  Benton,  and  empties  into  the  Pemigewasset  at  Plymouth. 
On  both  sides  of  this  river  are  fine  interval  lands,  affording  excellent 
scope  for  agricultural  development.  This  river  supplies  many  good 
mill  privileges,  having  a  fall  of  twenty  feet.  Of  the  country  contiguous 
to  this  river,  a  correspondent  writes :  —  "  This  river,  in  its  ceaseless  mean- 
derings ;  the  beautiful  meadows  on  its  banks ;  the  uplands,  gracefully 
sloping  from  the  borders  of  the  interval  to  the  mountain  sides ;  the  un- 
broken mountain  chain  on  either  side;  the  great  variety  of  mountain 
tops,  now  higher,  now  lower,  now  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
forest  trees,  now  a  barren  ledge ;  the  well-cultivated  farms  all  along  the 
river  bottoms  and  on  the  hill  and  mountain  sides,  having  good,  and,  in 
numerous  instances,  neat  and  tasteful,  dwellings  ;  the  fields,  now  yielding 
their  generous  burdens  to  the  scythe  and  cradle,  or  promising  a  rich  au- 
tumnal harvest,  to  repay  the  toils  of  the  husbandman,  —  all  present  to 
the  eye  of  the  traveller,  up  and  down  the  valley  of  the  Baker  (a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-five  miles),  a  view  delightful  and  exhilarating." 

Of  these  beauties  of  landscape,  Wentworth  has  a  more  than  ordinary 
share.  A  portion  of  Carr's  mountain  lies  in  the  east  part,  and  in  the 
western  part  is  a  portion  of  Cuba  mountain,  the  former  containing  a 


676  HISTORY    AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF   J^EW   ENGLAND. 

fine  quality  of  granite,  and  tlic  latter  large  quantities?  of  the  best  lime- 
stone. Iron  ore  also  exists  in  various  localities.  The  village  is  built  on 
a  tongue  of  land,  formed  by  the  union  of  Mill  river  and  Baker's  brook  ; 
and,  with  its  large  and  rather  antique  meeting-house,  the  hotel,  the 
academy,  several  stores  and  shops,  numerous  neat  cottages,  several 
large  dwellings,  and  the  ornamental  and  fruit-trees  which  are  seen  here 
and  there,  presents  a  very  pretty  sight,  and  indicates  a  good  degree  of 
prosperity. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1856,  a  destructive  freshet  occurred  in  this 
town,  which  caused  damage  to  the  amount  of  $20,000.  It  was  very 
violent  in  its  operations,  destroying  not  only  the  buildings,  but  under- 
mining their  very  foundations  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet.  The  origin 
of  the  freshet  was  in  two  ponds  in  Orford,  one  of  which  emptied  into 
Baker's  river  in  this  town,  and  whose  outlets  had  been  dammed  so  as 
to  raise  their  waters  over  an  extensive  surface  to  the  depth  of  eight  feet. 
It  rained  two  days,  during  which  water  fell  to  the  depth  of  nine  and 
one  twelfth  inches,  swelling  the  waters  of  these  ponds  so  that  the  dams 
were  swept  away,  when  the  waters  poured,  for  three  miles,  with  fury, 
down  a  steep,  rocky  channel,  coming,  in  their  destructive  course, 
within  half  a  mile  of  this  village,  where  they  met  with  an  obstruction 
in  a  saw-niill,  the  entire  granite  foundations  of  which  were  swept 
away,  and  the  mill  left  almost  worthless.  Again  let  free,  tlie  waters 
continued  their  course,  destroying  part  of  the  high\vay  from  Wentworth 
to  Orford,  sweeping  away  dwelling-houses,  mills,  their  machinery  and 
dams,  barns,  and  sheds,  —  dashing  every  thing  to  pieces,  "like  crushed 
egg-shells,"  and  hurrying  them  down  the  channel  of  the  river,  made 
new  for  quite  a  distance  by  the  violence  of  the  waters.  The  river  has 
been  widened  nearly  ninety  feet  by  the  force  of  the  current,  and  a  sprino- 
of  water,  which  supplied  the  village,  has  been  entirely  swept  away, 
leaving  not  even  a  trace  of  its  origin.  Nothing  now  can  be  seen  where 
two  years  since,  was  the  most  active  part  of  the  village,  but  a  deeia 
excavation,  with  no  trace  of  the  numerous  buildings  once  standing 
while  the  vast  amount  of  earth  carried  away  by  the  flood  was  con- 
veyed into  the  fine  interval  below,  overspreading  the  surface,  and  de- 
stroying the  value  of  the  extensive  grounds  it  covers.^ 

'  It  is  -worthy  of  remark,  that,  north  of  the  dam  and  of  the  ground  on  -whicli  the  road 
was  built,  the  waters  swept  away  earth  about  twenty  feet  deep,  and  fifty  or  more  feet 
wide.  In  tlie  removal  of  this  earth,  the  granite  rock,  over  the  south  part  of  wliich 
the  stream  in  its  former  channel  south  of  the  grist-mill  was  wont  to  pass  down  a  decliv- 
ity of  thirty  feet,  was  laid  entirely  bare  for  nearly  seventy  feet  north,  showing  indubita- 
ble proof  that  it  had  been  washed  by  the  falling  stream  for  unknown  ages  before  the 
earth  just  removed  accumulated  on  it.     The  rock  thus  laid  bare  has  a  surface  as  smooth 


NEAV   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF   WESTMORELAND.  677 

There  are  eleven  school  districts  and  one  post-office :  also,  the  Went- 
Avorth  Lumber  Company,  incorporated  in  1856,  for  the  purpose  of  car- 
rying on  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  all  its  branches ;  nine  saw-mills 
and  three  grist-mills.  The  principal  articles  of  export  are  lumber,  wood, 
bark,  coal,  and  farm  produce.  The  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal 
Railroad  passes  diagonally  through  Wentworth,  from  southeast  to 
northwest.     Population,  1,197  ;  valuation,  $374,108. 

Westmoreland,  in  the  western  part  of  Cheshire  county,  lies  on  the 
Connecticut  river,  sixty-five  miles  from  Concord,  and  was  granted  by 
Massachusetts,  under  the  name  of  Number  2.  It  was  subsequently 
called  Great  Meadow,  which  was  changed  on  the  incorporation  of  the 
town  by  New  Hampshire,  February  11,  1752.  In  1741,  the  first  settle- 
ment was  begun  by  four  families.  Mrs.  Lydia  How,  the  mother  of  the 
first  child  born  here,  was  one  of  the  earliest  inhabitants.  The  Indians 
visited  the  settlement  several  times,  but  their  depredations  were  not 
very  extensive.  In  one  of  their  excursions,  however,  they  kiUed  Wil- 
liam Phips,  and  at  another  time  took  Nehemiah  How  prisoner,  and  car- 
ried him  to  Canada.  The  first  religious  society  organized  was  of  the 
Congregational  denomination,  November  7,  1764.  Rev.  William  God- 
dard,  ordained  the  same  day,  and  dismissed  August  7,  1765,  was  the 
first  minister.  Rev.  Allan  Pratt  was  ordained  as  pastor,  October  6, 
1790,  and  served  the  people  until  the  year  1827,  during  the  latter  part 
of  which  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  formed  from  the  old  society,  but 
which  reunited  with  it  immediately  after  his  dismission. 

The  surface  is  varied,  and  the  soil  excellent  for  agricultural  pursuits. 
There  are  several  tracts  of  rich  interval  on  the  Connecticut.  Water  is 
supplied  by  several  small  streams,  which  empty  into  the  Connecticut,  the 
largest  of  which  flows  from  Spafford's  lake  in  Chesterfield,  furnishing 
some  superior  water  privileges.  Several  mineral  substances  prevail 
here.  There  are  three  villages  —  Westmoreland,  East  Westmoreland, 
and  Westmoreland  Hill;  four  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational, 
one  Universalist,  and  one  Union;  thirteen  school  districts;  and  three 
post-offices  —  Westmoreland,  East  Westmoreland,  and  Westmoreland 
Depot :  also,  several  grist-mills  and  saw^-mills,  a  carding-machine,  and 
one  carriage  factory.  The  Cheshire  Railroad  passes  through  the  north- 
east corner.     Population,  1,678 ;  valuation,  ^588,3-30. 

and  as  wliitc,  as  full  of  grooves  and  hollows,  made  by  the  long-continued  action  of  water, 
as  the  portion  of  the  same  rock  over  which  the  waste  water  of  the  stream  flowed  pre- 
viously to  the  disaster. 

57* 


678  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

WiiiTEFiELD,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Coos  county,  120  miles  from 
Concord,  was  granted  to  Josiah  Moody  and  others,  July  4,  1774,  soon 
after  which  it  was  settled  by  Major  Burns  and  others.  It  has  increased 
in  population  very  rapidly :  in  1810  there  were  but  fifty-one  inhabitants, 
and  in  1850  there  were  857.  A  Congregational  church  was  formed 
here  in  1826,  consisting  of  six  members.  Rev.  William  Hutchinson 
labored  here  in  1830,  and  continued  about  five  years.  There  has  never 
been  any  permanently  settled  minister.  Whitefield  has  agricultural 
advantages  of  a  good  order,  the  soil  being  easy  of  cultivation.  In  the 
north  part,  a  portion  of  the  land  is  swampy.  Pine  timber  was  very 
abundant  on  the  first  settlement  of  the  town,  and  some  of  it  still  re- 
mains. John's  river  passes  through  Whitefield,  and  parts  of  Blake's, 
Long,  Round,  and  Little  River  ponds  lie  here.  There  are  some  well- 
cultivated  farms,  giving  evidence  that  the  people  are  skilled  in  agricul- 
ture. There  are  two  religious  societies  —  Congregational  and  Meth- 
odist ;  nine  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  two  saw-mills, 
and  one  grist-mill.     Valuation,  $263,532. 

White   Mountains.  —  The  whole  range   of  mountains  in    northern 
New    Hampshire    properly    comes    under    this    appellation ;    but   it    is 
technically  applied  to  the  more  lofty  eminences  situated  in  the   south- 
easterly part  of  Coos  county,  which  are  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
in  length  and  eight  wide  at  the  base  of  the   mountains,  the  latitude  of 
Mount  Washington,  the  highest  summit,  being  44°  16'  34"  north,  and 
the  longitude  74°  20'  west.     The  principal  mountain  region  embraces 
the  territory  of  ungranted  lands,  which  is  nearly  in   the  form   of  one 
upright  oblong  rectangle,  surmounted  by  another  laid  horizontally,  the 
former  being  some  eighteen  miles  long,  and  the  latter  about  twenty, 
and  reaching  to  the  boundary  of  Maine.     In  addition  to  this  tract,  lofty 
mountains    extend   over   country    embracing   the    towns    of    Chatham, 
Conway,  Bartlett,  Albany,  and  Waterville,  on  the  east  and  south ;  the 
towns  of  Bethlehem,  Franconia,  Lincoln,  Benton,  and  Woodstock,  on 
the  west ;  and  Carroll,  Randolph,  Gorham,  and  Shelburnc,  on  the  north ; 
all  of  which  make  an   area  of  about  forty  miles   square.     The  ran«-e 
again  crops  out  less  prominently  twenty  miles  to  the  northward,  from 
Stratford  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  state.      These  mountains  are 
the  highest  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  are  observed  from  vessels  a]> 
proaching  the  coast,  in  a  clear  atmosphere,  as  the  first  land ;  but,  from 
their  white  appearance,  are  frequently  mistaken  for  clouds.      They  are 
visible  by  land  upon  the  south  and  east  sides  for  eighty  miles,  and  are 
said  to  be  seen  from  the  neighborhood  of  Chambly  upon  the  northwest, 
and  Quebec  upon  the   north.      The    Indian   name,   says   Belknap,  was 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  679 

Agiocochook.  President  Alden  says  they  were  called  by  one  of  the 
eastern  tribes  Waumbekketmethna ;  and  still  other  tribes,  it  is  said, 
applied  the  term  "  Kan  Ran  Vugarty,"  the  continued  likeness  of  a  gull, 
—  all  referring  to  their  white  appearance. 

From  a  comparison  of  authorities,  it  would  appear  that  the  first 
European  who  paid  his  respects  to  the  White  Mountains  in  person  was 
"  Darby  Field,  an  Irishm.an,  living  about  Pascataquack,"  who  was  one 
of  the  earliest  members  of  the  church  at  Exeter.  This  visit  was  made 
in  1642,^  in  the  early  part  of  summer.  Of  the  nature  of  Field's  obser- 
vations, Winthrop  has  given  a  graphic  account.^     His  enthusiastic  re- 


'  "  Belknap  has  erroneously  (N.  H.  i.  22-24)  made  Neal,  '  in  company  with  Josselyn 
and  Darby  Field,'  in  1632,  the  discoverers ;  and  magnified  his  error  by  this  note:  —  'Mr. 
Hubbard,  and,  after  him.  Governor  Hutchinson,  place  this  discovery  of  the  White  Hills 
in  1642.  But,  as  Neal  had  positive  orders  to  discover  the  lakes,  and  tarried  but  three 
years  in  the  country,  employing  a  great  part  of  his  time  in  searching  the  woods,  it  is  prob- 
able that  Mr.  Hubbard  mistook  one  figure  in  his  date.'  Here,  as  he  has  often  done  else- 
where, Hubbard  might  indeed  have  mistaken  a  figure,  but  he  faithfully  copied  Winthrop, 
whose  work  was  unknown,  except  in  manuscript,  to  Dr.  Belknap,  when  the  first  volume 
of  his  history  of  New  Hampshire  was  published.  A  greater  mistake  is,  however,  chai-ge- 
able  on  Belknap,  in  making  Jossel)'n  the  companion  of  Neal,  who  was  gone  home  four 
years  before  Josselyn  came  over.  Nor  did  Josse'yn  make  the  journey,  according  to  his 
own  ac(!Ount,  before  his  second  voyage  to  New  England,  in  16G3.  That  Neal  ever  went 
to  the  White  Mountains  is  not  rendered  probable  by  any  authorities  cited  by  Belknap ; 
and,  as  the  circumstance  would  have  been  for  him  a  great  matter  of  boasting,  we  may  be 
confident  of  the  priority  of  Field,  as  in  the  text  above.  The  great  lake  of  Iroquois, 
which  the  grandson  of  Sir  F.  Gorges  writes  about  as  ascertained  by  Neal  to  be  ninety  or 
a  hundred  miles  by  land  from  Pascataquack  settlement,  was,  I  am  satisfied,  the  Winnipise- 
cee.  Distances  were  always  magnified  in  the  wilderness ;  and  poor  Neal  was  lost  in 
the  woods  not  far  from  home,  '  when  the  discovery  wanted  but  one  day's  journey  of  being 
finished.' "  —  Winlhrop's  Hisl.  New  England,  ed.  by  James  Savage,  ii.  p.  80,  note  3. 

"  The  visit  of  Darby  Field  to  the  White  Mountains  should  be  placed  under  this  year 
[1642].  The  seaunn  of  the  year  when  this  visit  was  made  is  determined  by  the  following 
note  among  the  chronological  items  in  the  Kev.  Samuel  Danfortli's  Almanac  for  1 64  7  : 
'  1642,  (4)  [i.  e.  June].  The  fii-st  discovery  of  the  great  mountaine  (called  the  Christall 
Hills)  to  the  N.  W.  by  Darby  Field.'"  —  Belknap's  New  Hamp.,  Farmer's  ed.,  i.  p.  31, 
note. 

''  "  Accompanied  by  two  Indians,  he  went  to  the  top  of  the  white  hill.  He  made  his 
journey  in  eighteen  days.  His  relation  at  his  return  was,  that  it  was  about  one  hundred 
miles  from  Saco  ;  that,  after  forty  miles  of  travel,  he  did,  for  the  most  part,  ascend  ;  and, 
within  tweh'e  miles  of  the  top,  was  neither  tree  nor  grass,  but  low  savins,  which  they 
went  upon  the  top  of  sometimes,  but  a  continual  ascent  upon  rocks,  on  a  ridge  between 
two  valleys  filled  with  snow,  out  of  which  came  two  branches  of  Saco  river,  which  met 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  whore  was  an  Indian  town  of  some  two  hundred  people.  Some  of 
them  accompanied  him  within  eight  miles  of  the  to]!,  but  durst  go  no  further,  telling 
him  that  no  Indian  ever  dared  to  go  higher,  and  that  he  would  die  if  he  went.  So  they 
staid  there  till  his  return,  and  his  two  Indians  took  courage  by  his  example,  and  went 


680  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

port  upon  his  return  kindled  up  the  adventurous  spirit  within  Gorges  and 
Vines,  two  of  the  magistrates  of  Sir  Ferdinaiido  Gorges,  who  went,  later 
in  the  same  year,  up  the  Saco  in  canoes  to  "  Pegwagget"  (Fryeburg), 
and  thence  to  the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  as  may  be  inferred  from 
Winthrop's  description. ^  They  were  gone  fifteen  days.  Henry  Josselyn, 
steward  of  Mason,  was  certainly  too  much  occupied  to  make  such  a 
tour,  until  long  after  1632.  Whether  any  race  of  men  inhabited  this 
part  of  our  continent  anterior  to  the  copper-skinned  children  of  the 
forests,  is  still  among  the  things  unknown.  Aside  from  this  question, 
Darby  Field  may  be  deemed  to  have  been  the  first  who  ever  reached 
the  summit  of  the  highest  mountain  ;  for  the  Indians  regarded  it  as  the 
sanctum  sanctorum  of  the  Storm  Spirit.  Awed  by  superstitious  fear,  the 
terrific  thunders  of  these  lofty  crags  were  to  them  the  voice  of  God,  and 
the  blinding  lightnings  were  the  (lashes,  sometimes  of  anger,  sometimes 
of  omnipotence,  which  only  read  to  them,  "  Approach  not!  "     To 

"  The  poor  Indian,  whose  untutored  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds,  and  hears  him  in  tlie  ■wind," 

these  sights  and  sounds  had  no  double  meaning.  The  ascent  they 
deemed  not  only  perilous,  but  impossible.  There,  once,  were  only  the 
"foot-prints  of  the  Creator;"  which,  still  plainly  visible,  the  white  man 
has  attempted  to  cover  with  his  imprint;  but  which  a  thousand  years 
of  human  power  and  skill  will  be  utterly  unable  to  obliterate. 

The  time  when  these  stupendous  piles  of  rocks  were  thrown  up  by 

•with  him.  They  went  divers  times  through  the  thick  clouds  for  a  good  space,  and  within 
four  mik^s  of  the  top  they  had  no  clouds,  but  very  cold.  By  the  way,  amon"-  tlie  rocks 
there  were  two  ponds,  one  a  blackish  water,  and  the  other  reddish.  TJie  top  of  all  was 
plain  about  sixty  feet  square.  On  the  north  side  there  was  such  a  precijiicc,  as  thoy 
could  scarce  discern  to  the  bottom.  They  had  neither  cloud  nor  wind  on  the  ton,  and 
moderate  heat.  All  the  country  about  him  seemed  a  level,  except  here  and  there  a  hill 
rising  above  the  rest,  but  fiir  beneath  tliem.  He  saw  to  the  north  a  great  water,  which 
lie  judged  to  be  about  one  hundred  miles  broad,  but  could  see  no  land  beyond  it.  The 
sea  by  Saco  seemed  as  if  it  had  been  within  twenty  miles.  He  saw  also  a  sea  to  tlie 
eastward,  which  he  judged  to  be  the  gulf  of  Canada  ;  he  saw  some  great  waters,  in  parts 
to  the  westward,  which  he  judged  to  be  the  great  lake  Canada  river  comes  out  of" 
Savage  says  these  "  great  waters  "  were  probably  fog  banks.  "  He  found  there  much 
muscovy  glass;  they  could  rive  out  pieces  forty  feet  long  and  seven  or  eisrht  broad. 
AVhen  he  came  back  to  the  Indians,  he  found  them  drying  Ihemseh'es  by  the  fire  for 
they  had  a  great  tempest  of  wind  and  rain.  About  a  month  after,  he  went  again  with 
five  or  six  in  his  company ;  then  they  had  some  wind  on  tlie  top,  and  some  clouds  abo\-e 
them,  which  hid  the  sun.  They  brought  some  stones,  which  they  supposed  had  been 
diamonds,  but  they  were  most  crystal."  —  Winthrop,  vol  ii.  pp.  81,  82. 
'  'V^'inthrop,  New  England,  vol.  ii.  p.  107. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  681 

the  convulsive  effort  of  a  subterranean  agency  is  veiled  in  total  ob- 
scurity ;  but,  from  all  appearances,  so  far  as  a  geological  opinion  can 
be  formed,  it  dates  as  far  back  as  the  old  Silurian  epoch.^  Every  thing 
about  this  region  bears  the  impress  of  great  antiquity,  no  organic 
remains  of  any  period  being  found  here.  The  secondary  and  tertiary 
formations  are  entirely  wanting,  and  the  drift,  even  at  the  base,  lies 
in  immediate  connection  with  the  primary  rocks;  but,  at  a  distance  of 
twenty  miles  on  each  side,  may  be  found  deposits  of  the  secondary 
formation. 

Dr.  Jackson^  speaks  of  the  White  Mountains  as  "  the  centre  of  a  most 
interesting  geological  section."  He  says :  "  If  a  measure  is  applied  to  a 
correct  map  of  the  Northern  and  Middle  states,  taking  the  White 
Mountains  for  a  centre,  and  measuring  southwest  and  northeast,  it  will 
be  noticed  that  the  secondary  rocks  are  nearly  equidistant  from  this 
centre  of  elevation  on  each  side  of  the  axis,  and  the  beds  and  included 
fossils  will  correspond  in  a  remarkable  manner,  indicating  that,  when 
the  strata  Avere  horizontal,  they  formed  a  continuous  deposit,  effected 
under  nearly  the  same  conditions.  If  we  estimate  the  strata  of  Ver- 
mont and  Maine  as  horizontal,  by  imagining  the  primary  rocks  which 
separate  them  to  be  removed,  and  the  lines  of  stratification  brought  to 
coincide  in  direction,  it  is  evident  that  the  whole  of  New  England 
would  be  regarded  as  sunk  far  below  the  level  of  the  ocean,  and  a 
space  would  still  remain  between  the  ends  of  the  strata,  where  the 
primary  rocks  had  been  removed.  Now,  since  the  strata  were  formed 
when  the  present  rocks  were  beneath  the  sea,  we  may  suppose  the 
■\vhole  of  the  primary  unstratified  rocks  to  have  been  below  the  strat- 
ified deposits,  and,  by  a  sudden  outburst  and  elevation,  to  have  been 
more  or  less  broken  up,  altered  in  composition,  and  included  between 
masses  of  the  molten  gneiss  and  granite." 

The  geological  features  of  Mount  Washington  possess  but  little 
interest,  the  rocks  in  this  place  consisting  of  a  coarse  variety  of  mica 
slate  passing  into  gneiss,  which  contains  a  few  crystals  of  black  tour- 
maline and  quartz.  The  cone  of  the  mountain  and  its  summit  are 
covered  with  myriads  of  angular  and  flat  blocks  and  slabs  of  mica  slate, 
piled  in  confusion  one  upon  the  other.     They  are  identical  in  nature 

'  Sir  Charles  Lyell  (Travels  in  the  United  States,  second  visit,  vol.  i.,  p.  73)  ex- 
presses the  opinion,  that  the  upheaval  of  the  White  INIountains  is  of  a  much  more  recent 
date  than  even  the  coal-measures ;  but  the  entire  absence  of  all  seeondar)'  formations 
leads  to  the  conclusion  above  stated.  The  denuding  power  of  oceanic  currents,  great 
as  it  may  be,  it  seems  to  us,  could  not  have  washed  out  every  trace  of  fossil-bearing  strata, 
if  such  had  ever  been  formed  here. 

'  Geology  of  New  Hampshire,  pp.  78,  164. 


682  HISTORY   AKD    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

with  the  rocks  in  place,  and  bear  no  marks  of  transportation  or  abrasion 
by  the  action  of  water.  On  the  dechvity  of  the  cone  occurs  a  vein  of 
milky  and  rose-colored  quartz,  but  it  is  not  sufficiently  high  colored  to 
form  elegant  specimens. 

If  it  is  asked.  Of  what  is  the  formation  throughout  this  mountain  re- 
gion ?  the  answer  is,  "  granite."  Whatever  else  may  enter  into  its  com- 
position, whether  gneiss,  mica  slate,  quartz,  or  tourmaline,' — and  one  or 
other  of  these  is  generally  found  in  greater  or  less  proportion,  —  the 
granite  of  "  the  eternal  hills "  is  present,  too  abundant,  at  least,  to 
induce  the  behef  that  these  hills  will  vanish,  until  at  the  voice  of  Him 
who  called  them  forth. 

Scarcely  any  two  observers  have  agreed  in  their  estimates  of  the 
heights  of  the  principal  mountains.  Some  of  the  former  estimates  were 
very  wild.  Dr.  Williams  supposed  the  height  of  Mount  Washington  to 
be  7,800  feet  above  the  sea ;  Dr.  Cutter,  10,000  feet ;  and  Dr.  Belknap 
supposed  it  to  exceed  even  that.  The  greater  part  of  the  estimates, 
made  mostly  by  barometric  observation,  have  ranged  from  6,200  to 
6,300  feet.  Late  reliable  observations  by  George  P.  Bond,  Esq.,  of  Cam- 
bridge, by  means  of  the  barometer,  aided  by  the  theodolite,  have  given 
the  following  results :  —  In  the  central  cluster.  Mount  Webster  4,000 
feet;  Willey  Mountain  4,400;  Jackson  4,100;  Chnton  4,200  ;  Pleasant 
4,800;  Franklin  4,900;  Monroe  5,400;  Clay  5,400;  Madison  5,400; 
Adams  5,700;  Jefferson  5,800;  Washington  6,285;  or,  in  round  num- 
bers, 6,300,  —  500  feet  above  the  tallest  of  his  fellows.  On  the  east  side 
of  Peabody  river  is  Mount  Moriah,  4,700,  and  the  Carter  Mountain, 
4,900  feet.  To  the  south  is  Mount  Carrigain,  the  principal  eminence 
of  which  is  4,800  feet ;  to  the  southwest  the  Twin  mountains,  5,000 
and  4,700  feet ;  further  west  the  Franconia  range,  varying  from  4,500 
to  5,000 ;  Mount  Lafayette,  or  the  Great  Haystack,  5,200,  and  Mount 
Kinsman,  4,100  feet.  There  are  several  other  peaks,  ranging  from  3,000 
to  4,000  feet.  Professor  Arnold  Guyot,  now  of  Princeton,  has  also 
made  some  exact  measurements  of  the  relative  heights  of  different  points 
in  this  region,  not  confined  to  mountains. 

To  describe  particularly  all  these  localities  would  be  unnecessary 
repetition,  however  full  of  interest  each  point  may  be.  There  are, 
however,  many  places  and  objects  of  generally  acknowledged  impor- 
tance to  the  traveller.  It  is  first  proposed  to  refer  to  the  persons  by 
whose  adventurous  spirit,  seconded  by  heroic  deeds,  these  places 
became  comfortable  and  inviting  to  strangers,  and  the  means  used  to 
efl'ect  so  praiseworthy  an  object.  In  the  next  place,  it  is  proposed  to 
mention  the  principal  courses  of  travel,  with  their  attractive  places  and 
objects. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  683 

Timothy  Nash  and  Benjamin  Sawyer  made  the  first  practical  use  of 
the  discovery  of  the  pass  through  the  Notch,  although  it  was  previously 
known  to  the  Indians,  who  tooif  their  captives  this  way  to  Canada. 
What  has  been  called  Nash  and  Sawyer's  Location  —  a  tract  of  2,184 
acres  above  the  Notch,  skirting  the  higher  mountains  on  the  west — was 
granted  to  them,  in  1773,  for  their  labor  and  expense  in  exploring  this 
route.  Captain  Eleazar  Rosebrook,  born  in  Grafton,  Mass.,  in  1747, 
a  hardy  young  man,  with  a  spirit  not  to  be  confined  within  the  pale 
of  artificial  society,  at  twenty-five  married  Hannah  Hawes,  —  emigrated 
to  Lancaster,  and  remained  for  a  short  period,  —  went  next  to  Monadnuc, 
now  Colebrook,  then  thirty  miles  from  any  inhabitant  (the  only  path  to 
his  cabin  being  followed  by  spotted  trees),  —  endured  here  the  many 
trials  of  pioneer  life,  and  joined  the  Revolutionary  army;  and,  while  yet 
engaged  in  the  public  service,  removed  to  Guildhall,  Vt.,  where  he 
became  possessor  of  a  fine  farm ;  finally,  in  1792,  came  into  Nash 
and  Sawyer's  Location,  and,  instead  of  the  small,  deserted  log  cabin 
already  here  which  he  entered,  he  soon  erected  a  large  two-story 
dwelling-house,  at  the  spot  called  the  Giant's  Grave,  since  known  as 
the  Mount  Washington  House,  or  Fabyan's.  His  nearest  neighbor 
was  "  old  Abel  Crawford,"  twelve  niiles  further  down  the  valley,  and 
eight  miles  below  the  Notch.  He  had  in  his  wife^  a  fit  counterpart  of 
himself,  —  strong,  resolute,  and  fully  adequate  to  the  dangers  and 
emergencies  of  a  life  in  the  w^ilderness. 

Captain  Rosebrook  built  here  large  barns,  sheds,  a  saw-mill  and 
grist-mill,  annually  redeemed  many  acres  from  the  forests,  and  made 
them  very  productive.  In  1817,  he  died  of  a  cancer,  and  left  his 
estate  to  Ethan  Allen  Crawford,  who  had  removed  from  his  home, 
where  now  stands  the  "  old  Crawford  House,"  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and 
had  resided  with  and  taken  care  of  Mr.  Rosebrook  for  several  years 
before  his  death.  Ethan  was  a  man  of  iron  frame  and  will,  and  was 
familiarly  known  as  the  "  Giant  of  the  hills."     Often  has  he  taken  the 

'  It  is  told  of  her,  that,  while  at  Guildhall,  during  the  absence  of  her  husband,  she  was 
often  called  upon  by  the  Indians,  to  whom  thoir  house  was  ever  open.  On  one  occasion, 
many  Indians,  with  a  large  supply  of  "  uncupy,"  or  ardent  spirits,  suddenly  came  to  their 
cabin,  near  night  Mrs.  Rosebrook  received  them  kindly,  and  gave  them  permission  to 
remain ;  but  soon  perceived  that  they  had  imbibed  too  freely  of  the  commodity  which 
they  carried.  Late  in  the  evening  they  became  rude  and  boisterous ;  but  she,  deter- 
mined upon  being  mistress  of  her  own  house,  ordered  the  whole  tribe  out  of  doors.  All 
reluctantly  obeyed  with  the  exception  of  one  squaw,  who  commenced  a  trial  of  strength 
with  the  good  lady.  Seizing  this  reprobate  by  the  hair,  Mrs.  Rosebrook  dragged  her  to 
the  door,  and  thrust  her  out.  As  she  fastened  the  door  upon  the  savages,  a  tomahawk, 
thrown  by  this  squaw,  cut  off  the  wooden  latch  upon  which  her  hand  was  placed.  The 
squaw,  however,  the  next  day  sought  Mrs.  Rosebrook  and  entreated  forgiveness. 


684  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

exhausted  or  panic-stricken  traveller,  not  excepting  the  fair  sex,  upon 
his  broad  shoulders,  and  carried  them  until  their  spirits  and  strength 
revived.  Crawford  knew  no  fear.  Judging  from  the  frequent  encoun- 
ters which  he  had  with  bears  and  lynxes,  they  may  be  said  to  have  been 
his  playmates.  Soon  after  Captain  Rosebrook's  death,  his  buildings  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  a  great  blow  to  him,  already  in  debt,  but  his 
energy  rose  above  the  misfortune.  In  time  he  erected  other  buildings. 
In  those  days,  when  travellers  could  not  approach  the  mountains  by 
stage  nearer  than  Conway  or  Fryeburg,  it  was  no  small  task  to  reach 
and  ascend  the  mountains.  The  services  of  both  Crawfords  were  then 
in  constant  requisition.  The  ascent,  until  1821,  was  made  upon  foot, 
under  thickets,  over  logs  and  windfalls,  upon  the  tops  of  the  scrubby, 
growth  of  the  forest,  which  generally  tore  the  garments  and  often  the 
flesh,  and  sometimes  left  the  poor  pilgrim,  if  not  sans  culoLle^  certainly 
without  much  courage.  The  first  bridle-path  was  made  by  Ethan  A. 
Crawford  in  that  year,  from  his  place,  up  the  source  of  the  Ammo- 
noosuc,  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Washington.  Subsequently  they  were 
made  from  the  Notch,  from  Old  Crawford's,  from  the  Glen,  and  from 
Jefferson,  all  the  paths  upon  the  western  side  being  cut  by  the  Craw- 
fords. These  men  were  the  lights  and  guides  of  the  mountains,  and, 
by  their  amusing  stories,  relieved  the  long  hours  of  many  a  weary 
traveller.  Abel  Crawford,  the  father,  often  styled  the  "  patriarch  of  the 
mountains,"  at  eighty  was  a  stout,  athletic  man.  He  and  his  son 
Ethan  built  "  the  Crawford  House,"  at  the  head  of  the  Notch,  which 
was  kept  for  many  years  by  Thomas  J.  Crawford,  one  of  the  sons. 
At  seventy-five,  he  rode  the  first  horse  to  the  top  of  Mount  Wash- 
ington. For  the  last  five  or  six  years  of  his  life  he  represented  the 
eight  voters  in  his  own  (Hart's)  location,  and  the  few  in  Nash  and 
Sawyer's  Location,  and  Carroll.  None  of  his  sons  were  less  than  six 
feet  in  height.  Erastus,  the  eldest,  was  six  feet  six  inches;  and  Ethan 
nearly  seven  feet. 

There  are  a  variety  of  pleasant  and  expeditious  routes  to  the  moun- 
tains from  the  great  cities  of  the  land.  They  are  approached,  upon  the 
west,  from  New  York,  or  any  intermediate  points,  by  following  the 
railroads  up  the  Connecticut  valley.  The  distance  from  New  York  to 
the  Profile  House  is  332  miles ;  337  miles  to  the  Flume  House ;  and 
344  to  the  Crawford  or  Notch  House.  The  time  need  not  vary  essen- 
tially from  New  York  by  way  of  Boston,  as  travel  is  performed  in  the 
night.  The  princii^al  routes  from  Boston  are  by  way  of  Portland  and 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  to  Gorham  and  the  Glen  House,  206  miles ; 
by  the  Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal  Railroad  to  Plymouth,  thence 
by  stage   to  the  Flume  House,  148  miles  ;  or,  leaving  this   railroad   at 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  685 

lake  Winnepesaukee,  by  a  short  trip  across  the  lake  to  Centre  Harbor, 
and  by  stage  to  Conway  and  to  the  Notch,  168  miles  ;  or  by  the 
Boston  and  Maine  and  Cochecho  railroads  to  Alton  Bay,  thence  by 
steamer  the  length  of  lake  Winnepesaukee,  thirty  miles,  to  Centre 
Harbor,  and  from  there  as  above  indicated,  making  180  miles  to  the 
same  point.  From  Montreal  and  Quebec,  the  routes  approach  as  near 
the  foot  of  the  mountains.  These  are  the  principal  thoroughfares, 
although  the  routes  may  vary  at  intermediate  points  to  suit  the  con- 
venience or  pleasure  of  the  traveller.  But  they  all  result  in  three  ways. 
By  the  north,  the  visitor  comes  by  the  railroad  to  the  very  foot,  and 
wthin  eight  miles  of  Mount  Washington.  By  the  west,  within  twenty- 
three  miles  of  the  Notch;  and  by  the  south  to  lake  Winnepesaukee, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  route,  fifty-four  miles,  by  stage.  Each  route 
has  its  peculiar  beauties,  w^ith  which,  it  is  suggested,  the  traveller  may 
become  the  more  familiar  if  he  wiU  seat  himself  on  the  box  with  the 
driver,  upon  the  longest  stage  route. 

In  passing  from  Conway  up  the  valley  of  the  Saco,  the  traveller  has 
the  principal  range  before  him,  and  is  gradually  prepared  for  some  of 
the  details.  It  is  about  eight  miles  to  Bartlett,  thence  about  the  same 
distance  to  the  Old  Crawford  House,  in  which  part  of  the  w^ay  is 
passed  the  Silver  spring.  Sawyer's  rock.  Hart's  ledge,  and  Nancy's 
brook  (opposite  the  Old  Crawford),  connected  with  the  last  of  which 
is  the  sad  tale  of  unrequited  love.  Six  miles  off,  in  the  woods,  is  Bemis 
pond,  somewhat  famed  of  old  for  its  noble  trout.  Mount  Washington 
may  be  ascended  from  Old  Crawford's  over  Mount  Crawford.  Six 
miles  on,  the  Willey  House,  two  miles  below  the  gate  of  the  Notch,  is 
reached.  The  passer-by,  hemmed  in  by  the  narrow  defile,  looks  upward 
two  thousand  feet,  and  not  unfrequently  experiences,  in  addition  to  the 
gloomy  associations  of  the  fatal  spot,  apprehensions  for  his  own  safety. 
Here  hang  the  same  threatening  crags  and  rocks,  —  here  remain  the 
marks  of  the  avalanche,  made  on  the  night  of  the  28th  of  August,  1826, 
which  consigned  to  a  living  burial  the  family  of  Samuel  Willey,  Jr., — 
father,  mother,  five  children,  and  two  hired  men.  The  bodies  of  all  but 
three  of  the  children  were  recovered,  and  deposited  near  the  homestead 
of  the  senior  Willey,  at  the  boundary  between  Conway  and  Bartlett. 
That  wild  night  is  still  remembered  with  terror  by  those  who  experi- 
enced its  effects  in  other  parts  of  the  mountain  glens,  —  the  fitful  moan- 
ings  of  the  gale,  the  rushing  torrents  of  rain  in  the  darkness,  the  deafening 
crash  of  the  thunderbolt,  and  the  constant  fall  of  rocks  loosened  from 
the  heights,  crushing  the  mighty  pines  and  birches  in  their  headlong 
career  down  the  mountain  steeps,  and  heard  for  many  miles  down  the 
valley.     The  old  man  Crawford  used  to  relate,  that  the  Saco  rose,  as  it 

VOL.  I.  58 


686 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 


were,  at  a  bound,  to  the  level  of  his  house,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  its 
ordinary  bed,  and  even  flooded  his  lower  floors  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  or 
more,  but  retired  almost  as  suddenly. 


Notch  of  the  W]nt«  Mountains  eoon  after  the  slide. 


A  most  thrilling  narrative  of  the  events  of  that  night,  and  of  the  prob- 
able scene,  has  been  given  by  Rev.  Benjamin  G.  Willey,  brother  of  the 
ill-fated  man.^  Additions  have  been  made  to  the  Willey  House,  and  it 
is  still  kept  to  perpetuate  a  melancholy  fact,  where  also  the  trav- 
eller, in  exchange  for  the  purchase  of  a  glass  of  lemonade,  may  be  pointed 
to  the  marks  and  remains  of  the  catastrophe.  The  mountain  gorge 
extends  for  nearly  three  miles,  skirted  and  overhung  with  the  grandest 
scenery.  About  a  half  mile  below  the  gate  of  the  Notch,  on  the  south 
side,  a  beautiful  fall,  called  the  Silver  Cascade,  conies  leaping  down  the 
rocks  and  fissures,  from  about  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  adjacent 
valley,  a  distance  of  two  miles.  The  volume  of  Avatcr  is  not  large ;  but 
at  times,  especially  after  a  shower,  the  numberless  changes  in  the  form 
and  appearance  of  the  little  rill,  —  now  tremulous  and  glittering  in  the 
sunbeams,  now  disappearing  behind  a  crag,  or  losing  itself  in  the   sinu- 


'  Incidents  in  "White  Moitntaln  Scenery,  pp.  115— 14G. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE ^VHITE   MOUNTAINS. 


687 


osities  of  its  course,  now  struggling  on  amid  broken  rocks,  now  dashing 
over  an  abrupt  precipice  and  scattering  its  drops  like  quicksilver  upon 
the  bed  of  quartz  below, 
in  a  moment  again 
gathering  them  up  and 
gliding  noiselessly  on 
for  some  distance  over 
the  smooth  floor,  then 
making  another  detour 
by  the  irregular  pro- 
jections of  rock,  next 
issuing  in  a  dozen 
streamlets,  to  meet 
again  and  fall  quietly 
into  some  pool,  anon 
lost  in  a  thicket,  then 
emerging  to  make  the 
passage  of  another 
steep,  bringing  up  in 
some  basin,  from  which 
it  springs  and  hurries 
on  as  if  impatient  of 
obstruction,  —  dashing, 
foaming,  gurgling,  glid- 
ing, sparkling,  throwing 
up  spray,  and  repeating 
its  jollities,  till  its  fatal 
leap  into  the  Saco, 
where  its  identity  is  for- 
ever lost,  —  all  render 
it  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful cascades  in  the 
world.  Further  down 
is  a  second  cascade, 
called  the  Flume,  fall- 
ing 250  feet  over  three 
precipices,  —  in  a  sin- 
gle    current    over    the 

two    first,  and    in    three  silver  Cascade. 

streamlets       over      the 

third,  all  being  reunited  in  a  small  basin  at  the 


the  gate  of  the  Notch,  —  which  is  formed   of  two  perpendicular  w 


Ijottom.     Approaching 
alls, 


688  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

fifty  feet  high  and  twenty-two  feet  apart,  Mount  Webster  stands  with 
shaggy  front  upon  the  right,  and  Mount  Willard  upon  the  left,  opposite 
the  cascade,  with  a  deep,  dark  ravine  at  its  base.  Near  its  top  is  the 
mouth  of  a  large,  unexplored  cavern,  called  the  «  Devil's  Den."  Having 
passed  the  gate,  the  Crawford,  the  largest  house  in  the  mountain 
region,  stands  in  full  view.  From  this  place  is  the  principal  route 
of  ascent  to  Mount  Washington,  upon  the  south  and  west  sides  of  the 
mountains.  The  traveller  is  now  in  the  valley  of  the  Ammonoosuc,  the 
lower  falls  being  about  a  half  mile  off.  The  two  upper  falls,  about  four 
miles  distant,  are  reached  by  a  romantic  bridle  path.  The  Ammo- 
noosuc is  the  wildest,  most  rapid  and  violent  river  in  New  Hampshire. 
It  falls  nearly  five  thousand  feet  from  its  source  on  the  mountain  to 
where  it  enters  the  Connecticut.  The  whole  distance  of  thirty  miles  is 
over  rough,  craggy  rocks,  and  down  steep,  perpendicular  precipices. 
Four  miles  further  is  the  Ethan  A.  Crawford  place  (more  recently 
Fabyan's,  and  the  Mount  Washington  House).  This  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  a  second  time,  in  1853,  and  has  not  yet  been  rebuilt.  Near  the  site 
of  the  house  is  a  long,  narrow  heap  of  earth  fifty  feet  high,  called  the 
Giant's  Grave.  A  half  mile  on  is  the  White  Mountain  House,  which 
has  in  a  measure  taken  the  place  of  Fabyan's.  Twenty  miles  to  the 
west,  the  Franconia  Notch,  Mount  Lafayette,  and,  with  the  Old  Man 
and  Echo  Lake,  the  Flume,  and  other  interesting  objects,  are  reached,  a 
brief  notice  of  which  has  been  given  in  connection  with  the  towns 
embracing  them.^ 

To  transfer  the  traveller  to  the  north  side  of  the  mountains,  he  alights 
at  the  Alpine  House,  in  Gorham,  and  proceeds  by  stage  eight  miles  up 
the  Peabody  river  valley  to  the  Glen  House,  in  a  location  formerly 
known  by  the  name  of  Bellows  Farm.  Here  he  is  at  the  northeasterly 
base  of  Mount  Washington,  less  than  five  miles  from  the  summit.  On 
his  way,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  Glen,  he  passes  the 
Imp  mountain,  from  which  the  projections  in  the  rock  somewhat  resem- 
ble the  "  Old  Man  "  at  Franconia.  The  best  point  of  view  is  obtained 
from  the  westerly  side  of  the  Peabody  river,  in  the  afternoon.  After 
leaving  the  Glen  House,  the  road  makes  the  circuit  of  the  mountains, 
through  Jackson  and  Bartlett,  round  to  Crawford's,  and  so  on  through 
the  valley  of  the  Ammonoosuc ;  or,  to  the  right,  over  Cherry  mountain, 
and  through  Jefferson,  Kilkenny,  and  Randolph.  The  distance  from  the 
Glen  House  to  Crawford's  is  about  thirty  miles.  On  the  eastern  side 
of  the  mountains  is  Tuckerman's  ravine,  a  deep  chasm  extending  south- 
ward along  the  high  spur  from  Mount  Washington,  with  high,  perpen- 

'  See  articles  on  Franconia  and  Lincoln,  ante,  pp.  496,  554. 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE  ■ —  WHITE    MOUNTAINS. 


689 


dicular  walls,  in  many  places  whoUj'  inaccessible.  The  snows,  sweeping 
down  from  Mount  Washington,  fill  it  to  the  depth  of  hundreds  of  feet. 
A  small  stream  runs  through  its  whole  length.  Back  from  the  Glen  is 
the  Carter  range  of  mountains,  the  principal  summit  rising  to  a  height 
of  4,900  feet.  In  tlie  Glen  valley  is  the  water-shed,  the  Peabody  run- 
ning northward  into  the  Androscoggin,  and  the  Ellis  river  southward 
to  the  Saco.  Near  this  point,  three  miles  south  of  the  Glen,  Crystal 
stream  comes  foaming  down  most  romantically  and  noisily  over  the 
rocks,  having  its  rise 
in  a  spring  three  or  four 
hundred  yards  south- 
erly from  the  top  of 
Mount  Washington. 
This  stream  was  explor- 
ed in  the  year  1852,  be- 
fore which  its  existence 
and  beauties  seem  to 
have  been  unrevealed 
to  travellers.  Its  course 
is  through  shattered 
rocks  and  the  tangled 
thickets,  over  shelving 
precipices  and  through 
the  bottom  of  a  yawn- 
ing chasm,  having 
many  beautiful  cas- 
cades in  a  descent  of 
some  four  thousand 
feet,  till  it  reaches  a 
rent  in  the  ragged  bluff, 
apparently  made  for  its 
escape,  ■where  it  makes 
several  slides  from  shelf 
to  shelf,  and  a  longer 
leap  into  the  basin  be- 
low, the  whole  descent 
at     this     point     being 

about  eighty  feet.  These  playful  waters  have  not  inaptly  been  termed 
the  Crystal  Falls.  The  whole  distance  of  the  stream  is  about  five 
miles.  About  three  miles  above  this  cascade,  and  a  mile  from  its 
rise,    lies,   in   a  anost   secluded  spot,  enfolded    with  spruce    and    other 

58* 


Crystal  FaUs. 


690 


HISTORY    AXD    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


trees  of  the  woods,  a  small,  glassy  sheet  of  water,  called  by  tourists  Her- 
mit lake.  The  enchanting  varieties  of  the  whole  stream  are  almost 
innumerable,  and  trebly  repay  an  excursion  down  its  rude  bed.  About 
a  mile  further  down  the  road  to  Jackson,  on  the  east  side,  some  forty 
rods  off,  another  wild  cataract  pitches  over  the   sides  of  a  deep  ravine 

into  Ellis  river,  much 
rc--cmbling  the  Crystal 
Cascade,  but  less  bro- 
ken in  its  descent.  It  is 
reached  through  hoary, 
moss-bearded  ^voods, 
hy  ovcrleajiing  and 
ciawling  under  the  fal- 
len giants  of  the  for- 
est, whose  solitudes 
c\er  reverberate  the 
sound  of  its  Avaters. 
The  water  falls,  in  an 
unbroken  mass,  a  dis- 
tance of  seventy  feet; 
but,  owing  to  a  bulge 
m  the  rock,  twists  to 
the  left,  so  as  to  make 
almost  a  conijilete  turn 
bilore  it  reaches  the 
deep  basin  in  which  it 
Is  lost  below.  Trees 
and  shrubs  climb  the 
Huiral  clifls  wherever 
ihty  can  get  a  foothold; 
and  from  its  summit, 
m\  steriously  clinging 
to  the  fissures  of  the 
rock,  shoots  a  tall  hem- 
lock, of  nearly  a  hundred  feet,  far  over  the  abyss.  The  basin  below  looks 
like  a  deep  well  amid  the  hills,  open  onlv  on  one  side.  Here,  too,  the 
whirling  Avater  has  worn  small  cavities  in  the  solid  rock.  The  place 
was  formerly  called  Pitcher  falls;  but,  since  18-32,  has  borne  the  name 
of  Glen  Ellis.  A  very  full  and  interesting  description  of  these  localities 
on  the  easterly  side  of  the  mountains  is  contained  in  the  "  Giiide-Book 
to  the  White  Motmtains  and  RTonlreal,"  ]5ub]ishcd  in  18-33. 

Travellers  usually  make   the  ascent  to  the  sunmrit  of  Moitnt  AVash- 


Glen  Ellis  Fall. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE WHITE    MOUNTAIXS.  691 

ington  upon  the  side  which  they  first  reach,  some  passing  over,  and 
some  returning  from,  the  summit,  and  making  the  circuit  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  greater  part  of  the  travel  is  from  the  Glen  House  and 
Crawford's,  on  quite  opposite  sides. 

The  principal  bridle-path  of  those  upon  the  south  and  west  sides  is 
from  Crawford's,  a  distance  of  nearly  eight  miles  over  mounts  Clinton, 
Pleasant,  Franklin,  and  Monroe.  The  first  one  or  two  miles  is  through 
the  thick  forest  of  birch,  beech,  spruce,  fir,  and  mountain  ash.  Formerly, 
up  about  1,600  feet  was  a  camp  large  enough  to  shelter  six  or  seven 
persons,  where  the  night  was  often  passed.  The  trees  now  have  a 
more  dwarfed  appearance.  Going  on  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile, 
the  traveller  is  upon  the  mossy  summit  of  Mount  Clinton,  in  a  region 
sparsely  overspread  "with  cranberries,  whortleberries,  and  a  stunted 
growth  of  evergreens  and  white  birch.  Here  a  single  step  will  carry 
one  over  an  entire  living  tree,  which  has  perhaps  been  growing,  without 
increasing  much  in  size,  for  ages.  From  this  bald  summit  to  the  base 
of  Mount  Pleasant,  the  way  is  somewhat  encumbered  by  a  forest ;  and 
several  deep  ravines  occur,  which  are,  however,  generally  spanned  by 
"  corduroy  "  bridges.  Mount  Pleasant,  or  Dome  mountain,  known  by 
its  conical  shape,  is  easily  ascended.  Its  top  —  an  area  of  five  or  six 
acres  —  is  quite  smooth,  and  is  covered  with  grass  four  or  five  inches 
high,  through  which  mountain  flowers  are  scattered.  The  descent 
from  Mount  Pleasant,  at  first  quite  gradual,  terminates  almost  perpen- 
dicularly at  Red  pond,  a  little  patch  of  water  two  or  three  rods  in 
diameter,  bordered  upon  all  sides  by  a  long,  reddish  moss.  It  has,  in  the 
dry  season,  no  outlet,  which  fact  gives  the  water,  although  quite  clear, 
an  unpleasant  taste.  The  top  of  Franklin,  rather  more  level  than 
Pleasant,  is  easily  gained.  Between  this  and  Monroe  the  way  is  over 
a  narrow  ridge  of  three  or  four  rods  wide,  from  which  start,  upon  the 
west,  tributaries  of  the  Connecticut,  and,  upon  the  east,  waters  which 
find  the  Atlantic  upon  the  coast  of  Maine.  The  view  here  is  one  of 
the  most  awful  and  sublime  in  all  mountain  scenery.  Down  the 
fearful  steeps,  for  thousands  of  feet,  the  traveller  sees  the  bottom  of 
Oakes's  Gulf  upon  the  east,  and  the  surpassingly  beautiful  vale  of  the 
Ammonoosuc  upon  the  west.  He  can  pass  between  the  rugged  pin- 
nacles of  Monroe,  or  over  the  eastern  summit,  the  latter  giving  the  best 
view.  There  is  a  narrow  place  in  the  path,  where  a  single  misstep  of 
the  horse  would  be  almost  certain  destruction.  From  Monroe  a  con- 
siderable descent  brings  one  to  Blue  pond,  more  recentiy  called  the  Lake 
of  the  Clouds,  which  is  of  an  oval  form,  and  covers  more  than  three 
fourths  of  an  acre.  The  water  is  perfectly  transparent,  cool,  and  agree- 
able to  the  taste,  but  so  deep  that  the  bottom  cannot  be  seen  in  the 


692  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

centre  from  the  shore.  No  living  creature  is  to  be  seen  in  the  waters 
at  this  altitude,  nor  any  vegetable  in  or  around  them.  And  now  comes 
the  last  stage  of  the  journey,  more  than  1,200  feet  up  the  majestic  dome 
of  Mount  Washington,  principally  over  moss-grown  and  naked,  loose 
blocks  of  granite  infused  with  quartz  and  gneiss,  which  would  be  not  a 
little  formidable  if  the  larger  stones  had  not  been  removed  from  or 
beaten  up  in  the  pathway.  By  climbing  up  straight,  by  twisting  right 
and  twisting  left,  by  hitching  forward  a  little  faster  than  slipping  back- 
ward, this  most  rugged  and  abrupt  part  of  the  way  is  finally  left  behind, 
and  the  pilgrim  stands  nearer  the  sun  than  anywhere  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

The  way  from  the  Glen  is  shorter  and  steeper, — being  about  four 
and  a  half  miles,  which  is  usually  gone  over  in  four  hours.  Crossing 
Peabody  river,  the  path  leads  directly  into  a  second  growth,  and 
presently  into  thick  woods,  which  continue  fully  half  way  up.  The 
man  on  foot  will  not  fail  to  encounter  roots,  stumps,  and  bushes  enough, 
while  he  who  rides  will  have  no  lack  of  motion  in  the  climbing  and 
slumping  of  his  steed  in  the  deep  trench  worn  out  by  horses'  feet. 
Steep  ridges,  precipitous  crags,  deep  ravines,  and  rushing  torrents,  are 
to  be  met  and  passed.  Emerging  from  the  woods,  on  a  high  bluff, 
the  traveller  can  see  down  an  immense  depth  upon  the  north  the  great 
gulf,  whose  fearful  precipices  have  rarely,  if  ever,  been  descended. 
The  green  forest  is  succeeded  by  blanched  and  blasted  trees,  whose 
leafless  and  almost  branchless  trunks  often  lead  the  traveller  to  suppose 
them  wasted  by  fire.  The  fierce  winds  and  weather  have  rendered  them 
perfectly  white.  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  cold  seasons  which 
prevailed  from  1812  to  the  end  of  1816,  in  the  last  of  which  the  trees 
may  have  remained  frozen  the  whole  year,  caused  their  death.  This 
region  being  passed,  the  way  is  mostly  over  moss-covered  rock,  but 
little  of  the  way,  however,  of  a  gentle  slope.  Clouds  and  mists  now 
often  cross  the  path,  and  he  who  has  tugged  up  thus  far  on  foot,  with 
blood  at  fever  heat  and  coats  in  hand,  may  now  reckon  upon  putting 
them  on  again,  and  buttoning  them  up  to  his  chin.  Nothing  else  is 
noteworthy  till  the  summit  is  reached.  The  description  of  this  path 
has  not  yet  gone  into  the  history  of  the  past ;  although  it  has  been 
supposed  by  many  that  the  old  poetic  and  oriental  mode  of  ascent,  on 
foot  or  upon  horse,  in  single  column  up  the  narrow  bridle-path  would, 
ere  this,  have  made  way  for  a  new  mode  of  locomotion.  Certain 
persons  having  conceived  the  practicability  of  a  carriage  road  in  1853, 
a  Mr.  D.  O.  Macomber  and  others  were  incorporated  as  the  Mount 
Washington  Road  Company,  with  a  capital,  which,  in  1856,  was  lim- 
ited to  $100,000,  with  authority  to  construct  a  road  from  "  the  Peabody 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE  —  WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  693 

river  valley  to  the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  and  thence  to  some  point 
on  the  northwesterly  side  of  said  mountain,  between  the  Notch  of  the 
White  Mountains  in  Crawford's  Grant,  and  the  Cherry  Mountain ;  " 
and  to  take  tolls  of  passengers,  provision  being  first  made  for  the  set- 
tlement of  damages  with  owners.  The  contemplated  length  for  the 
road  was  eight  miles.  It  was  to  be  fifteen  feet  wide,  with  the  outer 
edge  the  highest,  and  protected  by  strong  walls;  to  be  macadamized 
in  the  best  manner,  and  upon  a  rising  grade  of  one  foot  to  eight  and  a 
half  linear  feet,  with  level  spots  at  various  points  of  interest.  The 
omnibuses  were  to  hold  twelve  persons  (each  with  a  separate  seat)  ; 
and,  for  the  comfort  of  passengers,  to  be  adjusted  with  a  screw  to 
elevate  the  rear  end  in  ascending,  and  the  forepart  in  descending,  so  as 
to  give  the  vehicle  a  horizontal  position.  A  conveyance  or  lease  of  the 
road-bed  fot  the  term  of  its  charter  has  been  made  to  the  company  by 
claimants  of  the  Pinkham  Grant,  and  a  mortgage  back  to  the  claimants 
of  the  right  and  imJDrovements  of  the  road.  The  work  at  present  is  not 
progressing.  If  it  shall  ever  be  completed,  it  will  justly  deserve  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  achievements  of  skill  and  enterprise  ever 
driven  up  hill.  Intended  as  a  climax  to  the  work,  the  Mount  Wash- 
ington Summit  Hotel  Company  was  chartered  in  1855,  with  a  capital 
of  $100,000,  with  power  to  construct  or  purchase  one  or  more  hotels 
on  the  summit;  but  little  progress,  however,  towards  the  project  of 
building  a  spacious  hotel  has  been  made. 

It  required,  however,  no  little  courage  and  labor  to  erect  the  two 
comfortable  habitations  now  standing  there,  known  by  the  names  of 
Summit  House  and  "  Tip  Top,"  the  latter  standing  but  a  few  feet 
above  the  other.  The  former  was  built  by  Joseph  S.  Hall  and  Mr. 
Uosebrook,  two  men  whose  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  route  as 
guides,  and  whose  strength  and  intrepidity,  well  fitted  them  for  the 
herculean  task.  The  work  was  commenced  on  the  first  day  of  June, 
and  they  sat  down  to  dinner  in  the  house  on  the  25th  of  July,  1852. 
The  structure  is  of  the  solid  rock,  blasted  and  piled  up  four  feet  thick, 
cemented  and  covered  with  a  wooden  roof  forty  feet  long  and 
twenty-two  wide.  Every  stone  had  to  be  raised  to  its  place  by  mus- 
cular strength ;  every  rafter,  board,  shingle,  and  nail  had  to  be  carried 
up  on  the  back  of  man  or  horse.  A  horse  could  carry  up  four  boards 
(about  sixty  square  feet),  once  a  day.  No  one  went  without  something, 
a  chair,  or  door,  piece  of  crockery,  or  some  provisions.  Mr.  Rose- 
brook,  who  was  a  young  giant,  carried  up,  at  one  time,  a  door  of  the 
usual  length,  three  feet  wide  and  three  and  one  half  inches  thick,  ten 
pounds  of  pork,  and  one  gallon  of  molasses.  The  walls  were  raised 
eight  feet  high,  and  the  roof  fastened  on  by  heavy  iron  bolts,  over  which 


694 


HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


strong  cables  were  passed,  and  attached  to  the  solid  rock  of  the  moun- 
tain. But  two  or  three  hours'  work  could  be  performed  each  day,  on 
account  of  the  severity  of  the  winds  and  mists  at  the  top,  which  would 
often  incrust  the  men  in  ice,  and  compel  them  to  flee  to  their  temporary 
retreat  about  half-way  down  the  mountain.  }n  this  way  the  whole 
day  was  often  lost  in  travelling  back  and  forth,  —  the  clear  sunshine 
above  inviting  them  up,  but  the  field  of  operations  often  being  envel- 
oped in  stormy  clouds  before  they  could  reach  it.     The  inside  of  the 


T  I     f  Mt   TT-i  J   Dgt  n 

house  had  only  curtained  ajiartments.  A  table  was  set  of  suiricicnt 
capacity  for  thirty  or  forty  persons,  a  cooking  stove  at  the  end,  a  small 
kitchen  and  a  row  of  beds,  eacli  curtained  off,  com])leting  the  arrange- 
ment. The  "Tip  Top"  was  erected  afterwards  with  a  (lat  roof,  and 
imbedded  so  far  into  the  rocks  that  their  rough,  projecting  points  ser\'ed 
for  steps  by  which  to  mount  the  roof  for  observation,  one  or  l,wo  "ood 
telescopes  generally  standing  there  for  that  purpose. 

And  now  the  traveller  certainly  finds  a  new"  application  of  the  oft 
quoted  line. 


'Tis  distance  leiuls  enchantment  to  the  '\'icw." 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  WHITE   MOUNTAINS.  695 

He  has  made  a  wearisome  pilgrimage  up  from  the  dull  world,  with 
its  commonplace  scenes,  to  gaze  upon  them  with  new  eyes,  to  see  in 
the  vales  and  hills,  woods  and  waters,  new  beauties.  The  eye  takes  in 
the  vast  panorama  for  150  miles  around.  The  other  summits  present 
themselves  around  like  yeomen  of  the  guard.  On  the  north  and  north- 
east, Jefferson,  Madison,  and  Clay  rise  up  boldly  with  their  ragged  tops 
of  loose,  dark  rocks,  and  Adams,  with  its  sharper  pinnacle,  —  seemingly 
intimating,  across  the  immense  unexplored  gulfs  between  them  and 
Mount  Washington,  the  respect  they  bear  to  the  monarch  of  the  hills. 
A  little  further  to  the  east  are  the  numerous  elevations  of  Maine,  settling 
down  into  level  plain  as  they  retire  from  the  view;  on  the  east  and 
south,  close  at  hand.  Mount  Moriah,  the  Carter  range,  the  sharp  cone 
of  Kearsarge  surmounted  with  its  public-house,  Chocorua,  Carrigain, 
and  the  lesser  mountains  of  Conway,  Jackson,  Bartlett,  and  Albany, 
and  the  noble  summits  directly  upon  the  southwest,  in  so  close  prox- 
imity that  they  seem  but  the  staircase  from  Mount  Washington  to  the 
world  beneath ;  also,  to  the  east  of  Oakes's  Gulf,  directly  opposite 
Monroe,  an  eminence  of  5,400  feet,  without  a  name,  but  certainly  de- 
serving one  ;  on  the  west,  the  Franconia  range,  particularly  the  high, 
bald  summit  of  Lafayette,  with  the  broad  rents  down  to  its  base  caused 
by  slides,  looking  at  that  distance  like  a  carriage  road  to  its  top,  but 
said  to  be  a  fourth  of  a  mile  wide.  On  the  east  and  south  again,  lakes 
and  ponds  appear  like  white  figures  in  the  great  carpet  of  nature,  at 
times,  however,  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  milky  vapors  floating 
above  them.  Lakes  Sebago  and  Winnepesaukee  are  kings  among 
them.  The  silvery  threads  of  the  Androscoggin  and  Saco,  which  per- 
haps, at  the  start,  run  down  two  sides  of  the  same  rock  and  make  off 
in  opposite  directions  as  though  they  had  fallen  out  with  each  other, 
are  seen  winding  off  till  lost  behind  the  distant  hills.  The  nearer 
habitations  of  men  are  seen,  but  the  remote  view  is  only  of  blue  hills 
and  valleys.  Westwardly,  with  a  glass,  the  eye  can  follow  the  straight 
road  to  Bethlehem,  flanked  by  its  farms  and  cottages  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles.  Far  beyond  glide  the  waters  of  the  broad  Connecticut; 
and  still  beyond,  like  another  line  of  battlements  to  guard  the  great 
valley  between,  the  Green  Mountains. 

But  often  the  prospect  is  veiled  from  the  beholder  by  the  passing 
cloud,  —  sometimes  momentary,  sometimes  so  thick  and  quick  in 
succession  that  but  a  feeble  view  is  obtained.  The  clear  days  of  the 
season  are  comparatively  few.  To  the  great  throng  who  visit  the 
summit,  the  "  sight  of  ships  in  Portland  harbor "  is  only  in  story.  The 
clear  sunrise  out  of  the  ocean  bed  is  reserved  for  the  lucky.  Never- 
theless, everybody  who  reposes  over  night  on  the  summit  is  expected 


696  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP  NEW   ENGLAND. 

to  emerge  from  his  bed  at  the  time  when  that  august  ceremony  should 
come  off. 

Having  feasted  the  eyes  with  the  distant  view,  the  visitor  begins  to 
inspect  his  immediate  surroundings.  To  the  common  observer,  even  the 
very  huge  pile  of  rocks  will  appear  sublime.  He  is  completely  cut  off 
from  the  living  world ;  except  flies,  grasshoppers,  and  an  occasional  but- 
terfly, no  animals  venture  here.  As  respects  the  vegetable  world,  aside 
from  a  kind  of  grass  and  a  few  mosses,  eternal  sterility  reigns.  Here 
the  naturalist  will  find  more  to  interest  than  the  mere  sight-seer.  Among 
the  Alpine  plants  found  upon  the  bald  cone  are  the  Menziesia  ccerulea, 
Rhododendron  Lapponicum  or  Lapland  rose-bay,  Diapensia  Lapponica, 
Azalea  procumbens,  and  Lycopodium  Selago.  Among  the  lichens  are 
the  Parnielia  centrifiiga,  common  in  Sweden,  of  a  greenish  white  color, 
the  Parmelia  sUjgia,  Parnielia  occulata,  Parmelia  ventosa,  and  Celraria 
Islandica,  or  Iceland  moss.^  All  these  are  natives  of  Arctic  climes, —  such 
as  Labrador,  Lapland,  Greenland,  and  Siberia,  —  and  are  protected  from 
extreme  cold  under  a  great  depth  of  snow :  they  shoot  up  very  quickly 
after  it  first  melts,  and  run  through  their  whole  course  of  vegetation  in 
a  few  weeks,  irrigated  by  clouds  and  mist.  How  they  originally  found 
their  way  to  this  summit  has  been  a  subject  of  speculation,  to  some 
extent,  —  not  very  important  perhaps,  as  the  solution  would  settle  no 
mooted  point  in  geology.  Here  the  savans  differ,  —  some  alleging, 
with  Professor  Agassiz,  the  creation  of  a  great  number  of  individuals  of 
each  species,  in  both  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms,  in  different 
parts  of  the  earth ;  others,  that  each  species  had  a  common  or  specific 
centre,  and  was  gradually  extended  over  the  earth.  Mr.  Lyell  thinks 
that  the  sporules,  answering  to  seeds,  of  cryptogamous  plants,  such  as 
fungi,  lichens,  and  mosses,  may  have  been  wafted  for  indefinite  distances 
—  even  thousands  of  miles  —  in  the  air;  that  the  seeds  of  the  phsenoga- 
mous  plants  may  have  been  first  brought  by  animals  crossing  the  ice,  or 
by  icebergs,  and  left  upon  these  mountains  when  they  were  islands,  and 
that,  as  the  continent  formed  and  these  eminences  increased  in  height, 
the  plants  gradually  sought  a  cooler  temperature  higher  up  on  their 
summits. 

'  A  long  list  of  the  plants  found  upon  the  upper  zone  of  ISIount  Washington  is  ap- 
pended to  a  description  of  the  mountains,  in  181G,  by  Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow  of  Boston,  -nuh- 
lished  in  the  New  England  Medical  Journal,  vol.  v.  p.  334,  containing,  however,  many 
that  are  not  peculiar  to  an  Arctic  or  Alpine  climate.  This  description  seems  to  have 
been  a  partial  guide  to  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  in  his  account  of  his  tour  to  the  White  liloun- 
tains  (Travels  in  the  United  States  —  second  visit  —  vol.  I.  pp.  C9-72),  in  which  he  also 
mentions  some  of  the  Alpine  plants  observed  by  him.  See  also  a  paper  by  the  late  Mr. 
Oakes,  in  Ilovey's  Magazine  of  Horticulture  and  Botany,  vol.  xiii.,  IMay,  184  7  ;  and  two 
articles  by  Professor  Edward  Tuckerman,  in  Silliman's  American  Journal  of  Science  and 
Arts,  vol.  XLV.  and  vol.  vi.,  new  series. 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE TOWN    OF    WILMOT.  697 

The  season  for  which  these  heights  may  be  enjoyed  is  quite  short. 
The  snow  seldom  leaves  them  before  the  middle  of  May  —  often  later 
—  and  their  wet  state,  and  the  chilliness  of  the  atmosphere,  render 
them  unfit  for  ascending  until  June.  The  travel  is  chiefly  confined 
to  the  months  of  July  and  August,  scarcely  extending  at  all  beyond 
the  tenth  of  September.  Even  during  this  period  they  are  often  vis- 
ited by  flurries  of  snow.  Generally,  however,  the  temperature  is  quite 
uniform,  so  much  so  that  a  residence  here  during  the  summer  months 
has  been  recommended  as  highly  conducive  to  health. 

But  here  this  article  should  find  a  period ;  for  any  attempt  truthfully 
to  present  the  enchanting  panorama  to  the  mind  of  a  man  at  his  fireside 
must  be  unavailing,  while  to  him  who  has  seen,  it  will  surely  be  super- 
fluous. He  who  is  already  on  the  spot  will  feast  his  eyes  again  and 
again  on  what  no  pen  can  teach.  And  it  will  not  now  be  deemed  any 
discourtesy  to  leave  him  there  to  fiU  his  soul,  and  find  his  way  back,  to 
breathe  upon  a  languid  world  some  of  the  purer  atmosphere  of  love. 

"  If  thou  art  worn  and  hard  beset 
With  sorrows,  that  thou  wouldst  forget ; 
If  thou  wouldst  read  a  lesson,  that  will  keep 
Thy  heart  from  fainting  and  thy  soul  from  sleep, 
Go  to  the  woods  and  hills !     No  tears 
Dim  the  sweet  look  that  Nature  wears.'' 

There, 

"  Thy  expanding  heart 
Shall  feel  a  kindred  with  that  loftier  world 
To  which  thou  art  translated,  and  partake 
The  enlargement  of  thy  vision." 

WiLMOT,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Merrimack  county,  thirty 
miles  from  Concord,  was  originally  included  in  a  grant,  made  in  1775, 
by  the  Masonian  proprietors,  to  Jonas  Minot,  Matthew  Thornton,  and 
others,  and  was  incorporated  June  18,  1807.  It  contains  fifteen  thou- 
sand acres,  nine  thousand  of  it  being  taken  from  New  London,  and  six 
thousand  from  Kearsarge  Gore.  The  name  was  given  in  honor  of  Dr. 
Wilmot,  an  Englishman,  who  enjoyed  the  reputation  for  some  time  of 
being  the  author  of  the  celebrated  "  Junius  "  letters.  The  Baptists  or- 
ganized the  first  church  in  this  town.  A  Congregational  church  was 
organized  January  1,  1829.  Wilmot's  surface  is  rough,  being  composed 
of  hills  and  valleys.  Some  of  the  land  is  incapable  of  cultivation ;  but 
the  principal  portion  is  suitable  for  farming  operations.  The  summit  of 
Kearsarge  mountain  lies   near  the  southern  boundary.     The  streams 

VOL.  I.  59 


698  HISTORY   Ai^D    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

which  form  Blackwater  river  originate  near  Wilmot,  and  afford  water 
power.  Several  minerals,  such  as  beryls  of  a  large  size,  felspar,  and 
crystals  of  mica,  are  found  here.  Mineral  teeth,  of  the  most  durable 
quality,  have  been  manufactured  from  the  felspar.  There  are  two  vil- 
lages—  Wilmot  Centre  and  Wilmot  Flat;  three  church  edifices,  open 
to  all  denominations ;  thirteen  school  districts ;  and  two  post-offices  — 
Wilmot  and  Wilmot  Flat:  also,  one  small  woollen  factory,  a  large 
tannery,  and  four  saw-mills.     Population,  1,272  ;  valuation,  ^282,600. 

Wilton,  Hillsborough  county,  adjoins  Lyndeborough  on  the  north, 
and  is  forty  miles  from  Concord.  It  was  granted  to  Samuel  King  and 
others  in  June,  1735,  by  the  Massachusetts  General  Court,  in  considera- 
tion "  of  their  sufferings  "  in  the  expedition  to  Canada.  The  first  settle- 
ment was  made  in  June,  1739,  by  Ephraim  and  Jacob  Putnam  and 
John  Dale,  who  removed  to  this  place  from  Danvers,  Mass.  Some  of 
the  settlers  who  afterwards  moved  in  were  Scotch ;  but  they  gradually 
gave  place  to  the  Puritan  stock  from  Massachusetts.  Wilton  was 
owned  by  the  proprietors  of  lands  purchased  of  John  Tufton  Mason, 
and  was  incorporated  June  25,  1762.  Before  the  Revolution,  a  range 
of  lots  half  a  mile  wide  was  set  off  to  Temple,  leaving  the  town  of  its 
present  form  and  size,  containing  15,280  acres. 

Improvements  of  all  kinds  were  gradual,  the  first  settlers  going  to 
Dunstable  to  mill,  and  the  roads  being  little  more  than  footpaths.  For 
a  long  time  there  were  apprehensions  of  danger  from  the  Indians ;  but 
there  is  no  evidence  that  the  town  was  ever  molested,  though  the  inhab- 
itants sought  protection  in  the  garrisons  in  Milford  and  Lyndeborough, 
at  times  for  ten  years,  when  danger  was  anticipated.  There  was  noth- 
ing peculiar  in  the  history  of  Wilton  during  the  Revolution.  Like  other 
New  England  towns,  it  endured  deprivations  and  shared  losses  of  sub- 
stance and  of  men.  The  requisitions  made  on  the  town  during  the 
war  were  invariably  complied  with  by  prompt  and  voluntary  enlist- 
ments. It  is  stated  that  in  one  case  the  demand  came  on  Sunday,  and 
the  men  started  for  the  camp  on  Monday.  Nearly  the  whole  population 
turned  out  to  meet  Burgoyne,  and  many  were  with  Stark  at  Benning- 
ton. The  first  church,  a  Congregational,  was  organized  December  14, 
1763,  the  first  minister,  Mr.  Jonathan  Livermore,  being  ordained  the 
same  day.     A  Baptist  church  was  formed  April  7,  1817. 

The  surface  of  Wilton  is  generally  uneven  and  rocky,  but  not 
mountainous.  The  soil  is  strong  and  productive,  containing  a  large 
amount  of  nutritive  matter.  Good  brick  clay  is  abundant,  and  there 
are  several  valuable  quarries  of  granite,  which  are  extensively  wrought. 
The  Souhegan  river  is  the  principal  stream,  the  water  power  on  which 


NEW   HAMPSHIRB TOWN   OF   WINOHESTEK.  699 

is  occupied  by  mills  and  factories.  The  town  contains  four  religious 
societies  —  two  Congregational,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Universalist ;  ten 
school  districts  and  school-houses ;  five  libraries,  one  belonging  to  the 
town,  and  the  others  to  the  various  rehgious  societies  ;  and  two  post- 
offices  —  Wilton  and  West  Wilton :  also,  eight  saw-mills,  five  grist-mills, 
three  tanneries,  one  bobbin  factory,  and  one  starch  factory.  Population, 
1,161 ;  valuation,  $552,799. 

Winchester,  Cheshire  county,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  state, 
sixty  miles  from  Concord,  was  first  called  Arlington,  and  was  settled, 
about  1733,  by  families  from  Northfield,  Lunenburg,  and  other  towns 
in  Massachusetts.  It  was  granted,  in  1733,  by  the  general  court  of 
Massachusetts,  to  Josiah  Willard  and  sixty-three  others,  and  was  to  be 
"  a  tract  of  land  six  miles  square,  on  the  east  side  of  Connecticut  river, 
between  Northfield  and  the  Truck  House,"  but  is  said  to  contain 
upwards  of  33,000  acres.  A  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1735,  at 
the  "  Bow "  of  the  Ashuelot  river,  on  a  hill,  which  was  subsequently 
called  "  Meeting-house  hill : "  besides  this,  private  buildings  were 
erected,  and  other  improvements  made,  all  which  were  destroyed  by 
the  Indians  in  1745,  and  the  settlement  broken  up.  On  the  adjustment 
of  the  boundary  line  between  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  it 
was  found  that  Winchester  was  within  the  bounds  of  the  latter,  and  a 
new  grant  was  made  to  the  former  proprietors,  by  New  Hampshire, 
July  2,  1753.  In  1756,  Josiah  Foster  and  family  were  captured  here 
by  the  Indians.  About  one  hundred  acres  of  land  were  detached 
from  Richmond  and  added  to  this  town,  July  2,  1850.  A  Congre- 
gational church  was  organized  November  21,  1736,  over  which  Rev. 
Joseph  Ashley  was  settled  the  same  day,  continuing  with  the  church 
till  the  inhtibitants  were  scattered  by  the  Indians.  A  new  house  of 
worship  was  erected  in  1760,  on  the  site  of  the  old  oi^.e.  Rev.  Micah 
LawTcnce  was  ordained  as  minister,  November  14,  1764,  being  dis- 
missed February  19,  1777,  on  account  of  his  "  unfriendliness  to  his 
country."  A  number  of  ministers  have  officiated  in  the  town  since  his 
time. 

The  surface  of  Winchester  is  very  level  in  some  parts,  and  in  others 
quite  uneven;  but  the  soil  is  generally  good.  Ashuelot  river,  which 
enters  the  town  on  the  northeast,  and  receives  the  waters  of  Muddy 
and  Broad  brooks,  possesses  water  power  not  inferior  to  any  in  the 
county.  Humphrey's  pond,  three  hundred  rods  long  and  eighty  wide, 
lies  in  the  northeast.  There  is  much  timber  of  a  valuable  quality  yet 
to  be  cleared.  There  are  three  villages  —  Central,  Ashuelot,  and  Tur- 
nersville,  the  two  former  of  which  are  situated  on  Ashuelot  river,  and 


700  HISTORY  AND   DESCEIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

bid  fair,  from  their  advantageous  situation,  to  be  manufacturing  places 
of  no  mean  order.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  twenty-one  school  districts;  one  bank, 
with  a  capital  of  ^100,000 ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Winchester  and  West 
Winchester :  also,  two  woollen  factories,  three  tub  and  pail  factories,  one 
sash,  blind,  and  door  factory,  two  saw-mills,  one  linseed  oil  manufactory, 
and  nine  stores.  The  Ashuelot  Railroad  affords  facilities  for  transporta- 
tion and  travel.     Population,  3,296  ;  valuation,  $831,232. 

Windham,    Rockingham    county,   adjoins    Londonderry   and   Derry, 
and   is   thirty-four   miles  from  Concord.      It  composed  a  part   of  the 
territory  of  ancient  Londonderry  till  the  year  1742,  when  it  received  a 
distinct  incorporation.     In  1750,  a  considerable  tract  of  land  was  taken 
from  the  southeasterly  part  of  Windham,  and  annexed  to  Salem.     It 
now  comprises  15,744  acres.     The  inhabitants  of  Windham  are  mostly 
the   descendants   of    the   first   settlers   of    Londonderry.       There   was 
preaching  here  as  early  as  July,  1742.     The  first  church  was  of  the  Pres- 
byterian order,  and  the  first  minister  Rev.  William  Johnson.    A  meeting- 
house was  erected  in  1754.     One  of  the  ministers  of  this  church  was 
Rev.  Simon  WilUams,  a  native  of  Ireland,  ordained  in  December,  1766. 
He  was  an  eminent  classical  scholar,  and  opened  a  private  academy,  in 
which   many  distinguished   men   were   educated,  among   whom   were 
Joseph  McKean,  first  president  of  Bowdoin  College,  and  Samuel  Tag- 
gart,  the  eminent  citizen  and  divine  of  Coleraine,  Mass.     This  school 
was    commenced   before  Dartmouth  College  was  founded.     Mr.  Wil- 
liams's ministry  continued  till  his  death,  November  10, 1793,  a  period  of 
thirty-seven  years. 

There  is  considerable  meadow  land  here,  and  the  soil  is  generally 
good.  In  Windham  there  are  traces  of  what  geologists  have  called  the 
effect  of  the  great  tidal  current,  in  an  immense  granite  boulder,  twenty 
feet  in  height  — its  sides  measuring  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  —  which  is 
situated  on  one  of  the  most  lofty  eminences,  on  the  outcropping  surface 
of  a  ledge  of  mica  slate,  and  which  appears  to  have  been  worn  by  the 
grinding  action  of  pebbles  and  rapidly  flowing  water.  Policy,  Cabot's, 
Golden,  and  Mitchell's  ponds  are  the  principal  collections  of  water, 
and  Beaver  river  is  the  only  stream  of  note.  Windham  contains  three 
villages  —  Windham,  West  Windham,  and  Fessenden's  Mill ;  one 
church  edifice  (Presbyterian),  and  one  now  used  as  a  town-house ;  one 
wooUen  factory ;  seven  school  districts,  three  of  which  have  a  perma- 
nent fund  of  $1,000;  and  three  post-offices,  one  at  each  of  the  villages. 
The  Concord,  Manchester,  and  Lawrence  Railroad  connects  with 
Windham.     Population,  818  ;  valuation,  $325,362. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  TOWN   OF   WINDSOR,   ETC.  701 

Windsor,  a  small,  triangular-shaped  town  in  the  western  part  of 
Hillsborough  county,  thirty  miles  from  Concord,  was  first  called  Gam- 
ble's Gore,  and  was  incorporated  December  27,  1798.  John  Gordon, 
John  Roach,  Josiah  Swett,  Joseph  Chapman,  David  Perkins,  and 
Daniel  Gibson  were  among  the  earliest  settlers.  The  surface  of  the 
town  is  hilly,  but  its  soil  is  strong,  and  adapted  to  the  production  of  the 
usual  crops.  There  are  three  ponds  —  one  called  White,  being  about 
160  rods  long  and  eighty  wide,  and  the  others  about  eighty  rods  long 
and  forty  wide.  Windsor  has  one  church  edifice  —  Methodist ;  and 
four  school  districts :  also,  two  saw-mills  and  two  shingle  mills.  Pop- 
ulation, 172 ;  valuation,  $77,672. 

WoLFBOROUGH,  in  the  southern  part  of  CarroU  county,  forty-five 
miles  from  Concord,  has  an  area  of  six  miles  square.  It  was  granted 
to  Governor  John  Wentworth,  Mark  H.  Wentworth,  and  others,  in 
1770,  and  was  settled  by  thirty  families  the  same  year.  Among 
the  first  inhabitants  were  James  Lucas,  Joseph  Lary,  Benjamin  Blake, 
Ithamar  Fullerton,  from  Pembroke;  Thomas  Taylor  and  Thomas 
Piper,  from  Gilmanton ;  and  Samuel  Tibbets,  from  Rochester,  each 
of  whom  had  set  off  to  him  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  The  last 
survivor  of  these  pioneers  "w^as  Benjamin  Blake,  who  died  February  12, 
1824,  aged  ninety-three,  and  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  French  and 
Revolutionary  wars.  The  present  charter  of  Wolfborough  was  trans- 
ferred by  Mark  H.  Wentworth  and  twenty  others  to  Governor  Went- 
worth and  fourteen  others,  the  grantees  reserving  to  themselves  about 
a  quarter  part  of  the  land,  including  one  lot  of  three  hundred  acres  for 
the  first  settled  minister,  one  lot  for  a  parsonage,  and  a  third  for  the 
support  of  schools.  Governor  Wentworth  was  a  man  of  taste  and 
enterprise,  and  erected  a  magnificent  mansion  here,  which  he  used  as 
his  summer  residence.  It  was  consumed  by  fire  about  thirty  years 
since.  A  Congregational  church  was  formed  October  25,  1792.  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Allen  was  the  first  minister,  and  died  of  apoplexy,  on  the 
Sabbath,  July,  1806,  after  preaching  that  day.  This  church  afterwards 
became  extinct,  and  a  new  one  was  formed  June  17,  1834.  A  second 
was  organized  in  North  Wolfborough,  June  18, 1839.  The  Baptists  and 
the  Christians  had  previously  formed  churches  in  this  part  of  the  town. 
Alton  gave  this  town  a  portion  of  her  territory,  June  27,  1849. 

The  face  of  Wolfborough  is  even,  and  the  soil,  though  rocky,  is 
productive.  Smith's  river,  the  only  stream  in  town,  flows  from  a 
small  pond  of  the  same  name  in  the  southeast  part,  discharging  its 
waters  into  lake  Winnepesaukee.  Besides  the  pond  already  mentioned, 
there  are  four  others  —  Crooked,  Rust's,  Barton's,  and  Sargent's.     Near 

59* 


702 


UISTORY    ANB    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


one  of  tliese  ponds  is  a  spring,  the  waters  of  whicli  are  said  to  possess 
some  medicinal  qualities.  There  are  four  small  villages  —  Smith's 
Bridge  (situated  near  where  the  bridge  crosses  Smith's  river),  South 
Wolf  borough,   North  Wolfborough,  and  Wolfborough  Centre,  each  of 


which  has  a  post-office.  The  view  here  given  is  of  the  village  first 
named,  which  is  the  principal  one  in  town.  It  is  situated  upon  both  sides 
of  Smith's  pond  and  its  outlet  into  tlie  lake,  which  is  just  out  of  the 
view  upon  the  left.  There  are  six  clmrch  edifices  —  two  Congregational, 
one  Christian,  one  Baptist,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Union;  an  acad- 
emy, with  funds  to  the  amount  of  $5,000 ;  and  fifteen  school  districts : 
also,  a  woollen  blanket  factory,  employing  twenty-five  hands  ;  four  shoe 
factories,  employing  forty  workmen  ;  three  tann(^ries,  a  saw-mill,  grist- 
mill, shingle  mill,  several  stores,  and  one  bank  with  a  capital  of  $75,000. 
Population,  2,038  ;  valuation,  §665,182. 


Woodstock,  near  the  centre  of  Grafton  county,  sixty-two  miles  from 
Concord,  was  granted,  September  23,  1763,  to  Eli  Demerritt,  under  the 
name  of  Peeling,  which  was  subsecjuently  changed  to  Fairfield,  and 
again  to  Peeling:  this  name  was  altered  to  the  present  one  in  1840. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  by  John  Riant  and  others  about  the 
year  1773.       Among    tlie    names  of   the    early  settlers   were    Lindsay, 


NEW   HAMPSfflRE  —  TOWN   OP   WOODSTOCK.  703 

Osgood,  Barron,  Russel,  and  Bickford.  The  Baptists  and  Free-will 
Baptists  are  the  prevailing  denominations. 

The  surface  of  Woodstock  is  varied,  —  being  somewhat  mountain- 
ous. The  eastern  part  is. intersected  by  the  Pemigewasset  river,  the 
three  branches  of  which  form  a  junction  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town.  Elbow  pond  lies  near  the  centre,  Russel's  pond  in  the  east,  and 
McLellan's  pond  in  the  southeast  part.  Woodstock  is  noted  for  its 
beautiful  mountain  scenery.  In  the  southwest  is  Cushman's  mountain, 
in  the  northwest  Black  mountain,  and  in  the  west  Blue  mountain, 
which  are  of  considerable  height,  and,  with  the  other  features  of  the 
landscape,  present  a  grand  and  picturesque  appearance.  There  is  a 
beautiful  cascade  in  Moosilauke  brook,  the  waters  of  which  pass 
noiselessly  over  a  rocky  bed  smooth  as  glass,  or  fall  over  a  precipice  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  feet.  Near  the  road  to  Franconia  is  the 
Grafton  Mineral  Spring,  much  resorted  to  for  its  curative  properties. 
Near  the  base  of  one  of  the  mountains  is  a  rare  natural  curiosity,  called 
the  Ice  House,  which  runs  underground  a  number  of  feet,  and  is  ca- 
pable of  holding  three  hundred  people.  It  is  divided  into  several  com- 
partments, the  sides  and  partition-walls  being  of  a  granitic  formation. 
Ice  exists  here  during  the  whole  summer  season;  hence  the  name 
which  has  been  given  to  it. 

The  town  contains  three  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist, 
and  Second  Advent ;  three  school  districts,  with  six  schools ;  and  one 
post-office.  A  corporation,  called  the  Merrimac  River  Lumbering 
Company,  has  been  formed,  employing  about  150  men  in  cutting 
lumber  during  the  winter  season,  which  is  transported  during  the  spring 
freshets  down  the  Pemigewasset  to  Lowell ;  besides  which  there  are  six 
saw,  shingle,  and  clapboard  mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  large  tannery,  and 
two  stores.     Population,  418 ;  valuation,  $127,300. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

VERMONT  — OUTLINES   OF  ITS  HISTORY. 

Vermont  is  situated  between  the  parallels  of  42°  44'  and  45°,  north 
latitude,  and  between  the  meridians  of  71°  25'  and  73°  26'  of  longi- 
tude w^est  from  Greenwich.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Canada 
East ;  on  the  south  by  Massachusetts  ;  on  the  east  by  New  Hampshire  ; 
and  on  the  west  partly  by  New  York  and  partly  by  Lake  Champlain, 
the  line  following  the  deepest  channel  of  the  lake ;  containing  an  area 
of  9,056^  square  miles,  or  5,795,960  acres. 

The  first  European  explorers  that  penetrated  the  mountain  fastnesses 
of  this  state  were  three  Frenchmen  —  Champlain,  Dupont,  and  Chau- 
vin  —  who  had  been  left,  by  De  Monts,  at  St.  Croix,  for  the  purpose 
of  exploring  the  country  preparatory  to  its  colonization,^  upon  which 
hazardous  enterprise  they  entered  soon  after  the  return  of  De  Monts  to 
France.  For  the  purpose  of  facilitating  their  labors,  the  friendship  of 
the  Algonquins  was  gained,  and  a  party  of  them  hired  to  pilot  the 
explorers  through  the  wilds  of  the  hostile  Iroquois,  —  the  Frenchmen 
promising  the  former,  as  compensation,  assistance  in  their  wars  with 
the  latter  nation.  They  followed  the  old  war  path  of  the  Algonquins, 
which  led  them  down  the  eastern  margin  of  the  lake  that  now  bears 
the  name  of  its  discoverer  and  the  leader  of  the  expedition — Champlain. 
This  discovery  and  partial  exploration  were  made  as  early  as  1609 ; 
but  it  is  quite  certain,  that,  after  this  event,  more  than  a  century  elapsed 
before  any  portion  of  the  territory  of  Vermont  became  the  residence  of 
civilized  inhabitants.  During  the  seventeenth  century,  and  for  many 
years  afterwards,  it  was  exclusively  a  theatre  of  war,  whereon  the 
Algonquin  tribes  of  New  England  and  Canada  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  powerful  Iroquois  on  the  other,  were  wont   to    mingle   in  deadly 

'  See  ante,  p.  10. 

(705) 


706  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENSLAND. 

conflict.  A  bitter  feud  always  subsisted  between  these  two  nations,  and 
terminated  only  with  their  extinction.  They  delighted  in  scenes  of 
havoc  and  cruelty  of  the  most  appalling  character,  and  used  every 
occasion  to  gratify  their  savage  propensity. 

In  1664,  the  Dutch  settlement  of  New  Netherlands  was  surrendered 
to  the  English,  and  its  name  changed  to  New  York;   at  which  time 
the  territory  of  Vermont  was    an   unbroken  wilderness,   not  only  trav- 
ersed by  the  war  and  hunting  parties  of  the  Mohawks  and  Algonquins, 
but  —  being   situated  nearly  equidistant  from  the  French  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  English  on  the  other,  either  across  the  mountains  or  by 
way  of  Lake  Champlain — also  constantly  exposed  to  the  depredations 
of  the  subjects  of  these  two  nations.     The  settlement  of  it  was  there- 
fore shunned  by  both  as  being  dangerous   and   impracticable;    and  it 
remained,  until  the  fall  of  Canada  in  1760,  uninhabited,  except  by  the 
military  garrisons   of  these  jealous   nations,  who  kept  sleepless  watch 
upon  each  other's  movements.     The  first  civilized  estabUshment  within 
the   limits   of   Vermont  was   made   in    1724,  by  the  erection  of   Fort 
Dummer  (then  supposed  to  be  within  Massachusetts),  in  the  southeast 
corner   of  the    present   town   of  Brattleborough.       Though  this  could 
be  considered  little,  if  any  thing,  more  than  a  military  occupation,  it 
was   in   reality   the   precursor   of    its    settlement.       Expeditions    were 
detailed   from   this   fort,   and   from    Charlestown,    N.    H.,    against   the 
French ;  and  the  men  who  composed  them,  with  an  eye  to  the  future, 
noticed   the  fertiUty  of  the   lands  between  the   Connecticut  river  and 
Lake  Champlain,  and  treasured  their  knowledge  till  after  years,  when 
peace  might  recall  them  from  their  warlike  pursuits  to  the  more  pleasant 
and   profitable   one   of  husbandry.     As  soon    as   peace  was    declared, 
swarms  of  adventurers  began  to  immigrate  from  year  to  year ;  and  so 
great  was  this  tide  of  immigration,  that,  between  the  years  1760  and 
1768,  no  less  than  138  townships  had  been  granted  in   this  section  of 
country  by  the  state  of   New  Hampshire,  extending  far  up    the   Con- 
necticut river  and  westerly  to  Lake  Champlain. 

These  grants  had  been  made  by  the  authority  of  New  Hampshire,  to 
which  the  territory  was  supposed  rightfully  to  belong.  Benning  Went- 
worth  was  governor,  and  was  acquiring  a  princely  fortune  by  the  terms 
on  which  he  made  these  grants  to  settlers  ;  for,  besides  the  fees  and  other 
emoluments  that  pertained  to  his  ofhce,  he  reserved  to  himself  five  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  each  township.  The  enormous  wealth  thus  rapidly 
accruing  to  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire  excited  the  cupidity  of  the 
government  of  New  York  to  such  a  degree  that  they  determined  to 
make  an  effort  to  take  the  territory  of  Vermont  within  their  jurisdic- 


VERMONT  —  OUTLINES    OF   ITS   HISTORY.  707 

tion.i  Their  idea  was  to  revive  old  patents  long  buried  in  obscurity, 
placing  such  construction  upon  them  as  suited  the  necessities  of  the 
case,  and  to  present  them  so  adroitly  as  to  deceive  the  king  and  council 
into  granting  a  decree  in  favor  of  their  claim.  Failing  in  this,  other 
plausible  pretexts  were  to  be  set  up ;  but,  in  the  event  of  the  unsuc- 
cessful termination  of  all  their  insidious  mancEuvring,  force  was  to  be 
the  final  resort.  The  lieutenant-governor  of  New  York  disclosed  his 
purposes  on  the  28th  of  December,  1763,  by  issuing  a  proclamation,  in 
which  he  recited  the  grants  made  by  Charles  II.  to  the  Duke  of  York 
in  1664  and  1674  (almost  a  century  previous),  which  embraced,  besides 
other  lands,  all  those  from  the  west  side  of  Connecticut  river  to  the 
east  side  of  Delaware  bay.  Upon  this  antiquated  grant  he  founded 
his  claim  to  jurisdiction  over  the  present  state  of  Vermont ;  and,  under 
its  real  or  pretended  authority,  he  ordered  the  sheriff  of  the  county  of 
Albany  to  make  returns  of  the  names  of  all  persons  who  had  taken 
possession  of  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut  under  titles 
derived  from  the  government  of  New  Hampshire. 

To  prevent  the  effect  this  proclamation  was  calculated  to  produce, 
the  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  about  two  months  subsequently, 
March  13,  1764,  issued  a  counter  proclamation,  in  which  he  declared 
the  grant  to  the  Duke  of  York  obsolete,  and  maintained  the  claim  of 
New  Hampshire ;  assuring  the  settlers,  that,  in  the  event  of  a  change 
in  the  jurisdiction  of  the  grants,  it  would  be  a  matter  of  small  moment 
to  them,  as  it  could  not  affect  the  validity  of  their  titles.  The  author- 
ities of  New  York,  having  little  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  the  patent  to 
the  Duke  of  York,  and  fearful  lest  the  golden  prize  they  so  much  cov- 
eted might  be  forever  placed  beyond  their  reach  by  some  act  of  the 
king  and  council,  resolved  —  however  reprehensible  the  means  they 
adopted  might  appear  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  —  to  make  such  a  bold 
and  specious  stroke  of  policy  as  would  bring  conviction  to  the  minds 
of  the  home  government,  and  secure  to  themselves  the  darling  object 
of  their  ambition.  Accordingly,  a  spurious  petition  to  the  crown  was 
gotten  up,  purporting  to  be  signed  by  a  great  number  of  the  settlers  on 

'  It  ouglit  perhaps  to  be  remarked  at  the  outset,  in  giving  an  account  of  the  contro- 
versy between  New  York  and  the  grants,  that  the  cupidity  of  officials  was,  at  first,  no 
doubt,  a  leading  motive  to  the  action  of  the  authorities  of  the  province  of  New  York.  It 
would,  however,  be  unjust  to  charge  the  province  with  their  wrongful  acts ;  and  when  the 
government  of  New  York  had  assumed  a  popular  fonn,  both  parties  had  become  too 
much  excited  to  be  capable  of  viewing  the  question  in  a  spirit  of  justice  and  candor.  The 
difficulties  which  the  government  of  New  York  met  in  finding  a  sufficient  number  of 
men  to  execute  its  arbitrary  decrees  within  the  territory  of  the  grants,  show  how  little 
the  peojjle  of  New  York  entered  into  the  feelings  and  purposes  of  the  rulers. 


708  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  New  Hampshire    grants,  representing   that  it  would   be  for   their 
advantage  to  be  annexed  to  the  colony  of  New  York.     In  consequence 
of  this  fraudulent  petition  urged  by  New  York,  and,  too,  without  re- 
monstrance on  the  part  of  New  Hampshire,  and  not  by  virtue  of  any 
previous  grant,  "  his  Majesty  "  ordered,  on  the  20th  of  July,  1764,  that 
the  western  bank   of  the   Connecticut  river,  from  where  it   enters  the 
province   of   Massachusetts,  as  far   north    as   the  forty-fifth    degree    of 
latitude,  should  be  the  boundary  line  between  the   provinces  of   New 
York  and   New  Hampshire.      When  this  decision  of  the  crown  was 
received  by  the  people  on  the  grants,  their  surprise  may  well  be  imag- 
ined ;  but  it  caused  no  alarm,  as  they  regarded  it  simply  as  a  change  of 
jurisdiction,   and  accordingly  submitted,  —  the  thought  never  entering 
their  minds  that  this  change  could,  in  any  possible  way,  affect  the  titles 
to  their  lands.      The  governor  of   New   Hampshire   at  first   protested 
against  this  order  of  the  king  ;  but  was  at  length  induced  to  abandon 
the  contest,  and  issued  a  proclamation  recommending  to  the   propri- 
etors and  settlers  due  obedience  to  the  authority  and  laws  of  the  colony 
of  New  York. 

The  controversy  now  began  to  wear  an  ominous  aspect.  New 
Hampshire  having  retired  from  the  contest.  New  York,  in  the  pride  of 
her  power  and  exulting  in  the  triumph  of  her  injustice,  imagined  that 
she  could  easily  subjugate  the  settlers,  over  whom  her  colonial  jurisdic- 
tion had  been  extended,  and  supposed  that  every  arbitrary  mandate  from 
her  would  be  respectfully,  if  not  cheerfully,  obeyed.  Enactment  suc- 
ceeded enactment  from  her  haughty  and  imperious  assembly,  wresting 
from  the  settlers  right  after  right  and  privilege  after  privilege,  looking, 
in  the  end,  to  an  abject  subjugation.  She  cared  not  how^  much  the 
settlers  were  exasperated  by  her  acts:  she  was  powerful,  they  were 
weak,  was  the  argument ;  and,  even  should  opposition  be  manifested 
by  her  adopted  children,  she  relied  confidently  upon  the  pliant  rod  of 
her  courts  to  bring  the  refractory  ones  into  subjection ;  but  this  failing, 
she  felt  quite  sure  that  one  blow  from  the  military  arm  would  annihilate 
every  element  of  discord.  But  as  "  pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and 
a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall,"  so  New  York,  in  every  step  of  her  career, 
met  with  the  most  decided  failure.  The  home  government  having 
learned  the  condition  of  affairs,  and  probably  apprehensive  of  the 
troubles  in  which  it  might  become  involved  by  the  rash  policy  of  New 
York,  warned  her  to  desist  upon  pain  of  the  king's  highest  dis- 
pleasure. But  New  York,  in  her  greed  for  the  spoils,  overlooked  or 
purposely  paid  no  attention  to  the  king's  warning.  The  settlers  peti- 
tioned the  government  of  New  Hampshire  to  intercede  with  the  crown 
in  their  behalf;  and,  in  fact,  used  all  proper  available  means  to  extricate 


VERMONT OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  709 

themselves  from  the  rapacity  of  the  New  York  government  which, 
like  the  serpent  after  having  secured  its  prey,^  was  winding  coil  after 
coil  around  them,  and  would,  if  possible,  finally  crush  them  in  its 
mighty  folds;  but  no  help  came.  They  were  not  dismayed,  however, 
though  their  circumstances  were  exceedingly  trying;  but  resolved  to 
act  on  the  defensive,  and  with  a  manly  courage  protect  their  homes. 
About  this  time,  Ethan  Allen,  afterwards  so  distinguished,  entered  upon 
the  arena  of  public  life,  and  undertook  the  defence  of  the  settlers.  He 
soon  learned,  however,  that  the  courts  of  New  York  were  as  corrupt 
and  venal  as  the  government.  .  Partisan  judges  and  packed  juries  held 
the  scales  of  justice  with  sucih  an  Unequal  hand  as  to  make  them 
preponderate  in  favor  of  New  York,  so  that  the  settlers  on  the  grants 
invariably  lost  every  case,  no  matter  how  overwhelming  the  evidence 
on  their  side.  New  York,  when  she  had  estimated  the  weakness  of  the 
settlers  in  point  of  numbers,  as  well  as  in  tact,  skill,  and  courage,  had 
reckoned  without  her  host.  It  is  true,  they  were  numerically  few ;  but 
courage  and  physical  prowess,  tact  in  the  management  of  a  great 
struggle,  and  indomitable  energy  in  following  it  out  to  a  successful 
issue.  New  York  afterwards  learned,  to  her  cost,  were  elementary  char- 
acteristics of  the  people.!  Allen  returned  from  court,  not  dispirited,  but, 
seeing  no  possible  chance  of  adjustment,  rather  strengthened  for  the 
conflict.  He  called  to  his  council  the  daring  and  the  brave  from  every 
part  of  the  grants.  Seth  Warner,  Remember  Baker,  Robert  Cochran, 
Gideon  Warner,  and  other  true  spirits,  gathered  around  him;  and, 
notwithstanding  the  people  were  already  goaded  to  desperation,  Allen, 
after  his  unsuccessful  eflbrts  with  the  New  York  courts,  fanned  the 
flame  of  excitement  and  increased  the  tumult  of  popular  indignation. 
New  York  sent  over  her  officials  to  execute  her  laws ;  but  no  sooner 
had  they  crossed  the  line  and  entered  the  grants  than  they  were  seized 
by  the  populace,  stripped,  tied  to  a  tree,  and  whipped  without  mercy. 
The  scions  of  the  blue  beech  were  used  on  these  occasions,  and  the 
potency  of  these  flagellations  was  manifest,  as  no  "  Yorker,"  after  once 
experiencing  them,  ever  had  the  temerity  again  to  cross  the  line  on. 
official  business.^     In  May,  1772,  New  York  made  overtures  of  peace. 

'  This  "  struggle  was  not  merely  about  the  price  of  land,  but  a  conflict  between  New . 
England  and  New  York  principles  —  those  of  the  Puritan  and  the  Patroon  ;  —  between 
our  township  system,  with  local  elections  and  taxes,  and  New  York  centralization."  — 
Address  before  the  Vermont  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society,  by  James  Davie  Butler, 

P4 

^  The  application  of  this  punishment  subsequently  acquired  the  name  of  the  "  beech 
seal,"  from  a  remark  made  by  Ethan  Allen  to  one  Hough,  a  New  York  official,  who  had 
received  a  well  merited  chastisement  by  this  process.     Hough  asked  for  a  certificate  to 

VOL.  I.  60 


710 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    E.VGLAND. 


Having  gained  notliiiig  thus  far,  she  seemed  desirous  of  covering  a 
retreat  by  changing  her  taciicrt  and  resorting  to  diplomatic  intrigue. 
Some  preliminary  arrangements  towards  pacification  were  made  by 
Governor  Tryon  on  the  part  of  New  York,  and  a  commission  on  the 
part  of  Vermont ;  but  the  attemjjt  proved  in  the  end  abortive,  and 
seemed  only  to  have  widened  the  breach  and  increased  the  animosity 
between  the  contestants. 

The  discomfited  party,  rendered  desperate  b\-  repeated  failure,  but 
desiring  to  carry  out  their  reprehensible  proceedings  under  the  cloak 
of  law,  on  the  9th  of  March,  1774,  passed  a  statute,  acknowledged  to 
be  the  most  threatening  and  despotic  ever  issued  by  a  legislature  in 
North  America.  This  act  directed  the  governor  to  advertise  the  names 
of  the  rebel  leaders  in  the  New  York  Gazette  and  Weekly  Mercury, 
commanding  them  to  surrender  thentselvcs  within  thirty  days  from 
the  publication  thereof,  under  the  penalty  of  being  convicted  of  felony 
and  of  suffering  death  without  benefit  of  clergy. ^  These  were  Ethan 
AUen,  Seth  Warner,  Remember  Baker,  Robert  Cochran,  Peleg  Sun- 
derland, Silvanus  Brown,  James  Breakenridge,  and  John  Smith.  A 
bounty  of  £150  was  offV-red  for  the  apprehension  of  Allen,  and  £-50  for 
each  of  the  others.  But  tliese  patriots,  determined  not  to  be  outdone  by 
theii-  enemies,  issued  a  proclamation  offering  £5  for  the  apprehension  of 
the  attorney-general  of  New  Y'ork,  payable  on  liis  delivery  to  any 
officer  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys.  This  violent  and  protracted 
controversy  was  suddenly  drop[)ed,  not  settled,  by  reason  of  the  por- 
tentous events  preceding  the  Revolution.  By  common  consent,  local 
feuds  were  buried  for  a  while  in  oblivion,  that  all  classes  of  poojile 
might  lend  their  best  energies  1o  that  struggle. 

In  January,  1776,  a  convention  assembled  at  Dorf?«t,  and  drafted  a 
petition  for  admission  into  the  confederacy,  which  was  soon  after  sent 
to  the  provincial  congress  at  Philadelphia,  but  finally  witjidrawn,  on 
account  of  the  preponderating  influence  which  was  brought  again.st  it 
by  New  York.  Congress  was  cvidentl}-  desirous  of  standing  aloof  from 
the  controvrr>y,  and  leaving  it  to  the  settlement  of  the  parties  them- 
selves;  but,  in  the  event  of  a  decision  being  forced  upon  them,  it  was 
manifest  that  they  would  rather  sacrifice  Vermont  than  create  a  rupture 
with  New  Y^ork.  Had  Vermont  possessed  a  colonial  existence,  under 
a  charter  from  the  crown,  like  the   other  colonics,  the   case  would    have 

secure  liim  safe  passai;c  through  the  grants,  and  AUen,  on  handing  it  to  him,  said  tliat  it, 
"  together  with  the  receipt  on  liis  bai  k,  would,  no  doubt,  be  admitted  as  legal  c-\-idcnce 
before  the  supreme  court  of  Xcw  York,  where  the  sign  manual  of  His  Exeellencv  Gov- 
ernor AVentworth  with  the  great  ^(■al  of  the  province  of  jSiew  Hampshire  would  not." 
'  Slade's  Vermont  State  Pap(Ts,  p.  37,  4S. 


VERMONT — OUTLINES   OF   ITS  HISTORY.  711 

been  materially  altered.  Early  in  the  following  jear,  1777,  whicli  was 
the  most  memorable  and  incomparably  the  most  trying  and  gloomy,  as 
well  as  the  most  glorious,  of  her  history,  Vermont  declared  her  inde- 
pendence, and,  in  July  of  the  same  j'^ear,  drafted  her  constitution,  again 
demanding  admission  into  the  confederacy,  which,  it  was  confidently 
expected,  would  be  acceded  to,  and  an  end  thus  be  put  to  the  harassing 
imbroglio  with  New  York.  But  disappointment  awaited  them,- — a 
disappointment  the  pain  and  mortification  of  which  could  only  be 
exceeded  by  the  impoUcy  and  injustice  of  the  neglect  which  had  occa- 
sioned it.  Congress  refused  to  acknowledge  the  rights  of  Vermont, 
notwithstanding  her  agents,  by  pointing  out  the  critical  condition  of  the 
state  and  its  exposure  to  the  main  force  of  the  enemy  in  Canada,  con- 
clusively proved  the  necessity  of  immediate  action  in  the  premises. 
This  vacillating  policy  was  rapidly  dissipating  from  the  minds  of  the 
people  all  faith  in  the  virtue  and  integrity  df  that  body ;  still,  that  it 
might  be  patent  to  the  world  that  Vermont  was  not  at  fault,  the 
assembly  appointed  agents  with  full  powers  to  complete  arrangements 
for  the  admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union.  Meanwhile,  New  York 
was  improving  the  time  to  influence  congress  to  recognize  her  claim 
to  a  part  of  the  territory,  on  which  conditioli  she  would  agree  to 
Vermdnt's  -admission.  But  the  people  of  the  latter  state  had  gone  too 
far  to  accede  to  such  a  proposal :  they  had  established  their  government 
on  too  firm  a  basis  to  be  moved  from  their  purpose,  either  by  the  devices 
of  New  York  or  the  tergiversations  of  congress. 

Finding  herself  neglected  on  every  hand,  and,  as  it  were,  a  found- 
ling to  whom  her  parent  refused  protection,  she  resolved  to  maintain 
the  integrity  of  her  government  isolated  from  the  confederation;  and, 
amid  the  storinv  eleinenls  then  gathering  around  the  political  horizon 
of  the  country,  to  unfurl  her  flag  of  freedom,  and,  in  the  majesty  of  her 
independence,  command  that  justice  for  which  she  had  hitherto  peti- 
tioned in  vain.  The  British  generals  in  America  had  not  remained 
passive  spectators  of  the  cavalier  treatment  which  Vermont  had  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  those  with  whom  she  earnestly  desired  to 
cooperate  ;  and  were  anxious  to  detach  her  from  the  American  cause, 
and  convert  the  territory  into  a  British  province.  The  first  intimation 
which  Vermont  received  of  this  fact  was  in  July,  1780,  when  a  letter, 
offering  the  protection  of  England  to  the  rejected  state,  was  received 
by  Ethan  Allen  from  Colonel  Beverly  Robinson  (a  British  officer), 
which  was  handed  him  in  the  str<H-ts  of  Arlington,  by  an  English  sol- 
dier disguised  as  an  American  farmer.  When  all  ideas  of  the  future 
recosjnition  of  the  claims  of  Vermont  bv  the  United  States  had  been 


"^12  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

wellnigh  dispelled  from  the  minds  of  the  people,  —  of  which  circum- 
stance the  British  were  fully  apprised, — these  overtures  were  renewed 
in  more  urgent  and  flattering  terms  than  before,  and  were  received  by 
the  leading  men  of  Vermont  with  some  degree  of  attention.  Though 
this  policy  of  thus  listening  to  the  English  has  been  condemned  by 
some  writers  in  the  most  unmeasured  terms,  it  must  be  admitted,  that, 
considering  the  circumstances  in  which  the  people  of  Vermont  were 
placed,  they  adopted  a  course  both  wise  and  just.  Rejected  by  con- 
gress on  one  side,  threatened  with  dismemberment  on  another,  and 
exposed  to  the  invasion  of  a  powerful  army  on  a  third,  there  was  but 
one  course  for  them  to  pursue  to  save  the  independence  of  their  state, 
which  had  ever  been  to  them  an  object  of  earnest  solicitude,  and  to 
preserve  inviolate  the  rights  of  which,  they  had  more  than  once  run 
the  hazard  of  life.  While  they  hated  the  dominion  of  England  much, 
they  hated  that  of  New  'York  more  ;  and,  therefore,  with  that  diplo- 
matic shrewdness  which  had  characterized  their  previous  proceedings, 
they  did  not  entirely  despair  of  a  union  with  the  United  States,  nor 
actually  embrace  the  overtures  of  the  British.  The  motives  of  con- 
gress with  regard  to  New  Yorlc  were  self-protection ;  those  of  Vermont 
in  respect  to  England  were  the  same,  —  she  having,  by  her  artful  policy, 
averted  invasion  for  three  years,  not  only  from  her  own  borders,  but 
from  those  of  the  United  States.  Those  therefore  that  condemn  her 
statesmen  for  the  course  they  pursued  in  this  intrigue,  do,  wittingly  or 
unwittingly,  dishonor  the  memory  of  men  who  were  among  the  most 
indomitable  enemies  of  oppression  arid  tyranny,  and  the  most  ardent 
and  active  friends  of  rational  liberty  whom  this  or  any  other  country 
has  produced.  That  either  Ethan  or  Ira  Allen  or  Thomas  Chittenden, 
or  either  of  the  Fays  or  Robinsons,  or  indeed  any  of  the  leading  men 
of  Vermont,  previously  to  her  admission  into  the  Union,  ever  seriously 
contemplated  an  alliance  with  Great  Britain,  is,  now  that  the  facts  are 
before  us,  too  preposterous  for  a  moment's  belief;  especially,  as  it  is 
well  known  that  the  correspondence  was  from  time  to  time  communi- 
cated to  General  Washington  by  Allen  and  his  friends. 

Among  the  early  statesmen  of  Vermont,  few  probably  watched  the 
course  of  events  with  more  sagacity  and  vigilance,  or  felt  a  more  intense 
solicitude  for  the  state,  than  Governor  Chittenden.  After  the  resolution 
of  congress  of  August  20,  1781,  prescribing  the  boundaries  under  which 
it  would  admit  Vermont,  he  received  a  verbal  message  from  General 
Washington  inquiring  what  were  the  real  designs,  wishes,  and  inten- 
tions of  the  people  of  Vermont ;  — whether  they  would  be  satisfied  with 
the  independence  proposed  in  said  resolution,  or  seriously  thou<Tht  of 


YERMOXT OUTLINES    OF   ITS    HISTORY.  71o 

joining  the  enemy  and  becoming  a  British  province.  The  corre- 
spondence 1  which  pat;:<cd  between  them  on  this  subject  is  thought  to 
have  made  it  more  evident  that  Vermont  had  no  real  disposition  for  a 
British  alliance. 

On  the  conclusion  of  peace,  congress  was  in  a  measure  relieved  from 
its  embarrassments  with  regard  to  Vermont,  and  the  latter  was  released, 
in  a  great  degree,  from  her  fears,  the  British  army  upon  her  northern 
frontier,  whose  eflbrts  had  been  so  long  paralyzed  by  her  diplomacy, 
having  been  withdrawn.  The  political  institutions  of  Vermont  had 
been  gradually  maturing,  and  the  organization  of  her  government  had 
assumed  a  regularity  and  e/Tlciency  which  commanded  the  obedience 
and  respect  of  the  great  body  of  the  citizens ;  hence  she  cared  very  little 
what  congress  might  do,  feeling  fully  confident  of  her  ability  to  man- 
age her  own  affairs.  She  was  not  unmindful  of  the  general  state  of 
the  country.  The  United  States  were  without  a  currency,  and  their 
credit  gone ;  while  an  immense  debt  had  been  contracted  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  the  war.  As  long,  therefore,  as  Vermont  remained  a  sep- 
arate government,  she  could  not  be  called  upon  to  share  the  burdens 
thus  accumulated  and  accumulating  ;  hence  she  almost  ceased  to  regard 
her  admission  into  the  Union  as  an  event  to  be  desired,  or  as  calculated 
to  better  her  condition.  In  1790,  New  York  again  revived  the  old  con- 
troversy ;  but  with  a  desire  for  its  settlement.  She  proposed  to  Vermont, 
that,  upon  the  payment  of  !?30,000,  she  would  relinquish  all  claims  to 
lands  in,  or  jurisdiction  over,  the  state,  which  terms  Vermont  accepted 
and  complied  with.  Tims  terminated  one  of  the  bitterest  feuds  in  the 
aimals  of  our  country, —  one  which  had  been  nourished  for  the  period 
of  twenty-sLx  years.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1791,  all  obstacles  being 
now  removed,  Vermont  was  admitted,  as  the  fourteenth  state,  into  the 
Union. 

In  reviewing  this  dispute,  although  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
Green  Mountain  Boys  committed  many  rude  anfl  lawless  acts,  their 
sturdy  resistance  can  but  be  admired.  Being  the  oppressed  party,  the 
wisdom  and  courage  with  which  they  contended  against  superior  poAver, 

'  Governor  Chittenden  wrote  a  very  unequivocal  and  decisive  answer  to  General 
Washington  —  of  which  unfortunately  no  copy  is  now  to  be  found  —  on  the  14th  of  No- 
vember, in  which  he  said  that  no  people  on  tlie  continent  were  more  attached  to  the 
cause  of  America  than  the  people  of  Vermont;  but  that  they  would  sooner  join  the 
British  in  Canada  than  submit  to  the  government  of  New  York ;  that,  driven  to  des- 
peration by  the  injustice  of  those  who  should  have  been  her  friends,  Vermont  was  now 
obliged  to  adopt  policy  in  the  room  of  power.  He  ascribed  the  late  resolution  of  congress, 
not  to  the  influence  of  friends,  but  tlie  power  of  enemies,  believing  that  Lord  (Jermain's 
letter  had  procured  that  which  the  public  virtue  of  the  people  could  not  obtain. 

60* 


714  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  the  firm  adherence  which  they  maintained,  under  their  ungracious 
treatment,  to  the  cause  of  freedom  and  their  common  country,  are  de- 
serving of  warm  commendation.  Nor  ought  we  to  overlook  the  impor- 
tance of  the  result  to  the  general  interest  of  the  Northern  states,  which 
the  admission  of  Vermont  strengthened,  by  adding  two  members  to  the 
representation  of  those  states  in  the  United  States  senate.  It  more- 
over gave  to  the  people  of  Vermont  a  feeling  of  political  independence 
and  responsibility,  \vhich,  in  the  condition  of  remote  counties  of  a  great 
state,  they  would  never  have  acquired  in  their  separate  existence,  and 
which  has  often  made  itself  felt  in  a  way  very  advantageous  to  the 
credit  and  the  common  good  of  the  New  England  states,  and,  indeed, 
the  whole  Union.  The  desirableness  of  this  relation  was,  no  doubt, 
secretly  felt  by  the  people  of  Vermont,  although  cold  treatment  from 
congress  for  a  time  produced,  naturally  enough,  an  affectation  of 
indifference;  while  to  her  sister  states  the  relation  seemed  no  less  nec- 
essary, in  securing  the  cooperation  of  a  people  on  the  frontier  who  had 
become  renowned  for  their  valor  and  patriotism. 

Notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  and  embarrassing  position  that  the 
people  of  Vermont  occupied  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  they 
early  manifested  their  willingness  to  take  an  active  part  in  its  prosecu- 
tion ;  for,  four  weeks  previous  to  the  battle  of  Lexington,  they  assured 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  of  their  readiness  to  cooperate 
with  those  states.^  The  importance  of  capturing  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  was  not  lost  sight  of  by  the  Green  Mountain  Boys ;  and, 
before  the  arrival  of  Benedict  Arnold  with  his  men  from  Connecticut, 
Ethan  Allen,  Seth  Warner,  and  their  hardy  followers,  were  deliberating 
upon  a  project  to  surprise  those  fortresses.  When,  therefore,  Arnold 
came  to  Bennington,  he  found  men  ready  for  his  pm-pose,  though  they 
refused  to  act  under  his  command,  preferring  that  of  their  old  leaders. 
On  the  10th  of  May,  1775,  before  daybreak.  Colonel  Allen,  by  adroit- 
ness and  stratagemflanded  with  eighty-three  men  upon  the  shore  at 
Ticonderoga,  entered  the  fort,  disarmed  the  sentinels,  and,  before  the 
commander  was  dressed,  appeared  before  him,  and  demanded  the  sur- 
render of  the  fort.  "  By  what  authority  ?  "  asked  the  disconcerted  and 
astonished  officer.  "  I  demand  it,"  said  Allen,  "  in  the  name  of  the 
Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress."  Captain  De  Laplace 
was  ignorant  of  Allen's  authority,  and  of  the  commencement  of  hos- 
tilities at  Ijcxington,  but  had  no  other  choice  than  to  accede,  and  he 
did  so.  Colonel  Scth  Warner  and  his  party,  on  the  same  day,  cap- 
tured Crown  Point,   while   another    party  toolc    possession    of   Skenes- 

^  Blade's  Vermont  State  Papers,  p.  59. 


VERMONT — OUTLINES   OF   ITS   HISTOEY.  715 

borough,  now  Whitehall,  N.  Y.  This  victory  was  unimportant  so 
far  as  related  to  the  prisoners  of  war,  there  being  not  more  than  eighty 
men  in  the  two  garrisons  ;  but  a  large  number  of  cannon  were  captured, 
and  considerable  munitions  of  war,  which  latter  did  good  service  at  the 
siege  of  Boston  and  elsewhere;  and  the  importance  of  the  fortresses 
as  the  key  alike  to  New  England  and  Canada  was  not  to  be  overlooked. 
To  the  Verraonters  belongs  most  of  the  glory  of  these  achievements,  — 
the  result  of  the  first  offensive  operations  in  the  Revolution,  —  performed 
with  great  daring,  and  without  the  aid  of  a  single  bayonet. 

On  the  invasion  of  Canada  under  Montgomery,  a  regiment  of  Green 
'  Mountain  Boys,  commanded  by  Colonel  Seth  Warner,  participated  in 
the  expedition.  Colonel  Ethan  Allen  was  also  engaged  in  these  opera- 
tions, and  commanded  one  of  the  detachments  sent  into  the  country 
to  pacify  and  make  terms  with  the  Canadians.  In  a  night  attack  pro- 
jected against  Montreal,  Allen  took  a  prominent  part,  the  result  of 
which  was  that  he  and  thirty-eight  of  his  men  were  taken  prisoners, 
while  fifteen  were  killed  and  several  wounded.  Colonel  Allen,  in  this 
attack,  was  to  be  assisted  by  Major  Brown ;  but  that  officer  failing  to 
appear,  Allen,  with  only  one  hundred  men,  assaulted  the  town,  and  was 
defeated  as  above  stated,  not,  however,  without  making  a  desperate  re- 
sistance.i  Seth  Warner  with  his  regiment  did  good  service  in  this  Can- 
ada expedition.  When  General  Carlton,  the  British  commander  in 
Canada,  attempted  to  join  Colonel  McLean  and  his  Highlanders,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Sorel  and  St.  Lawrence,  in  October,  1775,  Colonel  Warner 
intercepted  him,  opening  such  a  well-directed  fire  that  the  general  and  his 
men  were  obliged  to  retreat,  his  example  being  soon  after  followed  by 
Colonel  McLean,  who  left  his  position  unoccupied.  This  was  imme- 
diately taken  possession  of  by  Warner,  who  erected  batteries,  and  took 
such  other  means  of  offence  as  effectually  commanded  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  prevented  any  possibility  of  escape  for  vessels  from  Montreal. 
The  advantage  thus  gained  by  Colonel  Warner  led  to  the  capitulation, 
on  the  3d  of  November,  of  the  garrison  at  St.  John's.  In  most  of  the 
offensive  operations  of  the  campaign  against  Canada,  the  Green  Moun- 
tain Boys  took  a  prominent  part ;  and  in  the  projected  attack  on  Quebec 
a  large  number  of  men,  under  Warner,  were  present,  having  marched 
there  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  under  many  disadvantages ;  and  but 
for  the  presence  of  whom,  the  retreat  from  Canada  must  have  been 
even  more  disastrous. 

The  Americans  were  not  pursued  beyond  the  Sorel,  the  enemy  being 

'  Allen  and  his  men  were  sent  to  England  in  irons,  General  Carlton  refusing  to  ac- 
knowledge them  as  prisoners  of  war,  claiming  that  they  wore  banditti,  as  Allen  was  not  a 
commissioned  officer. 


716  HISTOEY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

destitute  of  a  naval  armament,  with  which,  however,  they  were  soon 
suppHed  from  England.  The  Americans  were  not  idle  in  the  interim, 
and  succeeded,  notwithstanding  many  obstacles,  in  refitting,  building,  and 
equipping  fifteen  vessels.  The  British  force  may  be  safely  set  down  as 
double  that  of  the  Americans  both  in  men  and  vessels,  while  the 
former  had  still  another  advantage  in  the  heavier  metal  of  their  guns. 
General  Arnold,  whose  nautical  experience  made  his  services  all  the 
more  important  in  this  sudden  transition  to  naval  warfare,  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  American  force,  most  of  the  vessels  being  managed 
by  officers  of  the  army.  On  the  11th  of  October  the  battle  was  com- 
menced upon  Lake  Champlain  by  the  British,  who  were  so  confident 
of  success  that  they  came  into  the  engagement  under  the  disadvantage 
of  an  adverse  wind.  The  contest  was  sustained  several  hours,  two  of 
the  British  gondolas  being  destroyed,  while  an  American  schooner  was 
burned  and  a  gondola  sunk.  Sixty  Americans  were  killed  or  wounded, 
and  the  British  acknowledged  a  loss  of  forty.  The  engagement  ceased 
for  that  day,  the  British  drawing  off  beyond  the  range  of  the  guns 
with  the  intention  of  renewing  the  fight  in  the  morning.  To  contend 
against  such  a  superior  force  was  fruitless,  and  General  Arnold,  unsus- 
pected by  the  enemy,  removed  his  force  during  the  night.  The  British, 
as  soon  as  they  discovered  the  stratagem,  gave  chase  ;  but  the  unfavor- 
able wind  gave  them  little  advantage,  the  only  thing  captured  being  one 
gondola,  though  the  Americans  abandoned  several  others,  which  were 
sunk  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  On  the 
13th,  the  contest  was  renewed.  Arnold  in  the  Congress  galley,  and 
General  Waterbury  in  the  Washington,  covered  the  retreat  of  the 
American  force;  though  the  latter,  on  account  of  being  disabled,  was 
compelled  to  strike.  Arnold,  in  the  Congress,  which  carried  ten  guns, 
was  engaged  at  one  time  with  three  ships  of  the  enemy,  mountino-  in 
all  forty-two  guns,  and  defended  himself  "like  a  lion,"  engagino-  them 
sufficiently  long  to  permit  the  escape  of  four  or  five  of  his  flotilla.  Sub- 
sequently he  succeeded  in  running  his  vessel  ashore  in  Otter  Creek; 
and,  after  landing  his  men,  blew  her  up  with  colors  flying.  In  this 
engagement,  the  Americans  lost  eleven  vessels  and  ninety  men;  the 
British,  one  vessel  blown  up,  two  sunk,  and  fifty  men.  Cooper,  in  his 
Naval  History  of  the  United  States,  thus  speaks  of  this  battle: 
"  Although  the  result  of  this  action  was  so  disastrous,  the  American 
arms  gained  much  credit  by  their  obstinate  resistance.  General  Arnold, 
in  particular,  covered  himself  with  glory,  and  his  example  appears  tJ 
have  been  nobly  followed  by  most  of  his  officers  and  men.  Even  the 
enemy  did  justice  to  the  resolution  and  skill  with  which  the  American 
flotilla  was  managed,  the  disparity  in  the  force  rendering  victory  out  of 


VERMONT — OUTLINES   OP   ITS   HISTORY  717 

the  question  from  the  first.  The  manner  in  which  the  Congress 
was  engaged  until  she  had  covered  the  retreat  of  the  galleys,  and 
the  stubborn  resolution  with  which  she  was  defended  until  destroyed, 
converted  the  disasters  of  this  part  of  the  day  into  a  species  of  tri- 
umph." 

The  people  of  Vermont  rendered  efficient  service  to   the  garrison  at 
Ticonderoga  by  forwarding  them  supplies  of  flour,  at  a  time,  too,  when 
they  had  only  bread  enough  for  sixteen  days,  and  were  hourly  expecting 
an  attack.     On  the   6th  of  July,  1777,  the   Americans,  under  General 
St.   Clair,  evacuated  Ticonderoga,  in  consequence    of  the  presence  of 
Burgoyne,  who  detached  a  portion  of  his  command  for  the  purpose  of 
pursuing   them  :   this    came   up    with  the  Americans    at    Hubbardton, 
where  a  desperate  encounter  took  place,  in  which  the  Americans  were 
routed.!     The  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  filled  the  people 
of  Vermont  with  alarm,  exposed  as  they  were  to  the  encroachments  of 
the  British,  destitute  of  protection,  and  of  the  means  of  securing  it. 
In  this  desperate  emergency  they  appealed  to  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  for  aid,  and  the  latter  placed  a  large  force  at  their  disposal, 
under   John    Stark,   who   was    commissioned    as   brigadier-general,    he 
having   previously  resigned  his  commission  in  the  continental  army, 
feeling   that   his   labors   were    not   appreciated  by  congress.      General 
Stark    first  halted  at  Manchester  with  his  troops,  numbering  fourteen 
hundred  men,  six  hundred  of  whom  were  Green  Mountain  Boys  under 
Colonel  Seth  Warner ;  ^  and  next,  disregarding  the  orders  of  General 
Schuyler,  who  directed  him  to  join  the  army  on  the  west  of  Hudson's 
river,  collected  his  troops  at  Bennington,  leaving  Colonel   Warner  at 
Manchester.     General   Burgoyne,  with  the  main  body  of  the   British 
army,    lay    at    Fort    Edward.       From    this   force    Burgoyne   detached 
Colonel  Baum  with  about  1,500  Germans  and  one  hundred  Indians, 
for  the   purpose  of  scouring  Vermont  as  far  as  Connecticut  River,  and 
"  trying  the  affections  of  the  country."    He  was  also  to  "  cross  the  moun- 
tains to  Rockingham  and  Brattleborougb,  and  bring  thirteen  hundred 
horses  or  more,"  as  well  as  cattle,  for  labor  and  provisions,  returning  to 
the  army  with  his  booty  within  fourteen  days.     Directions  were  likewrise 
given  to  Baum  to  tell  the  people  that  his  detachment  was  the  advance 
guard  of  the  British  army,  which  was  marching  to  Boston.     The  "  affec- 
tions of  the  people  "  were  found  to  be  very  different  from  what  had  been 

'  See  article  on  Hubbardton. 

'  These  troops  were  raised  by  tlio  Committee  of  Safety  of  Vermont,  after  a  long  and 
most  gloomy  session,  at  the  sug!;estion  of  Ira  Allen,  by  the  confiscation  of  flie  estates  of 
torles,  a  practice  which  this  state  was  the  first  to  adopt,  and  which  was  deemed  at  the 
time  of  doubtful  expediency,  but  afterwards  generally  adopted  by  other  states. 


718  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

anticipated  ;  and  though  they  may  have  been  credulous  enough  to  believe 
the  last  story,  still  they  were  determined  to  try  the  strength  of  the 
advance  guard  of  the  British  army,  if  they  could  do  nothing  more.  Ac- 
cordingly, when  the  Indians,  who  were  the  pioneers  of  the  detachment 
under  Baum,  were  discovered  by  Stark's  scouts,  on  the  13th  of  August, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Bennington,  Stark  detached  Colonel  William 
Gregg  with  two  hundred  men  to  obstruct  their  march.  Towards  even- 
ing information  was  brought  Stark  that  a  body  of  regular  troops  with 
artillery  was  advancing  towards  Beiniington;  and  the  next  morning, 
with  his  whole  brigade  and  some  of  the  Vermont  militia,  he  marched  to 
support  Colonel  Gregg,  who  was  ill  prepared  to  resist  such  a  superior 
force  as  the  enemy  had  brought  into  the  field.  General  Stark  had  not 
proceeded  more  than  ten  miles  before  he  met  Gregg  retreating,  the 
enemy  in  full  pursuit  and  close  upon  his  rear.  As  soon  as  Baum  saw 
Stark's  column,  he  came  to  a  halt  on  the  eminence  (marked  1,  as  seen 
in  the  engraving)  now  called  Hessian  hill,  and  there  intrenched  himself. 
The  Americans  took  a  position  in  open  view,  but  there  Avere  no  offen- 
sive operations  on  either  side ;  and,  shortly  after,  they  marched  back 
about  a  mile  towards  Bennington  and  encamped,  a  few  men  being  left 
to  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  thirty  of  whom,  with  two  Indian  chiefs, 
were  killed.  The  next  day,  August  l-5th,  was  rainy;  and  nothing  Avas 
done  except  some  skirmishing.  Many  of  the  Indian  allies  deserted, 
because,  as  they  said,  the  woods  were  full  of  Yankees.  The  next 
morning  Stark  was  reinforced  by  two  companies,  one  of  Vermont 
militia  and  the  other  from  the  county  of  Berkshire,  Mass.,  his  wliole 
force  now  numbering  sixteen  hundred  men.  He  detached  Colonel 
Moses  Nichols,  with  250  men,  to  act  against  the  rear  of  the  enem\*"s 
left  wing;  and  Colonel  Hendrick,  with  three  hundred,  to  attack  the 
rear  of  the  right.  Three  hundred  were  placed  in  front  to  divert  their 
attention ;  while  Colonels  Hobart  and  Stickney  commanded  two 
detachments,  one  of  two  hundred  to  attack  the  right  wing,  atid  the 
other  of  one  hundred  to  support  Nichols  in  the  rear  of  the  left.  The 
battle  was  begun  in  the  latter  quarter  precisely  at  three  o'clock,  i\  m.  ; 
and  was  earned  on  simultaneously  by  the  other  detachments,  Stark  him- 
self advancing  with  the  main  body.  The  contest  lasted  two  hours,  at 
the  end  of  which  the  enemy's  breastworks  were  forced,  two  pieces 
of  their  cannon  taken,  and  a  number  of  prisoners  ;  while  the  renmant 
retreated  down  the  hill  indicated  in  the  right  of  the  engraving,  some  of 
the  men  in  the  panic  being  precipitated  into  the  Walloomscoik.  While 
Baum's  party  was  in  full  retreat,  Stark  received  intelligence  of  the 
approach  of  another  body  of  the  enemy,  a  reinforcement  sent  for  bv 
Baum,  as  soon  as  he  learned  the  force  of  the  Americans,  —  commanded 


ii  "■1$; 

I'Si'-  ,  111''' 


VERMONT  —  OUTLINES   OF   ITS   HISTORY.  719 

by  Colonel  Brevman.  Just  at  this  juncture,  Colonel  Seth  Warner's 
Cireen  Mountain  regiment,  ordered  from  Manchester  by  Staric,  came 
up,  and  fell  upon  the  enemy  with  a  desperation  similar  to  that  with 
which  the  British  light  brigade  charged  upon  the  Russians  at  Balaklava, 
though  without  the  same  fatal  results,  —  feeling  great  chagrin  at  not 
having  participated  in  the  first  engagement.  Stark  rallied  his  scattered 
troops,  and  led  them  again  into  the  action,  which  was  severely  contested. 
The  cannon  taken  from  Baum  Avere  used  with  good  effect;  and,  at 
sunset,  the  enemy  were  routed  and  com]>elled  to  retreat,  the  Americans 
pursuing  till  dark.  Two  other  pieces  of  cannon  were  taken  from 
Breyman,^  with  all  the  baggage,  wagons,  horses,  and  numerous  warlike 
implements.^  There  were  found  dead  on  the  field  226  men  belonging 
to  the  enemy,  and  Baum  was  mortally  wounded  ;  thirty-three  officers 
and  above  seven  hundred  privates  were  made  prisoners,  including  a 
large  number  of  tories.  The  American  loss  was  four  officers  and  ten 
privates  killed,  and  forty-two  wounded. 

This  is  generally  conceded  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  important 
battles  of  the  Revolution.  It  was  the  turning-point  in  the  series  of 
successes  which  had  crowned  the  British  arms,  and  which  had  pro- 
duced in  thcni  an  overweening  confidence.  Who  would  have  thought, 
a  month  before,  that  the  vauntful  enemy  would  have  been  willing  to 
admit  that  "  this  unfortunate  event  has  paralyzed  at  once  our  opera- 
tions "  ?  or  that  Burgoyne  would  be  compelled  to  write,  as  he  did  four 
days  after  this  battle,  that,  "  The  Hampshire  Grants  in  particular,  a 
country  unpeopled  and  almost  unknown  in  the  last  war,  now  abound 
in  the  most  rebellious  race  of  the  continent,  and  hang  like  a  gathering 
storm  upon  our  left "  ?  Washington,  writing  to  Putnam,  said  that  one 
more  stroke  by  New  England  such  as  that  of  Stark  would  entirely 
crush  Burgoyne.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  victory  —  the  more 
decisive  because  fought  by  untrained  militia  against  veteran  regulars  — 
sowed  "  the  seed  of  all  the  laurels  that  Gates  reaped  during  the 
campaign ; "    and  both  Stark  and  Seth   Warner   deserve   great   praise 

^  A  desperate  contest  for  these  field-pieces  occurred  in  the  ravine  at  the  left  of  the 
en<>;ravin<T,  indicated  by  figure  2.  They  were  taken  and  retaken  more  than  twice,  but  at 
last  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  These  cannon  were  surrendered  to  the 
British  by  General  Hull,  at  Detroit,  and  were  not  long  after  retaken  by  the  Americans, 
and,  upon  the  conclusion  of  peace,  were  deposited  in  the  arsenal  at  Washington.  They 
have  since  been  presented  by  congress  to  the  state  of  Vermont,  and  are  deposited  in  the 
State-house  at  Montpelier. 

^  Some  of  these  trophies  were  presented  to  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and  Massa- 
chusetts ;  but  the  last  state  was  the  only  one  which  thought  them  of  sufficient  value  for 
preservation,  and  now  retains  them  —  a  musket,  drum,  cap,  and  sword  being  suspended 
over  the  entrance  to  the  senate  chamber  in  the  state-house. 


720  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

for  the  part  they  toolv  in  the  struggle,  which  their  respective  states, 
congress,  and  the  people  generally,  were  not  slow  to  acknowledge. 
Stark,  Warner,  and  the  troops  under  their  command,  joined  the  army 
under  General  Gates.  All  offensive  operations  of  the  British  in  the 
North  terminated  with  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  and  his  whole  army 
at  Stillwater,  October  17,  1777. 

On  the  close  of  the  war  and  of  the  violent  controversy  between  New 
York  and  Vermont  respecting  jurisdiction,  the  latter  state  stood   in  a 
freer  and  less  embarrassed  position  than  most  of  the  confederate  states. 
She  had  managed  to  pay  her  own  troops  during  the  war  by  the  avails  of 
her  public  lands  and  other  means,  and,  having  no  connection  with  the 
confederacy,  no  part  of  the  burden  of  the  public  debt  of  the  United  States 
rested  on   her.     Still,  many  of  the  people,  though  possessed  of  houses 
and  lands,  were,  in  other  respects,  in  straitened  circumstances,  and  so 
much  encumbered  with  debts,  that  their  immediate  payment,  in  the 
scarcity  of  money  at  that  time,  would  have  required  the  sacrifice  of  all 
they  had.    Under  this  state  of  things,  Vermont  was  temporarily  affected, 
but  to  a  much  less  serious  extent  than  some  other  states,  by  attempts  to 
interrupt  the  due  course   of  justice.      In  1786,  the  violent  organized 
demonstrations    that    had   been   made   in    Massachusetts    against   the 
sitting   of  the    courts,  —  known  as  Shays's  rebellion,  and  which  for  a 
brief  period  assumed  an  alarming  aspect,  —  broke  out  also  in  Vermont. 
Mobs  appeared  before  the   court  houses   at  Windsor  and  Rutland,  for 
the  purpose   of  compelling  an  adjournment  of  the   courts,  in  order  to 
delay  the  issue  of  executions  against  debtors  ;  but  the  ringleaders  beino- 
promptly  taken,  tried,  fined,  and  put  under  bonds   to  keep  the   peace, 
and  the  insurrection  in   Massachusetts  being  crushed  at  the  same  time, 
no  further  difliculty  of  the  kind  arose.     From  the  admission  of  Vermont 
into   the  federal   union    until   the   resignation  and  death  of   Governor 
Chittenden  in  1797,  she  moved  steadily  onward  in  her  career  of  pros- 
perity, leaving  but  little  room  for  the  intrigues  of  poUticians  or  the  pro- 
gress of  party  and  faction.     The  wisdom  of  his  administration,  which 
was  everywhere  acknowledged,  has  not  inaptly  been  compared   to  that 
of  Washington;  —  the  one  conducted  his  state  to  a  position  of  inde- 
pendence,  the    other,    his    entire    country.      Each  in  retiring  from  the 
place  of  honor  and  power,  having  been  a  model  in  purity  of  purpose 
and  unaffected  modesty,  expressed  to  the  assembled  councillors  of  state 
a  paternal  solicitude  for  the  general  welfare,  and  warned  them   of  the 
dangers  of  ambition,  jealousy,  and  division.     After  the   death  of  Gov- 
ernor  Chittenden,  pohtieal   parties  were  formed,   and    often  appeared 
anxious  to  push  their  separate  plans;  but  nothing  occurred  to  remain 
as  a  dark  spot  upon  the  fame  of  the  state.      The  administrations  of 


VERMONT — OUTLINES    OF    ITS   HISTORY.  721 

Governors  Tichenor  and  Galusha,  lasting,  except  for  two  years,  until 
1819,  were  mainly  prudent  and  just. 

In  the  war  of  1812  and  1813,  Vermont  furnished  a  number  of  men, 
who  were  drafted  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  served  till 
their  term  of  enlistment  had  nearly  expired,  when  Governor  Chittenden 
recalled  them  by  proclamation,  which  caused  some  temporary  excite- 
ment. In  the  battle  of  Plattsburg,  September  11,  1814,  the  Vermont 
militia  rendered  efficient  aid ;  and,  in  fact,  in  every  effort  necessary  to 
protect  the  country,  they  took  part  zealously,  manfully,  and  nobly. 
The  battle  of  Plattsburg  and  the  naval  battle  of  Lake  Champlain 
deserve  more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  British 
to  attack  the  Americans  simultaneously  by  land  and  water.  The 
British  general.  Sir  George  Prevost,  previous  to  the  11th  of  September 
had  been  strengthening  his  position  at  Plattsburg,  and  only  awaited 
the  arrival  of  the  naval  force  to  commence  his  work  of  total  annihi- 
lation. The  American  land-force  of  1,500  men  was  under  the  command 
of  General  Macomb,  and  in  it  was  quite  a  large  delegation  of  the 
Green  Mountain  Boys.  The  British  land-force  under  General  Prevost 
amounted  to  twelve  thousand  men.  The  British  naval  force,  somewhat 
superior  to  the  American,  consisted  of  a  frigate  of  thirty-nine  guns,  a  brig 
of  sixteen  guns,  two  sloops  of  eleven  guns  each,  and  thirteen  gunboats, 
carrying  eighteen  guns,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  ninety-five  guns, 
and  manned  by  1,050  men,  all  under  command  of  Commodore  Downie. 
The  American  force,  under  Commodore  Macdonough,  consisted  of  the 
Saratoga,  twenty-six  guns  ;  Eagle,  twenty ;  Ticonderoga,  seventeen ; 
Preble,  seven;  and  ten  gunboats,  carrying  sixteen  guns,  —  amounting 
in  the  whole  to  eighty-six,  and  manned  by  820  men.  The  British  force 
left  their  anchorage  in  Plattsburg  Bay,  and  about  nine  o'clock,  on  the 
11th  of  September,  anchored  in  line,  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the 
American  squadron,  in  which  position  the  battle  was  commenced.  The 
conflict  was  very  obstinate,  the  enemy  fighting  with  great  bravery ;  but 
the  superior  character  of  the  American  gunnery  decided  the  fate  of  the 
day.  The  action  lasted  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  the  enemy's  guns  were  silenced,  while  their  frigate,  brig,  and  two 
schooners  were  captured.  A  few  of  their  gunboats  were  sunk,  while  the 
others  made  their  escape.  The  British  loss  was  eighty-four  killed  and  116 
wounded,  among  the  former  being  Commodore  Downie  and  three  lieu- 
tenants. The  Americans  lost  fifty-two  killed  and  fifty-eight  wounded, 
Lieutenants  Gamble  and  Stansbury  being  among  the  killed. 

As  soon  as  the  naval  action  began,  the  enemy's  land-force  opened 
their  batteries  upon  the  American  works,  attempting  at  the  same  time 
to  cross  the  Saranac  with  the  intention  of  assaulting  the  rear  of  the 

VOL.  I.  61 


722  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

Americans;  but  this,  and  the  attempts  made  at  other  points,  were 
thwarted  by  the  destructive  fire  from  the  forts  of  the  Americans.  The 
surrender  of  the  naval  forces  of  the  enemy  struck  a  panic  into  those  on 
land,  and  they  commenced  preparations  for  a  retreat,  which  was  per- 
formed during  the  afternoon  and  night ;  but  with  such  precipitation,  on 
account  of  the  proximity  of  the  Americans,  that  they  left  behind  them 
their  wounded,  and  large  quantities  of  provisions,  ammunition,  and 
military  stores.  The  whole  loss  of  the  enemy  upon  land  in  killed, 
wounded,  prisoners,  and  deserters,  exceeded  2,500  men.  The  aggregate 
loss  of  the  Americans  did  not  exceed  150.  This  engagement  concluded 
aU  hostile  operations  worthy  of  notice  upon  Lake  Champlain  and 
within  Vermont. 


Subsequent  History  —  Government  and   Statistics. 

The  history  of  Vermont  since  1814  can  be  soon  told ;  for  little  has 
occurred  to  mar  the  general  prosperity  with  which  the  state  has  been 
blessed.  In  1836,  a  new  era  opened  in  the  legislative  proceedings.  Up 
to  this  time  the  whole  legislative  power  had  been  vested  in  a  house  of 
representatives ;  but,  in  the  early  part  of  this  year,  the  constitution  was 
so  amended  as  to  create  a  senate,  similar  to  that  branch  in  the  legisla- 
tures of  most  of  the  other  states.  In  1837,  Vermont,  in  common  with 
her  sister  states,  suffered  in  the  disastrous  financial  crisis ;  but  it  was 
more  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  crops  than  by  the  derangement  of 
the  currency.  In  the  latter  part  of  this  year,  a  foray  had  been  set  on 
foot  in  Canada  East  against  the  provincial  government ;  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Vermont,  unacquainted  with  the  true  state  of  affairs,  gave  expres- 
sion to  their  generous  sympathies  for  a  people  whom  they  erroneously 
supposed  to  be  struggling  for  liberty  under  the  iron  arm  of  a  tyrannical 
government.  Large  public  meetings  were  held  in  various  parts  of  the 
state,  at  which  inflammatory  speeches  were  delivered  and  violent  reso- 
lutions passed;  while  vigorous  efforts  were  made  in  collecting  arms, 
ammunition,  and  men  for  the  patriotic  cause.  Governor  Jenison  issued 
a  proclamation,  warning  the  people  of  the  peril  of  violating  the  neutral- 
ity laws  established  by  congress;  but  the  public  feeling  had  become 
enlisted  to  such  an  extent,  that  this  proclamation  —  now  regarded  as 

not  only  well  suited  to  the  occasion,  but  honorable  to  the  governor 

was  treated  by  the  leading  papers  of  the  state  with  censure,  and  by 
many  in  terms  of  unqualified  condemnation.  They  even  went  so  far  as 
to  organize  a  force ;  but,  being  prevented  from  forming  on  the  Vermont 


VERMONT  —  OUTLINES   OF  ITS   HISTORY.  723 

side  of  the  line  by  General  Wool,  who  had  command  of  a  body  of  mili- 
tia on  the  frontier,  they  crossed  over,  and  organized  on  the  Canada  side 
to  the  number  of  five  or  six  hundred.  They  were  poorly  armed  and 
provisioned,  and  were  under  no  discipline ;  hence  they  had  no  chance 
whatever  in  a  conflict  with  the  British  regulars,  a  large  body  of  which, 
amounting  to  about  1,700,  was  despatched  to  drive  them  off.  General 
Wool  being  apprised  of  this  fact,  communicated  it  to  the  overzealous 
patriots,  giving  them  the  alternative  of  returning  and  surrendering  their 
arms  to  him  ;  or,  if  they  persisted  in  prosecuting  their  chimerical  design, 
and  attempted  a  retreat  into  Vermont,  of  being  shot  when  they  came 
over.  At  first,  they  resolutely  determined  to  maintain  their  ground  and 
take  the  consequences ;  but  their  courage  gradually  cooled  down,  and, 
before  the  arrival  of  the  British  regulars,  the  little  army  had  recrossed 
the  line,  laid  down  their  arms,  and  dispersed.  This  is  the  first  and  only 
fiHibustering  expedition  which  ever  emanated  from  this  state,  and  which, 
at  the  time,  received  a  countenance  from  a  portion  of  the  people,  which 
was  long  ago  withdrawn  upon  a  better  knowledge  of  the  facts ;  but  its 
prosecution  and  ignoble  finale  are  worthy  of  being  recorded  as  the  pro- 
totype of  sundry  recent  efforts  elsewhere  for  the  righting  of  the  sup- 
posed wrongs  of  other  people. 

The  people  of  Vermont  made  a  formal  declaration  of  their  independ- 
ence, and  of  their  right  to  organize  and  establish  a  government  of  their 
own,  January  15,  1777.  On  the  2d  of  July  following,  a  convention  of 
delegates  assembled  at  Windsor,  adopted  the  first  constitution  of  the 
state,  which  is  believed  to  have  been  drawn  or  chiefly  suggested  by  Dr. 
Thomas  Young,  an  ardent  patriot  of  Philadelphia,  who  especially  sym- 
pathized with  Vermont  in  her  unhappy  condition.  This  instrument  — 
mainly  modelled  after  the  constitution  of  Pennsylvania  —  was  revised 
by  the  same  convention  in  the  following  December,  and  went  into  effect 
without  being  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification.  The  revising 
power  was  by  it  vested  in  a  council  of  censors,  —  a  board  of  thirteen 
persons,  to  be  elected  by  the  people  once  in  seven  years,  for  the  term  of 
one  year,  to  be  composed  of  persons  not  members  of  the  council  or  gen- 
eral assembly,  —  whose  duty  should  be  "  to  inquire  whether  the  consti- 
tution has  been  preserved  inviolate  in  every  part,  during  the  last  septen^ 
ary,"  and  whether  there  has  been  a  proper  exercise  of  power  by  the 
different  branches  of  government,  including  the  imposition  and  collection 
of  taxes,  and  the  disbursement  of  public  moneys.  This  body  has  author- 
ity to  pass  public  censures  and  order  impeachments ;  to  recommend  to 
the  legislature  the  repeal  of  any  law  deemed  by  it  unconstitutional ;  and 
to  call  a  convention,  to  meet  within  two  years  from  the  sitting  of  the 
board,  for  the  purpose  of  passing  upon  any  amendments  or  additions  to 


724  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  constitution  considered  necessary  by  said  board,  which  matter  to  be 
submitted  must  be  promulgated  at  least  six  months  before  the  day 
appointed  for  the  choice  of  the  convention.  A  revision  was  made  by  the 
first  council  in  1786,  and  again  in  1792 ;  and  the  material  part  of  the 
constitution  as  it  now  stands  was  adopted  in  convention,  July  4,  1793. 
The  long  preamble  of  1777,  reciting  the  grievances  of  the  people,  is  re- 
tained ;  following  which  is  the  "  declaration  of  rights  "  in  twenty-one  sec- 
tions, and  the  frame  of  government  in  forty-three  sections.  The  supreme 
executive  power  was  by  it  vested  in  a  governor  and  a  council  of  twelve ; 
and  the  supreme  legislative  functions  in  a  house  of  representatives,  styled 
the  General  Assembly,  composed  of  one  representative  from  each  town. 
The  assembly  had  power  to  prepare  and  enact  bills  into  laws  annually 
in  conjunction  with  the  council,  to  elect  judges  of  the  courts,  sheriffs, 
justices  of  the  peace,  major  and  brigadier  generals,  and  had  various 
other  powers  essential  to  the  legislative  department,  but  "  no  power 
to  add  to,  alter,  abolish,  or  infringe  any  part  of  the  constitution." 
The  governor  and  council,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  functions  of 
that  body,  had  some  of  the  powers  incident  to  a  senatorial  branch, 
such  as  the  trial  of  impeachments,  and  the  election,  in  conjunction  with 
the  assembly,  of  certain  magistrates  and  officers.  All  bills  originat- 
ing in  the  assembly  were  laid  before  the  governor  and  council  for  their 
revision  and  concurrence,  or  for  proposals  of  amendment ;  and,  in  case  of 
the  assembly's  disagreeing  to  such  proposed  amendments,  —  the  same 
being  returned  to  the  assembly  within  five  days,  or  before  final  adjourn- 
ment, —  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  governor  and  council  to  suspend  the 
passing  of  such  bill  untU  the  next  session  of  the  legislature.  Provision 
was  also  made  for  speedy  discharge  from  imprisonment  for  debt,  except 
in  case  of  fraud ;  against  the  forfeiture  of  the  estates  of  suicides  to  the 
commonwealth,  and  against  deodands ;  and  the  legislature  was  directed 
so  to  regulate  entails  as  to  prevent  perpetuities.  The  constitution  of 
Vermont  approached  very  near  to  a  pure  democracy,  until  1836. 

From  1793  to  1828,  although  the  several  councils  of  censors  used 
then-  septennial  prerogative  of  calling  conventions,  no  amendments  were 
made.  At  the  last-named  date,  an  article  was  added  restricting  the 
exercise  of  the  political  franchise  to  natural-born  citizens  and  those  natu- 
ralized according  to  act  of  congress.  In  1836,  twelve  out  of  nineteen 
proposed  articles  of  amendment  were  adopted,  which  effected,  besides 
prohibiting  a  suspension  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  the  abohtion  of 
the  governor's  council,  and  the  creation  of  a  senatorial  branch  of  govern- 
ment composed  of  thirty  members,  and  invested  vwth  powers  substan- 
tially concurrent  with  those  of  the  house  of  representatives. 

In   1850,  ten   out   of  fifteen   proposed   amendments    were    adopted. 


VERMONT OUTLINES   OF    ITS   HISTORY.  725 

These  provided  that  the  assii3tant  judges  of  the  county  courts,  sheriffs, 
high  bailiffs,  and  state's  attorneys  should  be  elected  by  the  freemen  in 
their  respective  counties ;  judges  of  probate  in  their  respective  probate 
districts;  and  justices  of  the  peace  in  their  respective  towns,  —  the 
number  of  justices  to  be  regulated  according  to  the  population  of  each 
town,  —  and  for  a  new  apportionment  of  the  senatorial  branch. 

Down  to  1856,  the  representation  of  the  people  in  conventions  called 
for  the  amendment  of  the  constitution  had  been  territorial,  each  town 
electing  one  delegate.  The  original  constitution  did  not  prescribe  the 
method  of  calling  the  convention,  and  the  council  of  censors  of  1856, 
considering  the  mode  of  representation  previously  practised  unequal  and 
anti-democratic,  directed  that  the  convention,  called  to  consider  certain 
amendments  proposed  by  the  council,  should  consist  of  ninety  members 
apportioned  by  the  council  to  the  several  counties  according  to  their  pop- 
ulation, and  should  be  elected  by  the  freemen  of  the  counties  respectively. 
This  mode  of  constituting  the  convention  had  been  often  urged  in 
former  councils,  and  advocated  by  able  and  influential  politicians,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  in  accordance  wdth  public  opinion.  But  the  con- 
vention which  assembled  in  January,  1857,  resolved  that  the  council, 
in  transferring  the  delegation  from  the  towns  to  the  counties,  had 
"  acted  unwisely,  and  exceeded  the  powers  devolved  upon  them  by  the 
constitution,  as  heretofore  practically  interpreted."  The  amendments 
proposed  by  the  council  were  accordingly  not  considered  by  the  con- 
vention, which  adjourned  sine  die  without  further  action  upon  them. 

The  judiciary,  as  before  indicated,  has  always  been  an  elective  branch 
of  government,  chosen  annually  by  the  legislature  until  1850,  since 
which  time  the  people  have  had  the  direct  choice  of  the  assistant  judges  of 
the  county  courts.  And  yet  it  must  be  said,  that,  for  ability  and  high- 
toned  character,  the  judiciary  of  Vermont  scarcely  stands  below  that 
of  the  foremost  state.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  fact,  no  doubt,  that  the 
people  have  the  good-sense  to  continue  the  same  judges  in  office  for  a 
series  of  years.  The  different  political  parties  into  which  the  freemen  of 
the  state  are  divided  have  always  been  fairly  represented  on  the  bench ; 
and  it  is  believed,  that,  for  a  period  of  forty  years,  no  judge  of  the 
supreme  court,  otherwise  acceptable  to  the  people  of  the  state  and  the 
legal  profession,  has  failed  of  a  reelection  for  reasons  of  parly  policy  or 
prejudice.  The  supreme  court  has  varied  somewhat  in  the  number 
of  justices  at  different  periods,  always  having  had  a  chief  judge, 
with  from  two  to  five  assistant  justices.  For  several  years  pre- 
vious to  1857,  the  state  was  divided  into  four  districts  or  circuits. 
Besides  the  three  supreme  judges,  there  was  a  judge  for  each  circuit, 
who  presided  at  the  county  courts.      There  were  also  two  assistant 

61* 


726  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEAT   ENGLAND. 

county  judges.  In  1857,  the  districts  were  abolished;  the  supreme 
court  was  reorganized, with  a  chief  judge  and  five  assistant  judges,  one 
of  whom  presides  at  the  county  courts,  which  are  still  composed  of  the 
presiding  judge  and  the  two  county  judges,  and  which  have  two  annual 
terms.  Two  general  terms  of  the  supreme  court  are  held  annually, 
at  which  all  the  judges  are  required  to  be  present,  and  a  special  term  in 
each  county,  at  which  four  judges  must  be  present,  unless  in  the  event  of 
sickness  or  legal  disqualification.  In  such  case  three  are  allowed  to  act 
at  the  special  terms.  At  the  general  terms,  the  concurrence  of  four,  or  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number,  and  at  the  special  terms  the  concurrence  of 
three,  is  necessary  to  the  decision  of  a  cause.  If  any  inability  to  attend 
the  term  happens  to  one  of  the  four  assigned,  before  the  term  com- 
mences, another  judge  is  assigned  in  his  place.  Each  supreme  judge  is 
a  chancellor,  and  has  all  the  power  vested  in  a  court  of  chancery.  All 
the  duties  and  powers  heretofore  belonging  to  the  circuit  judges,  under 
the  statute  of  1849,  are  vested  in  the  supreme  judges. 

The  surface  of  the  state  is  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys,  alluvial 
flats  and  gentle  acclivities,  elevated  plains  and  lofty  mountains.  The 
only  level  land  of  any  account  is  in  a  few  townships  along  the  margin 
of  Lake  Champlain.  The  celebrated  range  of  Green  Mountains  (  Verts 
Monts),  from  which  the  state  derived  its  name,  extends  through  the 
central  part  from  north  to  south.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  naked 
peaks  it  is  clothed  with  verdure,  and,  when  cleared  of  its  native 
forest  trees,  can  be  profitably  cultivated  from  base  to  summit.  Much 
pasture  and  other  improved  land  lies  at  an  elevation  of  more  than  2,000, 
and  it  is  believed  at  least  2,500  feet  above  the  level  of  tide  water.  The 
rivers  and  streams  are  very  numerous,  but  small :  most  of  them  rise  in 
the  mountains,  and  their  courses  are  short  and  rapid.  Natural  ponds 
and  lakes,  from  a  few  yards  to  seven  or  eight  miles  in  length,  are  to  be 
found  in  all  parts  of  the  state.  Lake  Champlain  is  the  largest  body  of 
water,  lying  partly  in  this  state  and  partly  in  New  York,  about  one  third 
only  being  in  the  latter  state.  Its  length,  in  a  straight  line,  from 
Whitehall  to  the  45°  of  north  latitude  is  102  miles,  and  twenty-four 
miles  further  to  its  northerly  terminus  at  St.  John's  in  Canada.  Its 
width  varies  from  one  fourth  of  a  mile  to  thirteen  miles,  its  mean  width 
being  about  four  and  a  half  miles.  It  has  a  depth  of  water  varyin<- 
from  fifty-four  to  282  feet,  and  its  area  is  about  567  square  miles° 
The  name  of  the  lake,  in  the  Abnaki  tongue,  was  PetawS-bouque  si- 
mfymg  "  alternate  land  and  water,"  in  allusion  to  the  numerous  islands 
and  projectmg  points  of  land.  Another  name,  said  to  have  been  given 
by  the  aborigines,  was  Caniaderi-Guarunte,  "the  mouth  or  door  of  the 
country."    The  soil  is  generally  a  rich  loam,  the  more  productive  in  the 


VERMONT OUTLINES   OF  ITS   HISTORY.  727 

limestone  regions,  but  everywhere  being  sufficiently  fertile  to  reward  the 
labors  of  the  husbandman. 

Vermont  is  essentially  an  agricultural  state.  The  great  mass  of  the 
population  is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and  the  rearing  of 
stock.  According  to  the  reports  of  the  last  census,  there  are  2,601,409 
acres  of  improved  land,  and  1,524,413  acres  unimproved ;  having  a  cash 
value  of  $63,367,222,  to  which  may  be  added  the  farming  implements, 
valued  at  $2,739,282.  The  stock,  agricultural  products,  and  home 
manufactures  —  taking  the  census  table  of  1850  as  a  basis  —  annually 
amount  to  upwards  of  $11,000,000. 

Vermont  takes  the  first  place  among  the  New  England  states  in  the 
value  of  live  stock,'  and  the  sixteenth  in  the  Union.  In  the  quantity  of 
cheese  made  it  is  exceeded  alone  by  New  York  and  Ohio ;  in  the  pro- 
duction of  maple  sugar  it  is  the  second,  New  York  being  first;  in  that  of 
wool  the  fourth,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio  preceding  it;  in 
the  quantity  of  butter,  the  sixth  ;  in  the  raising  of  potatoes,  the  fifth. 

The  financial  condition  of  the  state,  so  far  as  the  debit  and  credit 
sides  of  the  treasurer's  books  are  concerned,  is  quite  satisfactory.  He 
reports  a  balance  in  the  treasury,  for  1857,  after  paying  all  liabihties,  of 
$1,627.14.  There  is  no  state  debt,  it  is  true ;  but  the  satisfaction  to  be 
derived  from  this  circumstance  must  be  deeply  shaded  by  the  fact,  that  the 
school  fund,  which  some  years  since  had  in  its  accumulation  reached  the 
sum  of  $200,000,  was  appropriated  to  cancel  the  general  indebtedness 
of  the  state.  The  banking  capital  amounts  to  $4,028,740,  distributed 
among  forty-one  banks,  there  being  also  twelve  savings  institutions, 
having  on  deposit  $874,760.43. 

The  educational  institutions  consist  of  three  colleges  —  at  Middle- 
bury,  at  Burlington,  and  at  Norwich,  the  last  being  a  classical  sem- 
inary with  a  miUtary  organization ;  three  medical  schools  —  at  Castle- 
ton,  Woodstock,  and  Burlington ;  one  theological  school  (Baptist),  at 
Fairfax ;  118  academies  and  high  schools ;  149  select  schools ;  and 
2,719  school  districts.  The  number  of  pupils  in  the  public  schools 
between  the  ages  of  four  and  eighteen  years  is  95,602. 

That  there  has  been  far  too  Uttle  interest  felt  in  Vermont  in  the 
subject  of  popular  education  is  very  painfully  manifest.  Allusion  has 
been  made  to  the  fact,  that  (in  1845)  the  school  fund  was  abolished  to 
pay  the  state  debt.  There  was  no  superintendent  of  schools  from  1851 
to  1856.  In  1856,  a  board  of  education  was  established,  consisting  of 
the    governor   and   lieutenant-governor,  ex  officio,  and   three   members 

'  By  a  reference  to  the  reports  of  the  Boston  market,  it  will  be  seen  that  this 
state  sends  more  sheep,  cattle,  and  horses  to  that  market  than  all  the  other  New  England 
states  combined. 


728  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

appointed  by  the  governor.     The  report  of  the  secretary  of  the  board 
for  the  year  1857,  which  appears  to  be  a  very  elaborate  docunaent,  and 
to  embrace  an  extensive  range  of  facts,  states  that  104  of  the  districts 
are  without  school-houses  ;  101  entirely  without  schools ;  222  without 
blackboards   or   other   apparatus;    and,  in  respect  to  the  condition  of 
school-houses,  "  1,029  are   reported   good,    784  are  reported    middling, 
and  760  bad."      In   respect  to    the    "qualification    of  teachers,"    "at- 
tendance on   school,"  "  expenditures    of   money,"  and  "  supervision  of 
schools,"  the  report  is  quite  severe  (whether  unduly  so,  it  is  not  the 
province  of  this  work  to  decide)  ;  but  for  the  credit  of  the  parents  in 
Vermont  who  have  children  to  educate,  and  who  vote  or  withhold  ap- 
propriations, —  of  the  town  committees  or  other  authorities  having  super- 
vision of  the  schools,  and  who  employ  the  teachers,  —  whether  efficient 
because  it  is  the  best  economy  in  the  long  run,  or  inefficient  because 
the   immediate   cost   in  dollars  and  cents  is  less,  and  thus    saves  the 
town  a  few  dollars  in  taxation,—  of  the  teachers,  who  ought  not  to  be 
mere  hirelings,  —  and  of  the  children  themselves,  to  whom  the  future 
destinies   of  the    state    are   to  be    entrusted,  —  we  earnestly  desire  to 
believe  that  its  statements  are  somewhat  overwrought.     It  is  thought 
that  the  general  school  law  of  the  state  (passed  in  1845)  is  every  thing 
that  is  needed  to  give  practical  efficiency  to  the  system  ;  and,  with  the 
usual  intelligence  and  shrewdness  of  the  people,  the  indefatigable  labors 
of  her  worthiest  and  most  talented  sons  in  the  work  of  reform,  and  the 
fact  that  the  legislature,  in  1856,  commenced  this  work  by  the  estab- 
hshment    of    a    board  of  education,  it  is  certainly  not  unreasonable  to 
expect  that  Vermont  will  soon  merit  a  better    fame  than  that  of  neg- 
lecting the  education  of  her  youth.     The  board  appoint  a  secretary  for 
a  year,  whose  duty  it  is  made  "  to  exert  himself  constantly  and  faith- 
fully to  promote  the  highest  interests  of  education  in  the  state."     The 
town  superintendents  are  to  report  on  or  before  the  1st  of  September 
in  each  year. 

The  state  makes  provision  for  the  education  of  its  indigent  deaf 
and  dumb  at  the  asylum  at  Hartford,  Conn.  The  asylum  for  the 
insane,  at  Brattleborough,  is  the  most  conspicuous  among  the  benevo- 
lent institutions  of  the  state,  a  full  account  of  which  is  given  in  the 
article  on  that  town.  The  details  of  the  state  prison  may  be  found  in 
the  article  on  Windsor,  where  it  is  located. 

The  cotton  and  woollen  manufactories  have  a  very  limited  operation, 
the  aggregate  capital  thus  employed  not  exceeding  $1,000,000.  The 
iron  manufacture  employs  a  capital  of  about  ^500,000 ;  and  the  tan- 
neries nearly  as  much  more.  The  quarrying  of  marble  makes  an  impor- 
tant item  in  the  industrial  statistics  of  the  state.     The  business  is  vet  in 


VEKMONT  —  OUTLINES   OF   ITS   HISTORY.  729 

its  infancy,  although  it  has  increased  more  than  a  hundred-fold  within 
ten  years.  The  quarries  are  valued  at  about  ^15,000,000.  Marble  of 
almost  every  color  is  found  in  the  state,  and  varying  no  less  in  texture ; 
some  veins  yielding  that  which  is  equal  to  the  best  Italian  for  statuary. 

The  commerce  of  the  state  is  chiefly  inland,  but  there  are  no  returns 
by  which  an  approximation  to  its  value  can  be  obtained.  The  foreign 
commerce  is  carried  on  chiefly  at  Burlington,  by  way  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  down  the  St.  John's  and  the  St.  Lawrence  rivers.  The  shipping 
owned  in  the  state,  in  1850,  amounted  to  4,530  tons.  The  exports  for 
that  year  were  valued  at  $430,906 ;  and  the  imports,  $463,092.  The 
licensed  tonnage  of  Lake  Champlain  in  1851,  according  to  "  Andrews's 
Report  on  Colonial  and  Lake  Trade,"  was  8,130,  and  the  whole  value  of 
the  commerce  for  the  same  year  was  about  $26,000,000 ;  but  it  is  not 
easy  to  estimate  what  proportion  belonged  to  Vermont.  From  the 
eastern  or  Vermont  side  the  chief  export  is  produce ;  from  the  western 
or  New  York  side,  lumber  and  iron. 

There  are  seven  lines  of  railroad  passing  through  the  state,  having 
a  combined  length  of  550  miles,  and  constructed  at  an  expense  of 
$23,332,085.  The  first  railroads  in  the  state  —  the  Vermont  Central, 
commenced  in  1846,  and  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  in  1847  —  were 
built  for  the  purpose  of  forming  an  uninterrupted  line  from  the  naviga- 
ble waters  of  the  great  basin  to  the  city  of  Boston,  yet  so  far  removed 
from  the  great  lines  of  transportation  through  New  York  as  to  be  free, 
not  only  from  all  immediate  competition  with  them,  but  from  the 
attractive  influence  of  other  great  cities,  thus  securing  to  Boston  the 
advantage  of  becoming  the  place  of  export  of  western  produce.  These 
roads  have  been  of  great  benefit  to  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
state,  but  the  expectations  of  the  stockholders  have  not  yet  been  realized. 
While  the  large  investments  in  stock  and  bonds  are  not  available,  and 
perhaps  never  will  be,  the  losses  have  not  affected  the  growing  greatness 
of  the  state. 

There  are  thirty-five  weekly  newspapers  issued  in  the  state,  and  two 
dailies.  There  are  thirty  public  libraries,  having  in  the  aggregate 
21,061  volumes,  Avhich,  added  to  the  school,  Sunday  school,  college,  and 
church  libraries,  make  a  total  of  64,641  volumes.  The  religious  denom- 
inations consist  of  102  Baptist,  175  Congregational,  140  Methodist,  sev- 
enty-six Union,  thirty-eight  Universalist,  twenty-six  Episcopal,  eleven 
Presbyterian,  eight  Roman  Catholic,  two  Unitarian,  seven  Friends,  one 
Free,  and  four  Second  Advent  churches.  Emigration  has  much  affected 
the  condition  of  all  the  religious  denominations  as  to  numbers,  many  of 
the  churches  showing  an  absolute  decrease  from  this  cause. 

The  state  has  three  congressional  districts,  fourteen  counties,  and  239 


730  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

towns,  besides  a  very  few  unorganized  townships.  The  increase  of 
population  in  Vermont  was  more  rapid  in  early  times  than  it  has  ever 
been  since.  In  1760  there  were  not  more  than  three  hundred  people  in 
the  territory.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  the  population  had 
grown  by  immigration  in  fifteen  years  to  about  20,000.  In  1790,  it  was 
85,416  ;  in  1800, 154,465  ;  in  1810,  217,713 ;  in  1820,  235,764 ;  in  1830, 
280,652;  in  1840,  291,948  ;  and  in  1850,  814,120.  The  colored  popula- 
tion, which  never  came  up  to  one  thousand,  has,  since  1820,  suffered 
decrease.  The  foreign  population,  in  1850,  amounted  to  18,250,  or 
about  six  per  cent,  of  the  aggregate. 

The  true  natural  elements  of  advancement  for  the  people  of  Vermont 
are  largely  found  in  the  agricultural  capacities  of  the  state.  Even  the 
mountains,  towering  high  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  east  and  the 
west,  in  a  longitudinal  course,  as  though  designed  by  Providence  for  a 
barrier,  are  no  wall  of  separation  for  them,  but  serve  rather  as  the  great 
dorsal  column  of  the  body  social  and  political.  United  at  the  first  in  the 
great  struggle  with  a  foreign  power,  and  in  their  more  personal  contest 
for  state  sovereignty,  the  people  still  find  union  in  the  peaceful  conquest 
of  the  soil.  Their  cattle  are  scattered  over  a  thousand  hills.  From  the 
very  mountain  tops  kindred  salutations  are  exchanged  upon  both  sides, 
in  the  lowing  and  bleating  of  the  flocks  and  herds.  Men  are  neighbors, 
and  partake  the  hospitalities  of  each  other's  homes,  though  they  see  not 
the  ascending  smoke  from  each  other's  dwellings.  May  we  not  suppose 
that  the  virtues  of  their  sons  and  daughters,  encircled  by  other  proper 
influences,  are  more  secure  where  the  acres  of  each  are  broad  enough 
to  invite  to  honest  and  profitable  toil,  and  to  the  sweetness  of  repose, 
—  where  the  crowded  marts  of  trade  and  the  dense  masses  of  manu- 
facturing cities,  pent  up  from  the  pure  air  of  heaven,  are  not  found  ? 
Although  Vermont  is  rich  in  other  resources  than  agricultural,  may 
these  ever  stand  foremost!  Developed  by  independent  and  free  labor, 
may  these  ever  guard   and  increase  the  integrity  and  prosperity  of  her 


CHAPTEE    IX. 

COUNTIES  AND   TOWNS  i  OF  VERMONT. 

Addison  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Addison  county,  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  directly  opposite  old  Crown  Point,  and  forty 
miles  from  Montpelier.  The  first  settlement  within  the  limits  of  Ver- 
mont was  made  by  the  French,  in  1731,  at  a  place  called  Chimney 
Point,  in  the  southwest  part  of  this  town,  but  it  never  amounted  to 
much.  The  old  garrison  house  and  stone  windmill  that  they  erected, 
foreshadowed  a  design  to  penetrate  further  into  the  wilderness ;  but, 
when  it  became  apparent  that  a  French  dominion  could  not  be  es- 
tablished in  America,  the  settlement  was  abandoned  to  the  English. 
The  next  year  after  the  fall  of  Canada  (Oct.  14,  1761),  it  was  char- 
tered by  New  Hampshire  to  Simon  Ely  and  sixty-three  others,  and,  in 
1769  or  1770,  Zadock  Everest,  one  Ward,  and  Hon.  John  Strong, 
afterwards  chief  justice  of  the  county  court,  and  one  of  'the  council 
of  state,  moved  here  with  their  families.  A  few  others  soon  followed, 
but  they  were  all  forced  to  leave  during  the  war,  and,  on  their  return  in 
1783,  found  that  their  buildings  had  all  been  destroyed.  They  soon 
rebuilt  them,  however,  and  the  settlement  progressed  with  considerable 

'  In  Vermont,  the  population,  when  not  otherwise  expressed,  will  be  found  according 
to  the  last  census  reports.  The  valuation  is  from  the  "  Grand  List  "  for  the  last  year.  In 
giving  the  areas  of  towns  and  counties,  Thompson's  History  of  Vermont,  Lippincott's 
Gazetteer,  and  Deming's  Vermont  State  Officers,  have  been  compared  with  the  state 
and  county  maps.  The  table  of  areas  of  towns,  published  in  connection  with  the 
last  state  valuation,  has  also  been  consulted,  which  —  although  the  areas  fall  consid- 
erably short  of  the  fair  estimate  for  each  town  and  county,  on  account  of  not  including 
hio-hways,  and  "  lands  sequestered  and  improved  for  schools,  and  other  public,  pious,  and 
charitable  uses  "  —  is  often  of  assistance  in  approximating  to  a  just  computation.  Thomp- 
son has  generally  given  the  contents  according  to  the  original  charters  of  towns,  and,  as 
his  estimates  for  counties  correspond,  in  the  aggregate,  with  the  generally  received  area 
of  the  state,  they  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  adopted  here,  but  modified  where  the  facts 
appear  to  require  it.  The  word  "  cities  "  has  been  omitted  in  the  caption  to  this  chapter, 
as  there  is  but  one  city  (Vergennes),  in  the  state. 

(731) 


732  HISTOEY   AND    DESCKIPTION   OP   NEW    ENGLAND. 

rapidity.  The  majority  of  the  original  settlers  under  the  New  Hamp- 
shire charter  lived  to  see  the  town  nearly  all  under  improvement,  and 
themselves  in  possession  of  all  the  enjoyments  of  life.  The  town  was 
organized  March  29,  1784,  and  the  first  church  was  formed  by  the 
Congregationalists,  November  24,  1803;  but  since  1825  they  have 
become  so  reduced  in  numbers  and  influence  as  not  to  support  a 
minister.  The  original  grant  embraced  28,800  acres.  In  1804,  a  part 
of  the  town  lying  east  of  Otter  creek  was  annexed  to  Waltham,  and 
that  part  east  of  Snake  mountain  to  Weybridge.  Its  present  area  is 
set  down  in  the  state  returns  of  town  valuations  at  24,008  acres. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  generally  level.  Snake  mountain,  in  the 
southeast  corner,  1,310  feet  high,  is  the  principal  elevation.  Several 
small  streams  water  the  town,  some  falling  into  Otter  creek,  and  others 
into  the  lake ;  but  there  are  no  valuable  mill  privileges.  Addison  has 
one  village,  called  East  Addison ;  two  churches.  Baptist  and  Methodist ; 
twelve  school  districts,  and  three  post-offices —  Addison,  West  Addison, 
and  Chimney  Point.     Population,  1,279 ;  valuation,  $541,932. 

Addison  County,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Green  Mountains,  at 
nearly  an  equal  distance  from  the  northern  and  southern  extremities  of 
the  state,  contains  an  area  of  700  square  miles.  It  was  incorporated 
October  18,  1785,  when  it  included  within  its  limits  the  present  county 
(except  Granville  and  Orwell),  all  of  Chittenden,  Franklin,  Grand  Isle, 
and  Lamoille  counties,  nine  towns  from  Orleans,  and  eight  from  Wash- 
ington county.  The  first  county  court  was  held  at  Addison  in  March, 
1786.  In  1792,  Middlebury  became  the  shire  town.  In  1797,  Kingston, 
now  Granville,  was  annexed  from  Orange  county,  and,  by  the  incorpo- 
ration of  Chittenden,  the  county  received  nearly  its  present  dimensions. 
It  has  since  acquired  Orwell  and  Starksboro',  and  parted  with  Warren. 
One  or  two  other  slight  changes  in  towns  have  occurred,  without  any 
alterations,  however,  in  the  county  lines.  The  county  now  contains 
twenty-three  towns,  which,  in  1855,  had  7,392  polls.  The  annual 
sessions  of  the  supreme  court  commence  in  January.  The  terms  of  the 
county  courts  are  held  in  June  and  December. 

The  surface  of  Addison  county  is  level  or  shghtly  undulating  in  the 
western  part,  which  contains  rich  farming  lands,  while  the  eastern  part 
is  rough  and  mountainous.  Granular  limestone  is  very  abundant,  and, 
in  many  places,  is  extensively  quarried  for  building  purposes'.  It 
receives  a  good  polish,  is  beautifully  variegated,  and  large  quantities 
are  annually  manufactured.  The  Otter  creek  flows  through  the  whole 
length  of  the  county,  falling  into  Lake  Champlain  at  the  north  of 
Panton.     It  has  also  a  considerable  lake,  —  Dunmore,  —  which  is  con- 


VBEMONT  —  TOWN    0¥  ALBANY,  ETC.  733 

nected  by  a  small  stream  \A'ith  the  Otter  creek.  The  county  is  also 
traversed  by  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad.  Population,  26,549 ; 
valuation,  $8,347,031. 

Albany,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Orleans  county,  thirty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  by  this  state,  June  27,  17«1,  to  Henry  E. 
Lutterloh  and  sixty-four  others,  and  chartered  June  26,  1782,  by  the 
name  of  Lutterloh,  which  was  exchanged  for  its  present  name,  October 
13,  1815.  It  contains  about  thirty-six  square  mUes.  The  settlement 
was  commenced  about  the  close  of  the  last  century ;  and  in  1800  there 
were  only  twelve  inhabitants  within  its  limits.  It  was  organized 
March  27,  1806.  Albany  is  watered  by  Black  river  and  several  of  its 
branches,  the  principal  stream  being  formed  in  Craftsbury,  and  passing 
through  in  a  northeasterly  direction.  There  are  likewise  several  con- 
siderable ponds,  the  most  important  of  which  (Great  Hosmer's)  is  partly 
in  Craftsbury.  The  soil  is  generally  sandy  or  gravelly ;  along  the  river 
is  some  fine  interval.  There  are  three  villages  —  West  Albany,  Han- 
sonville,  and  Albany  Centre ;  four  church  edifices,  —  one  occupied  by 
the  Free-will  Baptists,  one  by  the  Episcopal  Methodists,  one  by  the 
Wesleyan  Methodists,  and  one  by  the  Baptists  and  Congregationalists  ; 
fourteen  district  schools  and  one  select  school;  and  one  post-office —  . 
Albany  Centre:  also,  one  grist-mill,  two  clapboard  mills,  and  seven 
saw-mills.  Stock  raising  is  much  attended  to.  Population,  1,052; 
valuation,  $266,444. 

Alburgh,  Grand  Isle  county,  lies  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  state, 
thirty-three  miles  north  of  Burlington,  and  is  surrounded  by  water 
except  on  the  Canada  side.  It  is  of  a  triangular  form,  its  length  from 
north  to  south  being  about  ten  miles,  and  its  average  width  three  and 
a  half  miles,  containing  rather  less  than  thirty-six  square  miles.  The 
charter  is  dated  February  23,  1781.  The  first  attempt  at  settlement  had 
been  made  in  1730-1  by  the  French,  who  erected  a  stone  windmill  upon 
a  tongue  of  land,  which  has,  in  consequence,  received  the  name  of 
Windmill  point.  The  settlement  by  the  English  was  commenced 
by  emigrants  from  the  neighboring  town  of  St.  John's,  about  the  year 
1782.  They  were  originally  from  the  states ;  but,  being  loyalists, 
found  it  necessary,  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  to  shelter  themselves 
in  Canada.  For  some  years  after  the  settlement  was  commenced,  they 
were  much  harassed  by  the  diversity  of  claimants  to  the  lands.  Ira 
AUen  claimed  the  town,  and  obtained  a  grant  of  it  from  the  state,  after 
the  settlement  was  begun  ;  and,  five  or  six  years  after,  brought  actions 
of  ejectment  against  the  settlers,  which  terminated  in  their  favor.     In 

VOL.  I.  62 


734  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

their  defence  of  these  suits,  the  settlers  expended  about  $3,000.  It  was 
also  claimed  by  Sir  George  Young,  as  a  grant  from  the  Duke  of  York, 
and  by  some  others  ;  but  the  settlers  were  determined  to  hold  the  land 
themselves,  and  all  the  actions  of  ejectment  hitherto  brought  against 
them  have  been  decided  in  their  favor. 

Alburgh  was  organized  in  1792.  The  surface  is  very  level.  There 
are  no  mountains  or  streams  of  any  consequence.  The  soil  is  rich  and 
productive.  Alburgh  Springs  is  quite  a  noted  watering-place,  and  the 
reputation  of  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  water  has  been  the  means 
of  building  up  a  thriving  village.  There  are  two  large  hotels,  two 
stores,  and  two  church  edifices  here  —  Methodist  and  Congregational. 
Missisquoi  bay,  near  the  springs,  abounds  with  the  choicest  fish,  and 
hence  is  a  considerable  resort  for  the  angler.  There  is  one  other  church 
in  town  —  Methodist ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  three  post-offices  — 
Alburgh,  West  Alburgh,  and  Alburgh  Springs.  The  trade  is  princi- 
pally in  produce.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes  through  the 
north  part  of  the  town.     Population,  1,568 ;  valuation,  $528,485. 

Andovee,  in  the  southwest  part  of  Windsor  county,  sixty-eight  miles 
from  MontpeUer,  was  chartered  by  the  government  of  New  Hampshire, 
October  16,  1761,  to  Nathaniel  House  and  his  associates.  The  first 
permanent  settlement  was  made  about  1776,  by  Thomas  Adams,  Moses 
Warner,  Solomon,  David,  Joseph,  and  Antipas  Howard,  Joel  and  Sam- 
uel Manning,  Samuel  Burton,  Jonathan  Cram,  Samuel  Brown,  and 
Stephen  and  Joseph  Dudley.  The  town  was  organized  in  March,  1780. 
The  progress  in  settling  it  was  very  much  retarded  by  the  controversy 
with  New  York,  and  by  the  Revolution;  but,  more  than  all,  by  the 
habits  of  the  people.  They  had  not  the  desire  for  the  accumulation  of 
wealth  that  now  influences  their  posterity  ;  a  competency  was  the  sole 
idea  of  the  most  avaricious,  while  the  majority  only  sought  to  satisfy  the 
wants  that  each  day  brought. 

A  number  of  young  men  from  Andover  enlisted  in  the  army  in  1814, 
and  served  through  the  campaign.  Colonel  Sylvanus  L.  Marsh  joined 
the  army  under  General  Jacob  Brown,  —  was  stationed  for  a  time  at 
Sackett's  Harbor  and  at  Plattsburg,  and  afterwards  at  Fort  Union  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  river  in  Nebraska,  until  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service.  Joseph  and  Joel  Howard  were  in  the  service  a 
short  time.  The  latter,  in  a  night  skirmish  with  the  Indians,  received  a 
blow  from  a  tomahawk  which  came  near  proving  fatal.  Jacob  and 
John  Abbott,  David  Bradford,  James  Burton,  Joseph  Cram,  Nathan 
Walker,  Willard  Lund,  and  Cyrus  Bailey  were  all  good  soldiers.  Alvin 
Adams,  the  leading  partner  in  the  world-renowned  express  firm  of  Ad- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   ARLINGTON.  735 

ams  and  Company,  whose  lines  of  travel  reach  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
and  whose  banking-houses  and  express-offices  are  in  all  the  great  cities 
of  America,  is  a  native  of  this  town,  born  June  16,  1804.  Solomon 
Howard,  the  first  settler  in  the  south  part  of  Andover,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  army,  —  was  in  the  battles  of  Trenton,  Princeton,  and 
Stillwater,  at  the  latter  of  which  he  witnessed  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 
Dr.  Charles  W.  Chandler  was  the  first  physician,  and  the  only  regular 
practitioner  for  many  years,  having  commenced  about  1798,  and  con- 
tinued in  practice  till  near  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1853.  He  was  a 
very  useful  man,  not  only  in  his  profession,  but  as  a  citizen,  and  was 
highly  respected  by  his  townsmen,  to  whom  he  had  endeared  himself  by 
his  many  noble  qualities.  Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  originally  of  Groton, 
Mass.,  served  three  years  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  He  died  March 
30,  1844.  The  Congregationalists  built  a  house  of  worship  in  1820, 
near  the  central  part  of  the  town  ;  but  the  church  is  now  extinct.  The 
Baptists  erected  a  meeting-house  in  1809,  on  East  hiU,  in  the  north- 
eastern part.  The  church  was  organized  in  the  summer  of  1803,  over 
which  Rev.  Joel  Manning  was  ordained  October  2,  1806. 

The  original  charter  of  the  town  embraced  23,500  acres ;  somewhat 
more  than  half  of  which  lies  on  the  eastern  declivity  of  a  secondary 
chain  of  elevations  running  parallel  with  the  main  range  of  Green 
Mountains,  and  the  other  part  on  the  western  declivity.  In  1799,  the 
town  was  divided  by  a  line  running  along  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  the 
western  portion  was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Weston.  The  surface 
is  very  rough,  and  the  soil  hard  to  cultivate.  Williams's  river  has  a 
good  supply  of  water  and  several  mill  privileges.  There  are  two  small 
villages  —  Andover  and  Simonsville ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congre- 
gational, Baptist,  and  Union ;  nine  school  districts,  and  two  post- 
offices  :  also,  one  manufactory  of  bedsteads  and  spring  beds,  one  grist- 
mill, three  saw-mills  ;  and  two  variety  stores,  with  a  capital  of  $15,000. 
Population,  725 ;  valuation,  $211,683. 

Ablington  is  in  the  western  part  of  Bennington  county,  on  the 
boundary  line  dividing  Vermont  from  New  York,  and  forty  miles  from 
Rutland,  and  contains  24,960  acres.  It  was  chartered  by  the  govern- 
ment of  New  Hampshire,  July  28,  1761,  to  a  number  of  persons,  most 
of  whom  belonged  to  Litchfield,  Conn.  The  first  settlement  was  made 
in  1763  by  Simon  Burton,  William  Searls,  and  Ebenezer  Wallis. 
During  the  following  year,  Jehiel  and  Josiah  Hawley,  Thomas  Peck,  and 
Remember  Baker,  the  active  and  fearless  associate  of  Ethan  Allen  in 
the   New  York  controversy,  settled  here.     At  the  organization  of  the 


736  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

town  —  supposed  to  have  been  about  1768  —  Baker  was  chosen  clerk ; 
but  how  long  he  served  in  that  capacity  is  not  known;  for  Isaac 
Bisco  had  the  office  in  1777.  Bisco,  being  a  noted  tory,  fled  to  Canada, 
and  either  destroyed  or  secreted  the  town  records,  as  no  trace  of 
them  has  ever  been  discovered.  The  present  records  commence  in 
1781.  The  original  settlers  were  Episcopalians;  and,  in  1784,  they 
organized  a  church,  over  which  they  settled  Rev.  James  Nichols  in  1786. 
Thomas  Chittenden  was  a  resident  here  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
—  was  elected  governor  in  1778,  and  served  the  state  in  that  capacity 
(with  the  exception  of  1789),  until  1797.  Ethan  Allen  represented  this 
town  in  the  first  general  assembly.  The  surface  is  mountainous.  The 
principal  elevations  are  Red  mountain,  and  Bald  and  Spruce  peaks,  be- 
longing to  the  west  mountain  range. 

The  town  is  watered  by  the  Battenkill  river  and  its  tributaries,  which 
afford  many  excellent  mill  privileges,  and  on  the  banks  of  which  are 
considerable  tracts  of  fine  interval  land.  Granular  limestone  abounds 
here  ;  several  quarries  have  been  opened,  and  are  successfully  wrought. 
The  railroad  from  Bennington  to  Rutland  passes  through  the  east  part 
of  the  town.  There  are  three  villages  —  Arlington,  West  Arlington, 
and  East  Arlington,  the  two  former  having  post-offices;  three  church 
edifices  —  two  Episcopal  and  one  Congregational;  eleven  school  dis- 
tricts, two  grist-mills,  three  saw-mills,  one  sash,  blind,  and  door  factory, 
one  marble-cutting  shop,  and  one  establishment  for  making  washboards 
and  chairs.     Population,  1,084  ;  valuation,  $412,805. 

Athens,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Windham  county,  one  hundred  miles 
from  Montpelier,  and  comprising  about  9,000  acres,  was  granted 
March  11,  and  chartered  May  3,  1780,  to  Solomon  Harvey,  John 
Moore,  Jonathan  Perham,  and  sixty-four  others.  A  portion  of  Athens 
was  annexed  to  Grafton,  October  30,  1816,  and  a  part  was  taken 
October  27,  1794,  with  a  part  of  Putney,  to  form  the  town  of  Brookline. 
Parts  of  Rockingham  and  Grafton  were  annexed  to  Athens,  November 
2,  1846.  Some  choppings  were  made  in  the  fall  of  1779,  but  Jonathan 
Perham  and  Ephraim  Holden  of  Rindge,  N.  H.,  removed  their  families 
here  February  25,  1780,  and  were  soon  followed  by  Seth  Oakes  and 
family  from  Winchendon,  Mass. 

Near  the  end  of  October,  1780,  two  men,  at  work  in  the  fields,  were 
disturbed  by  what  they  supposed  to  be  the  whoops  and  yells  of  the 
Indians.  Quitting  their  work,  they  spread  the  alarm  as  fast  as  possible, 
and  the  people,  affi-ighted  almost  out  of  their  senses,  hurried  away  with 
their  chUdren  with  aU  possible  despatch.     The  report  was  spread  with 


VEEMONT TOWNSHIP    OF   AVERILL.  737 

the  greatest  rapidity  through  the  neighboring  towns,  that  Athens  was 
destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  each  and  every  one  prepared  to  defend 
himself  from  the  dreaded  attack.  Colonel  Sargeant  of  Brattleboro'  im- 
mediately sent  out  orders  into  all  the  adjoining  towns  for  assembling 
the  militia,  with  which  he  repaired  to  the  scene  of  desertion,  and  soon 
ascertained  the  true  cause  of  the  panic.  It  should  be  said,  however, 
in  justice  to  the  memory  of  these  settlers,  that  this  occurrence  was  but 
a  few  days  after  the  savage  destruction  of  Royalton.  But,  alas  for 
the  credulity  of  the  fleeing  and  terror-stricken  settlers!  according  to 
Thompson,  either  the  hallooing  of  a  hunter  passing  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  town,  or  an  attempt  by  a  party  of  surveyors  to  imitate  the  Indian 
whoop,  was  the  only  foundation  for  a  tale  certainly  fraught  with  serious 
inconvenience  to  all  of  the  inhabitants,  as  well  as  to  their  cattle,  which 
were  left  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  a  snow-storm  and  without  food  till 
the  error  was  discovered.  Rev.  Joseph  BuUen  was  settled  as  the  first 
minister,  and  remained  here  for  some  years,  —  teaching  school  during 
the  winter,  and,  on  Sundays,  preaching  whenever  he  could  gather  an 
audience.  The  first  and  only  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1818,  some 
years  after  Mr.  Bullen's  departure.     It  was  built  by  the  Methodists. 

The  surface  of  Athens  is  mountainous,  and  difficult  to  cultivate; 
though,  between  the  mountains,  there  is  some  rich  alluvial  land, 
capable  of  being  made  highly  productive.  The  slopes  of  the  highlands 
were  settled  upon  and  improved  by  the  original  proprietors,  while  the 
valleys  w^ere  entirely  neglected.  At  present  the  valleys  are  being 
improved,  and  the  highlands  devoted  to  grazing.  The  town  is  destitute 
of  either  store,  public-house,  or  manufactory  of  any  kind,  excepting  a 
snath  and  axe-handle  shop. 

There  is  one  post-office  here ;  but  it  has  no  permanent  location, 
being  moved  about  by  the  caprice  of  each  incoming  administration,  or 
those  who  are  appointed  to  the  control  of  it.  Three  school-houses  have 
been  built,  two  of  which  are  in  tolerable  condition,  but  the  other  is  so 
much  out  of  repair  that  it  is  no  longer  fit  for  use.  Population,  389 ; 
valuation,  $112,546. 

AvERiLL,  Essex  county,  is  a  township  six  miles  square,  situated  in 
the  north  part  of  the  county,  and  was  chartered  June  23,  1762.  It  has 
no  civil  organization,  and  is  consequently  not  reckoned  among  the 
towns  of  the  state.  It  is  watered  by  a  considerable  branch  of  Nulhegan 
river,  several  streams  which  fall  into  Connecticut  river,  and  some  which 
pass  off  northerly  into  Canada.  There  are  likewise  several  considerable 
ponds.  The  surface  is  broken,  and  the  soil  cold,  and  unfavorable  for 
cultivation.     Population  in  1850,  seven. 

62* 


738  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

Avery's  Gores  is  the  name  given  to  a  number  of  tracts  of  land  in 
different  parts  of  the  state,  granted  to  Samuel  Avery  in  1791,  most  of 
vtrhich  have  been  since  annexed  to  towns.  Averyh  Gore  in  Addison 
county  contained  8,744  acres.  It  lay  nearly  on  the  summit  of  the 
Green  Mountain  range,  between  Lincoln  and  Granville,  to  which  towns 
the  greater  part  of  it  has  been  annexed  at  different  times.  Avery's 
Gore  south  of  Huntington  in  Chittenden  county,  of  triangular  form, 
originally  contained  5,970  acres,  but  a  part  of  it  has  since  been  annexed 
to  Huntington.  In  1850  it  had  a  population  of  eighteen.  Averyh 
Gore  in  Essex  county,  lying  between  Norton  and  Lewis,  and  containing 
10,685  acres,  is  mountainous  and  uninhabited.  Avery^s  Gore  in  Frank- 
lin county,  bounded  north  by  Montgomery,  containing  9,723  acres,  was 
granted  June  28,  1796.  It  lies  on  the  west  range  of  the  Green  Moun- 
tains, and  contains  the  source  of  two  branches  of  the  Missisco  river. 
It  has  a  post-office,  and  a  population  of  forty-eight. 

Bakerseield,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Franklin  county,  and  about 
forty  miles  from  Montnelier,  was  granted  February  27,  1787,  and  char- 
tered January  25,  1791,  to  Luke  Knowlton,  by  the  name  of  "  Knowl- 
ton's  Gore."  The  township  then  contained  10,000  acres,  but  additions 
were  made  at  different  times  from  adjoining  towns,  so  that  it  now  com- 
prises an  area  of  26,000  acres.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1789, 
by  Joseph  Baker,  from  whom  the  town  took  its  name  ;  and  Joel  Brig- 
ham  and  Abijah  Pratt  settled  here  about  the  same  time.  The  town  was 
organized  March  30,  1795.  The  surface  is  broken,  but  not  mountain- 
ous. Some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Missisco  river  take  their  rise  in  this 
town.  There  are  three  villages  —  the  North,  South,  and  Centre;  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  two  literary  institu- 
tions—  the  Bakersfield  Academy,  and  the  Bakersfield  Academy  and 
Literary  Association ;  thirteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  1,523  ;  valuation,  ^348,820. 

Baltimore  is  a  small  triangular  town,  containing  about  three 
thousand  acres,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Windsor  county,  sixty-four 
miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  set  off  from  Cavendish,  October  19, 
1793,  and  organized  March  12,  1794.  The  surface  is  mountainous' 
and  the  town  is  well  watered  by  springs  and  brooks.  Hawks  moun- 
tain, on  the  northwest,  renders  the  communication  with  Cavendish 
difficult,  which  was  the  occasion  of  the  division  of  the  town.  The 
summit  of  the  mountain,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  distance,  is  the 
boundary  line  between  the  towns.  There  are  two  establishments  for  the 
manufacture  of  starch.     The  town  has   one   school  district,  with  two 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BARNARD,   ETC.  739 

school-houses,  and  three  religious  societies  —  Congregational,  Baptist, 
and  Universalist.     Population,  124  ;  valuation,  $55,687. 

Barnard,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Windsor  county,  and  thirty- 
seven  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July 
17,  1761,  by  the  name  of  Bernard,  to  William  Story,  Francis  Barnard, 
and  others.  From  association  with  the  name  of  Barnard,  the  difference 
in  spelling  being  so  slight,  the  town  soon  acquired  his  name.  James 
Call  felled  the  first  timber  in  the  summer  of  1774,  but  the  settlement 
was  not  vigorously  commenced  until  the  next  year,  when  Thomas  and 
William  Freeman  and  Thomas  Freeman,  jr.,  John  Newton,  Lot  and 
Asa  Whitcomb,  Nathaniel  Page,  and  William  Cheedle,  brought  their 
families  into  town.  On  the  9th  of  August,  1780,  Barnard  was  visited 
by  a  party  of  twenty-one  Indians,  who  made  prisoners  of  Thomas  M. 
Wright,  Prince  Haskell,  and  John  Newton,  and  carried  them  to  Canada. 
Newton  and  Wright  made  their  escape  the  spring  following,  and  Has- 
kell "was  exchanged  in  the  fall.  They  suffered  many  hardships  while 
prisoners,  and  upon  their  return ;  but  they  all  eventually  arrived  safely  at 
home. 

Barnard  was  organized  April  4,  1778,  and  contains  27,260  acres.  It 
lies  between  Otta  Quechee  and  White  rivers,  the  surface  being  level 
and  the  land  productive.  Locust  creek  rises  in  the  southwest  part,  and, 
running  northerly,  falls  into  White  river  in  Bethel.  Near  the  centre  is  a 
natural  pond,  which  covers  about  one  hundred  acres,  and  discharges  its 
waters  to  the  northwest  into  Locust  creek.  The  outlet  of  this  pond 
affords  some  very  fine  mill  sites.  A  branch  of  Otti  Quechee  river  rises 
in  the  south  part,  on  which  is  one  saw-mill.  Barnard  contains  two  vil- 
lages — Barnard  and  East  Barnard  —  each  of  which  has  a  post-office ;  four 
churches — two  Methodist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Universalist, 
and  sixteen  school  districts :  also,  four  stores,  three  carriage  shops,  one 
chair  factory,  and  one  tannery.     Population,  1,647 ;  valuation,  $440,082. 

Barnet,  Caledonia-  county,  lies  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut, 
thirty-five  miles  east  from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  September  16, 
1763,  to  Enos,  Samuel,  and  Willard  Stevens,  sons  of  Captain  Phineas 
Stevens,  who  so  nobly  defended  the  fort  at  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  April  4, 
1747,  against  a  large  party  of  French  and  Indians  under  the  command 
of  M.  Debeline.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced  March  4,  1770, 
by  Jacob,  Elijah,  and  Daniel  Hall,  and  Jonathan  Fowler.  Those  who 
settled  subsequently  were  mostly  emigrants  from  Scotland,  a  part  of  the 
township  having  been  purchased  in  1774,  by  the  late  Alexander  Harvey 
and  another  gentleman  for  a  company  in  that  country.     In  the  summer 


740  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  1772,  Enos  Stevens  erected  a  grist-mill  on  Stevens  river,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  rods  from  its  junction  with  the  Connecticut.  Major 
Rogers,  on  his  return  from  an  expedition  against  the  St.  Francis  Indians, 
in  1759,  encamped  near  the  mouth  of  the  Passumpsic  river,  where  he 
expected  to  meet  a  supply  of  provisions  to  be  sent  on  from  Charlestown, 
N.  H.,  by  order  of  General  Amherst.  The  order  of  the  general  was 
complied  with.  Samuel  Stevens  and  three  others  proceeded  up  Con- 
necticut river  with  the  canoes,  to  the  round  island  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Passumpsic,  where  they  encamped  for  the  night.  ]n  the  morn- 
ning,  hearing  the  report  of  guns,  they  were  so  terrified  that  they  reloaded 
their  provisions  and  hastened  back  to  Charlestown,  leaving  Rogers  and 
his  famishing  rangers  to  their  fate. 

Barnet  was  organized    March  18,  1783,   and   contains  24,927  acres. 
Some  parts  of  the  surface  are  broken  and  hilly,  but  the  soil  in  general  is 
rich.     There  is  some  handsome  interval  along  the  Connecticut  and  Pas- 
sumpsic, the  ascent  from  which  to  the  upland  is  precipitous  and  rocky. 
The  rocks  are  principally  argillaceous  slate  ;  and,  just  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Passumpsic,  they  rise  almost  perpendicularly  from  one  hundred  to 
three  hundred  feet.     At  the  foot  of  the  Fifteen-mile  falls,  in  Connecticut 
river,  is  a  cluster  of  twenty-one  islands,  the  largest  of  which   is  said  to 
contain  ninety  acres.     There  are  several  other  fertile  islands  of  consid- 
erable  size  between  Barnet  and   Monroe.     The  principal  streams   are 
the  Passumpsic,  —  which  falls  into  the  Connecticut  just  below  the  foot 
of  the  Fifteen-mile  falls,  —  and   Stevens    river,  which  unites   with  the 
Connecticut  about  two  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Passumpsic.     On 
these   streams  are  several  valuable  mill  sites,  Stevens's  mills  occupying 
the  most  important  of  them,  at  a  place  where  the  river  is  only  three 
rods  wide,  and  falls  about  one  hundred  feet  in  the  distance  of  ten  rods. 
There  are  three  natural  ponds  —  Harvey's,  covering  about  three  hun- 
dred  acres;    Ross's,  about   one    hundred;    and    Morse's,  about   fifteen 
acres.     The  present  head  of  boat  navigation  on  Connecticut  river  is 
at  Mclndoe's  Falls  village,  449  feet  above  the  sea  level.       There  are 
three    villages  —  Stevens's,    Mclndoe's    Falls,    and    Passumpsic ;    four 
church  edifices—  Congregational,  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  and  Baptist; 
eighteen  school  districts,  an  academy,  a  high  school,  and  four  post-offices 
—  Barnet,  West  Barnet,  Passumpsic,  and  Mclndoe's  Falls :  also,  the 
Barnet  Manufacturing  Company,  employed  in  the  making  of  guernseys  ; 
and  four  woollen  mills.     The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Rail- 
road passes  through  this  town.     Population,  2,521 ;  valuation,  ^748,960. 

Barre   is   situated   in   the   southeast   part   of    Washington    county, 
bounded  on  the   north  by  Montpelier,  and  contains  19,312  acres.     It 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OF  BARRE.  741 

was  granted  by  the  state  of  "Vermont,  November  6,  1780,  to  William 
"Williams  and  sixty-four  others,  under  the  name  of  Wildersburgh,  and 
was  organized  March  11,  1793,  but  the  name  not  being  satisfactory 
to  many  of  the  citizens,  a  town  meeting  was  called,  and  holden 
on  the  3d  of  the  following  September,  when,  after  voting  to  petition 
the  legislature  to  change  the  name  of  the  town,  they  voted,  as  appears 
upon  the  town  records,  that  the  man  who  would  give  the  largest  sum 
for  the  erection  of  a  meeting-house  should  select  the  name  which  the 
town  would  petition  the  assembly  to  adopt.  They  pursued  the  wisest 
course  to  raise  the  largest  possible  sum  for  the  desired  purpose,  by 
putting  the  privilege  up  at  auction.  Bids  ran  high,  and  it  was  finally 
struck  off  to  Ezekiel  D.  Wheeler,  at  £62,  (about  $300).  Wheeler 
selected  the  name  of  Barre,  which  the  legislature  on  the  19th  of 
October  substituted.  Samuel  Rogers  and  John  Goldsbury  moved  into 
Barre  with  their  families  in  1788.  The  next  year  several  other  families 
arrived,  and  from  year  to  year  accessions  were  made  to  the  popu- 
lation by  settlers  from  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  and  Con- 
necticut. Dr.  Robert  Paddock,  who  came  here  from  Connecticut  in 
1794,  was  the  first,  and  for  many  years  the  principal,  physician. 

The  Congregationalists  built  a  church  here  in  1808,  which  they 
occupied  until  1840 ;  when,  on  account  of  the  inconvenience  of  its 
location,  they  disposed  of  it,  and  erected  a  new  brick  edifice  in  the 
village.  The  Universalists  sustained  preaching  here  nearly  or  quite  as 
early  as  the  Congregationalists.  They  erected  a  house  of  worship  in 
the  south  village  in  1822,  and  have  sustained  preaching  a  portion  of 
the  time.  The  Methodists  built  a  new  and  elegant  meeting-house  in 
1838,  and  have  a  large  and  flourishing  society.  The  Baptists  once  had 
a  name  to  live  here,  but  by  reason  of  deaths  and  removals  the  society 
has  been  broken  up.  The  surface  is  hilly  ;  the  principal  elevations  are 
Cobble  and  Millstone  hills,  each  of  which  is  composed  of  a  solid  mass 
of  granite,  of  a  light  gray  color,  and  valuable  for  building  material. 
The  granite  of  which  the  state-house  at  Montpefier  was  constructed,  — 
recently  destroyed  by  fire,  —  was  taken  from  these  quarries.  The  town 
is  watered  by  Stevens  and  Jail  streams,  —  branches  of  the  Winooski 
river ;  they  afford  some  good  mill  privileges. 

There  are  two  considerable  villages,  commonly  called  the  upper  and 
lower,  or  Barre  and  South  Barre ;  and  one,  known  by  the  name  of 
Twingsville,  which  is  located  in  such  close  proximity  to  the  lower 
village  that  it  may  be  considered  as  belonging  to  it.  There  is  an 
academy,  called  the  Barre  Academy,  under  the  control  of  the  Congre- 
gational denomination,  having  a  beautiful  and  very  commodious  edi- 
fice;  there   are   sixteen    school   districts,  and  two    post-offices  —  Barre 


742  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  South  Barre :  also,  two  large  manufactories,  one  for  casting 
furnaces  and  door-trimmings,  and  one  for  casting  mill-irons;  three 
grist-mills,  four  saw-mills,  two  planing  machines,  two  wheelwright 
shops,  and  three  blacksmith  shops.  Population,  1,845;  valuation, 
^656,925. 

Barton,    Orleans    county,   lies    forty-five    miles    northeasterly    from 
Montpelier.      It  was  granted    October  28,   1781,  to    General   William 
Barton  of  Rhode  Island  and  his  associates,  by  the  name   of  Providence. 
The   settlement  was   commenced   about   the   year   1796   by  Jonathan 
Allyne,  Asa  Kimball,  James  May,  and  John  Kimball.     The  first  settlers 
were  from   Rhode  Island  and   New  Hampshire.     The  town  was   char- 
tered October20,  1789,  — taking  the  name  of  Barton  in  honor  of  the 
principal  proprietor, —  and  was  organized    March  20,  1798.     The  soil 
is  generally  very  good.     Willoughby's  river  runs  into  Barton  a  short 
distance  and  falls  into  Barton  river,  which  runs  through  the  town  from 
south  to  north.     The  pond  in  Glover,  which  broke  its  northern  bound 
and  ran  entirely  out,  on  the  6th  of  June,  1810,  passed  down  Barton 
river,  making  very  destructive  ravages,  the  traces   of  which  are  still  to 
be  seen.     Belle  pond  is  the  largest  body  of  water  in  town,  and  is  one  of 
the  principal  sources  of  Barton  river.     There  are  two  villages  —  Barton 
and  Barton  Landing;  three  church  edifices — one  Congregational  and 
two    Methodist;   nine  school  districts,   and   two   post-offices  —  Barton 
and  Barton   Landing:    also,  four  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,   and   five 
stores.       The    Connecticut    and    Passumpsic    Rivers    Railroad    passes 
through  Barton.     Population,  987  ;  valuation,  $266,969. 

Belvidere,  in  the  northern  part  of  Lamoille  county,  lies  on  the 
western  range  of  the  Green  Mountains,  and  is  about  thirty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier.  It  was  granted  to  John  Kelly,  March  5,  1787,  and 
was  chartered  by  the  name  of  Belvidere,  November  4,  1791.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1800,  and  in  1810  had  a 
population  of  217.  The  town  originally  contained  about  30,100 
acres,  13,440  of  which  were  annexed  to  Eden  in  1828.  A  con- 
siderable part  is  mountainous,  and  unfit  for  cultivation.  It  is  watered 
by  two  branches  of  the  river  Lamoille.  There  are  two  villages  — 
Slab  City  and  Pottersville ;  one  church  edifice  —  Christian ;  four 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  four  saw-mills,  one  grist- 
mill, and  one  starch-mill.     Population,  256  ;  valuation,  $68,030. 

Bennington,  Bennington  county,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
state,  was  granted  by  Benning  Wentworth,  governor  of  New  Hamp- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BENNINGTON.  743 

shire,  January  3,  1749,  to  William  Williams  and  sixty-one  others, 
mostly  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  was  called  Bennington  in  allusion  to 
the  governor's  Christian  name.  It  was  the  first  township  granted  within 
the  present  limits  of  Vermont ;  but  it  is  not  known  that  any  of  the 
grantees  ever  removed  here.  The  settlement  was  begun  in  the  spring 
of  1761  by  emigrants  from  Massachusetts,  consisting  of  the  families  of 
Peter  Harwood,  Eleazer  Harwood,  Leonard  Robinson,  and  Samuel 
Robinson,  jr.,  of  Hardwick,  and  of  Samuel  and  Timothy  Pratt  of  Am- 
herst, numbering,  including  women  and  children,  about  twenty.  They 
came  on  horseback,  bringing  with  them  all  their  household  goods.  Dur- 
ing the  fall  of  that  year,  other  families,  to  the  number  of  thirty  or  forty, 
came  into  town,  among  whom  were  those  of  Samuel  Robinson,  sen., 
James  Breakenridge,  John  Fasset,  Oliver  Scott,  and  Joseph  SafFord. 
The  families  of  Clark,  Fay,  Harmon,  and  Warren,  were  early  settlers ; 
but,  it  is  believed,  did  not  arrive  the  first  year.  At  the  time,  the  most 
advanced  posts  in  New  England  west  of  the  Green  Mountains  were 
two  small  forts,  called  East  and  West  Hoosic,  one  situated  about  a 
mile  west  of  the  present  village  of  North  Adams,  Mass.,  and  the  other 
in  Williamstown,  Mass.  The  garrisons  at  these  posts  had,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  given  partial  protection  to  some  families  in  their  immedi- 
ate neighborhood ;  but  fear  of  the  French  and  Indians  prevented  any 
extensive  settlements  being  made. 

The  first  proprietors'  meeting  on  record  was  held  on  the  11th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1762,  when  the  first  step  was  taken  towards  building  a  meeting- 
house, which  was  erected  two  years  afterwards.  The  first  town  meet- 
ing was  held  on  the  31st  of  March  following,  when  the  organization 
took  place.  Much  of  the  most  important  public  business  was,  however, 
for  the  first  two  or  three  years,  transacted  by  the  proprietors  of  the  town, 
who  held  separate  meetings  from  those  of  the  inhabitants.  About  this 
period,  the  jurisdiction  of  this  territory  was  transferred  from  New  Hamp- 
shire to  New  York,  when  that  long  series  of  troubles  commenced  which 
have  been  noticed  in  Chapter  VIII.  The  titles  of  the  settlers  to  the  lands 
were  called  into  question  ;  and  it  became  apparent  that  they  must  either 
purchase  them  anew,  or  abandon  their  improvements  to  the  New  York 
claimanis.  There  was,  indeed,  one  other  alternative,  and  that  was  to 
defend  their  possessions  by  force,  if  necessary,  and  that  alternative  they 
adopted.  As  this  town  was  (excepting  Brattleboro')  the  first  settled  in 
the  state,  and  possessed  the  largest  number  of  inhabitants,  as  well  as 
some  of  the  most  resolute  and  determined  men,  it  became  the  head- 
quarters of  the  opposition  in  the  New  York  controversy,  as  well  as  of 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  during  the  eventful  period  of  the  Revolution. 
Here  Allen,  Warner,  and  others  planned  the  expedition  to  Ticonderoga ; 


744  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NE^¥■  ENGLAND.    - 

and  here  also  were  deposited  the  provisions  and  military  stores  for  the 
American  army,  in  the  attempted  capture  of  which,  the  forces  of  General 
Burgoyne  met  with  such  a  disastrous  defeat. 

Bennington,  under  the  pretended  jurisdiction  of  New  York,  was  in- 
cluded in  the  county  of  Albany.  When  Vermont,  in  1779,  organized 
its  state  government,  this  became  a  half  shire  town  of  Bennington 
county,  and  has  continued  such  ever  since.  A  court-house  and  jail 
were  erected  here  early.  The  old  Green  Mountain  Tavern,  situated  in 
the  centre  village,  was  kept  by  Stephen  Fay.  Its  sign  was  the  stuffed 
skin  of  a  catamount  placed  on  a  post  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  its 
jaws  extended  and  teeth  grinning  towards  New  York.  In  this  old 
house,  now  occupied  by  Samuel  Fay,  a  descendant  of  the  first  proprie- 
tor, the  most  important  public  concerns  were  decided,  as  well  as  the  fate 
of  those  accused  of  offences  against  the  people.  Many  a  luckless  Yorker 
and  many  an  unfortunate  tory  have  had  reason  to  regret  that  they  ever 
saw  the  sign  of  the  catamount.  The  battle  ground,  a  view  of  which 
is  given  opposite  page  718,  is  about  seven  miles  northwest  of 
Bennington  Centre,  on  the  Walloomscoik  river,  in  the  town  of 
Hoosic,  N.  Y. 

Some  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  Bennington 
deserve  a  passing  notice.  Samuel  Robinson,  sen.,  who  died  in  England 
in  1767,  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  men.  Next  to  him  was 
James  Breakenridge,  who  was  a  large  landholder,  owning  a  considerable 
tract  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town.  He  had  been  a  lieutenant  in 
the  French  war,  and  was  an  active  and  useful  man.  He  was  sent  to 
England  with  Jehiel  Hawley  of  Arlington,  as  an  agent  for  the  settlers, 
in  the  fall  of  1772,  and  returned  the  next  year.  Seth  Warner  is  too 
well  known  to  require  any  thing  to  be  said  of  him.  He  came  to  Ben- 
nington early,  was  an  active  and  efficient  opponent  of  the  Yorkers,  was 
colonel  of  a  continental  regiment  throughout  the  war,  and  died  at 
Woodbury,  Conn.,  soon  after  its  close.  Ethan  Allen  resided  in  Ben- 
nington for  two  or  three  years  previous  to  the  war,  and  also  for  a  time 
after  the  peace.  Moses,  Samuel,  and  Jonathan  Robinson,  sons  of  Sam- 
uel Robinson,  sen.,  were  prominent  men.  Moses  Robinson  was  the 
first  colonel  of  militia  in  the  state,  and,  with  his  regiment,  was  often  in 
active  service  during  the  war.  He  was  afterwards  chief  judge  of  the 
supreme  court,  governor  of  the  state,  and  senator  in  congress.  He  died 
m  1813.  Samuel  Robinson  was  an  active  and  prominent  military  man 
in  the  state  service,  and  became  colonel  of  the  militia  when  that  post 
was  of  more  importance  than  it  is  reckoned  at  present.  He  commanded 
one  of  the  Bennington  companies  of  militia  in  the  Bennington  battle,  and 
Captain  Elijah  Dewey  commanded  the  other.     Jonathan  Robinson  be- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OF  BENNINGTON.  745 

came  chief  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  and  a  senator  in  congress. 
John  Fassett  and  Stephen  Fay  were  among  the  early  leading  men  of 
the  town.  John  Fassett,  jr.  was  also  a  prominent  man,  and  held  the 
ofhce  of  judge  of  the  supreme  court  for  several  years.  Dr.  Jonas  Fay, 
son  of  Stephen,  held  many  important  posts  in  the  state,  and  was  a  noted 
and  useful  man,  as  was  also  his  brother,  Joseph  Fay.  Theodore  S.  Fay 
of  New  York,  a  popular  writer  of  the  day,  and  minister  resident  in  Swit- 
zerland, is  a  grandson  of  Joseph  Fay.  David  Fay,  another  son  of  Ste- 
phen, was  United  States  attorney  for  the  Vermont  district  under  Mr. 
Jefferson,  and  afterwards  judge  of  the  supreme  court  Isaac  Tichenor 
came  to  Bennington  in  1777,  as  a  deputy  commissary  of  the 
provincial  government,  was  a  member  of  the  assembly  in  1781,  and 
for  several  successive  years ;  afterwards  was  a  member  of  the  council, 
judge  of  the  supreme  court  from  1791  to  1795,  a  senator  in  congress  in 
1796,  governor  of  the  state  from  1797  to  1807,  and  also  in  1809,  and 
again  a  senator  in  congress  from  1814  to  1820.  He  died  in  1840,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five.  The  family  of  Saffords  were  also  leading  men. 
Samuel  Safford  was  major  in  Colonel  Warner's  continental  regiment, 
and  served  through  the  war.  He  was  afterwards  a  prominent  and  use- 
ful man  in  civil  life.  The  first  representatives  of  the  town  in  the  gen- 
eral assembly,  chosen  the  first  Tuesday  of  March,  1778,  were  Nathan 
Clark  and  John  Fassett.  Nathan  Clark  was  the  first  speaker  of  the 
house.  He  had  been  a  leading  man  in  committees  of  safety  and  con- 
ventions for  several  years.  The  representatives  chosen  on  the  first 
Tuesday  of  September,  1778,  were  John  Fassett  and  Ebenezer  Wal- 
bridge.  The  latter  was  colonel  of  the  militia  about  that  time,  and  after- 
wards became  brigadier-general.  He  was  an  active  and  prominent  man. 
General  David  Robinson,  son  of  Samuel,  died  here  December  10,  1843, 
at  the  age  of  ninety  years,  having  been  a  resident  of  the  town  eighty- 
two  years.  Brevet  Lieutenant  Martin  Scott,  of  the  fifth  infantry,  was  a 
native  of  this  town,  was  educated  at  West  Point,  entered  the  army  from 
that  school  forty  years  ago,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  El  MoHno 
del  Rey,  September  4,  1847.  In  his  youth  he  was  famous  among  the 
sharpshooters  of  the  Green  Mountains.  Hon.  Hiland  Hall,  now  gov- 
ernor of  Vermont,  who  was  also  a  member  of  congress  from  1833  to 
1843,  and  judge  of  the  supreme  court  from  1847  to  1850,  is  a  citizen  of 
this  town. 

A  meeting-house  was  erected  by  the  Congregational  denomination 
about  the  year  1804,  at  which  time  this  was  the  only  prominent  sect 
in  town,  and  remained  so  for  quite  a  number  of  years,  which  was 
mainly  owing  to  the  influence  of  Samuel  Robinson,  sen.,  whose  custom 
it  was,  when  persons  came  in  to  purchase  land,  to  find  out  their  religious 

VOL.  I.  63 


746  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

views ;  and,  if  not  in  consonance  with  those  of  the  predominant  sect, 
he  advised  them  to  seek  land  in  other  sections,  but  particularly  in 
Shaftsbury,  where  he  was  a  proprietor.  Rev.  Jedediah  Dewey,  the  first 
minister,  was  settled  in  1763,  and  died  December  21,  1778.  The  Rev. 
David  Avery,  the  second  minister,  who  settled  May  3,  1780,  was  pre- 
viously chaplain  to  General  Learned's  brigade  of  the  army.  He  was 
dismissed  May  7,  1783.  The  Baptist  church  was  organized  April  11, 
1827,  the  Rev.  Henry  F.  Baldwin,  the  first  minister,  having  served  the 
church  from  June,  1828,  to  October,  1830.  A  meeting-house  was  erected 
by  this  church  in  1830.  The  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1827, 
and  the  Rev.  Cyrus  Prindle  was  the  first  minister.  It  has  a  meet- 
ing-house of  stone,  which  was  erected  in  1833.  The  Episcopalians  or- 
ganized their  church,  July  24, 1834,  and  erected  a  meeting-house  in  1836  ; 
Rev.  Nathaniel  O.  Preston  was  the  first  minister. 

Bennington  is  situated  on  an  eminence,  commanding  an  extensive 
prospect  over  a  most  delightful  country,  intersected  by  a  large  number 
of  rivulets,  that  pass  through  finely  cultivated  fields  and  ample  meadows. 
The  houses  are  generally  of  a  good  description,  but  are  not  built  with 
much  regularity.  About  one  quarter  of  the  surface  is  mountainous ;  the 
remainder  being  upland,  with  a  considerable  quantity  of  interval.  The 
soU  is  excellent.  The  lowlands  are  well  watered  by  the  Walloomscoik  and 
its  branches.  The  principal  productions  are  corn,  rye,  oats,  hay,  butter, 
cheese,  beef,  pork,  and  poultry,  which  generally  find  a  ready  market. 
The  town  is  connected  with  Troy,  the  head  of  the  Hudson  steamboat 
navigation,  by  a  good  macadamized  road,  the  distance  being  thirty 
miles.  Iron  ore  is  found  in  several  places  ;  also  the  oxide  of  manganese 
and  yellow  ochre  in  abundance,  the  last  only  of  which  is  at  present  man- 
ufactured. Marble,  argillaceous  slate,  and  hornstone  are  also  found. 
The  marble  is  worked,  but  not  to  a  large  extent.  Mount  Anthony,  a 
considerable  elevation  in  the  southwest  part,  has  on  its  east  side  a  cav- 
ern, which  is  somewhat  of  a  curiosity. 

The  town  contains  three  villages  —  Bennington  (upon  which  corpo- 
rate powers  were  conferred  November  3,  1849 1),  Centre  Bennington, 
and  North  Bennington ;  seven  church  edifices,  four  of  which  are  in  Ben- 
nington —  Congregational,  Episcopal,  Baptist,  and  Methodist  Episcopal ; 
one  at  the  Centre  (Congregational),  and  two  at  the  North  village  (Bap- 
tist and  Methodist  Episcopal) ;  twenty-one  school  districts,  an  academy 
at  the  Centre,  and  one  at  the  North  village ;  and  three  post-offices,  cor- 

'  The  legislature  of  Vermont  has,  at  different  times,  incorporated  several  villages,  for 
the  better  administration  of  the  police  system  and  to  give  other  corporate  privileges 
to  a  compact  community,  apart  from  the  government  of  the  whole  town,  where  a  large 
part  of  the  territory  is  sparsely  populated. 


TEKMONT  —  BENNINGTON   COUNTY,   ETC.  747 

responding  respectively  with  the  names  of  the  villages.  There  are  two 
incorporated  manufacturing  companies  —  the  United  States  Pottery  and 
New  England  Pottery.  At  Bennington  there  are  two  grist-mills,  two 
furnaces  and  machine-shops,  one  powder-mill,  one  paper-mill,  one  stone- 
ware pottery,  two  wagon  shops,  two  manufactories  of  under-shirts  and 
drawers,  one  for  tin,  copper,  and  sheet-iron,  one  for  linseed  oil,  and  one 
for  cotton  wadding.  At  Centre  Bennington  there  is  a  manufactory  of 
tin,  copper,  and  sheet-iron ;  and  at  North  Bennington  are  two  cotton 
manufactories,  a  cotton-batting  mUl,  a  paper-mill,  and  three  estab- 
lishments for  making  steel  squares.  The  Bennington  Banner  is  the 
only  newspaper ;  and  there  is  one  bank  (the  Stark),  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.     Population,  3,923 ;  valuation,  $1,166,722. 

Bennington  County  is  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  state,  and  contains 
an  area  of  610  square  miles,  which  is  divided  into  seventeen  incorporated 
towns.  The  state  legislature  passed  a  law  in  1779  dividing  the  state 
into  two  counties  ;  all  that  part  of  the  state  west  of  Green  Mountains 
constituted  Bennington  county,  and  all  that  part  east  of  the  mountains 
was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Cumberland.  Each  was  to  have  two 
county  seats,  —  Westminster  and  Newbury  for  Cumberland,  and  Ben- 
nington and  Rutland  for  Bennington ;  but  on  the  incorporation  of  Rut- 
land county,  Manchester  became  a  shire  town  with  Bennington  for  this 
county.  The  annual  term  of  the  supreme  court  is  held  in  February. 
The  county  courts  are  held  alternately  at  Bennington  and  Manchester, 
there  being  two  terms  annually — in  June  and  December.  The  surface  is 
mountainous,  a  large  portion  of  it  being  unfit  for  cultivation.  It  is  well 
watered  by  tributaries  of  the  Deerfield,  Hoosic,  Battenkill,  Otter  Creek, 
and  West  rivers.  The  principal  feature  in  the  county  is  its  large 
deposits  of  limestone,  a  range  of  which  extends  entirely  through  it 
from  north  to  south.  Iron  ore  is  also  abundant.  The  county  is  trav- 
ersed by  the  Western  Vermont  Railroad,  and  by  a  short  branch  from 
Bennington.     Population,  18,589  ;  valuation,  $5,222,926. 

Benson  lies  in  the  northwest  part  of  Rutland  county,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  was  granted  by  the  state,  October  27, 
1779,  to  James  Meacham,  Ezekiel  Blair,  and  seventy-two  others,  and 
chartered  May  5,  1780.^  Some  territory  was  taken  from  it  and  annexed 
to  Orwell,  November  8,  1847.  The  settlement  of  the  town  was  com- 
menced in  1783  by  Messrs.  Barber,  Durfee,  and  Noble.  Mr.  Durfee 
had  been  here  previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  but 

*  The  name  was  given  by  Mr.  Meacham  in  honor  of  a  Eevolutionary  officer  by  the 
name  of  Benson,  for  whom  he  had  great  respect. 


748  HISTORY  AND    DESCEIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

was  driven  off  before  he  had  made  much  of  a  beginning  in  the  way  of 
clearing.  The  organization  of  the  town  government  took  place  in 
March,  1786,  and  in  1790  the  Congregational  church  was  gathered  and 
organized,  over  which  Daniel  Kent  was  settled  in  1792  as  the  first 
minister  in  the  town.  This  church  has  been  very  prosperous ;  notwith- 
standing it  has  suffered  for  some  time  the  loss  of  many  of  its  members 
by  the  westward  tide  of  emigration,  whose  places  however  have  been 
supplied  by  the  constant  accession  of  others.  The  Baptist  church, 
which  was  organized  in  the  early  history  of  the  town,  erected  a 
meeting-house  in  1841,  and  the  Methodists  also  erected  their  house  of 
worship  the  same  year.  Benson  contains  an  area  of  24,638  acres,  and  is 
well  supplied  with  good  water.  There  are  two  landings  where  steam- 
boats stop  for  freight  and  passengers,  and  one  village,  which  is 
pleasantly  situated.  The  town  is  divided  into  eleven  school  districts, 
and  has  two  post-offices  —  Benson  and  Benson's  Landing :  also,  two 
grist-mills,  nine  saw-mills,  one  fulling-mill,  one  tannery,  and  one  wheel- 
wright's shop.     Population,  1,305 ;  valuation,  $556,685. 

Berkshike,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Franklin  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  to  William  Goodrich,  Barzilla  Hudson,  Charles 
Dibble,  and  their  associates,  March  13,  1780,  and  was  chartered  by  the 
name  of  Berkshire,  June  22,  1781.  The  settlement  was  commenced 
in  1792  by  Job  Barber,  Stephen  Royce,  Daniel  Adams,  Jonathan 
Carpenter,  and  Phineas  Heath,  who  moved  their  families  here  in  1793, 
and  from  this  time  the  settlement  advanced  with  considerable  rapidity. 
Berkshire  was  organized  in  1794,  and  contains  23,693  acres.  The  sur- 
face is  diversified  with  gentle  swells  and  vales,  and  is  well  watered  with 
brooks.  Missisco  river  runs  through  the  southeast  corner,  and  receives 
Trout  river  near  the  line  of  Enosburgh.  On  these  streams  is  some  fine 
interval.  Pike  river  enters  the  township  from  Canada,  and  makes  a  cir- 
cuit of  several  mUes,  affording  some  of  the  finest  mill-seats  in  the  country. 

Stephen  Royce,  the  first  settler,  represented  the  town  in  the  legis- 
lature for  several  years.  His  sons  were  Stephen,  Elihu  M.,  and  Rodney 
C.  The  eldest,  Hon.  Stephen  Royce,  who  is  stiU  resident  at  the  old 
homestead  in  East  Berkshire,  was  born  at  Tinmouth  —  came  with  his 
father  to  this  town  when  about  four  years  old  — ■  graduated  at  Middle- 
bury  College  —  was  several  years  a  member  of  the  legislature  —  twenty- 
five  years  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  six  of  which,  from  1846  to 
1853,  he  was  chief  justice  —  and  in  1854  and  1855  was  governor  of  the 
state.  Elihu  M.  was  the  first  white  person  born  in  town.  He  died  in 
1826.  His  son,  Hon.  Homer  E.  Royce  of  this  town,  is  the  present 
representative  in  congress  from  the  third  district.     Rodney  C.  was  an 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BERLIN,   ETC.  749 

eminent  lawyer,  and  died  at  Rutland  about  the  year  1834.  There  are 
two  villages  —  East  and  West  Berkshire ;  four  church  edifices  — 
Congregational,  Episcopal,  Methodist,  and  Union ;  sixteen  school  dis- 
tricts;  and  three  post-offices — Berkshire,  West  Berkshire,  and  East 
Berkshire :  also,  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  one  carding-machine, 
one  tannery,  and  an  establishment  for  planing  boards  and  for  the 
manufacture  of  doors,  window  blinds,  and  sashes.  Population,  1,955 ; 
valuation,  $409,765. 

Berlin,  Washington  county,  lies  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  state, 
and  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  8,  1763,  to  C.  Graham 
and  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1785,  near  the  mouth 
of  Dog  river,  by  Ebenezer  Sanborn,  from  Corinth,  and  Joseph  Thurber, 
from  New  Hampshire,  both  of  whom  removed  the  next  year  to  Platts- 
burg,  N.  Y.  In  January,  1786,  Moses  Smith,  from  Granby,  Mass., 
settled  in  the  southeast  corner,  supposing  that  he  was  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  Williamstown.  In  May,  Daniel  Morse  and  family,  from 
Washington,  and  in  July,  Jacob  Fowler,  from  Corinth,  removed  here. 
These  were  soon  followed  by  Captain  James  Hobart,  Hezekiah  Sillo- 
way,  William  Flagg,  Jacob  Black,  Eleazar  Hubbard,  Zachariah  Perrin, 
David  Nye,  Elijah  Nye,  Jabez  Ellis,  Aaron  Strong,  Joshua  Bayley, 
John  Taplin,  and  James  Sawyer.  Mr.  Fowler  was  the  first  person  who 
resided  here  permanently. 

Berlin  was  organized  March  31,  1791,  and  contains  21,658  acres. 
The  surface  is  somewhat  broken.  Winooski  river  forms  a  considerable 
part  of  the  northern  boundary  ;  Dog  river  runs  nearly  north  through  the 
western  part  of  the  town  ;  Pond  brook  lies  near  the  centre,  and  Stevens 
branch  runs  across  the  northeast  corner.  Berlin  pond  is  a  little  south- 
east of  the  centre,  being  divided  into  two  bodies  of  water  by  a  narrow 
joint  of  land,  and  is  about  two  miles  long  and  half  a  mile  wide.  An 
abundance  of  pickerel  is  found  in  this  pond.  Iron  ore  has  recently 
been  discovered  a  little  east  of  Dog  river,  near  which  terra  sienna  of 
good  quality  has  been  found.  The  people  are  mostly  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  There  are  two  small  villages ;  four  church  edi- 
fices, three  of  which  are  occupied,  one  by  the  Congregationalists  and 
two  by  the  Methodists ;  fourteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office : 
also,  one  large  flouring-mill,  one  hoe  manufactory,  and  seven  saw-mills. 
Population,  1,507  ;  valuation,  $468,732. 

Bethel,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Windsor  county,  thirty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  at  first  granted  by  the  government  of  New  York 
to  a  company  of  men,  the  most  of  whom  were  tories,  who  at  the  com- 

63* 


750  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

mencement  of  the  Revolution  sought  safety  by  flight;  Avhen  another 
party  of  men  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  having  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  settlement  on  White  river  and  its  branches,  petitioned  the 
legislature  of  Vermont  for  this  township,  which  was  granted  them 
March  18,  1778 ;  and  on  the  23d  of  December,  1779,  the  charter  was 
made  to  John  Payne,  John  House,  Dudley  Chase,  and  forty-three  others. 
This  was  the  first  township  chartered  by  the  government  of  Vermont. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  the  fall  of  1779  by  Benjamin  Smith, 
who  was  joined  the  next  year  by  Joel  Marsh,  Samuel  Peak,  Seth  Chase, 
Willard  Smith,  and  David  Stone.  A  small  stockade  fort  was  built 
here  at  the  commencement  of  the  settlement  of  the  town.  It  stood  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  west  village,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  The 
town  government  was  organized  May  14,  1782,  and  in  1790  a  Congre- 
gational minister  was  settled,  but  dismissed  in  1794.  In  1835  was 
erected  a  house  of  worship.  The  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in 
1792,  but  had  no  church  edifice  until  1823. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  broken,  and  it  is  watered  by  White  river 
and  its  branches.  There  are  two  villages.  Bethel  and  East  Bethel, 
the  former  of  which  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  third  branch  of 
White  river,  and  the  latter  on  the  second  branch  of  the  same  river. 
There  are  seven  church  edifices  —  two  Methodist,  and  one  each  of 
Congregational,  Universalist,  Episcopalian,  Baptist,  and  Union ;  fifteen 
school  districts,  two  post-offices,  one  bank  (capital  $50,000)  :  also, 
one  woollen  factory,  two  flour-mills,  four  wagon-makers,  one  harness- 
maker,  and  one  tin-ware  maker.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes 
through  the  town.     Population,  1,730;  valuation,  $499,471. 

Bloomfield,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Essex  county,  sixty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  29,  1762,  by 
the  name  of  Minehead.  The  settlement  was  commenced  before  the 
year  1800,  but  its  progress  has  been  slow.  The  town  was  organized 
August  9,  1802,  and  contains  21,443  acres.  The  western  and  southern 
parts  are  watered  by  Nulhegan  river,  which  empties  into  the  Con- 
necticut river.  The  northeastern  part  is  watered  by  two  or  three  small 
streams,  which  also  fall  into  the  Connecticut.  The  Grand  Trunk  Rail- 
way crosses  the  Connecticut  river  into  Bloomfield  a  short  distance 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Nulhegan,  which  river  it  follows  up  to  its  head  at 
Island  pond  in  Brighton.  There  is  no  church  edifice  in  town,  but 
stated  preaching  is  had  in  a  school-house,  once  in  two  weelvs,  by  the 
Methodist  denomination.  There  are  three  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office:  also,  four  saw-mills,  one  of  which  is  supplied  with  shingle, 
lath,  and  clapboard  machines;  three  blacksmith  shops,  and  one  store. 
Population,  244 ;  valuation,  $127,732. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BOLTON,   ETC.  751 

Bolton  lies  in  the  eastern  part  of  Chittenden  county,  midway  between 
Montpelier  and  Burlington,  and  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire, 
June  7,  1763.  The  first  settlers  were  Noah  Dewey,  Peter  Dilsie,  James 
Moore,  Thomas  Palmer,  Robert  Stinson,  and  John  and  Robert  Ken- 
nedy. The  town  was  organized  in  1794,  and  was  first  regularly  sur- 
veyed in  1800  by  John  Johnson.  It  originally  contained  thirty-six 
square  miles,  and  was  increased,  in  1794,  by  the  addition  of  the  north- 
east part  of  Huntingdon.  Forty -four  lots  were  taken  from  it  and  an- 
nexed to  Waterbury,  October  30,  1851,  and  its  present  area  is  21,415 
acres.  The  surface  is  very  mountainous  and  broken,  and  but  a  very 
small  part  of  it  capable  of  being  settled.  Winooski  river  runs  through 
from  east  to  west,  and  along  the  banks  of  this  stream  nearly  all  the  in- 
habitants reside.  The  river  here  receives  several  branches,  both  from 
the  north  and  the  south,  and  the  Winooski  turnpike  passes  along  its 
north  bank.  There  are  two  villages  —  Bolton  and  West  Bolton ;  two 
church  edifices  —  Methodist  and  Baptist ;  nine  school  districts,  and  two 
post-offices  —  Bolton  and  West  Bolton.  Large  quantities  of  lumber  are 
manufactured  at  West  Bolton,  such  as  shingles,  laths,  and  the  coarser 
boards.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes  through  the  town. 
Population,  602  ;  valuation,  $117,889. 

Bradford  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  Orange  county,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Connecticut, which  separates  it  from  Piermont,  N.  H. 
Three  thousand  acres  of  this  town,  lying  on  Connecticut  river,  were 
granted  by  New  York  to  Sir  Harry  Moore,  and  by  him  conveyed  to 
thirty  settlers.  The  remainder  of  the  land  was  taken  up  by  squatters. 
The  name  at  first  was  Moretown,  but  it  was  altered  to  Bradford,  October 
23,  1788.  The  first  settlement  was  made  by  John  Hosmer  in  1765, 
near  the  mouth  of  Wait's  river.  He  was  joined  the  next  year  by  Sam- 
uel Sleeper  and  Benoni  Wright ;  and  in  1771  there  were  ten  families 
here.  The  first  town-meeting  was  held  on  the  4th  of  May,  1773.  The 
town  not  having  been  regularly  chartered,  the  legislature,  January  22, 
1791,  appointed  Israel  Smith,  Alexander  Harvey,  and  James  Whitelaw, 
a  committee  to  deed  the  land  to  the  settlers.^ 

Bradford  is  exclusively  a  farming  town.  The  surface  is  somewhat 
broken,  yet  there  is  but  very  little  waste  land.  Wait's  river,  the  princi- 
pal stream,  enters  from  the  west,  passing  through  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion, and  empties  into  Connecticut  river,  affording  a  number  of  valuable 
mill  privileges.     There  are  also  several  smaller  streams,  the  principal  of 

'  The  lands  in  this  vicinity  ivere  granted  both  by  New  Hampshire  and  New  York,  and 
the  townships  were  surveyed  and  claimed  under  charters  from  both  provinces,  which  pro- 
duced much  trouble  and  vexatious  litigation. 


752  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

which  are  Hall's  and  Roaring  brooks.  In  the  northwest  corner  is 
situated  Wright's  mountain,  sometimes  erroneously  called  Virgin  moun- 
tain, in  which  there  is  a  cavern,  called  the  "  Devil's  Den."  There 
are  two  villa o-es  —  Bradford  and  Bradford  Centre  ;  four  church  edifices 

Congregational,  Methodist,   Christian,  and  Union;    thirteen  school 

districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  one  academy,  called  the 
Bradford  Academy,  incorporated  in  1820,  and  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion ;  three  post-offices  —  Bradford,  Bradford  Centre,  and  South  Brad- 
ford ;  and  two  newspapers  —  Orange  County  Journal  and  National  Tel- 
egraph :  also,  one  foundery  and  machine-shop,  two  flour-mills,  three 
saw-mills,  one  kit  factory,  one  paper-mill,  one  whetstone  factory,  one 
manufactory  of  agricultural  implements  and  wooden  ware,  and  one  tin- 
ware manufactory.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad 
passes  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  Population,  1,723  ;  valua- 
tion, $617,320. 

Braintree  lies  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Orange  county,  and  is 
twenty-one  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  granted  November  2,  1780, 
and  was  chartered  to  Jacob  Spear,  Levi  Davis,  and  others,  August  1, 
1781.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1783  by  Silas 
Flint,  Samuel  Bass,  Jacob  and  Samuel  Spear,  and  others,  emigrants 
from  Braintree  and  Sutton,  Mass.  Silas  Flint's  wife  was  the  first 
woman  who  came  into  town,  and  received  in  consequence  a  present  of 
one  hundred  acres  of  land  from  the  proprietors.  The  first  proprietors' 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Jacob  Spear,  September  19,  1786. 

Braintree  was  organized  March  7,  1788,  and  originally  contained 
thirty-six  square  miles.  It  is  watered  by  the  third  branch  of  White 
river,  and  Ayers  and  Mill  brooks,  its  tributaries,  aU  which  possess  suffi- 
cient water  power  for  mills.  Ayers  brook  ^  rises  in  Roxbury  and  Brook- 
field,  waters  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  and,  after  receiving  Mill 
brook  from  the  west,  unites  with  the  third  branch  of  White  river,  just 
below  the  west  village  in  Randolph.  Between  Ayers  brook  and  this 
tliird  branch  is  a  large  swell  of  land,  known  as  Quaker  hill ;  and  be- 
tween the  third  branch  and  the  head  of  White  river  is  a  considerable 
mountain,  which  renders  that  part  incapable  of  settlement  Braintree 
contains  two  villages  —  East  and  West  Braintree ;  two  post-offices  — 
Braintree  and  West  Braintree ;  three  churches  —  Union,  Congregational, 
and  Baptist ;  fifteen  school  districts,  and  the  ordinary  country  trade  and 

'  According  to  tradition,  Ayers  brook  derives  its  name  from  a  person  by  the  name  of 
Ayers,  wlio,  having  run  away  from  New  England,  became  a  guide  to  the  French  and 
Indians  in  their  expeditions  against  the  English,  but  who  was  taken  and  executed  near 
this  stream  about  the  year  1755. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OP  BRANDON.  753 

manufactures.     The    Vermont    Central    Railroad    passes   through   this 
town.     Population,  1,228 ;  valuation,  $349,753. 

Brandon  is  situated  in  the  north  part  of  Rutland  county,  forty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  by  the  name  of  Neshobe,  October 
20,  1762,  which  name  was  altered  to  Brandon,  October  20,  1784.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  the  year  1775,  by  John  Whelan,  Noah 
Strong,  David  June,  Jedediah  Winslow,  Amos  Cutler,  and  others.  Mr. 
Cutler  remained  alone  in  town  during  the  following  winter,  not  having 
been  visited  by  a  human  being  during  that  time.  In  1777,  a  party  of 
Indians  visited  the  place  and  killed  two  men,  George  and  Aaron  Rob- 
ins, made  prisoners  of  most  of  the  other  inhabitants,  and  set  fire  to  their 
dwellings  and  a  saw-mill  which  they  had  erected.  Joseph  Barker, 
his  wife,  and  a  child  eighteen  months  old,  were  among  the  prisoners. 
Mrs.  Barker,  not  being  in  a  condition  to  traverse  the  wilderness,  was  set 
at  liberty  with  the  child.  The  next  night,  with  no  other  shelter  than 
the  trees  of  the  forest  and  the  canopy  of  heaven,  and  with  no  other 
company  than  the  infant  above  named,  she  gave  birth  to  another  child. 
She  was  found  the  next  day  and  removed  with  her  children  to  Pittsford. 
Mr.  Barker  was  carried  to  Middlebury,  where,  feigning  himself  sick,  he 
succeeded  in  the  night  in  inaliing  his  escape,  and  arrived  safely  at 
Pittsford. 

Brandon  was  organized  about  the  year  1784,  and  contains  22,756 
acres.  Territory  was  taken  from  it  and  annexed  to  Goshen,  November 
11,  1854,  and  to  Chittenden,  November  14,  1855.  The  surface  is  gen- 
erally level.  The  Green  Mountains  lie  along  the  east  line,  and  present 
some  lofty  summits.  The  interval  along  Otter  creek  is  extensive  and 
beautiful,  not  being  surpassed  in  fertility  by  any  in  the  vicinity.  The 
principal  streams  are  Otter  creek,  which  runs  through  the  town  from 
south  to  north,  and  Neshobe  river,  which  rises  among  the  mountains  in 
Goshen  and  enters  Brandon  from  the  east.  At  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, Neshobe  river  receives  the  waters  of  Spring  pond,  and  becomes  a 
considerable  mill  stream,  its  falls  —  of  which  there  are  several  —  afford- 
ing excellent  sites  for  mills  and  machinery. 

A  bed  of  bog  iron  ore  was  discovered  here  about  the  year  1810,  which 
is  inexhaustible,  and  which  has  been  extensively  wrought  for  some  years 
into  bar  and  cast-iron.  From  ten  to  fifteen  tons  of  this  ore  can  be 
melted  in  a  quarter  furnace  in  twenty-four  hours,  yielding  forty-five  per 
cent,  of  soft  gray  iron,  which  is  excellently  adapted  to  the  manufacture 
of  cannon,  car  wheels,  and  castings  requiring  great  strength.  The  bar 
iron  which  is  made  from  the  ore  is  of  excellent  quality.  Manganese  is 
found  in  abundance  and  of  the  best  quality,  nearly  two  hundred  tons  of 


754  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

which  are  annually  sent  to  market,  principally  to  Europe.  Marble  is 
extensively  quarried  and  manufactured,  and  some  of  it  is  equal  to  the 
finest  Italian.  About  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  village  are 
two  caverns  in  limestone  ledges,  the  descent  into  the  largest  of  which 
is  about  eighteen  feet  perpendicular  into  a  room  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet 
square.  From  this  room  is  a  passage,  barely  sufficient  to  admit  a  mid- 
dling-sized person  to  pass  along  in  a  creeping  posture,  into  another  room 
still  larger,  which  has  not  been  much  explored. 

Stephen  A.  Douglas,  a  leading  member  of  the  United  States  senate 
from  Illinois,  was  born  in  this  town,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1813.  After 
learning  the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker,  he  spent  some  time  here  as  a  stu- 
dent in  the  academy.  From  here  he  went  to  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  which  he  pursued  until  his  removal 
to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1831.  From  Cleveland  he  proceeded  westward 
and  finally  settled  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he  employed  himself  at 
first  as  clerk  to  an  auctioneer,  afterwards  as  school  teacher,  devoting  all 
his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  the  law.  In  1834,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  such  was  his  popularity  that  he  was  at  once  elected  attorney- 
general  of  the  state.  In  1835,  he  was  elected  representative  to  congress ; 
and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term,  in  1837,  he  was  appointed,  by 
President  Van  Buren,  register  of  the  land-office  at  Springfield,  111. 
In  1840,  he  was  elected  secretary  of  state ;  and  in  1841,  he  was 
elected  to  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state.  In  1843, 
he  was  returned  to  congress,  and  held  a  seat  in  the  lower  house  untU 
1847,  when  he  was  chosen  to  the  senate,  and  again  for  a  second  term 
in  1853. 

There  are  two  villages  —  Brandon  village  and  Forestdale :  the  former, 
situated  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  is  among  the  most  flourishing  in 
the  state,  and  is  divided  nearly  equally  by  the  Neshobe  river.  There 
are  five  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Congregational,  and  Methodist,  of  brick, 
and  Episcopal  and  Roman  Catholic,  of  wood  ;  one  seminary,  with  about 
two  hundred  pupils;  fifteen  school  districts;  one  newspaper  —  the 
Northeastern  Christian  Advocate ;  and  two  post-oflices  —  Brandon  and 
Forestdale  :  also,  two  blast  furnaces,  one  cupola  furnace,  the  Brandon 
Iron  and  Car-wheel  Company,  which  manufactures,  besides  iron,  the  cele- 
brated Brandon  paints  and  fire-brick;  the  Brandon  Car  Company, 
Selden's  marble  works,  the  manufactory  of  Strong  and  Ross's  platform 
scales,  three  furniture  factories,  three  carriage  factories,  the  manufactory 
of  Washburn's  patent  car-wheels,  a  large  tannery,  two  flouring  mills 
with  four  runs  of  stones  each,  and  a  variety  of  stores  and  shops.  Be- 
sides the  product  of  establishments  above  enumerated,  the  principal  ex- 
ports are   cattle,  horses,  butter,   cheese,   and  wool.      The   Rutland   and 


VERMONT — TOWN  OF  BRATTLEBOROUGH.  755 

Burlington  Railroad  passes  through  Brandon.     Population,  2,835;  valua- 
tion, $1,001,308. 

Beattleborough,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Windham  county,  127 
miles  by  railroad  from  Montpelier,  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  state.  Of 
the  earliest  exploration  of  the  country  of  which  this  is  the  centre, 
no  account  has  been  furnished ;  but  its  primitive  wilds  and  natural 
beauties  made  this  to  differ  only  in  the  circumstance  of  location  from 
other  towns  along  the  Connecticut,  the  first  appearance  of  which  to 
European  eyes  has  been  elaborately  described.  The  Indian  that 
walked  along  the  margin  of  this  noble  river,  admiring  his  stately  form 
reflected  on  its  glassy  bosom,  has  left  his  hieroglyphics  upon  the  rocks, 
commemorating  the  time  when  the  antlered  herds  were  the  occupants 
of  the  soil,  and  the  eagle,  soaring  high  in  the  heavens,  winged  his  way 
over  the  forests.  In  1723,  the  government  of  Massachusetts,  desirous 
of  protecting  from  the  ravages  of  the  natives  the  border  settlements  of 
that  colony,  "  Voted  [December  27],  that  it  will  be  of  great  service  to 
all  the  western  frontiers,  both  in  this  and  the  neighboring  government  of 
Connecticut,  to  build  a  block-house  above  Northfield,  in  the  most 
convenient  place  on  the  lands  called  the  equivalent  lands ;  ^  and  to  post 
in  it  forty  able  men,  —  English,  and  western  Indians,  —  to  be  employed 
in  scouting  at  a  good  distance  up  Connecticut  river,  West  river,  Otter 
creek,  and  sometimes  eastwardly  above  Great  Monadnuck,  for  the 
discovery  of  the  enemy  coming  towards  any  of  the  frontier  towns  ;  and 
that  so  much  of  the  said  equivalent  lands  as  shall  be  necessary  for  a 
block-house  be  taken  up  with  the  consent  of  the  owners  of  the  said 
land,  together  with  five  or  six  acres  of  their  interval,  to  be  broke  up 
or  plowed  for  the  present  use  of  the  western  Indians,  in  case  any  of 
them  shall  see  fit  to  bring  their  families  thither."  ^ 

Lieutenant-Governor  Dummer  approved  of  the  measure.  The  loca- 
tion decided  upon  was  in  the  southeastern  part  of  this  town,  on  what 
are  called  "  Dummer's  Meadows."  The  work  of  erecting  the  for- 
tress was  commenced  February  3,  1724,  and  before  the  commencement 

'  On  running  the  boundary  line  between  the  colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut in  1713,  it  was  discovered  that  the  former  colony  had  granted  several  large 
tracts  of  land  in  the  latter,  and  many  of  them  had  become  the  centres  of  permanent  and 
flourishing  settlements.  Massachusetts,  wishing  to  retain  all  the  territory  which  she  had 
hitherto  supposed  her  own,  agreed  to  give  Connecticut  107,793  acres  of  land  as  an 
equivalent,  which  Connecticut  accepted.  These  lands  were  located  in  four  different 
places;  one  of  these  portions  contained  43,943  acres,  within  the  towns  of  Putney,  Dum- 
merston,  and  Brattleborough,  and  here  the  fortress  was  to  be  located.  —  See  Hall's 
Eastern  Vermont,  p.  1 3. 

'  Massachusetts  Court  Records,  1723-1725,  p.  153. 


756  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

of  summer  it  was  completed  so  as  to  be  habitable  ;  but  no  sooner 
was  it  garrisoned  by  the  government  of  Massachusetts  with  provincial 
troops  and  friendly  Indians,  than  the  jealousies  of  the  French  on  the 
north  and  west  were  aroused,  and,  on  the  11th  of  October,  they  made 
an  attack  upon  it,  killed  some  of  the  occupants  and  wounded  others ; 
but  anticipating,  as  it  is  probable,  the  march  of  Colonel  Stoddard  from 
Northampton  for  the  relief  of  the  fort,  they  left  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  his  arrival.  Several  scouting  parties  were  sent  out  from  this 
fort,  but  as  trading  with  the  Indians  was  found  to  be  more  profitable 
than  fighting  them,  the  garrison  was  withdrawn  on  petition  of  Captain 
Joseph  Kellogg,  and,  in  1728,  Fort  Dummer  was  converted  into  a  truck- 
house,  for  which  purpose  it  was  used  many  years.  But  subsequent 
troubles  with  the  natives  proved  the  necessity  of  a  military  force  here. 
Accordingly  a  small  body  of  troops  was  detailed  for  this  station,  and 
remained  until  1750. 

In  1753,  December  26,  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire  chartered 
this  township  by  the  name  of  Brattleborough,  in  honor  of  Colonel 
William  Brattle  of  Boston,  who  Avas  one  of  the  principal  proprietors. 
Several  new  proprietors  were  admitted  by  this  charter,  but  the  governor 
was  very  careful  that  the  rights  of  older  proprietors  were  not  infringed. 
The  settlement  progressed  slowly,  and  several  years  elapsed  before  any 
attempts  were  made  to  colonize  those  portions  of  the  town  where  the 
villages  are  now  located.  Josiah  and  Nathan  Willard,  John,  Thomas, 
and  David  Sargeant,  David  Sargeant,  Jr.,  John  Alexander,  Fairbank 
Moore  and  son,  Samuel  Wells,  and  John  Arms  were  among  the  first 
settlers,  and  were  all  from  Massachusetts,  excepting  John  and  Thomas 
Sargeant  and  John  Alexander,  who  were  born  at  Fort  Dummer. 
David  Sargeant  and  his  son  David  were  ambushed  by  the  Indians,  the 
former  killed  and  scalped,  and  the  other  carried  into  captivity,  where  he 
adopted  the  habits  and  manners  of  the  natives ;  but  he  afterwards 
returned  to  his  friends.  Fairbank  Moore  and  his  son  were  killed  by 
the  Indians  at  West  river  meadows,  two  miles  north  of  Fort  Dummer, 
and  the  wife  and  daughter  of  the  latter  were  carried  into  captivity. 
In  1771,  Stephen  Greenleaf  from  Boston,  having  purchased  what  was 
called  the  "  Governor's  Farm,"  situated  where  the  east  village  now  is, 
opened  a  store,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  store  within 
the  limits  of  Vermont. 

There  is  no  reliable  record  of  the  time  when  the  town  government 
was  organized.  The  records  now  in  the  town  clerk's  office  commence 
with  the  names  of  the  town  officers  in  1781.  When  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  town  is  considered,  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  this  was  the 
first  organization ;  but  as  tlie  town  sent  no  representative  to  the  legis- 


/\;-l, '■ 


,l\V;;V 


iiji ' ':;i;i, , 


\    :   -''-.'.V 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BRIDGEWATER.  757 

lature  until  1780,  and  as  there  were  people  in  this  section  whose  sym- 
pathies were  with  New  York,  the  town  might,  for  some  reason  not  now 
apparent,  have  delayed  its  organization  some  years.  It  was  then  a 
flourishing  settlement,  and  prosperity  has  since  attended  it.  The  sur- 
face is  considerably  broken.  The  principal  streams  are  West  river  and 
Whetstone  brook,  the  latter  of  which  affords  many  excellent  water 
privileges,  already  occupied  by  a  great  variety  of  mill  and  other 
machinery.  Connecticut  river  forms  the  eastern  boundary,  and  is 
crossed  at  the  lower  part  of  the  east  village  by  a  substantial  bridge, 
built  in  1804,  connecting  this  town  with  Hinsdale,  N.  H.  The  Vermont 
Asylum  for  the  Insane  is  located  here.  This  institution  was  founded 
in  1804  by  the  beneficence  of  Mrs.  Anna  Marsh  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H., 
who  bequeathed  the  sum  of  $10,000  for  this  purpose.  This  sura 
was  afterwards  increased  to  $26,000  by  the  legislature  of  Vermont,  and 
a  large,  commodious  building  was  erected  of  brick,  neat  and  plain,  in 
a  beautifully  romantic  spot,  hemmed  in  from  the  busy  and  noisy 
portion  of  the  village  by  ridges  of  land.  The  location,  regulation,  and 
management  of  this  institution,  are  well  calculated  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  its  design.  There  are  two  villages,  the  East  and  the  West,  the 
former  of  which  is  much  the  largest,  and  as  a  place  of  business  it  ranks 
among  the  first  in  the  state.  The  industry  of  Brattleborough  is  partly 
shown  in  a  woollen  factory,  paper-mill,  a  manufactory  of  paper  ma- 
chinery, one  of  melodeons,  one  of  box -wood  and  ivory  rules,  two 
machine-shops,  a  flouring  mill,  a  carriage  manufactory,  and  four 
printing  establishments.  There  are  nine  church  edifices  —  two  Congre- 
gational, two  Universalist,  a  Roman  Catholic,  Methodist,  Baptist,  Uni- 
tarian, and  Episcopal ;  eleven  school  districts ;  an  academy,  incorpo- 
rated in  1801 ;  two  banks  —  the  Windham  County  and  the  Brattle- 
borough, having  a  combined  capital  of  f  250,000 ;  one  savings  insti- 
tution, and  two  post-offices  —  Brattleborough  and  West  Brattleborough: 
also,  the  Lawrence  Water-cure  Establishment,  which  has  accommoda- 
tions for  two  hundred  and  fifty  patients.  The  Vermont  and  Massa- 
chusetts Railroad  and  the  Vermont  Valley  Railroad  make  this  town 
easily  accessible  from  all  parts  of  New  England.  Population,  3,816 ; 
valuation,  $1,316,688. 

Bridgewater  lies  in  the  western  part  of  Windsor  county,  forty-five 
miles  from  Montpelier.  The  charter  is  dated  July  10,  1761.  Asa 
Jones  surveyed  a  lot  of  land  in  September,  1779,  and  the  next  winter 
moved  his  family  here  from  Woodstock,  a  distance  of  three  miles,  on 
hand  sleds,  this  being  the  first  family  in  the  place.  Amos  Mendall  came 
in  the  spring  following.  May,  1780,  and  was  married  to  a  daughter  of 

VOL.  I.  64 


758  HISTOET  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Mr.  Jones,  thus  constituting  a  second  family.  In  1683,  Isaiah  Shaw 
and  Cephas  Sheldon  moved  their  families  into  the  north  part  of  Bridge- 
water,  improvements  having  been  made  by  them  the  year  before. 
Captain  James  Fletcher  came  in  with  his  family  about  the  same  time. 
In  1784,  settlements  were  commenced  along  the  river  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town  by  the  Messrs.  Southgate,  Hawkins,  and  Topliff.  The 
first  saw-mill  was  erected  in  1784  by  George  Boyce;  and  the  first 
grist-mill  in  1786  by  the  Messrs.  Southgate.  The  first  framed  house 
was  owned  by  Joseph  Boyce. 

Bridgewater  was  organized  March  30,  1785,  and  has  an  area  of 
27,041  acres.  The  town  of  Barnard,  however,  claims,  and  is  now  in 
possession  of  a  strip  of  land,  about  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  extending 
across  the  north  end  of  the  town,  and  this  too  under  a  charter  derived 
from  the  same  source,  and  dated  seven  days  later  than  that  of  Bridge- 
water.  The  surface  is  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  rough  and  stony. 
Along  the  river  are  tracts  of  valuable  interval,  and  there  are  many  good 
farms  in  other  parts.  There  is  an  inexhaustible  quarry  of  soapstone, 
situated  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  which  has  been  manufactured 
to  some  extent,  and  makes  excellent  jambs  and  hearths.  Iron  ore  is 
found  in  several  places ;  and  garnet,  specimens  of  rock  crystal,  crystals 
of  hornblende,  and  schorl,  are  common.  Bridgewater  is  watered  by 
Ottk  Quechee  river  (which  runs  through  the  south  part),  and  by  several 
of  its  branches,  which  afford  numerous  mill  privileges.  There  are  two 
villages  —  Bridgewater  Corners  and  Centre  Bridgewater ;  two  church 
edifices — Congregational  and  TJniversalist ;  seventeen  school  districts, 
and  one  post-office :  also,  three  grist-mills  and  one  saw-mill.  Popula- 
tion, 1,311 ;  valuation,  ^5433,095. 

Bridport,  in  the  western  part  of  Addison  county,  on'  the  shore  of 
Lake  Champlain,  is  forty-one  miles  from  Montpeher,  and  was  chartered 
by  New  Hampshire,  October  10,  1761,  to  Ebenezer  Wiswall  and  sixty- 
three  others,  most  of  whom  were  from  Massachusetts.  PhiUp  Stone,  the 
first  permanent  settler,  came  from  Groton,  Mass.,  in  1768.  Ephraim 
Doohttle  and  Benjamin  Raymond  came  early,  and  were  very  active  in 
promoting  the  settlement  of  the  town.  A  few  families  settled  here  under 
titles  obtained  from  the  government  of  New  York,  but  they  never  had 
any  trouble  with  their  New  Hampshire  neighbors ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
are  said  to  have  acquiesced  in  the  rights  of  the  New  Hampshire  settlers, 
and  even  sometimes  to  have  assisted  them  in  inflicting  the  customary 
punishment— laying  on  the  "beech  seal"  — upon  the  backs  of  the  con- 
tumacious officials  from  New  York  who  refused  to  retire  after  the  usual 
warning.      In  1772,  Ethan  AUen,  on  one  of  his  tours  over  the   state, 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF  BRIDPORT.  759 

stopped  here  for  the  night,  in  company  with  Eli  Roberts  of  Vergennes, 
at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Richards,  who,  by  the  way,  held  his  possessions 
under  a  New  YorJc  title.  During  the  evening  six  soldiers  from  the  gar- 
rison at  Crown  Point  also  stopped  for  the  night,  and,  finding  that 
Allen  was  here,  determined  to  capture  him  and  obtain  the  bounty  that 
was  offered  for  his  apprehension.  Mrs.  Richards,  overhearing  them  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  that  purpose,  took  a  light  as  if  to  show  Allen  and 
his  friend  to  their  lodgings ;  but  on  entering  the  room  she  raised  a  win- 
dow, from  which  they  made  good  their  escape.  When  the  soldiers 
discovered  that  they  were  gone,  they  reprimanded  Mrs.  Richards  for  fa- 
voring their  flight  But  she  replied  that  it  was  for  the  safety  of  her 
house ;  for  had  they  been  taken  here,  the  New  Hampshire  men  would 
have  torn  it  down  over  their  heads.  Fever  and  ague  was  a  great 
scourge  to  the  early  settlers,  cases  of  which  are  not  uofrequent  even  now. 
The  want  of  roads,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  supplies  of  provisions, 
retarded  the  progress  of  the  town  very  much ;  but  the  land  was  selling  so 
cheap  (only  twenty  dollars  for  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres)  that  the  set- 
tlement continued  to  advance,  although  slowly,  till  the  commencement 
of  the  Revolution.  Even  then  the  hope  of  a  speedy  close  to  the  struggle 
induced  most  of  the  settlers  to  remain  on  their  farms  for  the  first  two 
or  three  years,  except  on  occasional  alarms,  when  they  retired  into  the 
counties  of  Rutland  and  Bennington.  At  one  time  a  party  of  Indians 
entered  the  house  of  Mr.  Stone,  giving  him  but  just  time  to  escape ; 
and,  after  stripping  it  of  every  thing  of  value  to  them,  the  ringleader 
put  on  the  finest  shirt  it  afforded,  and,  swaggering  away  to  the  sty, 
selected  the  best  hog  and  officiated  as  chief  butcher,  flourishing  his 
bloody  sleeves,  while  his  comrades,  whooping  and  dancing,  carried  the 
hog  away  to  their  canoes.  At  another  time  a  party  of  Indians  coming 
up  the  bank  were  discovered  by  Mrs.  Stone  in  season  for  her  to  throw 
some  things  out  of  a  back  window  into  the  weeds,  put  a  few  articles  in 
her  bosom,  and  sit  down  to  her  carding.  The  Indians,  after  taking  what 
they  could  find  elsewhere,  came  about  Mrs.  Stone  and  the  children. 
One  of  them,  seeming  to  suspect  that  she  had  some  valuable  articles 
concealed  about  her  person,  attempted  to  pull  them  from  her  bosom, 
whereupon  she  struck  him  on  the  face  with  the  teeth  side  of  her  card 
so  violently  that  he  withdrew  his  hand,  while  a  tall  young  savage  was 
flourishing  his  tomahawk  over  her  head.  Upon  this  an  old  Indian 
cried  out,  "  Good  squaw,  good  squaw,"  and  burst  into  a  laugh  of  de- 
rision at  his  companions  for  being  beaten. 

During  the  war  there  were  two  skirmishes  in  this  town  between  some 
scouts,  in  which  three  or  four  men  were  killed.  After  the  capture  of 
Burgoyne,  and  three  weeks  before  the  British  evacuated  Ticonderoga,  a 


760  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

party  from  Otter  creek  came  out  in  the  night  and  plundered  the  house 
of  a  tory  by  the  name  of  Prindie,  who  was  a  neighbor  of  Mr.  Stone. 
Prindle,  not  owning  the  house,  set  it  on  fire ;  and,  retreating  on  board 
a  British  armed  vessel  on  the  lake,  implicated  Mr.  Stone  in  the  robbery 
and  burning.  He,  anticipating  mischief,  kept  in  the  bushes  near  the 
bank  to  observe  their  movements,  where  the  British  discovered  him  and 
let  off  a  volley  of  grape-shot,  which  struck  among  the  trees  above  him ; 
they  also  fired  upon  his  house,  some  of  the  shot  entering  the  room 
where  the  family  were.  They  then  sent  a  boat  on  shore,  took  Mr.  Stone 
and  carried  him  a  prisoner  to  Ticonderoga,  where  he  remained  three 
weeks.  Mrs.  Stone,  expecting  he  would  be  sent  to  Quebec,  went  to 
him  in  a  canoe,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  with  no  other  company  than 
her  brother,  a  lad  only  ten  years  old,  to  carry  him  clothes,  leaving  her 
two  children,  the  oldest  but  four  years  old,  alone  at  home.  She  had  to 
tarry  all  night  before  she  could  gain  admittance.  On  her  return  she 
found  her  children  safe,  the  oldest  having  understood  enough  of  her 
directions  to  feed  and  take  care  of  the  younger. 

In  1778,  the  inhabitants,  despairing  of  immediate  peace,  and  being 
continually  harassed,  mostly  abandoned  the  town.    Nathan  and  Marshal 
Smith  and  John  Ward  remained.     On  the  4th  of  November,  1778,  they 
were  taken  by  a  party  of  British  under  Major  Carleton,  who  collected 
thirty-nine  prisoners,  men  and  boys,  in  this  vicinity,  to  carry  to  Canada. 
He  discharged  two  of  the  prisoners,  Elijah  Grandy  and  Thomas  Shinkly, 
with  a  batteau  to  carry  the  women  and  children  to  the  Americans,  while 
he  detained  their  fathers,  husbands,  and  older  sons.     The  parti  no-  scene 
was  very  affecting.     Ward  swung  his  hat,  and  cried  to  his  wife  and  the 
rest,  "  Never  mind  it,  we  shall  soon  return."     They  reached  Quebec,  De- 
cember 6,  and  were  kept  in  prison  sixteen  months  and  nineteen  days. 
In  the  spring,  after  two  dreary  winters,  in  which  several  of  the  party 
died,  about  forty  of  the  prisoners,  among  whom  were  the  two  Smiths, 
Ward,  and  Sturdifit,  were  removed  thirty  leagues  down  the  St.  Law- 
rence river  and  set  to  work.     From  this  place  eight  of  the  prisoners  de- 
serted, among  whom  were  the  four  just   named.      Of  these  Sturdifit 
was  retaken,  and  remained  a  prisoner  till  the  close  of  the  war.     The 
other  three,  after  almost  incredible  perseverance  and  sufferings  and  hair- 
breadth escapes,  succeeded  in  making  then  way  through  the  wilderness 
to  the  fort  at  Pittsford. 

Bridport  was  organized  March  29,  1784,  and  contains  forty-t^vo 
square  miles.  The  surface  is  very  level,  and  the  soil  generaUy  is  a  brit- 
tle marl  or  clay.  The  hills  are  of  loam  and  Ted,  slaty  sandstone.  Water 
is  not  very  abundant,  and  there  are  no  dm-able  mill  streams.  Most  of  the 
springs  and  the  ground  generally  are  impregnated  with  epsom  salts,  or  sul- 


VERMONT TOWN    OP   BRIGHTON.  761 

phate  of  magnesia.  For  family  use,  rain  water  is  general!)^  employed, 
which  is  preserved  in  large  reservoirs  or  cisterns  set  in  the  ground.  Of 
the  brackish  water  cattle  are  extremely  fond,  and  it  serves  in  a  manner 
as  a  substitute  for  salt.  Some  of  the  springs  are  so  strongly  impreg- 
nated, that,  in  time  of  low  water,  a  pailful  will  yield  a  pound  of  the  salts. 
They  were  manufactured  in  considerable  quantities  as  early  as  1790 ; 
but  the  cheapness  of  the  imported  salts  has  prevented  much  being  done 
at  the  business  for  some  years.  Bridport  has  a  small  but  neat  and 
pleasantly  located  village ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  one  post-office : 
also,  one  grist-mill,  and  four  saw-miUs.  Population,  1,393 ;  valuation, 
$600,070. 

Brighton  lies  in  the  western  part  of  Essex  county,  about  sixty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  August  13,  1781,  to  Colonel  Joseph 
Nightingale  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  sixty-four  others.  It  was  named 
Random  by  Hon.  Joseph  Brown,  it  having  been  a  random  purchase 
from  an  agent  sent  to  Providence  from  Vermont.  The  name  was 
changed  to  Brighton,  November  3,  1832.  The  settlement,  which  is 
mostly  in  the  westerly  part,  was  commenced  in  April,  1824,  by  Enos 
Bishop.  John  Stevens,  in  1826,  was  the  second  settler.  The  town  was 
organized  in  March,  1832,  and  then  contained  23,970  acres.  November 
23,  1853,  a  part  of  Wenlock  (which  then  lost  its  existence  as  a  town, 
the  other  part  being  added  to  Ferdinand)  was  annexed  to  Brighton, 
making  its  present  territory  about  39,000  acres.  It  is  watered  by 
Ferran's  river,  and  the  head  branches  of  the  Passumpsic,  Clyde,  and 
Nulhegan  rivers,  and  by  Island  pond,  which  is  about  two  miles  long  by 
a  half-mile  in  average  width.  Its  shores  generally  present  a  white  beach 
of  quartz  sand,  hard  and  smooth,  capable  of  furnishing  an  unbroken 
drive  of  several  miles.  The  pond  abounds  with  the  masquallonge 
(which  resembles  the  pike),  and  other  fine  fish,  and,  being  connected  with 
Memphremagog  lake,  and  by  a  series  of  lakes  and  streams  with  the 
St.  Lawrence,  it  will  probably  long  be  a  resort  for  amateurs  in  fishing. 
Many  of  the  views  in  the  vicinity  are  highly  picturesque;,  and,  from 
the  summit  of  "  Bonnybeag,"  on  the  north  shore  of  the  lake,  overlooking 
the  valley  to  the  south,  a  beautiful  landscape  is  presented.  Not  far  oflf 
is  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  great  waters,  —  Spectacle  pond  (so 
called  from  its  fancied  resemblance  to  a  pair  of  spectacles),  finding  an 
outlet  through  the  river  Clyde,  Magog  lake,  and  St.  Francis  river,  into 
the  St.  Lawrence,  while  the  Nulhegan  flows  into  the  Connecticut,  —  the 
ocean  receiving  them  more  than  a  thousand  miles  apart. 

The  short  portage  between  the  pond  and  the  boatable  waters  of  the 

64* 


762  HISTOEY   AND    DBSCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Niilhegan  bears  marks  of  having  been  the  route  of  the  Indians  in 
their  annual  pilgrimage  between  the  great  river  and  the  sea.  Traces  of 
Indian  encampments  and  of  their  trails  through  the  woods  still  remain ; 
and  a  point  making  out  into  the  pond,  now  called  the  Old  Man's 
Nose,  bears  evidence  of  its  use  as  the  seat  of  their  councU  fires.  This 
is   clear   of  underbrush,  and   is    overshadowed  by  a  dense    growth   of 

ancient  pines. 

The  importance  of  this  town  has  been  increased  since  the  opening  of 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  in  1853.  At  Island  pond  is  the  half-way 
station-house,  — 149  miles  from  Portland  and  143  from  Montreal,— 
where  passengers  dine,  and  pass  the  ordeal  of  the  British  inspection 
officers,  as  this  is  the  last  station  before  reaching  Canada.  The  depot 
grounds  are  laid  out  on  the  most  extensive  scale,  comprising  an  area  of 
twenty  acres,  a  spacious  station-house,  two  large  engine-houses  with 
repair  shops,  and  other  necessary  buildings.  The  region  abounds  in 
white-pine  timber,  and  several  saw-mills  and  shingle  mills  are  in  opera- 
tion. There  is  a  church  edifice — Congregational.  Population,  193: 
valuation,  f  169,827. 

Bristol  is  situated  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Addison  county,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  to  Samuel  Averill  and 
his  associates,  by  the  name  of  Pocock,  June  26,  1762.  In  October,  1762, 
the  name  was  altered  to  the  one  it  now  bears.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  by  Samuel 
Stewart  and  Eden  Johnson,  who  were  soon  joined  by  Benjamin  Gris- 
wold,  Cyprian,  Calvin,  and  Jonathan  Eastman,  Justus  Allen,  and 
others. 

The  town  was  organized  March  2,  1789,  and  contains  about  26,000 
acres.  About  one  third  of  the  land  lies  west  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
and  is  very  level,  rich,  and  productive.  The  remainder  is  broken,  and  a 
considerable  part  unfit  for  cultivation.  A  large  mountain  extends 
through  the  town  from  north  to  south,  that  part  of  it  north  of  the 
Great  Notch,  through  which  New  Haven  river  passes,  being  called  the 
Hog  Back,  and  that  on  the  south  being  called  South  mountain.  New 
Haven  river  enters  from  the  southeast,  and,  before  it  reaches  the  centre 
of  Bristol,  receives  Baldwin  creek  from  the  north.  After  passing  the 
Notch  and  Bristol  village,  it  runs  some  distance  nearly  south,  and  then 
turns  to  the  west  into  New  Haven.  There  are  three  natm-al  ponds ; 
the  largest,  called  Bristol  pond,  being  a  mile  and  a  half  long  and  three 
fourths  of  a  mile  wide.  A  bed  of  iron  ore  has  been  opened,  where 
there  are  two  forges  in  operation,  making  annually  about  one  hundred 
tons  of  wrought  iron.  Large  quantities  of  sawed  lumber  are  annually 
sent  to  market. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BROOKFIELD,   ETC.  763 

The  village  is  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  upon  New  Haven  river, 
immediately  after  it  passes  the  Notch  in  the  mountain,  and  is  very  pleas- 
antly located.  The  gi-eater  part  of  it  is  accommodated  by  an  aqueduct 
nearly  four  hundred  rods  in  length,  laid  in  water-lime.  Bristol  contains 
three  religious  societies,  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Congregationalist, 
each  of  which  has  meeting-houses  ;  eleven  school  districts,  an  academy, 
and  one  post-office  :  also,  two  grist-mills,  eleven  saw-mills,  one  fulling- 
mill,  one  carding-machine,  one  foundery,  and  one  plough  factory.  Pop- 
ulation, 1,344 ;  valuation,  $311,766. 

Brookfield,  in  the  western  part  of  Orange  county,  sLxteen  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  August  5, 
1781,  to  Phineas  Lyman  and  his  associates.  The  first  settlement  was 
begun  in  1779,  by  Shubael  Cross  and  family.  Mrs.  Cross  was  the  first 
woman  in  the  place,  and  on  that  account  was  presented  by  the  propri- 
etors with  one  hundred  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Howard's  family  came  in 
about  the  same  time,  and  Caleb  Martin,  John  Lyman,  Jonathan  Pierce, 
John  and  Noah  Payne,  and  several  others,  came  in  soon  after,  most  of 
whom  emigrated  from  Connecticut.  Captain  Cross  built  the  first  grist 
and  saw  mill. 

Brookfield  was  organized  March  18,  1785,  and  contains  thirty-six 
square  miles.  It  lies  nearly  on  the  height  of  land  between  White  and 
Wiiaooski  rivers.  It  is  well  watered  with  springs  and  brooks,  but  has 
no  very  good  mill  privileges.  The  principal  stream  is  the  second  branch 
of  White  river.  There  are  several  considerable  ponds,  some  of  which 
afford  streams  a  part  of  the  year  sufficient  for  mUls  and  other  machinery. 
Colt's  pond,  near  the  north  village,  is  crossed  by  a  floating  bridge 
twenty-five  rods  long.  Around  and  at  the  bottom  of  a  small  pond  in 
the  west  part  of  the  town  is  an  inexhaustible  quantity  of  a  kind  of  marl, 
from  which  very  good  lime  is  manufactured.  There  are  two  villages  — 
Brookfield  and  East  Brookfield ;  five  meeting-houses  —  two  Baptist, 
two  Congregational,  and  one  Methodist ;  seventeen  school  districts,  a 
female  seminary,  a  town  library  of  about  six  hundred  volumes,  four 
taverns,  several  stores,  a  fork  manufactory  with  a  capital  of  f  20,000 ; 
and  two  post-offices  —  Brookfield  and  East  Brookfield.  Population, 
1,672 ;  valuation,  $506,703. 

Brookleste  is  a  small  town  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windham  county, 
about  eighty-five  miles  from  Montpelier,  and  originally  formed  parts  of 
the  towns  of  Putney  and  Athens,  from  which  it  was  set  off"  and  incor- 
porated, October  30,  1794.  The  town  was  afterwards  enlarged  by  re- 
ceiving another  small  portion  of  the  town  of  Putney,  and  also  that  part 


764  HISTOET   AND    DESCRIPTION    01"    NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  Newfane  on  the  east  side  of  West  river.  The  settlement  was  com- 
menced about  the  year  1777  by  Cyrus  Whitcomb,  Jr.,  David  Ayres, 
Samuel  Skinner,  and  Jonah  Moore.  The  families  of  Jotham  Stebbins, 
Isaac  Wellman,  and  Peter  Benson,  were  early  here.  Jonathan  Mans- 
field settled  his  family  here  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  enlisted  in 
the  American  army,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  took  up  his  residence 
in  the  Northwest  Territory.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  mountainous  ; 
it  is  watered  by  Grassy  brook,  which  flows  through  its  entire  length  from 
north  to  south,  and  by  West  river,  which  forms  its  boundary  for  a 
short  distance  on  the  southwest.  There  are  four  school  districts,  and 
one  post-office :  also,  one  saw-mill  and  one  grist-mill.  There  are  two 
church  edifices  —  one  Baptist  and  one  Union.  Rev.  Denzel  M.  Crane, 
now  of  Boston,  distinguished  for  his  eminent  social  qualities,  as  well 
as  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher,  is  a  native  of  this  town.  Population, 
285 ;  valuation,  $70,592. 

Brownington,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Orleans  county,  forty-five  miles 
from  Montpeher,  was  granted  February  26,  1782,  and  chartered,  by  the 
name  of  Brownington,  October  2,  1790,  to  Timothy  and  David  Brown 
and  their  associates.  This  was  formerly  a  half  shire  town  of  the  county, 
but  the  seat  of  justice  is  now  at  Irasburgh.  The  settlement  of  the  town 
was  commenced  about  the  year  1796.  It  contains  an  area  of  19,845 
acres,  and  was  organized  March  28,  1799.  Willoughby's  river  is  the 
principal  stream.  The  leading  business  is  stock-raising.  Some  of  the 
finest  horses  sent  to  the  Boston  market  have  been  from  this  town. 
There  are  Uvo  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist;  the 
Orleans  county  grammar-school;  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office:  also,  one  grist-mill  and  four  saw-mills.  Population,  613-  val- 
uation, $137,200.  ' 

Brunswick,  Essex  county,  lies  opposite  to  Stratford,  N.  H.,  and  is 
fifty-five  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  October  13,  1761 
and  the  first  settlement  was  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1780  by 
Joseph  and  Nathaniel  Wait.  John  Merrill  removed  here  the  'suc- 
ceeding autumn.  In  1791  the  population  was  sixty-six,  and  so  slow 
has  been  its  advancement  that  it  has  not  yet  doubled  that  number 
Brunswick  contains  14,617  acres,  or  t\vcnty-three  square  miles,  and  is 
watered  by  the  west  branch  of  Nulhegan  river,  which  runs  throu-h 
the  northwest  part,  uniting  with  the  north  branch  in  Bloomfield 
Wheeler's  stream,  rising  in  Ferdinand,  passes  through  the  town  into 
Connecticut  river,  affording  several  valuable  mill  privileges.  Paul's 
stream,  receiving  its  waters  from  Granby,  Ferdinand,  and  JVIaidstone 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OF  BURKE,  ETC.  765 

lake,  passes  through  the  south  part  of  Brunswick,  and  is  a  considerable 
mill  stream.  There  are  three  natural  ponds,  one  covering  eighty  acres, 
one  sixty,  and  one  twenty-five,  the  latter  of  which  is  only  four  or  five 
rods  from  the  bank  of  Connecticut  river,  and  is  elevated  eighty  feet 
above  that  stream.  There  is  one  post-office.  Population,  119 ;  val- 
uation, |73,895. 

Burke,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Caledonia  county,  forty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  February  26,  1782,  to  Justus  Rose, 
Uriah  Seymour,  and  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about 
the  year  1790,  by  Lemuel  and  Ira  Walter,  Seth  Spencer,  and  others, 
who  came  from  Connecticut,  and  from  the  south  part  of  this  state.  The 
town  was  organized  December  5,  1796,  and  contains  an  area  of  23,040 
acres.  A  saw  and  grist  mill  was  erected  by  Roman  Tyler  and  his 
sons,  about  the  year  1800,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  the  next  year,  but 
soon  after  rebuilt.  In  1819,  the  same  parties  commenced  the  prepara- 
tion of  oil-stones,  which  were  procured  from  a  small  island  in  Memphre- 
magog  lake.  They  are  said  to  have  been  nearly  or  quite  equal  to  the 
Turkey  oil-stone,  and  there  were  annually  sent  to  market  of  them  some 
three  or  four  tons.  That  part  of  the  town  called  the  Tongue  was 
annexed  to  Kirby,  October  28,  1807. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  uneven,  but  the  only  elevation  of  note  is 
Burke  mountain,  which  has  an  altitude  of  3,500  feet,  and  can  be  seen 
from  a  great  distance.'  Passumpsic  river  and  its  tributaries  afford  some 
good  privileges.  Burke  has  three  villages  —  Burke  Hollow,  East 
Burke,  and  West  Burke ;  three  church  edifices  —  one  Baptist  and  two 
Union ;  ten  school  districts,  in  which  schools  are  taught  six  months  of 
the  year ;  and  three  post-offices  —  Burke,  Eeist  Burke,  and  West  Burke : 
also,  three  grist-mills,  eight  saw-mills,  two  carriage  shops;  and  two 
starch  factories,  in  which  large  quantities  are  manufactured  and  sold 
annually.     Population,  1,103 ;  valuation,  $345,689. 

Burlington  is  the  capital  of  Chittenden  county,  and  is  situated  on 
the  shore  of  Lalce  Champlain,  thirty-five  miles  from  Montpelier.  It 
was  granted  by  New  Hampshire,  June  7,  1763,  to  Samuel  Willis  and 
sixty-three  others,  and  contained  an  area  of  thirty-six  square  miles ;  but 
in  October,  1794,  a  tract  comprising  that  part  on  the  east  side  of  Muddy 
brook  was  annexed  to  Williston,  leaving  the  town  an  area  of  about 
twenty-six  square  miles.  During  the  summer  of  1775,  some  clearings 
were  made  on  the  interval  north  of  the  village,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  falls,  and  two  or  three  log  huts  were  erected ;  but  the  commencement 
of  the  Revolution  prevented  any  further  progress,  and  no  attempt  was 


766  HISTORY   AND   DESCEIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

made  to  renew  the  settlement  until  the  return  of  peace  in  1783,  when 
many  of  those  who  had  made  a  beginning  here  returned,  and,  bringing 
others  with  them,  soon  effected  a  permanent  settlement.  Stephen 
Lawrence  was  the  first  who  came  with  his  family  in  that  year.  A 
number  of  other  families  moved  in  the  same  season,  among  whom  were 
Frederick  Saxton,  Dubartus  Willard, '  Simon  Tubbs,  and  John  Collins. 
The  first  town  meeting  on  record  was  held  March  19,  1787 ;  but  it  is 
believed  the  town  was  organized  one  or  two  years  previous.  It  was 
early  made  a  port  of  entry,  and  its  advantageous  location  rapidly 
secured  control,  of  the  commerce  of  the  lake,  which  it  has  ever  since 
retained.  The  village,  which  soon  sprang  up  on  the  east  shore  of 
Burlington  bay,  commanded  the  trade  of  an  extensive  section  of  country. 

Burlington  has  very  appropriately  been  called  the  "  queen  city  of 
Vermont,"  for,  although  there  is  but  one  incorporated  city  (Vergennes), 
Burlington  exhibits  by  far  the  largest  population.  Soon  after  the  last 
census,  several  of  the  citizens,  who  were  desirous  of  a  city  government, 
petitioned  the  legislature  for  an  act  of  incorporation ;  and,  at  the  session 
of  1852,  two  acts  were  passed,  one  for  a  village,  and  the  other  for  a  city 
organization,  both  of  which  the  inhabitants  refused  to  accept  at  the  next 
town  meeting.  The  business  of  the  village  is  mostly  mercantile  and 
mechanical.  The  new  Pioneer  Mechanics'  Shop,  which  was  completed 
in  1853,  was  a  capacious  building  four  hundred  feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide, 
and  four  stories  high,  and  accommodated  a  great  number  of  mechanics. 
It  had  two  steam  engines,  and  eight  branches  of  business  were  carried 
on  in  the  building.  These  works  were  burned  in  the  great  fire  in  the 
spring  of  1858,  but  have  been  rebuilt  upon  a  smaller  scale.  There  are 
also  three  extensive  wharves  with  store-houses,  at  which  the  greater  part 
of  the  merchandise  designed  for  the  northwestern  section  of  Vermont  is 
landed. 

The  University  of  Vermont,  located  here,  was  the  first  college  in  the 
state.  It  was  incorporated  in  1791,  but  officers  were  not  appointed  nor 
a  college  edifice  commenced  before  1800.  Its  first  class  graduated 
in  1804.  During  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  the  operations 
of  the  University  were  much  embarrassed,  and  finally  suspended. 
Arms  were  deposited  in  the  building  and  a  guard  stationed  there 
in  1813.  A  compulsory  lease  to  the  United  States  government  was 
made  in  1814,  and  the  building  was  occupied  by  troops.  After  the 
war,  in  1S15,  the  buildings  were  put  in  repair,  a  new  president  was 
chosen,  and  the  institution  prospered  for  some  years.  Its  financial 
affairs  being  again  crippled  in  1821,  the  faculty  were  upon  the 
point  of  discontinuing  the  exercises;  but,  through  the  efforts  of  the 
students,  the    necessity  was    averted.       In  1824,  the  college   buildino-, 


IS' 


m 


i  I' 


i      I     V    /      J"^ 


joir 


ftirv 


:ii  i!,t.. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   BTIRLINGTON.  767 

with  a  portion  of  the  library  and  apparatus,  was  burned.  A  consid- 
erable subscription  was  obtained  the  same  year,  and,  on  the  29th  of 
June,  1825,  the  corner-stone  of  the  present  edifice,  which  still  bears  the 
record  of  that  fact,  was  laid  by  General  Lafayette.  The  three 
edifices  (now  united  in  one,  a  view  of  which  is  here  given)  cost  about 
$20,000.  The  medical  department  was  not  fully  organized  until  1822. 
The  library  contains  thirteen  thousand  volumes.  The  number  of 
graduates  has  reached  619.  Rev.  Daniel  C.  Sanders  was  the  first  presi- 
dent from  1800  to  1814.  His  successors  have  been  Rev.  Samuel 
Austin  from  1815  to  1821 ;  Rev.  Daniel  Haskell  from  1821  to  1824 ; 
Rev.  Willard  Preston  in  1825-6 ;  Rev.  James  Marsh  from  1826  to 
1833 ;  Rev.  John  Wheeler  from  1833  to  1849  ;  and  Rev.  Worthington 
Smith  from  1849  to  1855 ;  since  which  Rev.  Calvin  Pease  has  served. 
Besides  the  University,  there  are  the  Burlington  Female  Seminary,  the 
Union  High  School,  several  select  schools,  and  fourteen  districts  that 
support  public  schools.  The  other  public  buildings  worthy  of  note  are 
the  court-house;  town-house  (built  in  1854,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000);  a 
custom-house,  and  post-office  in  the  same  building,  costing  $40,000 ;  a 
large  United  States  Marine  Hospital,  erected  in  1857 ;  and  seven 
church  edifices  —  one  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  one  Episcopal, 
one  Unitarian,  one  Baptist,  and  two  Roman  Catholic.  There  are  also 
four  banks,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  f  600,000.  The  village  is  acces- 
sible by  steam  from  all  directions,  it  being  the  terminus  of  the  Rut- 
land and  Burlington,  and  the  Vermont  Central  Railroads,  and  the  con- 
necting point  between  the  former  and  the  Vermont  and  Canada  Rail- 
road, and  the  landing  for  steamers  that  ply  on  the  lake.  A  light-house 
has  been  erected  on  Juniper  island,  at  the  entrance  of  Burlington  bay ; 
and  a  breakwater  has  been  erected  at  the  expense  of  the  general  govern- 
ment. 

Burlington  has  been  the  residence,  and  furnished  the  burial-place,  of 
some  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  state.  The  remains  of  Ethan  Allen  were 
deposited  in  the  Green  Mount  Cemetery,  in  a  part  appropriated  to  the 
use  of  the  Allen  family  ;  and  without  doubt  they  still  lie  there.  A  Tus- 
can column  of  granite,  forty-two  feet  high,  designed  by  George  P.  Marsh, 
with  an  inscription  ^  by  John  N.  Pomeroy,  has  been  erected  upon  the 
spot,  by  the  state,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  This  is  to  be  surmounted  with  a 
colossal  statue  of  the  hero.  In  the  same  inclosure  are  the  remains  of 
General  Ira  Allen,  and  Hon.  Heman  AUen,  member  of  congress 
from  this  district,  and  at  one  period  United  States  minister  to  Chili. 
Burlington  was  the  home  of  Zadock  Thompson,  who  devoted  his 
useful  life   to  the  study  of  the  natural  history  of   the  state,  and  col- 

'  See  Appendix  C. 


76S 


HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


lected  one  of  the  largest  private  cabinets  in  this  country,  whose  com- 
pensation in  life  went  but  little  beyond  the  honor  derived  from  toil  and 
research,  and  who  has  left  to  the  world  the  fruits  of  his  industrious 
career  in  the  "  Natural,  Civil,  and  Statistical  History  of  Vermont." 
Mr.  Thomi^son  died  in  December,  1856.  Doctor  John  Pomeroy  estab- 
lished himself  here  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  in  1792,  and  was  the 
most  distinguished  practitioner  in  this  part  of  the  state  for  more  than 
forty  years.  He  died  here  February  19,  1844.  This  town  is  also  the 
place  of  residence  of  Hon.  George  P.  Marsh,  who  was  minister  at 
Constantmople  under  the  administrations  of  Taylor  and  Fillmore,  and 


University  of  Vermont. 


who,  besides  ranking  among  the  ablest  diplomatists,  is  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  of  living  linguists.  Here  also  resides  the  humorous  poet, 
John  G.  Saxc,  whose  presence  has  enlivened  many  a  college  commence- 
ment, centennial  or  fourth  of  July  celebration.  The  scenery  about 
Burlington  is  romantic.  The  dome  of  the  University  is  the  best  place 
from  which  to  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  The 
village  is  all  around  you,  like  tlie  city  of  Boston  from  the  dome  of  the 
state-house.  On  the  west  is  the  lalce,  with  its  l)ays  and  islands,  its 
steamboats  and  sloops.  On  the  north  are  Winooski  village  and  Wi- 
nooski  river,  the  latter  dashing  through  frightful  chasms,  and  then 
winding  its  way  through  verdant  and  beautiful  meadows  and  among 
the  more  remote  hills,  dales,  farms,  and  woodlands.     Last  of  all  is  the 


VERMONT  —  TOWN    OF   CABOT.  769 

circuit  of  lofty  mountains,  whose  peaks  and  summits  form  the  grand 
outline,  and  render  the  prospect  one  of  the  most  delightful  the  country 
affords.  The  village  of  Winooski,  divided  by  the  Winooski  river,  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  Burlington  village,  lying  partly  in  Burlington  and 
partly  in  Colchester,  contains  about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
view  of  Burlington,  given  opposite,  is  taken  upon  the  side  where  the 
Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  enters  the  town.  Population  in 
1850,  7,585,  which  it  is  thought  now  amomits  to  10,000;  valuation, 
^2,149,990. 

Cabot,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county,  eighteen  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  August  17, 
1781,  to  Jesse  Levingsworth  and  sixty-five  others.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  on  what  is  called  Cabot  Plain,  in  April,  1785,  by  James 
Bruce,  Edward  Chapman,  Jonathan  Heath,  and  Benjamin  Webster, 
with  their  families.  The  town  w^as  organized  March  29,  1788,  and  con- 
tains an  area  of  22,485  acres.  The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  and  the 
soil  hard.  Cabot  has  obtained  considerable  notoriety  as  a  sugar-making 
town,  120,592  pounds  having  been  manufactured  in  1857.  This  amount 
would  give  to  each  inhabitant  about  eighty-nine  pounds,  and  to  each 
family  of  six  persons  533J  pounds.  Estimating  the  value  of  the  crop  at 
ten  cents  per  pound,  it  would  produce  the  sum  of  $12,059. 

Fifield  Lyford,  a  resident  of  this  town,  died  here  April  18,  1 846,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  When  but  thirteen  years  of  age  he  entered 
the  Revolutionary  army  as  servant  to  his  father.  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Lyford,  remained  with  him  one  year,  separated  from  him  at  Ticonderoga, 
and  went  to  West  Point,  where  he  served  as  one  of  the  lifeguard  to 
Benedict  Arnold,  and  continued  in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
The  late  Zerah  Colburn,  who,  at  the  age  of  five  or  six,  astonished  the 
world  by  his  extraordinary  powers  of  computation,  was  a  native  of  this 
town. 

Cabot  is  watered  by  some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Winooski,  which 
afford  several  mill  privileges.  Joe's  and  Molly's  ponds  lie  in  the 
northeast  part.  The  waters  of  the  former  have  their  outlet  into  the 
Passumpsic  river,  thence  into  the  Connecticut,  while  those  of  the  latter 
pass  by  Winooski  river  into  Lake  Champlain.  There  are  two  villages 
—  Cabot  and  Lower  Branch ;  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Con- 
gregational, and  Second  Advent;  fourteen  school  districts,  and  the  same 
number  of  schools,  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  woollen  factory,  one 
tin  and  sheet-iron  factory,  two  starch  mills,  two  carriage  shops,  one  boot 
and  shoe  manufactory,  one  grist-mill,  and  nine  saw-raiUs.  Po]3ulation, 
1,356 ;  valuation,  $473,672. 

VOL.  I.  65 


770  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Calais,  in  the  north  part  of  Washington  county,  adjoins  Montpelier 
OR  the  south.     It  was  granted  October  21,  17S0,  and  chartered  August 
15,  1781,  to  Jacob   Davis,  Stephen   Fay,  and   fifty-eight  others.     The 
principal  jjroprietors  and  first  settlers  were  from  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and 
its  vicinity.     In  the  summer  of  1783,  the  proprietors  sent  a  committee, 
consisting   of    Colonel   Jacob    Davis,    Captain  Samuel    Robinson,    and 
others,  to   survey  lots  for  settlers.      The  committee  and  the   surveyor 
found  their  way  to  Calais  with  their  necessary  stores ;  and,  after  running 
four  lines  on  the  north  side  of  the  first  division,  they  abandoned  the  sur- 
vey.      In    August,    1786,    Captain    Samuel    Robinson,    E.    Waters,    J. 
Tucker,  E.  Stone,  and  General  Parley  Davis,  came  from  Charlestown  to 
complete  the  survey.     The  settlement  was  commenced  in  the  spring  of 
1787  by  Francis  West  from  Plymouth  county,  Mass.,  who  located  on  a 
lot  adjoining  Montpelier.     The  first  permanent  settlers,  however,  were 
Abijah,  Asa,  and  Peter  Wheelock,  who  started  from  Charlestown,  June 
5,  1787,  with  a  wagon,  provisions,  and  tools,  drawn  by  four  oxen,  and 
arrived  at  Williamstown,  within  twenty-one  miles  of  Calais,  on  the  19th 
of  the  same  month.     They  had  hitherto  found  the  roads  almost  impas- 
sable, and  here  they  were   obliged  to  leave  their  wagon ;  and,  taking  a 
few  necessary  articles   upon   a   sled,  they  proceeded  towards  this  town, 
cutting  their  way  and  building  causeways  as  they  passed  along.     After  a 
journey  of  two   days,  and  encamping   two  nights  in  the   woods,  they 
arrived  at   Winooski   river,  where  Montpelier  village  is  now  situated. 
Here  Colonel  Jacob  Davis  had  comiTienced  clearing  land,  and  had  erected 
a  small  log  hut.     They  left  their  oxen  here  to  graze  in  the  meadows  and 
proceeded  to  Calais,  Avhcre  they  commenced  a  resolute  attack  upon  the 
forest,  and  returned  to  Charlestown  in  October.     Francis  West  left  with 
them,  and  returned  the  following  spring,  as  did   also  Abijalr  and    Peter 
Wheelock,  accompanied  by  Moses  Stone.     In  the  year  1788,  these  set- 
tlers  erected  log  houses  ;  and  the   same  year  the  Wheelocks  and  Mr. 
Stone  returned  to  Massachusetts  to   spend  the  winter,  while  Mr.  West 
went  to  Middlesex. 

In  February  or  March,  1789,  Francis  West  moved  his  family  on  to  his 
farm ;  and  about  the  same  time  Abijah  Wheelock  with  his  family, 
INIoses  Stone,  Samuel  Twiss,  accompanied  by  Colonel  Davis  from 
Charlestown,  arrived  at  Colonel  Davis's  house  in  Montpelier  with  several 
teams.  Davis's  house  was  a  mere  rude  hut,  constructed  of  logs  twenty 
feet  in  length,  with  but  one  apartment,  and  this  on  their  arrival  they 
found  to  be  occupied  by  several  families,  emigrants  from  Pcterboro', 
N.  H.  In  that  mansion  of  felicity  there  dwelt,  for  about  a  fortnight, 
three  families  with  children  in  each,  one  man  and  his  wife  recently  mar- 
ried, three  single   gentlemen,  and  a  young  lady ;  and  among  the  happy 


VEEMONT  —  CALEDONIA   COUNTY.  771 

group  were  some  of  the  first  settlers  of .  Calais.  On  the  13th  of  April, 
racket  paths  having  been  previously  broken,  Messrs.  Wheelock,  Twiss, 
and  Stone  prepared  hand-sleds,  loaded  thereon  their  beds  and  some  light 
articles  of  furniture,  and,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Wheelock,  Mrs.  Twiss, 
and  General  Davis,  proceeded  to  this  town  over  snow  three  feet  in  depth, 
Mrs.  Wheelock  travelling  the  whole  distance  on  foot  and  carrying  in  her 
arms  an  infant  four  months  old,  while  their  son,  about  two  years  of  age, 
was  drawn  upon  the  hand-sled.  Mrs.  Twiss  also  performed  the  same 
journey  on  foot,  making  use  of  her  broom  for  a  walking-stick.  They 
arrived  in  safety  the  same  day.  A  large  rock,  now  in  the  orchard  on 
the  farm  owned  by  Deacon  Joshua  Bliss,  once  formed  the  end  and  fire- 
place to  the  log  cabin  of  the  first  settlers  of  Calais.  In  September  of 
the  same  year,  1789,  Peter  Wheelock  moved  his  family,  consisting  of  a 
wife  and  six  children,  to  this  town.  In  1790,  James  Jennings  arrived 
with  a  family.  In  1793,  the  first  feaw-mill  and  grist-mill  were  erected 
near  the  centre  of  the  town,  by  J.  Davis,  of  Montpelier,  and  Samuel 
Twiss.  During  this  and  the  succeeding  year,  considerable  additions 
w^ere  made  to  the  settlement.  The  first  settlers  of  Calais  located  them- 
selves at  some  distance  from  each  other,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  a 
woman  to  travel  several  miles  to  visit  a  neighbor,  returning  home  after 
dark  through  the  woods,  brandishing  a  firebrand  to  enable  her  to  dis- 
cover the  marked  trees.  For  one  or  two  years  the  settlers  brought  the 
grain  for  the  support  of  their  families,  and  for  seed,  from  Williamstown, 
Brookfield,  and  Royalton,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  or  more.  After 
they  began  to  raise  grain  they  had  to  carry  it  fifteen  miles  to  mill. 

Calais  was  organized  March  23,  1795,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven,  but  very  little  of  it  so  broken  as  to  be 
incapable  of  cultivation.  It  is  watered  by  two  branches  of  'the  Winoosld 
river,  which  afford  a  great  number  of  valuable  privileges  for  mills  and 
machinery.  There  are  also  numerous  springs  and  brooks.  Long  pond, 
which  lies  in  the  northwest  part,  is  noted  for  its  immense  quantities  of 
trout.  There  are  several  other  beautiful  ponds.  There  are  three  small 
villages  —  Moscow,  No.  10,  and  Kent's  Corner ;  two  Union  meeting- 
houses, occupied  by  Universalists,  Christian  Brethren,  and  Methodists ; 
fourteen  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Calais  and  East  Calais : 
also,  five  grist-mills,  five  saw-mills,  two  carriage  shops,  one  machine- 
shop,  one  shoe  shop,  and  one  starch-mill.  Population,  1,410  ;  valuation, 
^410,448. 

Caledonia  County  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Orleans  county,  east 
by  Essex  county  and  Connecticut  river,  south  by  Orange,  and  west 
by  Washington  and   Lamoille  counties.     It  was  taken  from   Orange 


772  HISTOEY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

county  by  act  of  November  8,  1796,  and  then  included  Essex  and  a 
part  of  Orleans ;  but  upon  the  establishment  of  those  counties  in  1797 
was  reduced  to  its  present  territory,  containing  about  seven  hundred 
square  miles.  Danville  was  made  the  shire  town.  An  act  was  passed 
November  12,  1855,  authorizing  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
select  a  new  county  seat  at  some  point  in  the  valley  of  the  Passumpsic, 
between  Stevens's  village  in  Barnet  and  the  Centre  village  in  Lyndon,  the 
result  of  which  is,  that  St.  Johnsbury  is  now  the  shire  town.  There  are 
sixteen  towns,  Cabot  having  been  taken  from  this  and  annexed  to  Wash- 
ington county,  November  12,  1855.  The  annual  session  pf  the  supreme 
court  commences  in  August,  and  the  terms  of  the  county  courts  are  in 
June  and  December.  The  Passumpsic,  and  some  smaller  tributaries  of 
the  Connecticut,  water  the  east  part  of  the  county,  and  the  Winooski 
is  formed  in  the  west  part.  The  eastern  range  of  Green  Mountains 
extends  through  the  western  part.  The  valleys  of  the  Passumpsic  and 
Connecticut  afford  excellent  farming  lands ;  and  the  railroad  taking  its 
name  from  those  rivers  is  completed  through  the  entire  county.  Popu- 
lation, 23,595 ;  valuation,  $6,055,577. 

Cambkidge,  situated  in  the  western  part  of  Lamoille  county,  thirty 
miles  northwest  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and 
chartered  August  13,  1781,  to  Samuel  Robinson,  John  Fasset,  Jr., 
Jonathan  Frost,  and  seventy-three  others.  The  first  settler  was  John 
Safford,  from  Piermont,  N.  H.,  who  arrived  May  8,  1783,  and  planted 
two  acres  of  corn,  which  was  overflowed  with  water  in  the  fall,  and 
nearly  all  destroyed.  He  moved  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  two 
children,  into  town  in  November  following.  In  1784,  Amos  Fasset, 
Stephen  Kinsley,  John  Fasset,  Jr.,  and  Samuel  Montague,  came  here 
with  their  families  from  Bennington,  as  did  also  Noah  Chittenden,  from 
Arlington,  Vt.  Thirty-five  persons  spent  the  second  winter  here ;  and,  in 
1785,  their  numbers  were  increased  by  the  arrival  of  David  Safford  and 
others  from  Bennington.  At  this  time  there  were  no  inhabitants  nor 
'  *  was  there  any  road  between  this  and  Hazen's  road  in  Craftsbury,  and 
they  who  came  from  Bennington  had  to  cut  their  way  for  ten  miles 
through  the  woods.  The  first  settlers  brought  their  provisions  with 
them,  and,  when  these  were  exhausted,  they  resorted  to  the  forests  and 
the  streams.  The  first  improvements  were  made  on  the  flats  alono-  the 
Lamoille,  the  waters  of  which  frequently  swept  away  the  products  of 
the  farms. 

Cambridge  was  organized  March  29,  1785,  and  contains  28,533  acres. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  rough.  The  land  is,  however 
generally  good;  and,  on  the  river,  are  about  5,000  acres  of  valuable 


VERMONT TOWN  OF  CANAAN,  ETC.  773 

interval.  The  river  Lamoille  enters  on  the  east  side,  one  mile  from  the 
northeast  corner ;  and  after  running  a  serpentine  course  of  twelve  miles, 
in  which  it  receives  North  branch  from  the  north,  and  Brewster's  river 
and  Seymour's  brook  from  the  south,  passes  the  west  line,  one  mile 
from  the  southwest  corner.  These  streams  afford  numerous  mill  priv- 
ileges. A  branch  of  Dead  creek,  a  tributary  of  Missisco  river,  rises  here, 
and  another  branch  of  this  creek  issues  from  Metcalf  pond  in  Fletcher, 
and  runs  across  the  northwest  corner  of  this  town.  There  are  two 
villages  —  Jeffersonville  and  the  Borough,  the  former  situated  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river  Lamoille,  and  the  latter  on  the  north  side 
of  the  same  river ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist, 
and  Union ;  eighteen  school  districts  with  sixteen  schools ;  and  three 
post-offices  —  Cambridge  Borough,  Jeffersonville,  and  North  Cambridge : 
also,  one  woollen  manufactory,  one  tannery,  and  several  mills  and  me- 
chanic shops.     Population,  1,849 ;  valuation,  $612,966. 

Canaan,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Essex  county,  and  at  the  north- 
eastern extremity  of  the  state,  was  granted  to  William  Williams, 
Jonathan  and  Arad  Hunt,  and  others.  It  was  chartered  to  John 
Wheeler  and  others,  February  25,  1782 ;  and,  October  23,  1801,  Nor- 
folk, which  had  been  chartered  to  Bezaleel  Woodward  in  1782,  was 
annexed  to  it.  The  first  settlers  were  Silas  Sargeant,  John  Hugh,  and 
Hubbard  Spencer,  who  removed  their  families  into  Canaan  in  1785. 
Canaan,  being  a  frontier  town,  was  subject  to  considerable  disturbance 
during  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  In  September,  1813,  Samuel 
Beach,  who  had  business  in  Canada,  was  killed  by  John  Dennett, 
while  endeavoring  to  recover  his  team,  which  had  been  taken  by  Dennett 
and  others  when  on  its  way  into  Canada.  This  township  contains 
about  twenty-nine  square  miles,  possessing  some  fine  interval  on  the 
Connecticut,  and  much  good  land  in  other  parts.  It  is  well  watered  by 
Leach's  stream  and  Willard's  brook,  which  afford  good  mill  privileges. 
The  former  is  two  rods  wide  at  its  junction  with  the  Connecticut ;  and 
Leeds  pond,  from  which  it  issues,  is  partly  in  Canada.  Canaan  has 
one  village  —  Canaan  Corner ;  eight  school  districts,  one  post-office, 
and  two  stores.  The  religious  denominations  are  Congregationalists, 
Methodists,  and  Free-will  Baptists.  Population,  471  ;  valuation, 
$97,414. 

Castleton,  in  the  central  part  of  Rutland  county,  sixty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  to  Samuel  Brown,  of  Stockbridge,  Mass., 
September  22,  1761.  Colonel  Amos  Bird,  of  Salisbury,  Conn.,  became 
the  largest  proprietor,  and,  in  company  with  Colonel  Noah  Lee,  made 

65* 


774  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  first  surveys  in  June,  1766.  The  first  dwelling-house  was  erected  in 
August,  1769,  of  which  Colonel  Lee  and  his  servant  were  the  sole 
inhabitants  the  following  winter.  In  1770,  Ephraim  Buel,  Eleazer 
Bartholemew,  and  Zadock  Remington  arrived  with  their  families.  The 
first  inhabitants  emigrated  chiefly  from  Connecticut. 

The  enterprise  and  worth  of  Colonels  Bird  and  Lee  entitle  them  to 
a  prominent  place  in  the  early  history  of  Castleton.  The  former  died 
in  the  midst  of  active,  benevolent  exertions  for  the  infant  settlement, 
September  16,  1762.  His  solitary  monument  on  the  banks  of  Castle- 
ton river,  and  an  isolated  mountain  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
town,  are  memorials  of  the  name  of  a  man  still  remembered  for  his 
worth.  Colonel  Lee  was  vigilant  and  active  amidst  the  hardships  and 
dangers  which  were  encountered  by  the  first  settlers  under  the  govern- 
ment of  New  Hampshire  and  the  "  council  of  safety,"  and  the  vexa- 
tious embarrassments  consequent  to  the  claim  of  jurisdiction  by  the 
state  of  New  York.  At  the  commencement  of  the  contest  for  American 
independence,  he  entered  the  army  with  a  commission,  and,  after  shar- 
ing in  its  toils  and  honors,  the  return  of  peace  brought  him  again  to  the 
bosom  of  his  family.  Possessing  a  vigorous  constitution,  he  continued 
long  to  witness  the  rising  greatness  of  his  country,  and  to  enjoy  the 
benefits  for  which  he  had  toiled.  He  died  in  May,  1840,  aged  ninetv- 
seven  years. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  the  people  of  Castleton  were  often 
alarmed,  and  the  town  was  once  invaded  by  the  British  and  Indians. 
On  the  6th  of  July,  1777,  General  Fraser  sent  a  detachment  under 
command  of  Captain  Fraser,  who  attacked  by  surprise  about  twenty 
militia,  posted  near  the  present  site  of  the  village,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Wells.  Captain  Williams,  a  volunteer,  of  Guilford,  Vt. 
was  killed,  and  Captain  Hall,  of  Castleton,  mortally  wounded  ;  while  his 
son.  Lieutenant  Hall,  and  some  others,  were  taken  prisoners  and  carried 
to  Ticonderoga.  Lieutenant  Hall,  with  his  brother  and  a  Mr.  Kelloo-o- 
made  their  escape  from  the  fort,  recrossed  the  lake  in  a  canoe  by  night 
and,  after  great  privations,  eluded  their  savage  pursuers  and  returned  to 
their  homes.  On  the  spot  where  Williams  fell,  a  fort  was  erected  the 
ensuing  year,  which  was  furnished  Avith  two  pieces  of  cannon,  and  o-ar- 
risoned  under  different  commanders  until  the  return  of  peace.  The 
graves  of  about  thirty  soldiers,  whose  names  have  long  been  foro-otten 
by  their  countrymen,  are  still  visible  near  the  site  of  the  fort. 

Castleton  was  organized  in  March,  1777,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
There  is  considerable  variety  in  the  soil.  Small  quantities  of  secondary 
limestone  are  found  here ;  and  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  a  valua- 
ble slate  quarry  has  been  opened,  which  is  wrought  with  considerable 


A^ERMONT TOWN    OF    CAVENDISH. 


775 


success.  Lake  Bombazine  lies  principally  in  Castleton,  its  northern 
extremity  extending  a  short  distance  into  Hubliardton.  It  lies  in  a 
basin   of   rocks,  which   in  some  parts  is  of    great  depth,  and   is   eight 


mile 


long,   its 


greatest    breadth   being    two   and  a    half    miles.      An 


island,  containing  about  ten  acres,  is  situated  near  the  centre  of  this 
lake,  which,  being  provided  with  a  grove  and  a  cottage,  is  a  pleasant 
summer  resort  for  parties  of  pleasure.  The  outlet  of  the  lake,  at  its 
southern  extremity,  has  sufficient  fall  and  volume  to  propel  a  large 
amount  of  machinery ;  and  here  is  situated  a  small  village,  known  by 
the  name  of  Hydeville.  Castleton  river  furnishes  considerable  water 
power,  Avhich,  since  the  introduction  of  steam  power,  is  not  made  avail- 
able to  the  extent  which  its  capacity  affords. 

Castleton  village  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  southern  bank  of  Cas- 
tleton river,  on  a  level  plain,  elevated  about  thirty  feet  above  the  stream. 
In  the  village  are  three  houses  of  worship  —  Congregational,  Methodist, 
and  Roman  Catholic ;  a  town-house ;  the  Castleton  Medical  College  (a 
view  of  which  is  here  given) ;  and  the  Castleton  Seminary.  The  college 
edifice  is  an  unpretending  struc- 
ture, situated  on  the  north  side 
of  Main  street,  in  the  westerly 
part  of  the  village.  This  insti- 
tution was  chartered  in  1818, 
b)^  the  name  of  the  Castleton 
Medical  A-cademy,  which  was 
changed,  in  1822,  to  the  Ver- 
mont Academy  of  Medicine, 
and  again,  in  1841,  to  its  pres- 
ent name.  It  is  justly  noted  for 
bavins:  educated  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  the 

Castleton  Me  iicjl  1 1-  tiegt 

medical   profession    now  prac- 
tising in  different  parts  of  the  country.     There  are  ten  school  districts, 
and  three  post-ofHces  —  Castleton,  West  Castleton,  and  Hydeville.     The 
Rutland  and   Washington,  and    Saratoga   and   Washington  Railroads 
pass  through  Castleton.     Population,  3,016  ;  valuation,  $1,056,399. 

Cavendish,  Windsor  county,  about  sixty  miles  from  Montpelier,  was 
granted  by  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  October  12,  1761,  and 
afterwards  regranted  by  the  governor  of  New  York,  June  16,  1772. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  the  north  part,  in  June,  1769,  by 
Captain  John  Coffein,  at  whose  hospitable  dwelling  the  Revolutionary 
soldiers  received  refreshments  while  passing  from   Charlestown,  N.  H., 


776  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

to  the  military  posts  on  I^ake   Champlain,  nearly  the  whole  distance 
being  at  that  time  a  wilderness.     On  the  farm  now  the  residence  of 
James  Smith,  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  the  town,  twenty  miles  from 
Charlestown,  was  another    stopping  place,  called   the   "  Twenty  miles 
encampment."     In  1771,  Noadiah  Russell  and  Thomas  Gilbert  joined 
Captain   Coffein  in  the  settlement,  and   shared  with  him  in  his  wants 
and  privations, —  struggling  hard  for  several  years  for  a  scanty  and  pre- 
carious subsistence.     The  grinding  of  a  single  grist  of  corn  was  known 
to   have  cost  sixty  miles  of  travel.     Captain    Coffein  lived  to  see  the 
town    settled   and    organized,    and    always   took  an  active  part  in  its 
public  concerns.     The  first  settlers   came   principally   from    Westford, 
Mass.     There  is  a  monument  in  this  town,  erected  to  commemorate  one 
of  the  events  of  the  old  French  and  Indian  wars.     The  Indians,  on  one 
of  their  predatory  excursions,  having  made  several  prisoners  in  Charles- 
town,  N.  H.,  fled  with  them  to  Canada,  and  encamped  August  30,  1754, 
within  the  limits  of  this  town,  where  one  of  the  captive  women,  a  Mrs. 
Johnson,  gave  birth  to  a  daughter.     The  Indians  compelled  her  to  take 
up  her  line  of  march  over  the  Green  mountains,  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred miles,  to   Canada.     The  daughter  was  named   Captive,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  circumstances  of  her  birth. 

Cavendish  was  probably  organized  about  May,  1781.  It  was  origi- 
nally about  seven  miles  square  ;  but,  in  1793,  three  thousand  acres  were 
set  off  from  the  southeast  corner,  and  constituted  a  separate  township 
by  the  name  of  Baltimore,  Hon.  Asaph  Fletcher  moved  into  Caven- 
dish from  Westford,  Mass.,  in  1787.  He  was  a  physician,  but  served 
the  town  for  many  years  in  the  legislature ;  he  was  also  one  of  the 
council  of  state,  and,  for  some  years  towards  the  latter  part  of  his  life, 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  county  court.  Hyland  Fletcher,  the  late 
governor  of  the  state,  Hon.  Richard  Fletcher  of  Boston,  an  eminent 
counsellor,  and  lately  an  associate  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  Rev.  Horace  Fletcher  of  Townshend,  sons  of  Asaph,  were 
also  natives  of  Cavendish. 

The  soil  is  easy  and  generally  fertile.  Black  river,  which  runs  from 
west  to  east,  and  Twenty-mile  stream,  which  runs  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion and  unites  with  it  near  White's  mills,  are  the  principal  streams. 
Along  these  are  some  small  tracts  of  fine  interval.  The  greatest  curi- 
osity in  the  town,  and  perhaps  the  greatest  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  is  at 
the  falls  on  Black  river,  which  are  situated  between  Dutton's  village 
and  White's  mills.  Here  the  channel  of  the  river  has  been  worn  down 
one  hundred  feet,  and  rocks  of  very  large  dimensions  have  been  under- 
mined and  thrown  down,  one  upon  another.  Holes  are  worn  into  the 
rocks,  of  various  sizes  and  forms.     Some  of  them  are  cylinckical,  from 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   CHARLESTON.  777 

one  to  eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  from  one  to  fifteen  feet  in  depth ; 
others  are  of  a  spherical  form,  from  six  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  worn 
almost  perfectly  smooth  into  the  solid  body  of  the  rock.  Hawks 
mountain,  which  separates  Baltimore  from  this  town,  derives  its  name 
from  Colonel  Hawks,  who,  during  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  encamped 
thereon  for  the  night  with  a  small  regular  force,  among  whom  was 
General  (then  Captain)  John  Stark.  Some  traces  of  their  route  are 
still  to  be  seen.  One  mile  northwest  from  Proctorsville  are  extensive 
quarries  of  serpentine.  The  serpentine  receives  a  high  polish,  and  is 
considered  equal  in  beauty,  and  superior  in  quality,  to  the  Egyptian  mar- 
ble, as  it  possesses  the  rare  virtue  of  being  unaffected  by  heat  or 
acids.  It  makes  most  excellent  and  elegant  fire-jambs,  centre  and  pier 
tables;  and  quantities  have  been  sent  to  Boston  and  New  York  markets, 
where  they  have  found  a  ready  sale.  There  are  two  villages — Caven- 
dish and  Proctorsville,  with  a  post-office  at  each ;  three  church  edifices 
—  Universalist,  Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  and  ten  school-districts  :  also, 
two  woollen  manufactories,  the  one  employing  seventy-five  and  the 
other  thirty-five  hands,  and  manufacturing  broadcloths  and  cassimeres  ; 
several  saw-mills,  grist-mills,  rake-making,  carriage-making,  and  other 
mechanical  establishments.     Population,  1,576 ;  valuation,  $720,288. 

Charleston,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Orleans  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  on  the  6th,  and  chartered  on  the  10th,  of  No- 
vember, 1780,  to  the  "  Hon.  Abraham  Whipple,  and  sixty-three  of  his 
shipmates,"  and  some  others.  Commodore  Whipple  was  a  distinguished 
naval  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  he  called  the  town  Navy,  in 
honor  of  the  American  navy.  This  name,  however,  was  altered  to 
Charleston,    November   6,   1825.     The   settlement  was  commenced  in 

1803,  by  Andrew  McGaffey  and  family,  from  Lyndon.  In  July,  Abner 
Allyn  moved  in  with  his  family,  which  was  the  second  in  town.     In 

1804,  Joseph  Seavey  and  family  arrived,  being  followed  the  next  year 
by  Orin  Percival  and  his  family. 

Charleston  was  organized  March  18,  1806,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  soil  is  a  rich  loam,  and  produces  good  crops.  The  principal  stream 
is  Clyde  river,  on  which  there  are  some  falls  of  consequence,  particularly 
the  "  Great  Falls,"  where  the  descent  is  more  than  one  hundred  feet  in 
forty  rods  ;  but  the  current  of  the  river  elsewhere  is  slow.  The  alluvial 
flats  along  this  stream  are  extensive,  but  generally  too  low  and  wet  for 
cultivation.  In  the  northeast  part,  there  are  one  thousand  acres  of  bog 
meadow.  Several  considerable  ponds  lie  here,  of  which  Echo  pond,  in 
the  northern  part,  is  the  most  important.  It  was  named  by  General  J. 
Whitelaw,  on  account  of  the  succession  of  echoes  reverberated  from  its 


778  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

shores.  The  stream  which  discharges  the  waters  of  Seymour's  lake,  in 
Morgan,  into  Clyde  river,  passes  through  this  pond,  on  the  outlet  of 
which  mills  are  erected.  Pension  pond  also  lies  in  the  course  of  Clyde 
river.  There  are  two  small  villages  situated  upon  this  river,  about  six 
miles  apart,  designated  as  East  Charleston  and  West  Charleston,  at 
each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office.  The  town  has  four  church  edi- 
fices—  Congregationalist,  Universalist,  Freewill  Baptist,  and  Union; 
and  eleven  school  districts :  also,  two  starch  factories,  one  tannery, 
seven  saw-mills,  and  six  stores.    Population,  1,008  ;  valuation,  $272,201. 

Charlotte,  in  the  southwest   corner  of   Chittenden  county,  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  ten  miles  south  from  Burlington, 
was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  24,  1762,  to  Benjamin  Ferris 
and  sixty-four  others  ;  but  no  permanent  settlement  was  made  here  until 
1784,  when  Derick  Webb  and  Elijah  Woolcut  moved  in  with  their  fam- 
ilies, and  were  immediately  followed  by  several  other  families.     A  town 
government  was  organized  March  13, 1787.     John  McNeil,  who  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  located  himself,  in  1790,  on  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
across  which,  having  the  advantage  of  a  good  harbor,  he  established 
a  ferry  to  Essex,  N.  Y.,  which  has  ever  since  been  known  as  "  McNeil's 
ferry."     Charlotte  is  pleasantly  situated.     Laplot   river    flows  through 
the  northeast,  and  Lewis  creek  through  the  southeast  corner.     There  are 
no  elevations  which  deserve  the  name  of  mountains,  but  a  range  of  hills 
runs  through  the  town  from  north  to  south.     In  1847,  a  remarkable 
fossil  was  found  in  this  town  by  the  workmen  who  were  widening  an 
excavation  for  the  track  of  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad.      Hav- 
ing struck  upon  a  quantity  of  bones  about  eight  feet  below  the  surface, 
which,  they  remarked,  were  probably  the  remains  of  a  dead  horse  buried 
there,  very  little  notice  was  taken  of  them,  until  the  overseer,  observing 
something  very  peculiar  in  their  construction,  was  induced  to  examine 
them  more  carefully,  upon  which  they  were  discovered  to  belong  to  a 
skeleton  of  some  unknown  animal.      Such  of   the  bones  as  had  not 
been  broken  up  by  the  pickaxes  and  removed  by  the  cartmen  were  col- 
lected and  sent  to  Burlington,  to   be  examined  by  Professor   Zadock 
Thompson,  who  pronounced  them  to  belong  to  the  family  of   Cetacea. 
This  decision  was  afterwards  confirmed  by  Professor  Agassiz,  of  Cam- 
bridge,   upon   comparison    of    the    structure    of  this    animal  with  one 
discovered   by  Doctor    Hamhn  in  Bangor,  in  1856,  who  declared  them 
to  belong  to  the  same  family. 

Charlotte  has  three  villages  — the  Four  Corners,  Milton  Hill,  and 
Baptist  Corners;  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congregational,  and 
Baptist;  fifteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office:  also,  several  saw 


VERMONT  —  TOWN    OF    CHELSEA,   ETC.  779 

and  grist  mills,  and  one  carriage  factory.     Population,  1,634 ;  valuation, 

$615,879. 

Chelsea,  near  the  centre  of  Orange  county,  twenty  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier,  is  the  shire  town.  It  was  granted  to  Bela  Turner  and  seventy 
others,  November  2,  1780,  and  chartered  by  the  name  of  Turnersburgh, 
August  4,  1781,  which  name  was  altered  to  Chelsea,  October  13,  1788. 
Improvements  were  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1784,  by  Thomas 
and  Samuel  Moore  and  Asa  Bond,  who,  the  next  spring,  brought  in 
their  families  from  Winchester,  N.  H.  They  were  soon  joined  by  others 
from  different  parts  of  New  England.  The  first  settlers  brought  all  their 
furniture  and  provisions  on  their  backs  from  Tunbridge,  nine  miles 
distant,  in  which  place  their  nearest  neighbors  resided.  The  first  house 
was  erected  in  the  present  burying-ground  by  Thomas  Moore,  and  was 
burned  to  the  ground  in  September,  1785,  about  four  months  after  it 
was  occupied. 

Chelsea  was  organized  March  31,  1788,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  quite  hilly,  but  the  soil  is  mostly  of  good  quality.  The 
town  is  drained  by  a  branch  of  White  river,  on  which  the  village  is 
situated.  The  village  contains  two  churches  —  Congregational  and 
Methodist ;  a  court-house,  a  jail,  the  Orange  County  Bank,  with  a 
capital  of  f 50,000 ;  a  fire  insurance  company,  a  large  school-house, 
the  Chelsea  Academy,  new  and  flourishing ;  and  a  large  hotel.  There 
are  eighteen  school  districts,  one  post-office,  two  grist-mills,  a  china-Avare 
factory,  a  woollen  factory,  two  wagon  shops,  two  harness-makers,  and  a 
tannery.     Population,  1,958 ;  valuation,  $579,846. 

Chester,  in  the  south  part  of  Windsor  county,  about  seventy  miles 
direct  from  Montpelier,  and  117  by  railroad,  was  first  chartered  by  the 
government  of  New  Hampshire,  February  22,  1754,  to  John  Baldridge 
and  others,  by  the  name  of  Flamstead.  No  settlements  ever  having  been 
made  under  this  grant,  the  charter  was  declared  forfeited,  and  a  second 
charter  was  issued  by  New  Hampshire,  November  3,  1761,  to  Daniel 
Hayward  and  his  associates,  in  seventy-four  equal  shares,  by  the  name 
of  New  Flamstead,  under  which  the  proprietors  held  various  meetings 
in  other  towns  and  states,  but  none  were  held  here.  Thomas  Chandler 
obtained  for  himself  and  thirty-sixty  others,  July  14,  1766,  a  charter 
from  the  government  of  New  Yorlc,  which  made  the  third  issued,  and 
in  which  the  town  took  the  name  of  Chester.  Under  the  second  char- 
ter, in  1764,  Thomas  Chandler  had  moved  here  with  his  family  from 
Walpole,  N.  H.,  and  was  soon  followed  by  Jabez  Sargeant,  Edward 
Johnson,  Isaiah  Johnson,  Charles  Mann,  William  Warner,  Ichabod  Ide, 


780  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW  ENGLAND. 

and  Ebenezer  Holton,  from  Woodstock,  Conn.,  and  from  Worcester  and 
Maiden,  Mass.     Upon  the  organization  of  Cumberland  county  by  New 
York,  comprising  what  is  now  Windsor  and  Windham,  Chester  was 
made  the  shire  town,  and  a  court-house  and  jail  were  built.     Colonel 
Thomas    Chandler,   an   ardent   loyalist,  was   a   principal  man  here  for 
many  years.     He  was  a  person  of  quick  apprehension,  violent  temper, 
and  hasty  in  his  movements.     He  was  judge  of  the  county  court,  and 
by   his    arbitrary  and   imperious  decisions    made    more    enemies   than 
friends.      He  entertained  a  haughty  contempt  for  the  people,  who  in 
turn  very  naturally  hated  him.     His  friendship  for  the  government  of 
New  York,  together  with  his  advocacy  of  its  policy,  and   a  total  dis- 
regard of  the  feelings  of  those  who  differed  from  him  in  opinion,  was, 
without  doubt,  the   cause  of  the  riot  and  massacre  at  Westminster, 
where  he  afterwards  lived  and  died.     But  his  son,  Thomas  Chandler,  re- 
trieved the  reputation  of  his  family  name  by  his  opposition  to  his  father's 
policy.     He  was  conspicuous  in  the  formation  of  the  state  government, 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  of  confiscated  estates,  a  judge  of  the 
first  supreme  court,  and  first  secretary  of  state.     Rev.  Aaron  Leland  was 
as  prominent  in  politics  as  in  religion,  and  filled  several  offices  of  trust 
in  town,  county,  and  state.     From  town  clerk  he  became  representative 
in  the  general  assembly,  judge  of  the  county  court,  speaker  of  the  house 
of  representatives,  and  lastly,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state.     Daniel 
Heald,  who  settled  here  in  1776,  served  a  short  time  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.    He  was  at  the  battle  at  Concord  bridge,  and  at  Ticonderoga  ;  and 
died  here  in  183-3,  in  the  ninety-fifth  year  of  his  age.     A  very  interest- 
ing point  in  the  history  of  the  town  is  found  in  the  fact,  that  since  1779, 
a  period  of  nearly  eighty  years,  four  men  only  have  held  the  office  of 

town    clerk,   three  of  whom  have   been  father,  son,  and    gi-andson, 

Daniel,  Amos,  and  Prescott  Heald,  who  have  held  the  office  fifty-two 
years ;  —  Daniel  from  1779  to  1799  ;  Amos  from  1826  to  1849  ;  and  Pres- 
cott since  that  time.  Rev.  Aaron  Leland  was  clerk  from  1799  to  1826. 
The  surface  is  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys,  the  latter  of  which 
are  very  fertile.  There  are  two  villages,  situated  about  half  a  mile  apart, 
called  North  and  South  Chester.  The  town  contains  four  church 
edifices— Congregational,  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Universahst ;  twenty 
school  districts,  with  nineteen  schools;  an  academy,  incorporated  in 
1814;  and  three  post-offices— Chester,  North  Chester,  and  Gassett's 
Station :  also,  one  woollen  factory,  with  a  capital  of  $6,000,  and  an- 
nually consuming  about  40,000  pounds  of  wool ;  one  chair  factory  with 
a  capital  of  $3,600  ;  and  the  Chester  Boot  Company,  with  a  capital  of 
$5,000.  The  Rutland  and  Burhngton  Railroad  passes  through  the  north 
village.     Population,  2,001 ;  valuation,  ^864,014. 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    CHITTENDEN,    ETC.  781 

Chittenden,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Rutland  county,  forty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  on  the  14th  and  chartered  on  the  16th  of  March, 
1780,  to  Gershom  Beach  and  sixty-five  others,  then  containing  26,872 
acres.  The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  Governor  Thomas  Chittenden. 
The  southerly  half  of  the  township  of  Philadelphia,  containing  about 
11,000  acres,  was  annexed  to  Chittenden,  November  2,  1816;  and  a 
small  portion  was  talten  from  this  town,  October  29,  1829,  and  added 
to  Sherburne.  The  first  settlement  was  made  soon  after  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.     The  town  was  organized  March  30,  1 789. 

The  most  distinguished  man  who  has  resided  here  was  Aaron  Beach, 
who  fought  under  Wolfe  on  the  heights  of  Abraham,  and  served  his 
country  through  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  prevented  only  by 
the  solicitations  of.  his  friends  from  being,  at  his  advanced  age,  with 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys  in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg. 

The  northwest  part  is  watered  by  Philadelphia  river,  and  the  south- 
west part  by  East  creek.  Near  Philadelphia  river  is  a  mineral  spring, 
and  among  the  mountains  are  some  caverns,  but  they  are  of  little  im- 
portance. Iron  ore  is  fomid  here  in  abundance,  and  also  manganese. 
About  six  hundred  tons  of  the  iron  ore  is  got  out  annually,  much  of 
which  is  melted  at  the  works  of  the  Pittsford  Iron  Company.  The 
town  has  two  villages  —  North  and  South  Chittenden ;  three  church 
edifices  —  Episcopal  Methodist,  Wesleyan  Methodist,  and  Congrega- 
tional, the  last  of  which  is  not,  at  present,  occupied ;  nine  school  dis- 
tricts, and  two  post-offices  —  Chittenden  and  South  Chittenden.  Popu- 
lation, 675 ;  valuation,  $253,437. 

Chittenden  County  was  incorporated  from  Addison  county,  which 
was  but  two  years  its  senior,  October  22,  1787;  and  then  embraced, 
besides  its  present  territory,  what  now  makes  up  the  counties  of  La- 
moille, Grand  Isle,  Franklin,  and  parts  of  Washington  and  Orleans,  and 
so  remained  until  1796,  w^hen  it  received  substantially  its  present  limits. 
Its  area  is  about  five  hundred  square  miles,  which  is  divided  into  fifteen 
incorporated  towns.  The  surface  in  the  eastern  part  is  mountainous, 
on  the  lake  shore  level,  and  in  the  middle  more  or  less  uneven.  Along 
the  valleys  of  the  Lamoille  and  Winooski,  which  pass  through  the 
north  and  middle  of  the  county,  the  soil  is  quite  productive.  The 
Laplot  flows  thi-ough  the  southern  part.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington 
Railroad  passes  through  the  west  part  along  the  lake,  and  the  Vermont 
Central  along  the  Winooski  across  the  county,  both  connecting  by  a 
short  branch  at  Burlington,  which  is  the  shire  town.  The  supreme  court 
sits  here  in  January,  and  the  terms  of  the  county  courts  commence  in 
March  and  September.     Population,  29,036 ;  valuation,  $7,851,761. 

VOL.  I.  66 


782  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Clarendon,  in  the  central  part  of  Rutland  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September  5,  1761,  to 
Caleb  Willard  and  others,  embracing  in  its  limits  a  part  or  the  whole  of 
two  former  grants  from  New  York,  —  Socialborough  and  Durham,  — 
under  which,  however,  no  settlement  had  been  made.  It  contained 
seventy  shares,  or  23,C00  acres.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in 
1768  by  Elkanah  Coolc,  who  was  joined  the  same  year  by  Randal  Rice, 
Benjamin  Johns,  and  others.  The  first  settlers  were  mostly  from  Rhode 
Island,  and  purchased  their  lands  of  Colonel  Lideus,  who  claimed  them 
under  a  title  derived  from  the  Indians.  This  title  was,  however,  never 
confirmed  by  either  of  the  colonial  governments,  and  the  diversity  of 
claimants  occasioned  much  litigation,  which  continued  till  1785,  when 
the  legislature  passed  what  was  called  the  quieting  act.  By  it  the 
settlers  were  put  in  peaceable  possession  of  their  lands,  and  the  New 
Hampshire  title  to  the  lands  not  settled  was  confirmed.  In  consequence 
of  these  proceedings,  there  are  no  public  lots  in  town.  The  first  town 
meeting  on  record  was  in  the  year  1778.  The  east  part  borders  on  the 
Green  Mountains,  but  the  principal  elevations  are  the  range  of  hills 
between  Otter  creek  and  Furnace  brook,  and  between  the  latter  and  Ira 
broolc  on  the  west  line.  The  alluvial  flats  on  Otter  creek  are  from  a 
half  mile  to  a  mile  wide,  and  are  very  productive.  The  uplands  are  a 
gravelly  loam.  Otter  creek  runs  through  the  town  a  little  east  of  the 
centre,  and  receives  Mill  river  and  Cold  river  from  the  east,  which  aflbrd 
numerous  sites  for  mills  and  machinery. 

Near  Furnace  brook  are  situated  the  Clarendon  springs.  It  is  now 
about  thirty-two  years  since  the  springs  began  to  be  known  beyond 
their  immediate  neighborhood.  Since  that  time,  their  reputation  has 
been  annually  extending,  till  they  have  at  length  become  a  place  of  con- 
sidc-rable  resort  for  the  afflicted  from  various  parts  of  the  country.  They 
are  situated  in  a  picturesque  and  beautiful  region,  seven  miles  southwest 
from  Rutland,  and  have  in  their  immediate  vicinity  good  accommoda- 
tions for  five  hundred  visitors.  The  Clarendon  cave  is  situated  in  the 
westerly  part  of  the  town,  on  the  southeasterly  side  of  a  mountain. 
The  descent  into  it  is  through  a  passage  two  and  a  half  feet  in  diame- 
ter and  thirty-one  feet  in  length,  which  makes  an  angle  of  thirty-five  or 
forty  degrees  with  the  horizon.  It  then  opens  into  a  room  twenty  feet 
long,  twelve  and  a  half  wide,  and  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  hicrh  The 
floor,  sides,  and  roof  of  this  room  are  all  of  solid  rock,  but  very  rou-h 
and  uneven.  From  the  north  part  of  this  room  is  a  passage  about  three 
feet  m  diameter  and  twenty-four  feet  in  length,  but  very  rough  and 
irregular,  which  leads  to  another  room  twenty  feet  Avide,  thirty  feet  lon<r 
and  eighteen  feet  high.      This  room,  being  situated  much  lower  than  the' 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OP   COLCHESTER.  783 

first,  is  usually  filled  with  water  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  water 
stands  in  the  lower  part  at  all  seasons.  Very  good  marble  is  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  cave.  Dairying  is  one  of  the  leading  pursuits,  and 
wool,  grain,  and  potatoes  are  the  principal  articles  of  export.  There 
are  four  villages  —  North  Flats,  South  Flats,  Chippenhook,  and  Claren- 
don Springs  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Uni- 
versalist;  fifteen  school  districts;  and  four  post-offices — Clarendon,  Clar- 
endon Springs,  East  Clarendon,  and  North  Clarendon :  also,  two  grist- 
mills, and  three  saw-mills.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington  and  the 
Western  Vermont  Railroads  pass  through  Clarendon.  Population, 
1,477 ;  valuation,  $625,254. 

Colchester,  Chittenden  county,  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Champlain, 
thirty-six  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  to  Edward  Burling  and 
sixty-six  others,  June  7,  1763,  in  seventy  shares,  containing  thirty-six 
square  miles,  with  its  present  name ;  but,  from  the  fact  that  among  the 
grantees  there  were  ten  by  the  name  of  Burling,  it  is  supposed  that 
Burlington  was  the  name  originally  intended  for  it.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  in  1774,  at  the  lower  falls  on  Winooski  or  Onion  river,  by 
Ira  AUen  and  Remember  Baker.  Baker's  family,  consisting  of  himself, 
wife,  and  three  children,  was  the  first  in  town.  In  1775,  Joshua  Staun- 
ton began  improvements  on  the  interval  above  the  narrows  in  that 
river,  and  there  was  a  small  clearing  made  at  Mallet's  bay  before  the 
Revolution.  From  the  spring  of  1776,  the  settlers  abandoned  the  place 
till  after  the  close  of  the  war  in  1783,  when  Messrs.  McClain,  Low,  and 
Boardman  settled  on  Colchester  Point,  and  General  AJlen  returned  and 
renewed  the  settlement  at  the  falls.  Allen  erected  mills,  a  forge,  and  a 
shop  for  making  anchors,  and  the  place  soon  assumed  the  appearance 
of  a  considerable  village. 

Colchester  was  organized  about  the  year  1791,  but  the  first  meeting 
on  record  was  held  March  18,  1793.  The  soil  in  the  north  and  north- 
western parts  has  a  variety  of  gravel  and  loam  ;  in  the  middle  part  is  a 
large  tract  of  pine  plain ;  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Winooski  river  are 
considerable  tracts  of  interval.  Iron  ore  has  been  found  in  small  quan- 
tities in  the  western  part,  and  sulphate  of  iron  is  found  in  the  north- 
eastern part.  There  are  two  small  ponds,  the  largest  containing  about 
sixty  acres,  on  the  outlet  to  which  are  still  seen  the  remains  of  beavers' 
works.  The  principal  streams  are  the  river  Lamoille,  which  runs  from 
Milton  through  the  northwest  corner  into  Lake  Champlain ;  Mallet's 
creek,  which  also  comes  from  Milton  and  empties  into  Mallet's  bay ; 
Indian  creek,  which  runs  into  Mallet's  creek,  and  Winooski  river  on  the 
south.     There  are  two  villages  —  Colchester  and  Winooski  village,  the 


784  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

latter  situated  at  Winooski  lower  falls,  and  partly  in  Burlington ;  it  has 
suffered  very  severely  by  fire.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Con- 
gregational, Methodist,  and  Baptist;  one  academy,  twelve  school  dis- 
tricts, and  thirteen  schools;  and  two  post-offices  —  Colchester  and 
Winooski :  also,  one  large  manufactory  of  fancy  woollen  cloths,  an  iron 
foundery,  the  Winooski  Mill  Company,  a  wagon  shop,  a  harness  shop, 
a  grist-mill,  and  twelve  stores.  The  Vermont  and  Canada  Railroad  passes 
through  Colchester.  Population  in  1850, 2,575,  now  estimated  at  3,000 ; 
valuation,  §677,820. 

Concord  is  the  most  southern  town  in  Essex  county,  and  is  situated  on 
the  Connecticut  river  opposite  Littleton,  N.  H.,  forty  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier.     It  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  September  15, 
1781,  to  Reuben  Jones  and  sixty-four  others.     The  first  settlement  was 
commenced  in  1788  by  Joseph  BaU,  and  March  3,  1794,  the  town  was 
organized.     Previous  to  1795,  seventeen  families  had  become  settlers, 
mostly  from  Royalston  and  Westboro',  Mass.,  among  whom  may  be 
mentioned  Amos  Underwood,  Solomon  Babcock,  Daniel  Gregory,  Ben- 
jamin  Streeter,  Jonathan  and  Jesse  Woodbury,  Levi  Ball,  and  John 
Fry.     The  surface  of  Concord  is  uneven,  and,  in  the  northeastern  part, 
very  stony.     It  is  watered  by  Hall's  and  Miles's  ponds  and  Moose  river, 
besides  some  small  streams.     A  portion  of  Bradleyvale  was  annexed  to 
Concord,  November  6,  1856.     There  are  two  villages — Concord  and 
West  Concord  —  each  of  which  has  a  post-office;  two  church  edifices 
—  Congregational  and  Universalist ;  fourteen  school  districts  ;  a  splendid 
library  and  museum  of  curiosities,  belonging  to  Colonel  John  G.  Dar- 
ling ;  and  the  Essex  County  Grammar-School :  also,  one  starch  factory, 
an  iron  foundery,  a  tin  shop,  and  three  stores,  with  a  combined  capital 
of  $26,000.     Population,  1,153  ;  valuation,  $362,878. 

Corinth,  in  the  central  part  of  Orange  county,  twenty-one  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  February  4,  1764,  to 
Jonathan  White,  Messrs.  Ward,  Taplin,  and  others  ;  and  a  confirmatory 
grant  was  procured  from  New  York  by  Henry  Moore  and  others,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1772,  under  which  the  lands  are  held.  In  the  spring  of  1777, 
previous  to  the  settlement  of  the  town,  Ezeldel  Colby,  John  Nutting, 
and  John  Armand,  spent  several  weeks  here  in  manufacturing  maple 
sugar.  They  started  together  from  Newbury,  each  with  a  five-pail 
kettle  on  his  head,  and  with  this  load  they  travelled  by  a  pocket  com- 
pass twelve  miles  through  the  wilderness  to  their  place  of  destination. 
Mr.  Colby  moved  his  family  into  Corinth  that  year ;  and  the  next  year 
(1778)  was  followed  by  Mr.  Nutting  and  family.     In  1779,  Edmund 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   CORNWALL.  785 

Brown,  Samuel  Norris,  Jacob  Fowler,  and  Bracket  Towle  arrived  with 
their  families,  and  the  same  year  John  Aiken  of  Wentworth,  N.  H., 
erected  the  first  grist-mill,  which  w^ent  into  operation  the  year  following. 
In  1780,  several  other  families  came  in,  and  the  town  was  organized. 
Some  time  this  year.  Lieutenant  Elliot  was  stationed  here  with  twenty 
men  to  defend  the  inhabitants  against  the  Indians  and  tories,  and  built 
a  small  fort.  In  1781,  Colonel  Wait  and  Major  Kingsbury,  with  two 
companies  of  soldiers  under  Captains  Sealy  and  Nelson,  built  a  fort 
on  what  is  called  Cook's  hill,  and  made  this  their  head-quarters. 
October  16th  of  this  year,  five  men  from  this  fort,  —  Moses  Warner,  John 
Barret,  John  Sargeant,  Jonathan  Luce,  and  Daniel  Hovey,  —  being  on 
a  scout  and  proceeding  down  Winooski  river,  were  fired  upon  in 
Jericho  by  a  party  of  sixteen  tories,  when  Warner,  Sargeant,  and 
Barret  were  wounded,  the  latter  mortally.  Barret  lived  about  forty 
hours,  and  w^as  buried  near  the  margin  of  Winooski  river,  in  Colchester. 
The  others  were  carried  to  Quebec,  and  kept  till  the  ensuing  spring, 
when  they  were  suffered  to  return.  In  1782,  a  British  scouting  party 
from  Canada,  about  twenty  in  number,  under  Major  Breakenridge,  after 
annoying  the  settlers  of  Newbury, — killing  one  man  and  taking  another 
prisoner,  —  proceeded  to  Corinth,  where  they  compelled  the  settlers  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  king. 

Corinth  was  organized  in  1781,  and  contains  24,000  acres.  The 
surface  is  generally  very  uneven  and  broken,  and  the  elevations  abrupt; 
yet  the  land  is,  in  almost  every  part,  susceptible  of  cultivation.  Copper 
ore  has  been  discovered  on  what  is  called  Pike  hill,  and  worked  success- 
fully. Corinth  contains  five  villages  —  Fellows  Corner,  West  Corinth, 
East  Corinth,  Barnsville,  and  Corinth  Centre ;  six  meeting-houses  — 
two  Union,  one  Methodist,  two  Congregational,  and  one  Free-will 
Baptist;  a  town-house,  twenty-three  school  districts,  an  academy, 
and  two  post-offices — Corinth  and  East  Corinth:  also,  a  rope  and 
cordage  manufactory  —  capital,  $20,000 ;  two  carriage  manufactories, 
two  harness  factories,  one  starch-mill,  and  seven  stores.  Population, 
1,906 ;  valuation,  $627,595. 

Cornwall,  in  the  central  part  of  Addison  county,  about  forty 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  November  3,  1761,  to  Elias 
Read  and  his  associates,  and  contained  about  25,000  acres ;  and  the  set- 
tlement was  commenced  in  1774  by  Asa  Blodgett,  Eldad  Andrus,  Aaron 
Scott,  Dr.  Nathan  Foot,  William  Douglass,  James  Bentley,  Jr.,  Ebenezer 
Stebbins,  Thomas  Bentley,  Samuel  Blodgett,  and  Joseph  Troup.  When 
Ticonderoga  was  abandoned  to  the  British  in  1777,  the  settlers  all  fled 
to  the  south,  and  did  not  return  till  after  the  war.      But  Doctor  Foot, 

66* 


786  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

knowing  the  value  of  the  land,  made  many  purchases,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  legislature  of  1778  as  the  member  from  Cornwall,  by  reason  of  the 
lands  being  owned  by  him,  although  there  was  not  then  an  inhabitant 
in  Cornwall.  After  the  peace  of  1783  he  returned  hither,  assumed 
the  office  of  clerk,  and  recorded  in  a  small  book  a  number  of  deeds  pro- 
cured by  him  when  absent.  Deacon  Jeremiah  Bingham,  who  had  been 
a  schoolmaster  in  early  life,  came  here  from  Norwich,  Conn.,  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolution,  when  there  was  not  another  inhabitant,  and,  in 
1785,  by  his  encouragement  and  assistance,  a  church  of  eight  members 
was  formed.  He  died  in  February,  1842,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four. 
In  the  winter  of  1784,  about  thirty  families  came  in  from  Connecticut, 
who  gave  quite  an  impetus  to  the  infant  settlement.  Hiland  Hall  was 
a  prominent  man  in  town  affairs  upon  the  organization  of  the  town, 
which  took  place  March  2,  1784,  and  during  subsequent  years.  Hon. 
Solomon  Foot,  one  of  the  United  States  senators  from  this  state,  was 
born  here  November  19,  1802  —  graduated  at  Middlebury  College  in 
1826 — -spent  some  years  in  teaching  at  the  University  of  Vermont  and 
elsewhere,  reading  law  in  the  mean  time  —  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1831  — elected  to  the  legislature  in  1833, 1836, 1837,  and  1838,  the  last  of 
which  he  was  speaker  of  the  house  ^ — was  attorney  for  Rutland  county 
from  1836  to  1842  —  served  two  terms  in  congress,  from  1843  to  1847 — 
was  chosen  to  his  present  position  in  1850,  and  has  been  reelected  for  a 
second  term.  Four  or  five  square  miles  from  the  east  part  were  an- 
nexed to  Middlebury,  October  25,  1796.  This  is  a  very  handsome 
township  of  land,  and  the  surface  is  very  level.  Lemonfair  river  crosses 
the  northwest  corner,  and  Otter  creek  washes  a  part  of  the  eastern 
boundary.  In  the  south  part  is  a  quarry  of  excellent  darlc  blue  lime- 
stone, from  which  the  material  for  the  front  of  the  new  college  in  Mid- 
dlebury was  obtained;  and  near  the  centre  is  a  bed  of  hydraulic 
cement,  or  water-lime.  Along  Otter  creek,  in  the  southeast  part,  is  a 
large  swamp,  covering  several  thousand  acres.  There  are  two  villages 
—  Cornwall  and  West  CornwaU,  with  a  post-office  at  each;  three 
church  edifices— Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Methodist;  and'  seven 
school  districts:  also,  two  saw-mills  and  three  stores.  Population 
1,155 ;  valuation,  $457,187.  •  ' 

Coventry,  Orleans  county,  adjoining  Irasburgh,  the  county  seat  on 
the  north,  and  forty-nine  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  'and 
chartered  to  Major  Elias  Buel  of  Coventry,  Conn.,  and  fifty-nine  others, 
November  4,  1780,  by  the  name  of  Coventry.  This  name  was,  No- 
vember 3,  1841,  changed  to  Orleans,  but  was  changed  back  to  Coventry 
November  1,  1843.     The  original  grant  had  three  tracts,  two  of  which 


VERMONT TOWN  OF  CRAFTSBURY.  787 

were  gores,  and  have  been  annexed.  The  settlement  was  begun  in  the 
year  1800,  within  which  Samuel  and  T.  Cobb,  Samuel  Wells,  James 
Farnsworth,  Joseph  Marsh,  Jotham  Pierce,  and  John  Ide  had  taken  up 
their  homes  here.  Among  the  early  residents  was  Peleg  Redfield,  a 
physician  of  some  eminence,  who  removed  here  from  Weathersfield 
in  1806,  and  lived  here  until  his  death,  November  8,  1848.  For  a  great 
number  of  years  he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens,  having 
held  various  offices  in  town.  He  was  father  of  Hon.  Isaac  F.  Redfield, 
chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  some  notice  of  whom  will  be  found 
in  the  article  on  Weathersfield.  The  town  was  organized  March  31, 
1803,  and  now  contains  26,879  acres.  The  western  part  is  somewhat 
broken,  but  not  mountainous.  The  soil  near  the  lake  is  clayey,  and  on 
Black  river  somewhat  sandy,  but,  through  the  town  generally,  consists  of 
a  deep,  rich  loam.  Barton  and  Black  rivers  run  northerly  into  lake  Mem- 
phremagog,  the  southerly  part  of  which  extends  into  Coventry.  These 
rivers  are  from  four  to  eight  rods  wide,  and  very  deep  near  their  mouths. 
Upon  some  of  tliem  are  good  mill  privileges.  The  village  of  Coventry 
was  commenced,  in  the  fall  of  1821  by  Calvin  and  Daniel  W.  Harmon, 
when  all  that  part  where  it  is  situated  was  a  dense  forest.  Its  location 
is  on  the  falls  of  Black  river,  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  and 
now  presents  quite  a  business-lilce  aspect.  There  are  two  meeting- 
houses—  Congregational  and  Baptist;  eight  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office :  also,  one  starch  manufactory,  one  tannery,  one  sash  and 
blind  factory,  three  wheelwright  shops,  and  one  harness-maker's  shop. 
Population,  867 ;  valuation,  $270,600. 

Craftsburt,  Orleans  county,  twenty-five  miles  from  the  Canada  line, 
and  about  the  same  distance  from  Montpelier,  is  nearly  at  equal  dis- 
tances from  Connecticut  river  on  the  east  and  Lake  Champlain  on 
the  west.  It,  was  granted  November  6,  17S0,  and  chartered  August 
23,  1781,  to  Timothy  Newell,  Ebenezer  Crafts,  and  sixty-two  otlaers,  by 
the  name  of  Minden.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced,  in  the 
summer  of  1788,  by  Colonel  Ebenezer  Crafts,  who  opened  a  road  from 
Cabot,  eighteen  miles,  cleared  ten  or  twelve  acres  of  land,  and  built  a 
house  and  saw-mill.  In  the  spring  of  1789,  Nathan  Cutler  and  Robert 
TrumbuU  arrived  with  their  families ;  but  the  latter,  in  consequence  of 
the  sickness  of  his  family,  spent  the  ensuing  winter  in  Barnet.  At  this 
time  there  were  no  other  settlements  in  Orleans  county,  and  the  nearest 
neighbors  were  in  Greensborough,  six  miles  distant.  In  November, 
1790,  the  name  of  the  town  was  altered  to  Craftsbury ;  and  in  February 
of  the  following  year.  Colonel  Crafts,  John  Corey,  Benjamin  Jennings, 
Daniel  Mason,  John  Babcock,  and  Mills  Merrifield,  moved  their  fam- 


788  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ilies  here  from  SturbrJdge,  Mass.  After  arriving  at  Cabot,  they  found 
it  impossible  to  proceed  any  further  with  their  teams,  on  account  of 
the  great  depth  of  the  snow,  which  was  about  four  feet.  They  were 
obliged  to  provide  themselves  with  snow-shoes,  and  to  draw  the  females 
of  their  families  on  hand-sleds,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles.  These 
settlers  were  soon  followed  by  others  from  Sturbridge  and  other  towns 
in  Worcester  county,  Mass. 

Hon.  Samuel  C.  Crafts,  a  son  of  one  of  the  original  settlers,  was  a 
native  of  this  town,  and  died  November  19,  1853,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four.  Upon  tlie  organization  of  the  town  in  1792,  he  was  chosen  town 
clerk,  which  office  he  held  for  thirty-seven  consecutive  years.  He  was 
the  youngest  delegate  to  the  convention  of  1793,  for  revising  the  state 
constitution.  During  the  period  from  1800  to  1828  he  held  —  in 
some  instances  for  many  years  —  the  several  offices  of  representaiive  to 
the  legislature,  clerk  of  the  house,  register  of  probate,  member  of  the 
executive  council,  judge  of  the  Orleans  county  court,  and  representative 
to  congress,  which  last  he  held  four  terms.  He  presided  over  the  con- 
stitutional convention  in  1829,  and  was  governor  for  the  years  1828, 
1829,  and  1830.  In  1842,  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor,  and 
afterwards  chosen  by  the  legislature,  to  fill  an  unexjiired  term  of  one 
year  in  the  United  States  senate. 

Craftsbury  was  organized  in  March,  1792,  and  is  about  six  miles 
square.  The  sxirface  is  somewhat  uneven,  and  the  soil  suitable  for 
agi-icultural  purposes.  Water  is  supplied  by  Black  river  and  its 
several  branches,  affording  numerous  mill  privileges,  upon  which  a 
number  of  mills  have  been  erected.  Black  river  was  known  to  the 
natives,  who  occasionally  visited  this  part  of  Vermont,  by  the  name 
of  Elligo-sigo.  Wild  branch,  a  tributary  of  Lamoille  river,  rises  in  Eden, 
and  passes  through  the  western  part  of  this  township.  There  are  five 
ponds  —  EUigo,  lying  partly  in  Greensborough ;  Great  Jiosmer,  lying 
partly  in  Albany ;  Little  Hosmer,  and  two  other  ponds.  On  an  eleva- 
ted plain,  affording  an  extensive  prospect,  is  situated  the  centre  villao-e, 
Icnown  by  the  name  of  Craftsbury  Common,  which  is  quite  a  prosperous 

and  business-like  place.     Besides  this,  there  are  three  other  villa o-es 

South,  Mill,  and  East  Hill ;  four  church  edifices  —  two  Methodist,  one 
Congregational,  and  one  Covenanters;  fourteen  school  districts,  and 
three  post-ofhces  —  Craftsbury,  North  Craftsbury,  and  East  Craftsbury; 
an  academy :  also,  ten  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  one  starch-mill,  and 
severed  small  mechanical  establishments.  Population,  1,223  ;  valuation, 
f;^o37,049. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OP  DANBT,   ETC.  789 

Danbt,  in  the  south  part  of  Rutland  county,  seventy  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  August  27,  1761,  and  the  first  settlement  was 
commenced  in  1765  by  Joseph  Soper,  Joseph  Earl,  Crispin  Bull,  Luther 
Calvin,  and  Micah  Vail.  It  was  organized  Mai-ch  14,  1769,  and 
contains  about  thirty-nine  square  miles.  A  narrow  strip  was  annexed 
from  Mt.  Tabor,  November  13,  1848.  The  surface  is  uneven,  and  some 
part  of  it  is  mountainous.  South  mountain  and  Spruce  mountain  are 
the  principal  elevations.  The  soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
grass,  and  there  are  here  some  of  the  largest  dairies  in  the  state.  There 
are  several  caverns  in  this  township,  which  are  considered  as  curiosities, 
but  they  have  never  been  thoroughly  explored.  One  of  them,  in  the 
southeastern  part,  descends  like  a  well  into  the  solid  rock.  It  is  said 
that  a  person  was  let  down  by  a  rope  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  perpen- 
dicularly into  this  cavern,  without  discovering  any  bottom.  There  are 
several  marble  quarries  in  the  southeast  part.  Otter  creek  runs  nearly 
on  the  line  between  this  township  and  Mount  Tabor.  Mill  river  rises 
in  the  southwestern  part  and  falls  into  Otter  creek  in  Mount  Tabor, 
while  Flower  branch  rises  in  the  northwestern  part,  and  falls  into 
Pawlet  river  in  Pawlet.  These,  and  a  branch  of  Otter  creek,  in  the 
northeastern  part,  have  sufficient  water  for  mills,  and  the  privilege  is 
improved  by  four  mills  for  sawing  marble.  There  are  two  villages  — 
Danby  and  Danby  Four  Corners ;  four  church  edifices,  occupied  by 
Methodists  and  Quakers ;  fourteen  school  districts  ;  and  two  post-offices, 
one  at  each  of  the  villages:  also,  one  tannery.  Population,  1,535; 
valuation,  ^585,189. 

Danville,  until  recently  the  shire  town  of  Caledonia  county,  is 
twenty-eight  miles  from  Montpelier.  A  part  of  the  town  was  granted 
by  New  York,  by  the  name  of  Old  Hillsboro',  but  no  organization  ever 
took  place  under  this  charter.  A  second  one  was  granted  October  26, 
1786,  to  Jacob  Bailey,  Jesse  Leavenworth,  and  seventy-three  others. 
Some  difficulty  having  arisen  respecting  the  lands,  an  act  of  the  legis- 
lature authorized  a  new  charter,  which  was  dated  November  12,  1802, 
under  which,  as  well  as  the  previous  charter,  the  place  was  called 
Danville.  Walden  gore  was  annexed  to  Danville,  October  29,  1792, 
and  one  half  of  Deweysburgh  was  annexed  November  2,  1810,  giving 
the  town  an  area  of  about  32,000  acres.  Sargeant  Morrill  began  the 
settlement  in  1784 ;  and  in  1785  or  1786  about  fifty  emigrants  from 
New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  came  in,  and  entered  on  the  lands 
as  squatters.  The  new  charter  from  the  legislatm-e  above  referred  to, 
which  was  granted  to  quiet  titles,  reserved  to  the  settlers  the  lands  on 
which  they  had  located,  not  exceeding  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 


790  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

each.  In  the  following  winter,  forty  other  families  joined  the  settlement ; 
and  for  two  or  three  years  the  immigration  was  so  rapid,  that,  in  1789, 
the  number  of  families  was  estimated  to  be  two  hundred.  The  conse- 
quence of  such  an  influx  was  an  extreme  scarcity,  and  much  suffering 
for  the  want  of  provisions.  In  1790,  improvements  had  been  com- 
menced on  all  the  lots  in  the  township. 

Danville  was  organized  March  20,  1787,  and  was  the  shire  town 
until  the  change  to  St.  Johnsbury,  in  1856,  under  authority  given  by 
the  legislature  of  1855.  The  eastern  part  is  elevated  about  two  hun- 
dred, and  the  western  part  about  eight  hundred,  feet  above  Connecticut 
river.  The  soil  is  free  from  stone,  is  easily  cultivated,  and  is  perhaps 
equal,  in  richness  and  adaptation  to  agriculture,  to  any  in  the  state. 
The  town  is  watered  by  numerous  streams  of  pure  water,  which  arise 
in  the  higher  lands  of  Wheelock,  Walden,  and  Cabot.  Joe's  pond,  lying 
mostly  within  Danville,  and  covering  about  one  thousand  acres,  dis- 
charges its  waters  into  the  Passumpsic  by  Merritt's  river,  or  Joe's  brook. 
At  its  outlet,  a  large,  never-failing  sheet  of  water  descends  over  a  lime- 
stone ledge  seventy-five  feet  in  twelve  rods.  In  the  north  part  are 
Sleeper's  river  and  the  Branch.  Large  quantities  of  butter,  pork,  and 
wool,  are  produced  for  market. 

Danville  vUlage  is  very  pleasantly  situated,  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the 
township,  on  elevated  land,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  farming 
country.  The  public  buildings  in  the  village  are  —  a  Congregational,  a 
Methodist,  a  Baptist,  and  a  Union  meeting-house ;  and  an  academy,  all 
in  a  neat  and  modest  style.  The  village  incloses  an  open  square  of 
several  acres.  The  academy  was  incorporated  in  1840,  and  named 
Phillips  Academy,  in  honor  of  Paul  D.  Phillips,  who  endowed  it  with 
^4,000.  The  building  was  erected  by  the  inhabitants,  and  cost  64,000. 
A  weekly  paper,  "  The  North  Star,"  has  been  published  in  this  village 
for  half  a  century.  There  are  twenty  school  districts  ;  and  two  post- 
offices —  Danville  and  North  Danville:  also,  two  large  woollen  manu- 
factories, four  grist-mills,  and  seven  saw-mills.  Population,  2,577  • 
valuation,  $837,869. 

Derby,  in  the  northeast  part  of  Orleans  county,  extends  seven  and  a 
half  miles  on  the  Canada  hne,  about  five  miles  on  the  line  of  Holland 
and  is  fifty-two  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  to  Timothy 
Andras  and  fifty-nine  others,  October  29,  1779,  containing  23,040  acres; 
and  the  first  settlement  was  made  in  1795,  by  Alexander  Magoon^ 
Henry  Buzzell,  and  the  Hon.  Timothy  Hinman,  the  last  of  whom  did 
much  towards  the  settlement  of  the  town,  in  making  roads  and  other 
improvements.       Emigrants  from   Connecticut  and    other    places    soon 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF   DORSET.  791 

made  Derby  a  flourishing  town.  For  some  years  it  was  visited  by 
hunting  parties  of  the  St.  Francis  Indians,  who  formerly  claimed  all 
the  north  part  of  the  state. 

Derby  was  organized  j\Iarch  29,  1798.  The  surface  is  very  level, 
more  so  than  any  other  town  in  the  county.  There  are  some  plains 
of  several  hundred  acres  in  extent ;  and  where  the  land  rises,  the  eleva- 
tions are  gradual  and  moderate.  The  village  called  Derby  Line  has 
an  altitude  of  1,050  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  scenery  is  very 
attractive.  The  beautiful  farm  buildings  everywhere  meet  the  eye, 
filled  with  the  productions  of  a  luxuriant  soil ;  and  in  the  distance  rises 
a  range  of  picturesque  mountains,  at  whose  base  rest  the  placid  waters 
of  Lalte  Memphremagog.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers 
Railroad  is  now  in  process  of  construction  from  St.  Johnsbury  to  this 
town.  The  river  Clyde  passes  through  the  south  part,  affording  nu- 
merous mill  sites.  Salem  pond,  through  which  Clyde  river  passes,  is 
four  miles  long  and  three  broad;  and  Hinman's  pond,  near  the  centre 
of  the  town,  is  one  and  a  half  miles  long  and  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
wide. 

There  are  three  villages  —  Derby,  Derby  Line,  and  West  Derby, 
with  a  post-office  at  each ;  five  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Baptist,  Methodist,  Episcopal,  and  Free-will  Baptist;  thirteen  school 
districts  ;  the  Derby  Literary  Institute,  a  flourishing  seminary,  opened 
in  1840  under  the  auspices  of  the  Danville  Baptist  Association,  but 
recently  transferred  to  the  town :  also,  the  following  manufactures : 
iron  castings,  tin  ware,  leather,  boots  and  shoes,  wagons,  harnesses, 
furniture,  and  starch ;  two  saw-mills  and  two  grist-mills.  Some 
attention  is  given  to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  particularly  the  Morgan 
and  Black  Hawk  horses.     Population,  1,750 ;  valuation,  $540,389. 

Dorset,  in  the  north  part  of  Bennington  county,  190  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier,  was  chartered  August  20, 1761,  to  Gideon  Lyman  and  sixty-three 
others,  containing  23,040  acres.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1768, 
by  Felix  Powell  from  Massachusetts  (to  whom,  at  the  first  proprietors' 
meeting,  held  the  next  year,  fifty  acres  were  voted  as  a  gratuity),  Isaac 
Lacy  from  Connecticut,  and  Benjamin  Baldwin,  Abraham  Underbill, 
John  Manley,  and  George  Gage  from  New  York.  It  was  organized  in 
1769.  The  surface  is  exceedingly  mountainous.  Dorset  mountain  lies 
in  the  north  part,  and  extends  into  Danby,  where  it  is  called  South 
mountain.  Equinox  mountain  lies  partly  in  the  southwest  corner. 
Marble  quarries  have  been  opened  in  several  places  and  successfully 
wrought,  the  largest  of  which  is  the  "  Vermont  Italian  "  quarry,  owned 
by  Holley,  Fields,  and  Kent.     It  presents  a  bold  front  on  the  side  of  the 


792  HISTORY    AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

mountain,  half  a  mile  in  length  by  150  feet  in  height,  and  of  a  breadth 
which  ao-es  cannot  exhaust.  Otter  creek,  the  Battenkill  stream,  and 
Pawlet  river,  afford  a  number  of  mill  privileges,  on  which  mills  have 
been  erected.  In  this  township  are  several  remarkable  caverns,  one  of 
which  in  the  south  part  is  entered  by  an  aperture  nearly  ten  feet  square, 
and  contains  several  large  rooms,  one  of  which  is  about  nine  rods  long 
and  four  vyide.  It  is  said  to  have  been  explored  forty  or  fifty  rods  with- 
out finding  its  termination.  Considerable  quantities  of  marble,  lumber, 
and  iron,  are  manufactured  in  Dorset.  There  are  four  villages  —  Dorset, 
South  Dorset,  East  Dorset,  and  North  Dorset,  with  a  post-office  at  each  ; 
three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Union ;  and 
fourteen  school  districts:  also,  one  large  steam  marble  saw-mill,  three 
stone  saw-mills  propelled  by  water,  and  one  large  steam  lumber  saw- 
mill. The  Western  Vermont  Railroad  passes  through  East  Dorset  and 
North  Dorset.     Population,  1,700  ;  valuation,  $461,708. 

Dover,  in  the  central  part  of  Windham  county,  ninety  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  and  chartered  November  7, 1780,  as  a  part  of 
Wardsborough,  to  William  Ward  of  Newfane  and  sixty-two  others. 
Wardsborough  was  divided  into  two  districts,  October  18,  1788,  called 
the  north  and  south  districts ;  and,  October  30,  1810,  the  south  district 
was  constituted  a  separate  town  by  the  name  of  Dover,  which  is 
rough,  ragged,  and  mountainous,  and  the  soil  cold,  and  hard  to  cul- 
tivate. Several  branches  of  West  river  and  a  branch  of  Dcerfield  river 
rise  here,  and  afford  some  mill  privileges,  which  have  been  improved. 
There  are  two  villages  —  Dover  and  West  Dover,  with  a  post-office  at 
each;  two  churches — Baptist,  and  another  belonging  to  a  religious 
organization  founded  by  Rev.  Darwin  H.  Ranney,  styling  themselves 
Unionists,  and  claiming  to  be  the  second  church  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States :  also,  several  grist-mills  and  saw-mills,  and  a  starch 
factory.     Population,  709 ;  valuation,  ^239,649. 

DuMMERSTON,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windham  county,  upon  Connec- 
ticut river,  115  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  a  name  originally  applied  to 
one  of  four  tracts  of  land,  granted  about  1713  by  Massachusetts  to 
Connecticut,  as  an  equivalent  for  107,793  acres  of  land  granted  by  the 
former  to  planters,  and  which,  upon  determining  the  boundary  between 
the  two  governments,  were  found  to  be  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
latter.  This  tract,  containing  43,943  acres,  and  including  a  portion  of 
the  present  towns  of  Brattleborough,  Dummerston,  and  Putney,  was 
sold  at  auction,  together  with  the  other  tracts,  by  order  of  the  colony 
of  Connecticut,  April  24-25,  1716,  and,   upon  partition  made,  fell  to 


VERMONT  —  TOWlf   OP  DUMMERSTON.  793 

"William  (afterwards  lieutenant-governor)  Dummer,  Anthony  or  Simeon 
Stoder  or  Stoddard,  William  Brattle,  and  John  White.  Dummer  being 
the  oldest  proprietor,  the  tract  was  called  after  him.  On  the  settlement 
of  the  jurisdictional  line  between  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire 
in  1741,  "  this  tract  fell  within  the  limits  of  the  government  of  New 
Hampshire,  which  incorporated  the  whole  into  three  townships,  includ- 
ing, in  the  middle  township,  the  greatest  part  of  the  lands  belonging  to 
the  heirs  of  William  Dummer  and  ....  Stoder,  and  called  the  name 
of  it  Fulham,  by  virtue  of  which  the  privileges  of  a  town  are  now 
held."  1  The  charter  from  New  Hampshire,  dated  December  26, 1753, 
was  issued  to  Stoder  and  fifty-six  others,  and  covered  19,360  acres. 
The  time  to  fulfil  some  of  the  conditions  of  the  charter  was  extended 
June  12,  1760,  and  again  July  7,  1763.  The  name  of  the  town 
was  again  changed  to  Dummerston,  but  when,  or  by  what  authority, 
does  not  appear  of  record.  As  late  as  1773,  the  town  was  called  by 
both  names. 

Dummerston,  throughout  the  perils  of  the  Revolution,  was  a  strong 
whig  town,  and  also  participated  in  active  opposition  to  the  jurisdiction 
assumed  by  New  York.  The  order  of  the  king  in  council,  declaring  the 
Connecticut  river  to  be  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  province  of  New 
York,  was  regarded  as  especially  tyrannical.  The  records  of  the  town, 
kept  by  Solomon  Harvey,  the  village  physician,  quite  fully  exhibit  not 
only  the  clerk's  patriotism,  but  the  spirit  of  liberty  among  the  citizens. 
At  a  town  meeting  held  at  Dummerston,  May  17,  1774,  through  the 
influence  of  New  York  officieJs,  the  people  omitted  to  choose  town 
trustees.  Becoming  suspicious,  however,  that  some  of  the  higher  digni- 
taries of  the  county  would  "  appoint  some  of  their  emissaries  to  supply 
the  place  of  trustees,"  they  caused  another  meeting  to  be  notified,  and 
effected  a  choice.^  Another  affair,  which  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year,  and  in  which  the  redoubtable  doctor  bore  a  conspicuous  part 
among  his  fellow-citizens,  was  the  rescue  of  their  compatriot.  Lieu- 
tenant Leonard  Spaulding,  who  had  been  charged  with  high  treason, 
and  put  in  close  confinement,  upon  the  evidence  that  he  had  remarked, 
that,  if  the  king  had  signed  the  Quebec  bill  (by  a  provision  of  which 
the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  instead  of  being  tolerated  in  Quebec,  as 
stipulated  by  the  treaty  of  peace,  was  established),  it  was  his  opinion 
that  he  had  broke  his  coronation  oath.^ 

'  Town  Records,  1773,  1774,  p.  10. 

'  MS.  Records  of  Dummerston,  I.  15-17. 

'  Slade's  Vermont  State  Papers,  p.  56.  Hall's  Eastern  Vermont,  p.  202.  The  doctor's 
account  of  the  event  must  be  preserved.  "  On  the  28th  of  October,  A.  Dom.  1774,  Lieut. 
Leonard  Spaulding  of  the  town   of  FuUham  ahas  Dummerston,  was  Committed  to  the 

VOL.  1.  67 


794  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Dummerston  was  one  of  the  first  towns  to  respond  to  the  "  non-impor- 
tation, non-consumption,  and  non-exportation  association  "  resolution  of 
congress.  In  common  with  their  neighbors,  the  people  chose  delegates 
to  a  second  convention  at  Westminster  in  November,  who  were  in- 
structed to  procure  a  vote  of  thanks  to  congress,  and  to  choose  deputies 
to  that  body  to  be  held  in  Philadelphia  on  the  following  May.  At  this 
meeting  a  vote  was  passed,  directing  the  assessors  to  "  Assess  the  town 
in  a  Discretionary  sum  of  money,  Sufficient  to  procure  one  hundred 
weight  of  gunpowder,  two  hundred  Weight  of  Lead,  &  three  hundred 
flints,  for  the  town  use."  The  tax  was  to  be  taken  in  "  potash  salts," 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  receive  that  article.  In  accordance 
with  the  advice  of  congress,  the  town  chose  a  "  committee  of  inspec- 
tion "  1  of  seven  persons,  January  3,  1775,  with  Doctor  Harvey  at  their 

Common  gaol  for  high  treason  against  the  British  tyrant,  George  the  third,  by  the  direc- 
tion of  the  infamous  Crean  Brush,  his  attorney,  &  Noah  Sabin,  William  Willard,  and 
Ephraim  Ranney,  Esqs.,  and  Wm.  Patterson,  the  high  Shreeve,  and  Benja.  Gorton,  and 
the  infamous  Bildad  Easton,  and  his  Deputies ;  upon  which,  on  the  following  day,  viz. 
October  the  29th,  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants  met  near  the  house  of  Charles  Davenport 
on  the  green,  and  made  Choice  of  Sundry  persons  to  Serve  as  a  Committee  of  Corre- 
spondancy  to  joyne  with  other  towns  or  respectable  bodies  of  peopel,  the  better  to  secure 
and  protect  the  rights  and  priveledges  of  themselves  and  fellow-cretures  from  the  ravces 
and  imbarrassments  of  the  British  tyrant,  and  his  New  York  and  other  immesaries. 

"  The  persons  made  choice  of,  were  these,  viz.,  Solomon  Harvey,  John  Butler,  Jonathan 
Knight,  Josiah  Boyden,  &  Daniel  Gates,  by  whose  vigilence  and  activity  Mr.  Spauldinn- 
was  released  from  his  Confinement  after  about  eleven  days :  the  Committee  findinn-  it 
Necessary  to  be  assisted  by  a  Large  Concourse  of  their  freeboru  Neighbors  and  bretherin 
Consisting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Dummerston,  Putney,  Guilford,  Halifax,  and  Draper 
(now  Wilmington),  who  discovered  a  patriotic  Zeal  and  true  heroic  fortitude  on  the  im- 
portant occation.  The  plain  truth  is,  that  the  brave  sons  of  freedom  whose  patience  was 
worn  out  with  the  inhuman  insults  of  the  imps  of  power  grew  quite  sick  of  divin"  after 
redress  in  a  Legal  way,  and  finding  that  the  Law  was  only  made  use  of  for  the  Emolu- 
ment of  its  Cretures  &  the  immesaries  of  the  British  tyrant,  resolved  upon  an  Easyer 
Method,  and  accordingly  Opned  the  goal  without  key  or  Lock-picker,  and  after  Con- 
gratulating Mr.  Spaulding  upon  the  recovery  of  his  freedom,  Dispersed  Every  man  in 
pease  to  his  respective  home  or  place  of  abode.  The  afforgoing  is  a  true  and  short  rela- 
tion of  that  Wicked  affair  of  the  New  York,  Cut  throatly,  Jacobitish,  High  Church 
Toretical  minions  of  George  the  third,  the  pope  of  Canada,  &  tyrant  of  Britain."  — 
Town  Records,  1  18-20. 

'  "  The  authority  with  which  this  committee  was  vested  was  by  no  means  negative  and 
their  office  was  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a  sinecure.  Under  their  inquisitorial" sway'  two 
of  the  town  assessors  were  removed  from  their  places,  because  they  had  refused  to'pur- 
chase  the  stock  of  ammunition  which  was  to  be  paid  for  in  '  potash  salts.'  From  one  man 
they  took  a  gun,  because  forsooth  they  suspected  it  contained  a  ball  more  friendly  to  the 
kmg  than  to  the  congress.  Another  man,  who  had  been  prominent  in  the  historj-  of  the 
village,  was  declared  unfit  for  office,  and  was  not  permitted  to  act  in  a  public  station 
unhl  by  his  conduct  he  evinced  the  spirit  of  a  patriot." -/faK'si;asiern  Vermont  p  205* 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OP  DTJXBUEY.  795 

head,  to  observe  the  "  conduct  of  the  inhabitants."  In  the  exciting  scene 
at  "Westminster,  in  March,  1775,  between  the  people  and  the  court 
with  its  tory  adherents,  the  Dummerstonians  were  busy,  three  hundred 
men  marching  to  the  conflict  under  the  command  of  the  doctor  ;  and  in 
another  part  of  the  place.  Lieutenant  Spaulding,  the  rescued  Dum- 
merston  farmer,  was  engaged  in  examining  all  persons  who  were  sus- 
pected of  coming  to  reinforce  the  sheriff''s  party .^  Through  those  days 
of  bitter  controversy  at  home  and  foreign  warfare,  there  was  no  lack 
of  zeal  or  courage  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  this  town,  which  they 
found  rewarded  with  a  due  measure  of  success. 

The  surface  is  broken.  Black  mountain,  near  the  centre,  is  composed 
principally  of  granite,  but  of  too  coarse  a  variety  to  be  of  much  value 
as  building  material.  West  river  and  smaller  streams  furnish  a  good 
supply  of  water,  as  well  as  valuable  mill  sites.  There  are  two  villages  — 
Dumraerston  and  West  Dummerston,  with  a  post-office  at  each ;  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  and  fourteen  school  dis- 
tricts :  also,  five  grist-miUs,  five  saw-miUs,  one  slate  manufactory,  and 
one  shop  for  making  rakes.  The  Vermont  Valley  Railroad  passes 
through  the  town.     Population,  1,645 ;  valuation,  $348,409. 

DuXBtlBT,  in  the  western  part  of  Washington  county,  thirteen  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  June  7,  1763,  to  Isaac  Brown  and 
sixty-three  others,  and  the  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year 
1786  by  Walter  Avery  and  Stephen  Tilden.  It  was  organized  March 
26,  1792,  and  contains  upward  of  thirty-six  square  miles.  The  south 
and  western  parts  are  mountainous,  and  incapable  of  cultivation  or 
settlement.  Camel's  Hump,  having  an  altitude  of  4,083  feet,  is  situated 
on  the  west  line  of  the  town.  Nearly  all  the  inhabitants  are  located 
upon  the  margin  of  Winooski  river,  and  in  the  northeastern  parts  of  the 
township.  It  is  watered  by  Winooski  river,  which  forms  the  northern 
boundary ;  by  Duxbury  branch,  on  which  is  a  considerable  settlement, 
and  by  several  branches  of  Mad  river.  The  natural  bridge  over 
Winooski  river  is  between  Duxbury  and  Waterbury,  and  near  it  are 
some  curious  caverns.  The  town  has  one  small  village,  called  North 
Duxbury,  having  a  post-office ;  one  Union  meeting-house ;  and  nine 
school  districts :  also,  seven  saw-mUls,  three  clapboard  mills,  one  grain 
mill,  and  two  wheelwright  shops.    Population,  845 ;  valuation,  $201,717. 

'  The  fact  that  William  French  resided  ahnost  upon  the  line  between  Brattleborough 
and  Dummerston,  and  was  quite  at  home  here,  sufficiently  explains  the  inflamed  spirit  of 
the  people  on  this  occasion.     See  article  on  Westminster. 


796  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

East  Haven,  Essex  county,  is  forty-five  miles  from  Montpelier,  and 
was  granted  November  8,  1780,  and  chartered  October  22,  1790,  to 
Timothy  Andrus  and  sixty-two  associates.  There  were  five  or  six 
families  in  this  town  as  early  as  1814,  but  the  settlement  has  advanced 
very  slowly.  It  was  organized  July  28,  1845,  and  contains  23,040  acres, 
more  than  ten  thousand  of  which  is  wild  land,  and  possessing  a  soil 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  all  kinds  of  grain,  and  as  good  for  grass  as  the 
best  old  farms  in  the  state.  Passumpsic  river  crosses  the  west  corner, 
and  the  head  of  Moose  river  waters  the  eastern  part,  each  being  about 
two  rods  wide,  and  affording  good  mill  sites.  There  is  a  Methodist 
society  here,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  94  ;  valuation,  $41,009. 

East  Montpelier,  in  Washington  county,  embraced  the  north  and 
east  part  of  Montpelier,  and  was  set  off"  November  9,  1848,  and  organ- 
ized January  1,  1849.  It  covers  about  five  sixths  of  the  23,040  acres 
in  the  original  charter,  or  19,000  acres.  General  Parley  Davis,  noticed 
more  particularly  in  the  article  on  Montpelier,  settled  in  this  part  of  the 
town  in  1788.  The  general  surface  is  uneven,  but  not  abrupt  or 
broken,  and  presents  very  little  waste  land.  The  soil  is  productive,  and 
contains  an  admixture  of  marl,  and  occasionally  a  vein  of  clay ;  —  in 
the  southern  part  some  sand.  Winooski  river  enters  the  town  upon  the 
east  side  towards  the  southern  corner,  passing  diagonally  across  the 
south  line.  Several  smaller  streams  fall  into  this  river,  the  principal 
one  of  which  is  Calais  branch,  passing  across  the  north  corner  and  east 
side  and  supplying  water  for  a  number  of  mills. 

There  are  two  villages  —  North  and  East  Montpelier,  with  a  post- 
office  at  each ;  three  church  edifices  —  Universalist,  Union,  and  Friends  ; 
and  eleven  school  districts:  also,  two  grist-mills,  two  saw-mills,  one 
planing-mill  with  splitting  and  other  saws,  two  boot  and  shoe  shops, 
two  blacksmith  and  two  wheelwright  shops,  a  manufactory  of  musical 
instruments,  and  a  woollen  manufactory  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  and 
employing  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  operatives.  Population,  1,447; 
valuation,  $491,882. 

Eden,  in  the  northern  part  of  Lamoille  county,  thirty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  to  "  Colonel 
Seth  Warner  and  his  associates,  our  worthy  friends,  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  his  regiment  in  the  war  of  the  Continental  army,"  Auo-ust  28, 
1781.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1800  by  Thomas  H.  Parker 
Isaac  Brown,  and  Moses  Wentworth.  The  town  was  organized  March 
18,  1802,  and  contained  thirty-six  square  miles,  which  was  increased 
by  the  addition  of  twenty-one  square  miles  from  Belvidere,  on  the  30th 


VEKMONT TOWN    OF   ELMORE,   ETC.  797 

of  October,  1828.  The  surface  is  somewhat  mountainous.  Mount 
Norris  and  Hadley  mountain  lie  on  the  north  line,  partly  in  Lowell ; 
and  Belvidere  mountain  comes  partly  within  the  limits  of  this  town  — 
its  summit  being  probably  the  highest  land  in  the  county,  excepting 
perhaps  Jay  Peak.  There  is  some  good  tillage  land  in  the  western 
part ;  and  in  the  eastern  part,  which  is  the  dividing  ridge  between  the 
waters  of  Lake  Champlain  and  Memphremagog,  the  land  is  moist  and 
cold,  but  good  for  grazing.  Wild  branch  and  Green  river  rise  in  the 
eastern  part,  and  are  both  considerable  mill  streams.  North  pond  is 
two  miles  long,  and  of  very  unequal  width.  A  tongue  of  land  extends 
into  it  from  the  south,  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  being,  in  some  places, 
no  more  than  two  rods  wide.  Eden  contains  two  villages  —  Eden 
Corners  and  Mill  Village ;  one  church  edifice  —  Union ;  nine  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  two  starch  factories  and  one  store. 
Population,  668 ;  valuation,  $158,865. 

Elmore,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Lamoille  county,  seventeen  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Colonel  Samuel  Elmore  and  sixty-four  associates,  August  21,  1781. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  July,  1790,  by  Martin  and  Jesse 
Elmore,  James  and  Seth  Olmstead,  Aaron  Keeler,  from  Sharon  and 
Norwalk,  Conn.  The  town  was  organized  July  23,  1792,  and  contains 
thirty-six  square  miles.  Martin  Elmore  was  town  clerk  from  1797  to 
1838,  a  period  of  forty-one  years.  The  surface  is  not  very  uneven,  and 
the  soil  is  of  a  middling  quality.  A  great  part,  however,  yet  remains 
an  unbroken  wilderness.  Elmore  mountain  lies  in  the  northwest  part, 
and  is  a  considerable  elevation.  A  part  of  the  waters  pass  off  north- 
ward into  the  river  Lamoille,  and  a  part  southward  into  the  Winooski. 
Mead's  pond,  covering  about  three  hundred  acres,  lies  in  the  north- 
western part;  and  there  are  three  other  smaller  ponds.  Iron  ore  is 
found  in  abundance.  Elmore  has  one  small  village,  called  Elmore 
Pond ;  one  church  edifice  —  Methodist  Episcopal ;  nine  school  districts  ; 
and  one  post-office:  also,  a  starch  factory,  a  carriage  shop,  two 
blacksmith  shops,  and  a  harness  shop.  Population,  504;  valuation, 
$137,563. 

Enosburgh,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Franklin  county,  forty-three 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  March  12,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Roger  Enos  and  fifty-nine  associates  on  the  15th  of  May  following. 
The  settlement  was  commenced,  in  the  spring  of  1797,  by  Amos  Fasset, 
Stephen  House,  Martin  D.  FoUet,  and  others,  mostly  from  towns  within 
the  state.     Enosburgh  was  organized  in  March,  1798,  and  a  part  of  Ba- 

67* 


798  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

kersfield  was  annexed  to  it  in  October  following.  The  surface  is  pleas- 
antly diversified  with  hills  and  valleys ;  but  the  soil  is  better  adapted  to 
the  production  of  grass  than  grain.  It  is  well  watered  by  Missisco 
and  Trout  rivers  and  two  other  considerable  streams,  which  afford 
numerous  and  excellent  mill  privileges.  The  town  contains  foar 
villages  — Enosburgh,  West  Enosburgh,  Enosburgh  Falls,  and  Enos- 
burgh  Upper  Falls;  five  churches  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  Epis- 
copal, Baptist,  and  Union ;  fifteen  school  districts  and  schools ;  a 
seminary;  manufactures  in  leather,  woollens,  lumber,  and  iron;  $25,000 
invested  in  trade;  and  three  post-offices— Enosburgh,  West  Enos- 
burgh, and  Enosburgh  Falls.     Population,  $2,009  ;  valuation,  $441,223. 

Essex  has  a  central  situation  in  Chittenden  county,  thirty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  and  is  separated  from  Burlington  by  Winooski  river. 
It  was  chartered  June  7,  1763,  to  Edward  Burling  and  others,  and  the 
first  permanent  settlement  was  made  in  1783  by  Messrs.  Smith, 
Winchel,  and  Willard.  The  early  settlers  came  principally  from 
Salisbury,  Conn.  In  1789,  there  was  a  very  great  scarcity  of  provisions 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the  settlers  suffered  extremely  on  that 
account.  Essex  was  organized  March  22,  1786,  and  was  first  regularly 
surveyed  by  John  Johnson  in  1806.  It  contains  about  23,040  acres, 
and  the  surface  is  quite  even,  there  being  but  few  hills  and  no  moun- 
tains. The  soil  is  dry  and  sandy,  but  produces  good  crops  of  grain  and 
grass.  The  southern  boundary  is  washed  by  Winooski  river,  in  which 
there  are  two  falls,  the  lower,  called  Hubbell's  falls,  affording  several 
valuable  mill  privileges.  Brown's  river  enters  from  Jericho  ;  and  Indian 
river  (called  here  Stevens  brook).  Alder  brook,  and  Crooked  brook  are 
considerable  streams.  There  are  two  villages  —  Essex  and  Paines- 
ville  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Baptist ; 
the  Chittenden  County  Institute ;  fourteen  school  districts,  with  the  same 
number  of  schools ;  and  two  post-offices,  one  at  each  of  the  villages ; 
capital  invested  in  trade,  $8,500  ;  in  manufactures,  $1,500.  The 
Vermont  Central  Raikoad  forms  a  junction  at  Essex  with  a  branch 
railroad  to  Burlington.     Population,  2,052  ;  valuation,  $455,800. 

Essex  County  lies  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  state,  extendino-,  for 
its  entire  length,  upon  Connecticut  river,  about  fifty  miles ;  and  forms 
a  part  of  what  was  called  the  Upper  Coos  country.  It  was  one  of  the 
eleven  counties  whose  bounds  were  fixed  by  act  of  March  2,  1797  but 
no  officers  were  chosen  for  it  until  the  October  session  of  the  legislature 
in  1800.  It  has  an  area  of  about  seven  hundred  square  miles,  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  which  is  in  unorganized  townships  and  gores,  of  which 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   FAIRFAX,   ETC.  799 

there  are  seven.  It  has  twelve  organized  towns,  and  is,  excepting 
Grand  Isle,  the  least  pojDulous  county  in  the  state,  some  of  the  town- 
ships being  almost  destitute  of  inhabitants.  The  settlements  are 
mostly  along  the  Connecticut.  The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  and 
the  soil  rocky  and  unproductive.  The  Nulhegan,  with  its  tributaries, 
waters  the  central  part  of  the  county;  the  Passumpsic  and  Moose 
rivers  rise  in  the  southerly  part,  and  the  Clyde  and  its  branches  in  the 
northerly  part,  which  is  also  traversed  by  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway. 
Guildhall  is  the  shire  town.  The  annual  term  of  the  supreme  court 
commences  in  August,  and  the  terms  of  the  county  court  in  September 
and  March.     Population,  4,650 ;  valuation,  $1,092,389. 

Fairfax  lies  in  the  south  part  of  Franklin  county,  forty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  18, 
1763,  to  Edward  Burling  and  sixty-three  others.  The  first  improve- 
ments were  made  in  1783,  by  Broadstreet  Spafford  and  his  two  sons, 
Nathan  and  Asa,  who  came  from  Piermont,  N.  H.  A  Mr.  Eastman 
started  from  New  Hampshire  with  them,  with  his  family,  but  died  on 
the  road,  and  was  buried  in  a  trough  on  the  flats  in  Johnson.  His 
family  settled  in  Fletcher. 

Fairfax  was  organized  March  22,  1787,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  somewhat  uneven,  and  the  soil  light  and  easily  cultivated, 
producing  the  best  of  corn  and  rye.  Its  principal  stream  is  the  river 
Lamoille,  which  runs  through  the  south  part ;  with  Brown's  river,  and 
Parmelee's  and  Stone's  brooks,  its  tributaries.  The  great  falls,  on  the 
Lamoille,  descending  eighty-eight  feet  in  thirty  rods,  are  situated  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  town,  and  afford  some  of  the  best  water  privileges 
in  the  state.  There  are  four  church  edifices  —  two  Methodist  and  two 
Baptist;  the  New  Hampton  Literary  and  Theological  Institute;  eighteen 
school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  three  post-offices 
—  Fairfax,  North  Fairfax,  and  Buck  Hollow :  also,  nine  saw-mills,  one 
grist-mill,  three  stoneware  factories,  one  tannery,  two  carriage  shops, 
and  one  woollen  factory.     Population,  2,111 ;  valuation,  $419,978. 

Fairfield,  nearly  in  the  centre  of  Franklin  county,  forty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  18, 1763,  to 
Samuel  Hungerford  and  sixty-three  others,  containing  23,040  acres. 
The  first  settler  was  Joseph  Wheeler,  who  removed  here  with  his  family 
in  March,  1788.  In  1789,  Hubbard  Barlow  and  Andrew  Bradley,  with 
several  others,  arrived.  Smithfield  Beaden  was  the  first  child  born  here, 
in  the  part  called  Smithfield,  and  the  proprietors  made  him  a  present  of 
one  hundred  acres  of  land. 


800  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Fairfield  was  organized  in  March,  1790 ;  and,  in  1792,  this  and  Smith- 
field,  which  had  been  chartered  at  the  same  time,  and  of  the  same  area, 
and  Bakersfield,  or  Knowlton's  Gore,  which  contained  10,000  acres,  were 
made  into  two  towns,  Bakersfield  and  Fairfield,  the  latter  having  the 
larger  area  of  37,649  acres.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  very  little  of  it  so 
broken  as  to  be  unfit  for  cultivation.  The  soil  is  generally  good.  Black 
creek  issues  from  Metcalf  pond  and  runs  through  this  township,  having 
considerable  water  power.  Fairfield  river  is  a  small  stream,  which  also 
takes  its  rise  in  Fletcher  and  passes  through  near  the  centre  of  this 
town,  affording  several  good  mill  privileges.  These  streams  unite,  and 
fall  into  Missisco  river  in  Sheldon.  Smithfield  pond,  lying  in  the  west- 
erly part,  is  about  three  miles  long  and  one  and  a  half  broad,  at  the 
outlet  of  which,  and  also  on  its  course,  about  two  miles  below,  are 
advantageous  places  for  mills.  Fairfield  was  formerly  a  place  of  con- 
siderable business ;  but,  owing  to  the  mania  for  emigration  westward, 
and  the  absence  of  a  railroad,  its  business  has  fallen  off.  There  are 
three  church  edifices  —  Episcopal,  Congregational,  and  Roman  Catholic ; 
twenty-four  school  districts,  with  the  same  number  of  schools ;  and  two 
post-offices  —  Fairfield  and  East  Fairfield :  also,  one  large  flouring 
estabfishment,  two  carriage  manufactories,  two  tanneries,  and  six  saw- 
mills.    Population,  2,591 ;  valuation,  $538,062. 

Fairhaven,  in  the  western  part  of  Rutland  county,  fifty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  October  27,  1779,  to  Ebenezer  Allen 
and  seventy-six  associates,  containing  nearly  forty  square  miles ;  and 
the  settlement  was  commenced  the  same  year  by  John  and  William 
Meacham,  Oliver  Cleveland,  Joseph  Ballard,  and  Joseph  Haskins,  with 
their  families.  In  1783,  Colonel  Matthew  Lyon,  Silas  Safford,  and 
others  moved  into  town,  and  the  former  commenced  erecting  mills.i 
The  first  settlers  were  from  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts. 

The  town  was  organized  in  1783,  and  formerly  comprised  the  town 
of  Westhaven,  which  was  set  off  from  it,  October  20,  1792,  leavino-  as 

'  Colonel  Lyon  was  born  In  Ireland,  —  came  to  this  country  wlien  sixteen  years  old, 
and  was  sold  in  Connecticut  to  pay  for  his  passage.  He  had  in  operation  at  Fairhaven,' 
before  179G,  one  furnace,  two  forges,  one  slitting  mill,  one  printing-office,  one  paper-mill, 
one  saw-mill,  and  one  gristmill,  and  he  did  printing  on  paper  manufactured  by  himself 
from  bass-wood  bark.  He  was  member  of  congress  from  1797-1801,  and,  during  his 
second  term,  was  arrested  under  the  "alien  and  sedition  law"  and  fined  $1,000,  refusino- 
to  pay  which,  he  was  imprisoned  at  Vergennes ;  but  the  amount  was  paid  by  his  pohticd 
fnends,  and  he  arrived  at  Washington  in  time  to  help  settle  that  fierce  and  memorable 
contest  between  Burr  and  Jefferson  in  favor  of  the  latter.  About  this  time  he  sold  his 
property  in  this  town  — removed  to  Kentucky  — was  there  reelected  to  congress,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  Arkansas,  where  he  died  at  an  advanced  a"-e. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   FAIRLEE.  801 

the  area  of  this  town  about  sixteen  square  miles.  The  surface  consists 
of  swells  and  vales,  but  there  is  no  elevation  worthy  of  the  name  of 
mountain.  Fairhaven  is  watered  by  Poultney^  and  Castleton  rivers,  on 
the  latter  of  which,  in  the  village  of  Fairhaven,  are  two  falls,  on  which 
are  several  mills  and  other  manufacturing  establishments.  Until  within 
the  last  eleven  years,  there  w^as  no  roofing  slate  manufactured  in  Ver- 
mont, except  a  small  quantity  in  Guilford.  In  1846,  the  quarrying  and 
manufacture  of  school-slate  were  commenced  here,  and  the  year  follow- 
ing, the  manufacture  of  roofing  slate,  since  which  time  the  business 
has  rapidly  increased  till  it  has  reached  the  sum  of  $45,000  per  annum. 
There  are  extensive  slate  quarries,  apparently  inexhaustible,  the  ulti- 
mate value  of  which  cannot  well  be  estimated,  but  may  be  set  down 
as  exceeding  $1,000,000 ;  and  by  some  they  are  estimated  as  high  as 
$5,000,000.  The  roofing  slate  finds  a  ready  market  in  most  of  our 
Atlantic  and  Western  cities,  and  the  demand  has  a  constant  yearly 
increase. 

The  village  of  Fairhaven,  on  Castleton  river,  is  eligibly  situated, 
tastefully  arranged,  and  has  ample  public  grounds.  There  are  four 
church  edifices,  —  one  of  which  is  in  course  of  erection,  —  Congrega- 
tional, Methodist,  Roman  Catholic,  and  one  belonging  to  a  Welsh 
community ;  four  school  districts  and  four  schools  ;  a  select  school,  and 
one  post-ofEce  :  also,  one  marble  mill,  which  manufactures  and  sells 
about  $60,000  worth  annually ;  one  rolling-mill,  forge  and  nail  factory, 
manufacturing  about  $60,000  worth  of  iron  and  cut  nails ;  a  paper-mill, 
manufacturing  about  $20,000  worth  of  hanging  or  room  paper;  one 
grist-mill,  three  wood  saw-mills,  one  wagon  shop,  one  machine-shop, 
two  blacksmith's  shops,  and  two  shoe-maker's  shops,  as  also  several 
stores.  Population  in  1850,  902,  which  has  increased  to  about  1,200; 
valuation,  $355,415. 

Faielee,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Orange  county,  thirty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  September  9, 1761,  to  Josiah  Channey,  Joseph 
Hubbard,  and  sixty-two  others ;  and  the  settlement  was  commenced  in 
1766  by  a  Mr.  Baldwin,  who  had  settled  the  year  before  in  Thetford. 
In  1768,  Samuel  Miller,  Samuel  Bentley,  Wilham  and  David  Thomp- 
son, Noah  Dewey,  and  Joel  White  settled  here. 

'  A  remarkable  change  took  place  in  the  bed  of  this  stream  in  1783.  The  river  cut  its 
■way  through  a  sandy  plain  nearly  one  mile  in  length,  and  formed  a  new  channel  nearly 
one  hundred  feet  below  the  former  one,  leaving  entirely  the  rocky  channel  over  which  it 
formerly  ran,  which  was  eighty  feet  above  the  present  one.  It  destroyed  a  valuable  mill 
privilege,  and  with  its  resistless  current  carried  the  immense  mass  of  sand  through  which 
it  forced  its  way  over  a  precipitous  fall  of  ninety  feet,  into  East  Bay,  destroying  its  navi- 
gable facilities,  which  heretofore  had  been  sufBcient  for  sloops. 


802  HISTORY   AND   BESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  town  was  organized  about  the  year  1775,  and  contained  at  that 
time  24,000  acres.  In  February,  1797,  the  western  or  larger  half  was 
set  off  and  constituted  a  separate  town  by  the  name  of  West  Fairlee, 
the  division  line  being  run  from  north  to  south  through  the  centre  of  the 
original  grant;  leaving  this  with  11,854  acres.  Fairlee  is,  in  general, 
mountainous  and  broken,  and  much  of  it  unfit  for  cultivation.  The 
mountains,  in  some  places,  form  almost  perpendicular  precipices  several 
hundred  feet  in  height  upon  Connecticut  river.  Fairlee  lake  is  about  a 
mile  west  of  the  river,  and  is  two  miles  long  and  three  fourths  of  a_  mile 
wide.  In  1809,  Samuel  Morey  procured  a  number  of  pickerel  from  a 
pond  in  Rumney,  N.  H.,  and  put  them  into  Fairlee  pond.  In  October 
following,  the  legislature  of  Vermont  passed  an  act  for  the  preservation 
of  the  fish  in  this  pond  for  two  years,  during  which  time  they  increased 
very  rapidly.  A  bridge  connects  this  town  with  Oxford,  N.  H.  Fairlee 
has  one  village,  one  meeting-house  (Union),  seven  school  districts,  and 
one  post-office :  also,  several  saw-raills,  one  grist-mill,  and  an  establish- 
ment for  lead  pipe  and  pumps.     Population,  575  ;  valuation,  $218,444. 

Fayston,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Washington  county,  seventeen 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  February  25,  and  chartered  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1782,  to  Ebenezer  Walbridge  and  sixty-four  others.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  the  year  1798,  by  Lynde  Wait,  Rufus 
Barrett,  and  William  Williams ;  and  in  the  year  1800  there  were 
eighteen  persons  here.  The  town  was  organized  August  6,  1805.  The 
land  is  elevated,  lying  in  large  swells,  and  the  soil  is  fertile,  producing 
good  crops  of  grain  and'  grass.  Two  streams,  head  branches  of  Mad 
river,  pass  through  the  town,  on  which  four  saw-mills  have  been 
erected.  There  are  nine  school  districts.  Population,  684;  valuation, 
$142,000. 

Ferdinand  is  a  territorially  large  town,  in  the  centre  of  Essex  county, 
which  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  13,  1761,  to  Thomas 
Hungerford  and  others.  Its  original  limits  embraced  about  25,000 
acres,  which  were  enlarged,  November  23,  1853,  to  about  33,000  acres, 
by  the  annexation,  upon  its  northerly  side,  of  the  easterly  part  of 
Wenlock  —  the  other  part  by  the  same  act  being  annexed  to  Brighton. 
As  Ferdinand  has  never  been  taxed,  but  has  been  reported  "unin- 
habited," while  Wenlock,  at  the  last  census,  "  appeared  out »  with 
a  population  of  twenty-six,  it  is  presumable  that  the  strong  desire  of 
the  people  in  the  latter  place  to  extend  their  farms  was  a  sufficient 
inducement  for  them  to  submit  to  the  loss  of  their  former  name 
A  preference  for  the  name  of  Ferdinand,  however,  may  have  smoothed 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   FERRISBUKGH.  803 

the  way  to  such  compromise.  The  surface  is  partly  mountainous  and 
partly  swampy,  with  some  small  patches  of  good  land.  Water  is 
supplied  by  Nulhegan  and  Paul's  rivers  and  their  branches.  Popu- 
lation, 13. 

Ferrisburgh,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Addison  county,  and  border- 
ing upon  Lake  Champlain,  thirty-four  miles  from  Montpelier,  was 
chartered  June  24,  1762,  by  New  Hampshire,  to  Daniel  Merrill,  several 
persona  by  the  name  of  Ferris,  and  others.  The  first  permanent  set- 
tlement was  made  in  1784  and  1785  by  Mr.  Ward,  Abel  Thompson, 
Gideon  Hawley,  Timothy  Rogers,  Joseph  Chilson,  Jonathan  Saxton, 
and  Zuriel  and  Absalom  Tupper,  emigrants  from  Bennington  and 
from  Connecticut. 

Ferrisburgh  was  organized  March  29,  1785,  and  contained  at  that 
time  about  24,600  acres.  More  than  half  of  the  little  city  of  Vergennes 
was  taken  from  this  township.  By  act  of  November  3,  1847,  all  the 
part  of  the  town  west  of  Great  Otter  creek  was  to  be  annexed  to 
Panton,  if  both  towns  should  accept  the  act,  which,  however,  they 
refused  to  do.^  The  surface  of  the  northeastern  part  is  somewhat 
hilly;  while  the  remaining  parts,  particularly  the  western,  are  remark- 
ably level  and  smooth.  The  soil  is  varied,  some  parts  of  it  being 
clayey,  while  others  consist  of  rich  mould,  which  is  easily  tilled  and 
very  productive.  It  is  watered  by  Otter,  Little  Otter,  and  Lewis  creeks. 
About  three  miles  north  of  the  southwest  corner  is  one  of  the  best 
harbors  on  the  lake,  called  Basin  harbor.  Five  miles  northwest  from 
Vergennes,  and  a  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  Little  Otter  creek, 
is  a  ferry  across  the  lake,  which  is  here  something  more  than  two  miles 
wide.  This  place  is  known  by  the  name  of  Grog  harbor,  taking  its 
name  from  the  landing-place  in  Essex,  on  the  New  York  side.  It  has 
a  thriving  community,  the  principal  business  being  agriculture  and  the 
raising  of  stock.  There  are  two  villages  —  Ferrisburgh  and  North 
Ferrisburgh,  each  having  a  post-office ;  three  church  edifices  —  Union, 
Methodist  Episcopal,  and  Wesleyan  Methodist;  and  seventeen  school 
districts :  also,  two  flour  mills,  three  saw-mUls,  one  tannery,  one 
small  wooUen  factory,  and  two  wheelwright  shops,  having  a  paint  shop 
and  blacksmith  shop  in  connection  with  each.  The  Rutland  and 
Burlington  Railroad  passes  through  Ferrisburgh.  Population,  2,075; 
Valuation,  $761,745. 

'  In  the  valuation  table,  the  area  of  this  town  is  given  as  26,636  acres,  which  appears 
to  exceed  somewhat  the  original  survey. 


804  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

Fletcher,  a  triangular  township  in  the  southeast  part  of  Franklin 
county,  thirty-five  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7, 
1780,  and  chartered  August  20,  1781,  to  Moses  Robinson,  John  Fay, 
and  sixty-three  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1784,  and 
the  town  was  organized  March  16,  1790.  A  small  part  was  annexed 
to  Cambridge,  November  1,  1841,  leaving  as  its  present  area  20,740 
acres.  The  surface  is  very  much  broken.  Lamoille  river  crosses  the 
southern  corner  of  the  town ;  it  is  otherwise  watered  by  Metcalf  pond 
and  one  or  two  small  streams.  There  are  two  villages — Fletcher 
Centre  and  Binghamsville ;  one  Union  meeting-house,  twelve  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  several  mills  and  two  stores.  Popu- 
lation, 1,084 ;  valuation,  $234,910. 

Franklin,  in  the  northern  part  of  Franklin  county,  on  the  boundary 
line  dividing  Vermont  from  Canada  East,  fifty-one  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier, was  granted  by  the  state  of  Vermont,  October  24,  1787,  and 
chartered  March  19,  1789,  to  Jonathan  Hunt,  and  five  others,  by  the 
name  of  Huntsburgh.  This  year  the  settlement  was  commenced  by 
Samuel  Hubbard,  Samuel  Peckham,  David  Sanders,  and  John  Bridge- 
man,  most  of  whom  were  emigrants  from  Massachusetts.  The  town 
was  organized  in  1793,  and  its  name  was  changed  October  25,  1817, 
from  Huntsburgh  to  Franklin.  A  large  pond  lies  near  the  central  part, 
and  there  are  several  small  streams  by  which  the  town  is  watered. 
There  are  two  villages  —  Franklin  and  East .  Franklin ;  two  church 
edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  fourteen  school  districts ;  one 
academy,  called  the  Franklin  Academical  Institution ;  and  two  post- 
offices,  one  at  each  of  the  villages :  also,  one  woollen  factory,  one 
wagon  shop,  one  harness  shop,  and  one  tannery.  Population,  1,646  ; 
valuation,  $376,082. 

Franklin  County,  occupying  the  northwest  corner  of  the  state,  was 
incorporated  from  Chittenden  county,  November  8,  1796,  and  was 
reduced  to  its  present  limits  upon  the  incorporation  of  Lamoille  county 
in  1835.  It  has  fourteen  towns,  which  cover  an  area  of  six  hundred 
square  miles.  The  eastern  part  extends  on  to  the  west  range  of  Green 
Mountains,  and  is  high  and  broken ;  the  western  part  is  generally  level, 
and  is  a  good  farming  country.  The  settlement  of  the  county  was 
commenced  immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  most  populous  counties  of  the  state.  The  Missisco  river  waters 
the  north,  and  the  Lamoille  the  south,  part  of  the  county.  Iron  ore 
and  very  fine  marble  are  among  the  items  of  its  wealth.  The  Vermont 
and  Canada  Railroad  passes  up  its  western  or  lake  border.     St.  Albans 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    GEORGIA,   ETC.  805 

is  the  shire  town,  at  which  the  annual  term  of  the  supreme  court  is  held 
in  January,  and  the  terms  of  the  county  court  occur  in  April  and 
September.     Population,  28,586 ;  valuation,  $5,971,767. 

Georgia,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Franklin  county,  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Champlain,  forty-one  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted 
and  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to  Richard  Emery  and  sixty-four 
others,  August  17,  1763.  The  first  settlements  were  made  by  Andrew 
Guilder  from  Egremont,  Mass.,  in  1784,  and  William  Farrand  from 
Bennington,  in  1785.  During  the  two  following  years,  a  great  number 
of  families,  mostly  from  Bennington  and  the  western  part  of  Massa- 
chusetts, moved  into  the  town,  and  a  considerable  number  of  young 
men'  without  families.  The  first  settlers  of  Georgia  had  their  share 
of  those  privations  and  hardships  which  are  incident  to  the  settlers 
of  a  new  country.  They  at  first  had  to  go  to  Burlington  and  Platts- 
burg  to  mill;  but,  the  population  increased  so  rapidly,  these  incon- 
veniences were  soon  remedied. 

Georgia  was  organized  March  12,  1788,  and  contains  about  thirty- 
six  square  miles.  The  soil  in  the  south  part  is  sandy,  and  in  the  east 
part  a  gravelly  loam,  which  is  generally  productive.  The  river 
Lamoille,  which  runs  through  the  southeast  corner,  is  the  principal 
stream.  In  the  northeast  part  is  a  pond,  covering  thirty  or  forty  acres, 
which  is  surrounded  by  high  lands  (except  a  narrow  outlet  to  the  north), 
and  is  bordered  by  a  grove  of  alders.  The  mill  privileges  are  immerous, 
there  being  no  less  than  twelve,  nearly  all  of  which  have  been  improved. 
Over  what  is  called  Stone-bridge  brook,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
township,  is  a  natural  bridge,  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  wide,  the  top  of 
which  is  seven  or  eight  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  ^vidth 
of  the  arch  is  forty  or  fifty  feet,  and  its  height  but  a  few  inches  above 
the  surface  of  the  stream.  Georgia  contains  two  villages,  known  as 
Georgia  and  West  Georgia ;  three  churches  —  Baptist,  Congregational, 
and  Methodist;  sixteen  school  districts;  an  academy;  and  three  post- 
offices  —  Georgia,  East  Georgia,  and  West  Georgia :  also,  four  stores ; 
three  wheelwright  shops,  four  blacksmith's  shops;  and  one  tannery. 
The  Vermont  and  Canada  Railroad  passes  through  Georgia.  Popu- 
lation, 2,686 ;  valuation,  $497,086. 

Glastenbdry,  in  the  central  part  of  Bennington  county,  about  110 
miles  from  Montpelier,  is  a  mountainous,  broken  township,  which  was 
chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to  Captain  Samuel  Robinson  and  sixty- 
one  others,  August  20,  1761,  and  contains  about  25,000  acres.  A  few 
settlements  were  commenced  in  the  northwest  part  very  early, —  Henry 

VOL.  I.  68 


806  HISTORY    AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NE-\T   ENGLAND. 

and  Francis  Matteson  being  among  the  settlers,  —  and  the  town  was 
organized  March  31,  1834,  but  its  population  never  amounted  to  one 
hundred  persons.  A  great-  part  of  it  is  of  such  mountainous  and 
broken  character  as  to  be  incapable  of  settlement.  The  town  contains 
one  school  district,  and  one  saw-mill;  but  has  neither  meeting-house 
nor  post-office ;  and  but  few  comfortable  dwellings  for  the  inhabitants 
that  claim  to  live  here.     Population,  52 ;  valuation,  <^20,181. 

Glover,  in  the  southern  part  of  Orleans  county,  thirty-three  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  June  27,  1781,  and  chartered  to  General 
John  Glover  and  sixty-two  others,  November  20,  1783.  The  settle- 
ment was  commenced  about  the  year  1797,  by  Ralph  Parker,  James 
Vance,  Samuel  Cook,  and  Samiiel  Conant.  It  advanced  very  slowly 
for  some  years,  and  in  1800  there  were  but  thirty-eight  persons  in  town. 

The  surface  is  very  uneven,  consisting  of  hills  and  valleys  ;  and  in 
the  south  part  is  a  small  mountain,  called  Black  Hill.  The  town  is 
watered  principally  by  the  head  branches  of  Barton  river ;  branches  of 
the  Passumpsic,  Lamoille,^  and  Black  river,  also  rise  here.     There  are 

^  Long  pond,  now  better  known  by  the  name  of  Runawwj  pond,  was  situated  partly 
in  this  township  and  partly  in  Greensborough.  It  was  one  and  a  half  miles  long,  and 
about  half  a  mile  wide,  and  discharged  its  waters  to  the  south,  forming  one  of  the  liead 
branches  of  the  river  Lamoille.  On  the  Gth  of  June,  1810,  about  sixty  persons  went  to 
this  pond  for  the  purpose  of  opening  an  outlet  to  the  north  into  Barton  river,  that  the 
mills  on  that  stream  might  receive  from  it  an  occasional  supply  of  water.  A  small  chan- 
nel was  excavated,  and  the  water  commenced  running  in  a  northerly  direction.  It 
happened  that  the  northern  barrier  of  the  pond  consisted  entirely  of  quicksand,  except 
an  incrusting  of  clay  next  the  water.  The  sand  was  immediately  removed  by  the 
current,  and  a  large  channel  formed.  The  basin  formed  by  the  incrustation  of  clay  was 
incapable  of  sustaining  the  incumbent  mass  of  waters,  and  it  broke.  The  whole  poud 
immediately  took  a  northerly  course,  and,  in  fifteen  minutes  from  this  time,  its  bed  was 
left  entirely  bare.  It  was  discharged  so  suddenly  that  the  country  below  was  instantly 
inundated.  The  deluge  advanced  like  a  wall  of  waters  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  heitrht 
and  twenty  rods  in  width,  levelling  the  forests  and  the  hills,  and  filling  up  the  valleys,  ^nd 
sweeping  off'  mills,  houses,  barns,  fences,  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep  as  it  passed,  for  the 
distance  of  more  than  ten  miles,  and  barely  giving  the  inhabitants  sutEcient  notic'e  of  its 
approach  to  escape  with  their  lives  into  the  mountains.  A  rock,  supposed  to  wci-h  more 
than  one  hundred  tons,  was  removed  half  a  mile  from  its  bed.  The  waters  moved  so  rap- 
idly as  to  reach  Memphremagog  lake,  distant  twenty-seven  miles,  in  about  six  houi-s  from 
the  time  they  left  the  pond.  Nothing  now  remains  of  the  pond  but  its  bed,  a  part  of 
which  is  cultivated,  and  a  part  overgrown  with  trees,  bushes,  and  wild  grass  with 
a  small  brook  running  through  it,  which  is  now  the  head  branch  of  Barton  'river 
The  channel  through  which  the  waters  escaped  is  127  feet  iu  depth  and  several  rods  in 
width.  A  pond,  some  distance  below,  was  at  fii-st  entirely  filled  with  sand  which  has 
since  settled  down,  and  it  is  now  about  one  half  its  former  dimensions.  IMarks  of  the 
ravages  are  still  to  be  seen  through  nearly  the  whole  course  of  Barton  river 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   GOSHEN,   ETC.  807 

four  natural  ponds,  called  Glover,  in  the  northern  part ;  Daniel's,  in  the 
western  part;  Chambers,  near  the  centre;  and  Mud  pond,  in  the  south- 
eastern part.  Some  iron  ore  has  been  discovered  here ;  also,  several 
beds  of  marl,  which  makes  excellent  lime.  There  are  three  villages  — 
Glover,  West  Glover,  and  South  Glover;  three  church  edifices  —  two 
Congregational  and  one  Universalist ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  four 
parts  of  districts ;  the  Orleans  Liberal  Institute ;  and  one  post-office : 
also,  the  Glover  Flouring  Mill  Corporation,  one  grist-mill,  seven  saw- 
mills, one  tannery,  one  cabinet  and  chair-maker's  shop,  one  carriage 
shop,  two  blacksmith's  shops,  and  several  boot  and  shoe  shops.  Popu- 
lation, 1,137 ;   valuation,  $297,076. 

Goshen,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Addison  county,  thirty-one  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  February  23,  1782,  and  chartered  to 
John  Powell,  William  Douglass,  and  sixty-three  others,  February  2, 
1792.  It  received  a  new  charter,  November  1, 1798,  and  the  first  perma- 
nent settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1800.  The  town  was 
organized  March  29,  1814,  and  originally  contained  14,000  acres ;  but, 
after  numerous  legislative  acts,  it  is  not  quite  so  easy  to  make  out  how 
far  it  is  identified  in  form  and  size  with  the  original  grant.  On  the  9th 
of  November,  1814,  the  north  half  of  Philadelphia  was  annexed  to  the 
town,  adding  11,000  acres ;  next,  the  north  part  of  Goshen  was  annexed 
to  Riptxan;  November  10,  1847,  a  part  of  Goshen  was  annexed  to 
Rochester;  November  11,  1854,  Goshen  Gores  in  Caledonia  county 
were  severed  from  the  jurisdiction  of  this  town,  with  which  they  were 
chartered.  A  large  part  of  the  surface  is  mountainous,  but  there  is 
some  very  good  land,  and  the  settlement  has  advanced  somewhat 
within  a  few  years.  Leicester  river  rises  in  Hancock,  and  runs 
through  the  township  in  a  westerly  direction.  Philadelphia  river 
originates  in  the  south  part.  Iron  ore  and  the  oxide  of  manganese 
are  found  here.  The  town  contains  two  church  edifices  (Methodist), 
and  four  school  districts.  The  chief  occupations  are  in  agriculture 
and  lumbering.  There  are  four  saw-mills.  Population,  486;  valu- 
ation, $80,610. 

Goshen  Gokes,  one  in  the  northwest,  and  the  other  in  the  southwest 
part  of  Caledonia  county,  formerly  belonged  to  the  town  of  Goshen, 
in  Addison  county,  but  were  severed  from  its  jurisdiction,  November 
11,  1854.  They  were  chartered  by  Vermont,  with  Goshen  —  second 
charter — November  1,  1798.  The  former,  joining  Danville  upon  the 
west,  is  the  largest,  containing  7,339  acres  ;  and  was  first  permanently 
settled  by  Elihu  Sabin  in  1802.     It  contains  a  pond  of  eighty  acres. 


808  HISTORY   AND   DBSCKIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  is  watered  by  a  branch  of  the  Lamoille  river.  Population,  183. 
The  other  gore,  which  contained  2,828  acres,  was,  by  act  of  the  leg- 
islature November  14, 1855,  ordered  to  be  annexed,  together  with  Harris 
gore,  to  Plainfield,  if  that  town  should  accept  the  act;  but  it  was 
rejected.  Gunner's  branch  passes  through  the  south  part.  The  popu- 
lation in  1850  was  32. 

Grafton,  in  the  northern  part  of  Windham  county,  ninety  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  April  8,  1754, 
to  Jonathan  Whitney  and  sixty-four  others,  and  rechartered  September 
1,  1763,  by  the  name  of  Tomlinson,  which  was  altered  to  the  one  it 
now  bears  October  31,  1791.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  made 
in  1780,  by  Amos  Fisher,  Samuel  Spring,  Benjamin  Latherbee,  and 
Edward  Putnam.  Prior  to  this  time,  in  1768,  a  Mr.  Hinkley  and  two 
others,  with  their  families,  began  a  settlement  on  Hinkley  brook,  which 
they  soon  after  abandoned.     The  early  settlers  came  from  Winchester, 

N.  H. 

The  town  was  organized  in  1781,  and  contained  at  that  time  23,040 
acres,  which  was  increased  in  1816  by  the  addition  of  a  part  of  Athens, 
and  Avery's  gore :  in  November,  1846,  a  part  of  this  town  was  set  off 
to  Athens,  leaving  it  with  but  a  little  more  than  its  original  size.  The 
surface  has  a  very  uneven  cast,  and  abounds  in  a  great  variety  of  min- 
erals. Soapstone  is  found  in  immense  quantities,  and  worked  to  a  con- 
siderable extent.  Water  is  supplied  principally  by  Saxton's  river,  which 
is  formed  by  the  union  of  several  branches.  A  branch  of  Williams's 
river  runs  through  the  north  part.  These  streams  afford  several  very 
good  mill  privileges.  There  are  two  small  vUlages  —  Grafton  and 
Houghtonsville,  and  a  part  of  Cambridgeport,  in  Rockingham;  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregationalist  and  Baptist ;  thirteen  school  dis- 
tricts ;  and  two  post-ofRces  —  Grafton  and  Houghtonsville :  also,  two 
woollen  manufactories,  the  soapstone  w^orks,  and  cabinet  and  carriage 
makers'  shops.     Population,  1,241 ;  valuation,  $367,743. 

Granby,  in  the  southerly  part  of  Essex  county,  forty-seven  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  10,  1761,  to 
Elihu  Hall.  The  first  organization  took  place,  February  27, 1798.  A 
prosperous  settlement  had  been  formed  previously  to  the  year  1800 
and  the  numbers  continued  to  increase  with  considerable  rapidity  till 
after  the  year  1810 ;  but,  when  the  cold  seasons  commenced,  the  people 
began  to  abandon  their  settlements,  and  continued  to  leave  till  1816 
when  only  three  families  remained,  and  the  town  lost  its  oro-anization. 
After  this  period  the  numbers  began  to  increase,  and  it  was  reorganized 


VEKMONT GKAND    ISLE,    ETC.  809 

in  January,  1822.  A  branch  of  Paul's  stream,  one  of  the  head  branches 
of  Moose  river,  and  some  other  small  streams,  rise  here.  A  small 
amount  of  business  is  done  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  sugar- 
boxes.  The  town  has  one  village,  one  post-office,  one  church  —  Con- 
gregational ;  three  school  districts  and  two  schools.  Population,  127  ; 
valuation,  $28,503. 

Grand  Isle,  Grand  Isle  county,  has  the  lake  on  all  sides  except  the 
south,  where  it  is  bounded  by  South  Hero,  and  is  fifty  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier  and  eighteen  from  Burlington.  This  island  and  the  one  next 
north  were  chartered  by  Vermont,  October  27,  1779,  to  Ethan  Allen, 
Samuel  Herrick,  and  363  others,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Two  Heros," 
embracing  about  25,000  acres.  The  two  towns  of  North  and  South 
Hero  were  constituted  October  21,  1788,  this  town  being  included 
within  the  latter,  which  was  divided  November  7,  1798,  the  south  part 
of  the  island  retaining  its  old  name,  and  the  north  part  receiving  the 
name  of  Middle  Hero.  This  name  was  changed  November  5,  1810, 
to  Grand  Isle,  which  covers  an  area  of  9,515  acres.  The  town  was 
organized  March  7,  1799.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the 
year  1783,  by  Alexander  Gordon,  William  Hazen,  and  Lamberton  Allen. 
For  many  years  the  progress  of  the  settlement  was  slow  by  reason  of 
sickness  and  its  concomitant  miseries.  Fever  and  ague  and  bilious 
fevers,  engendered  by  noxious  vapors  from  the  low  marshy  grounds  and 
the  surrounding  waters,  were  quite  prevalent  and  fatal.  Extreme  scarc- 
ity of  provisions  presented  an  additional  obstacle,  and  hunting  and  fish- 
ing were  for  some  time  the  only  means  of  subsistence  for  the  settlers. 

There  are  some  considerable  hills,  but  nothing  deserving  the  name  of 
a  mountain.  The  soil  is  rich,  producing  corn  and  other  grain  in  abun- 
dance ;  and  there  are  several  small  streams.  The  town  has  one  village, 
called  the  Centre,  and  sometimes  Brown's  Corners  ;  one  post-office ;,  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  and  five  school  dis- 
tricts :  also,  two  stores.     Population,  666 ;  valuation,  $305,842. 

Grand  Isle  County  consists  of  three  islands  and  a  peninsula  in,  the 
northern  part  of  Lake  Champlain,  embracing  an  area  of  eighty-two 
square  miles.  It  was  incorporated  in  November,  1805,  having  belonged 
to  Chittenden  county  from  1787.  No  permanent  settlement  was  made 
here  till  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  surface  is  gen- 
erally level,  and  the  soil  rich  and  productive.  The  streams  are  small, 
and  scarcely  a  good  mill  privilege  can  be  found.  The  early  inhabitants 
were  troubled  with  fevers  and  miasma,  induced  by  stagnant  waters ;  but 
since  the  lands  have  been  cleared  and  cultivated,  the  hygienic  condition 

68* 


810  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  the  islands  has  greatly  improved.  The  Vermont  and  Canada  Rail- 
road crosses  the  lake  to  Rouse's  Point  by  the  peninsula.  The  county 
has  five  towns,  of  which  North  Hero  is  the  shire.  The  supreme  court 
sits  annually  in  January,  and  the  county  courts  in  February  and  August. 
Population,  4,145;  valuation,  $46,094. 

Granville,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Addison  county,  twenty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  was  chartered 
August  7, 1781,  to  Reuben  King,  and  sixty-three  others  by  the  name  of 
Kingston.  Mr.  King  was  the  first  settler,  arriving  in  1785.  The  town 
was  organized  July  8,  1788.  A  part  of  Avery's  gore  was  annexed  to  it 
November  6,  1833,  and  the  name  of  the  town  was  changed  to  Gran- 
ville, November  6,  1834.  It  contains  28,646  acres,  much  of  which  is 
mountainous.  The  pass  over  the  Green  Mountains  in  this  town  is  at  an 
altitude  of  2,340  feet  above  the  sea  level.  White  river  is  formed  here 
by  the  union  of  several  considerable  branches.  On  one  of  these  is  a 
fall  of  one  hundred  feet,  fifty  of  which  at  the  lower  part  is  perpendicu- 
lar, having  worn  a  basin  ten  feet  deep  in  the  rock  below.  The  Vermont 
Central  Railroad  passes  through  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of  the 
town,  which  has  one  village ;  one  post-office ;  one  church  edifice  — 
Union ;  and  seven  school  districts :  also,  four  saw-mills  w^ith  water 
power,  one  with  steam  power,  and  a  stave  machine  attached  ;  one  scythe 
snath  factory,  and  two  clapboard  machines.  Population,  603  ;  valuation, 
$108,345. 

Greensborough,  in  the  extreme  south  part  of  Orleans  county,  twenty- 
seven  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  char- 
tered August  20,  1781,  to  Harris  Colt  and  sixty-six  others.  Messrs. 
Tolman  and  Wood  visited  and  spent  three  days  in  this  place,  in  the 
spring  of  1787;  but  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  not  com- 
menced till  the  spring  of  1789,  when  Ashbel  and  Aaron  Shepard 
with  their  families  moved  in  from  Newbury.  The  hardships  which  the 
first  settlers  had  to  endure  were  very  considerable.  Aaron  Shepard 
removed  his  family  to  Coos  in  August,  and  returned  in  March  following, 
accompanied  by  his  brother  Horace  and  family.  During  their  ab- 
sence, his  brother  Ashbel  and  family  were  the  only  persons  in  town, 
their  nearest  neighbors  being  not  less  than  six  miles  off,  in  Craftsbury 
and  Cabot.  In  1790,  Joseph  Stanley  with  his  family  arrived,  and  the 
same  year  the  Hon.  Timothy  Stanley  erected  the  first  saw-mill  on  the 
outlet  of  Caspian  lake.  Other  improvements  were  made  shortly  after, 
and  several  other  families  moved  in,  so  that  in  1795  there  were  twenty- 
three  families  and  one  hundred  and  eight  persons  in  the  settlement. 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    GROTON,    ETC.  811 

The  town  was  organized  March  29,  1792,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  elevations  are  not  generally  abrupt.  The 
soil  is  of  a  middling  quality ;  but,  on  account  of  its  being  situated  about 
the  head  -waters  of  several  considerable  rivers,  much  of  it  is  wet  and 
cold,  and  the  crops  are  liable  to  suffer  by  frost.  The  river  Lamoille  is 
the  principal  stream,  and  the  largest  body  of  water  is  Caspian  lake,  or 
Lake  Beautiful,  which  lies  in  the  south  part,  and  discharges  its  waters 
to  the  east  into  the  Lamoille,  affording  a  number  of  valuable  mill 
privileges,  around  which  has  grown  up  a  beautiful  little  village.  There 
are  several  other  ponds.  The  town  has  one  village,  two  church  edi- 
fices —  Congregational  and  Presbyterian ;  fourteen  school  districts,  each 
of  which  has  a  school-house ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Greensborough 
and  North  Greensborough :  also,  one  grist-mill,  five  saw-mills,  one  starch 
factory,  one  sash,  door,  and  blind  factory,  and  other  usual  mechanic 
shops.     Population,  1,008 ;  valuation,  $312,103. 

Groton,  in  the  extreme  south  part  of  Caledonia  county,  sixteen  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Thomas  Butterfield  and  seventy-seven  others,  October  20,  1789.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  1787  by  Messrs.  James,  Abbott,  Morse, 
and  Osmore.  The  town  was  organized  March  27,  1797,  and  contains 
28,300  acres.  The  surface  is  generally  uneven,  rough,  and  stony ;  but 
there  is  some  very  good  land  in  the  northeast  and  northwestern  parts. 
Wells  river  and  some  of  its  branches  afford  several  good  mill  privileges. 
"Wells  river  pond,  through  which  the  river  passes,  in  the  north  part,  is 
three  miles  long  and  three  quarters  of  a  mile  wide,  and  has  an  altitude 
of  one  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Little  pond,  in  the  southeastern 
part,  covering  about  one  hundred  acres,  lies  in  the  course  of  Wells 
river  ;  and  Kettle  pond,  covering  about  forty  acres,  lies  in  the  northwest 
corner.  In  the  south  part  of  the  township  is  an  extensive  bank  of  white 
clay,  which  is  a  very  good  substitute  for  chalk,  and  which  has  been  used 
instead  of  lime  in  plastering.  Groton  has  one  village  and  one  post- 
office  ;  one  church  edifice,  occupied  by  Methodists  and  Presbyterians ; 
and  ten  school  districts :  also,  one  grist-mill,  six  saw-mills,  one  tannery, 
and  one  axe  manufactory.     Population,  895 ;  valuation,  ^227,342. 

Guildhall,  Essex  county,  is  the  shire  town,  and  joins  New  Hamp- 
shire, being  distant  from  Montpelier,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  fifty 
miles.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  10,  1761,  to 
Elisha  Hall  and  sixty-four  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  town, — which  was  then  thought  to  be  a  part  of 
Lunenburgh,  —  in   1764,  by  David  Page,  Timothy  Nash,  and  George 


812  HISTOEY   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Wheeler.  Enoch  Hall,  Micah  Amy,  and  James  Rosbrook  joined  the 
settlement  in  1775 ;  Eleazer  Rosbrook  and  Samuel  Page  in  1778 ;  and 
David  Hopkinson,  Reuben  and  Simeon  Howe,  in  1779.  The  first 
settlers  encountered  many  hardships  and  privations  for  a  number  of 
years.  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  they  were  in  continual  alarm  ; 
and  were  frequently  annoyed  by  the  Indians  and  tories,  who  killed  their 
cattle,  plundered  their  houses,  and  carried  a  number  of  the  inhabitants 
into  captivity. 

Guildhall  was  organized  some  time  prior  to  March,  1785,  but  the  exact 
date  is  not  known.  The  surface,  except  on  the  river,  is  uneven,  hard, 
and  rocky ;  but  the  intervals  and  Hats  are  mellow  and  fertile.  Burnside 
azid  Cow  mountains  are  considerable  elevations.  Connecticut  river 
washes  the  east  side  of  the  town ;  its  other  waters  being  Cutler's  Mill 
brook  and  Burnside  brook.  There  is  a  smaU  village  in  the  northeast 
corner  (Guildhall  Falls),  containing  the  county  buildings,  at  which  is 
also  a  good  bridge  across  Connecticut  river.  There  is  another  bridge 
connecting  this  place  with  Lancaster,  N.  H.  The  falls  here  are  835 
feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  trade  is  jiiostly  in  lumber.  The  town 
has  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and  carriage  manufactory :  also,  one  church  — 
Congregational;  seven  school  districts,  and  the  Essex  Grammar-School. 
Population,  501 ;  valuation,  $139,000. 

Guilford,  in  the  southern  part  of  Windham  county,  130  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  April  2,  1754,  by  New  Hampshire,  to  Elijah 
Williams  and  fifty-eight  others,  most  of  whom  were  from  Massa- 
chusetts. At  this  time  the  town  was  a  perfect  wilderness ;  yet,  accord- 
ing to  the  terms  of  the  charter,  the  proprietors  were  to  meet  on  the 
1st  of  May  for  the  choice  of  officers,  and  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  March 
ever  afterwards.  Under  this  grant  the  town  was  organized,  and  by  it, 
either  expressed  or  implied,  the  grantees  claimed  the  power  of  trans- 
acting town  business  by  a  majority  vote,  subject  only  to  the  control  of 
the  parliament  of  England,  from  which  they  had  little  to  fear.  In  early 
times,  they  held  their  meetings  at  Greenfield,  Northfield,  Hinsdale,  or 
Brattleboro',  or  wherever  else  it  might  suit  their  convenience:  the 
first  meeting  at  Guilford  was  in  1765.  The  first  land  was  cleared 
in  1758,  by  Jonathan  and  Elisha  Hunt;  but  no  settlement  was 
made  until  Micah  Rice  came  here  with  his  family  in  September, 
1761,  who  was  soon  foUowed  by  Jonathan  Bigelow,  John  Barney' 
Daniel  Lynds,  William  Bigelow,  Ebenezer  Goodenow,  Paul  Chase' 
Thomas  Cutler,  John  Shepardson,  and  others;  and,  in  1764  after 
having  obtained  an  extension  at  three  diff-erent  times,  the  charter 
was    confirmed   to   the    proprietors.       Settlers  were  coming  in  rapidly 


VERMONT TOWN    OP   GUILFORD.  813 

every  year,  and  in  a  short  time  Guilford  was,  numerically,  the  largest 
town  in  the  state. 

It  appears  by  what  records  have  been  preserved,''  that  the  government 
of  the  town  was  vested  in  a  set  of  officers  elected  annually  by  the 
people,  under  the  authority  of  the  charter,  until  the  19th  of  May,  1772, 
at  which  time  the  inhabitants  annulled  the  charter  government,  and,  by 
a  majority  vote,  declared  Guilford  to  be  in  Cumberland  county  and  the 
province  of  New  York ;  and  the  town  officers  were  chosen  agreeably  to 
the  laws  of  that  province.  In  1776,  the  whigs  and  new-state-men 
obtained  the  control  of  the  town  government,  which  they  retained  for 
two  years.  Tories  were  not  permitted  to  go  to  the  poUs  to  vote,  and 
the  title  of  the  town,  as  belonging  to  New  York,  was  left  out  of  the 
records. 

The  "  beech  seal "  was  very  popular  as  a  means  for  the  punishment 
of  offenders,  particularly  Yorkers  and  tories ;  but  the  most  disgraceful 
and  humiliating  punishment  that  could  be  inflicted  upon  the  latter  was 
to  compel  them  to  embrace  the  liberty  pole  with  both  arms.  In  1778, 
the  government  of  the  town  again  changed  hands,  and,  the  Yorkers 
being  in  power,  excluded  the  other  party  from  the  polls  vi  et  armis,  and 
retained  the  control  of  the  government  of  the  town  until  1783.  The 
whigs  kept  up  their  government  also,  but  the  records  of  their  proceed- 
ings are  not  to  be  found.  Both  parties  had  their  committees,  and  the 
Yorkers,  although  in  authority,  could  not  alone  govern  the  town ;  but, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  tories,  they  could  prevent  any  thing  being 
done  by  the  whigs.  In  this  state  of  things,  Ethan  Allen  arrived  in 
town  at  the  head  of  one  hundred  "  Green  Mountain  Boys,"  and  issued 
the  following  proclamation,  concluding  it  with  an  oath :  "  I,  Ethan 
Allen,  declare  that,  unless  the  people  of  Guilford  peaceably  submit  to 
the  authority  of  Vermont,  the  town  shall  be  made  as  desolate  as  were 
the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah."  The  Yorkers,  having  fired  upon 
Allen  and  his  company,  were  pursued,  and  all  either  taken  prisoners  or 
dispersed.  Many  sharp  verbal  as  well  as  physical  encounters,^  some  of 
them  of  quite   an   amusing  character,  have  been  recorded  as  having 

•  Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  between  the  pohtical  parties  in  this  town  — •  whigs  and 
new-state-men  on  the  one  side,  and  tories  and  Yorkers  on  the  other — that  neither  party 
dare  keep  any  records  of  public  affairs.  Tradition  says,  that,  during  the  seven  years 
preceding  the  admission  of  Vermont  into  the  Union,  the  government  of  Guilford  was  a 
perfect  rule  of  anarchy.  The  Yorkers,  although  they  had  the  town  books,  dared  not 
record  their  proceedings  in  them,  and  both  parties  kept  secret  their  own  records.  During 
this  confusion  and  jealousy,  one  party  stole  the  records  of  the  other,  and  buried  them  with 
their  own  under  the  pound,  together  with  many  deeds  and  proprietors'  papers ;  and  when 
discovered  years  afterwards,  the  documents  were  totally  spoiled,  and  could  not  be  read. 

'  HaWs  Eastern  Vermont,  passim. 


814  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

taken  place  at  Guilford.  The  authority  of  the  New  York  government 
was  completely  wiped  out  here ;  and,  in  March,  1791,  Guilford  was 
duly  organized  under  the  constitution  and  laws  of  Vermont.  When 
the  town  was  under  the  rule  of  the  tories  and  New  York  sympathizers, 
refugees  from  neighboring  states  flocked  here  ;  but  when  the  law  came, 
they  fled,  and  New  York  made  provision  for  them  by  grants  of  land. 
Almost  the  whole  town  of  Bainbridge,  in  that  state,  was  settled  by 
emigrants  from  Guilford.  But  migrations  from  this  town  have  not 
altogether  "  trended  to  the  westward ; "  many  towns  in  the  middle  and 
northern  parts  of  Vermont  have  been  settled  by  inhabitants  from  Old 
Guilford. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Carpenter,  who  moved  into  this  town  in  1770,  and 
lived  here  until  his  death  in  1804,  was  one  of  the  framers  of  the  first 
constitution  of  the  state,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  lieutenant- 
governor  of  the  state  in  1779,  and  a  member  of  the  council  of  censors 
in  1783.  Hon.  John  Shepardson,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  was  a  firm 
supporter  of  the  Revolution,  and  held  the  offices  of  judge  of  the  supreme 
court,  and  member  of  the  council,  for  several  years.  William  Bigelow, 
another  of  the  early  settlers,  was  also  a  man  of  some  distinction,  and 
held  the  office  of  judge  of  the  county  court  for  some  years.  Royall 
Tyler,  James  Elliot,  Richard  Whitney,  Micah  Townshend,  Henry  Sey- 
mour, Gilbert  Denison,  Samuel  Elliot,  John  Noyes,  and  many  others 
who  have  been  residents  of  Guilford,  at  a  later  period  have  been  more 
or  less  identified  with  the  history  of  the  state.  Wilbur  Fiske,  late  pres- 
ident of  the  Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  was  a  native 
of  this  town. 

Guilford  is  hilly,  but  not  mountainous,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
town  is  capable  of  cultivation.  There  are  four  villages — Guilford, 
Guilford  Centre,  Green  River,  and  West  Guilford,  at  the  first  three  of 
which  there  are  post-offices.  The  town  also  contains  five  church 
edifices  —  Episcopal,  Congregational,  Universalist,  Methodist,  and  Bap- 
tist; and  fourteen  school  districts  :  also,  four  saw-mills,  three  grist-mills, 
one  considerable  wagon  and  sleigh  factory,  one  oil  mill,  and  one' 
extensive  paper  manufactory.  There  is  an  inexhaustible  supply  of 
roofing  slate  in  this  town,  which  was,  for  a  time,  successfully  quarried ; 
but  since  the  opening  of  similar  quarries  in  Maine,  where  there  are 
better  facilities  for  transportation,  the  business  here  has  declined. 
Population,  1,389  ;  valuation,  ^448,909. 

Halifax,  in  the  south  part  of  Windham  county,  adjoining  Massa- 
chusetts, 120  miles  from  Montpelier,  being  the  second  town  granted  in 
this   state  by  New  Hampshire,  was  chartered   May  11,  1750  to  Oliver 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF  HANCOCK.  815 

and  Samuel  Partridge  and  fifty-seven  others,  in  sixty-four  lots,  and 
contains  24,018  acres.  In  the  centre  of  the  town  was  a  large  space  of 
a  hexagonal  shape  taken  from  the  surrounding  lots  for  public  uses. 
Settlements  are  said  to  have  been  commenced  in  1751,  but  those  who 
undertook  them  were  not  able  to  prosecute  their  plans  on  account  of 
the  hostility  of  the  Indians.  After  the  reduction  of  Canada,  efforts 
were  renewed  with  better  success.  In  1761,  Abner  Rice  came  from 
Worcester  county,  Mass.;  and  was  joined,  in  1763,  by  others  from 
Coleraine  and  Pelham,  Mass.  The  precise  date  of  organization  is  not 
known,  but  was  about  the  year  1770 ;  the  records  commence  March  3, 
1778.  In  1771,  there  was  a  population  of  329.  During  the  fierce  contro- 
versy with  New  York,  a  majority  of  the  people  seem  to  have  adhered  to 
the  policy  of  that  state,  and  the  town  was  one  of  the  theatres  of  meet- 
ings and  of  military  movements ;  but  when  the  authority  of  this  state 
had  become  a  fixed  fact,  and  the  general  assembly  had  passed  the  reso- 
lution of  October  23,  1783,  offering  free  and  ample  pardon  to  all  persons 
residing  in  the  southern  part  of  Windham  county,  who,  having  pre- 
viously opposed  constituted  authority,  should  then  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  before  any  justice  of  the  peace  within  thirty  days,  this  town 
was  one  of  the  earliest  to  comply. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  but  there  are  no  mountains  worthy  of  notice. 
The  soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  grass,  and  much  attention 
is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  the  keeping  of  dairies.  The  town 
is  watered  by  North  and  Green  rivers,  the  former  of  which  runs  through 
the  western  and  southern  part,  and  the  latter  through  the  northeastern. 
They  are  both  large  and  commodious  mill  streams.  In  one  place  on 
the  branch  of  North  river,  there  is  a  succession  of  cascades,  extend- 
ing about  one  hundred  rods.  The  falls  are  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  each,  and  are  overlooked  by  the  projecting  rocks  on  the  right,  in 
ascending  the  stream.  The  place  is  visited  by  the  curious,  and  the 
scene  which  presents  itself  is  rugged,  wild,  and  romantic.  On  the 
margin  of  the  same  river  is  a  cavern,  called  Woodard's  Cave,  or  Dun's 
Den,  which  is  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  five  in  width,  and  the  same  in 
height,  the  sides  and  top  being  of  solid  rock.  There  are  two  villages ; 
four  church  edifices — two  Baptist,  a  Congregational,  and  Universalist ; 
a  high  school,  fourteen  school  districts,  and  three  post-offices  —  Halifax, 
West  Halifajc,  and  South  Halifax :  also,  two  grist-mills,  eight  saw-mills, 
one  tannery,  three  broom -handle  establishments,  one  shop  for  making 
chairs,  and  two  boot  shops.      Population,  1,133  ;  valuation,  $282,009. 

Hancock,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Addison  county,  thirty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  July  31, 


816  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

1781,  to  Samuel  Wilcox  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  others. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1788  by  Joseph  Butts  from  Canter- 
bury, Conn.,  Daniel  Claflin  from  New  Salem,  and  John  Bellows  from 
Dalton,  Mass.,  with  their  families.  Several  young  men  also  began 
improvements  the  same  year,  among  whom  were  Zenas  Robbins  and 
Levi  Darling.  Hancock  was  organized  June  18,  1792,  containing 
23  040  acres.  The  whole  of  this  town  lies  upon  the  Green  Mountains, 
but  the  principal  ridge  is  on  the  western  side.  The  surface  is  high  and 
broken,  and  suitable  for  grass  rather  than  tillage  crops.  Emerson's 
branch  of  White  river,  the  sixth  branch  of  the  same,  and  Leicester  river, 
all  rise  near  the  southwest  corner.  Middlebury  river  also  takes  its  rise 
in  the  western  part ;  affording,  in  connection  with  the  other  streams, 
excellent  mill  privileges,  which  have  been  improved  in  a  measure. 
There  is  a  Union  meeting-house,  occupied  by  all  denominations.  There 
are  six  school  districts,  and  one  post-office:  also,  a  tannery  and  two 
stores.     Population,  430 ;  valuation,  ^97,945. 

Hardwick,  at  the  extreme  west  of  Caledonia  county,  twenty-one 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered 
August  19,  1781,  to  Danforth  Keyes  and  sixty-six  others.  Soon  after 
it  was  chartered,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Safford  made  a  beginning,  but 
was  soon  discouraged  and  left  the  place.  About  the  year  1790,  the 
first  permanent  settlement  was  made,  by  several  families  of  the  name  of 
Norris,  from  New  Hampshire.  Porter  Page  came  in  about  the  same 
time,  and  also  a  number  of  families  by  the  name  of  Sabin,  among  whom 
was  Gideon  Sabin,  whose  wife  was  the  mother  of  twenty-six  children. 

The  town  was  organized  March  7,  179-5,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  pleasantly  diversified  with  large  swells  and  vales,  but  no 
part  of  it  is  mountainous.  It  is  watered  by  the  river  Lamoille  and  its 
tributaries.  This  river  enters  the  town  from  Greensborough ;  and, 
taking  a  circuitous  course,  passes  through  it  in  a  westerly  direction  into 
Wolcott.  These  streams  furnish  a  number  of  mill  privileges.  There 
are  three  small  villages,  the  oldest  of  which,  called  Hardwick,  or  Hazen's 
Road,  is  situated  on  high  land  near  the  north  line ;  the  second,  called 
East  Hardwick,  is  on  the  river  Lamoille,  in  the  eastern  part ;  and  the 
third  and  largest,  called  Lamoilleville,  or  South  Hardwick,  is  on  the 
same  river,  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town.  Each  of  these  villages 
has  a  post-office,  a  number  of  mechanic  shops  and  stores,  and  the  last 
two  possess  excellent  water  privileges,  on  which  are  several  saw-mills 
and  grist-miUs.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congre- 
gational, and  Baptist;  and  fifteen  school  districts :  also,  two  tanneries. 
Population,  1,402  ;  valuation,  $505,047. 


VERMONT TOWN   OF  HARTFORD,   ETC.  817 

Hartford,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Windsor  county,  on  the  Con- 
necticut river,  opposite  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  and  forty-two  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier,  was  the  first  town  chartered  in  this  state  by  New  Hampshire. 
The  charter  was  granted  to  Prince  Tracy  and  sixty  others,  dated  July 
4,  1761.  The  first  settlers  were  Elijah,  Solomon,  and  Benajah  Strong, 
who  emigrated  from  Lebanon,  Conn.,  and  came  into  this  township  with 
their  families  in  1764 ;  these  were  joined  the  next  year  by  twelve  other 
families.  Joseph  Marsh,  a  very  prominent  man  in  the  early  history  of 
this  state,  moved  into  Hartford  from  Lebanon,  Conn.,  in  1772.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  convention  of  1777,  which  drafted  the  first  state 
constitution,  —  was  the  first  lieutenant-governor,  which  office  he  held 
for  several  years  in  succession,  and  was  for  several  years  chief  justice 
of  the  court  for  "Windsor  county.     He  died  here  in  1810. 

Hartford  was  organized  March  8,  1768,  and  contains  27,000  acres. 
A  small  portion  of  the  southwest  corner  was  annexed  to  Woodstock, 
November  12,  1852,  and  at  the  same  time  it  acquired  about  as  much 
from  the  northeast  corner  of  Woodstock.  The  surface  is  broken,  but 
the  soil  is  rich  and  warm,  and  produces  good  grass  and  grain.  It  is 
watered  by  White  and  Quechee  rivers,  which  afford  very  valuable 
privileges  for  mills  and  other  machinery  driven  by  water,  particularly 
at  the  places  called  White  River  Village  and  Quechee  Village.  White 
River  Village  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river  of  that 
name,  about  one  mile  from  its  mouth ;  and  the  river  is  here  crossed  by 
a  handsome  bridge.  Quechee  Village  is  situated  around  a  considerable 
fall  in  OttS,  Quechee  river,  about  five  miles  from  its  mouth.  There 
is  another  bridge,  called  Lyman's,  which  crosses  the  Connecticut 
river ;  also,  two  other  villages,  called  White  River  Junction  and  West 
Hartford.  There  are  five  church  edifices  —  three  Congregational,  one 
Unitarian,  and  one  Methodist ;  twenty-three  school  districts,  and  four 
post-ofl3ices  —  Hartford,  Quechee,  West  Hartford,  and  White  River 
Junction":  also,  one  woollen  factory,  one  rag  cloth  factory,  an  establish- 
ment for  the  manufacture  of  hay  and  manure  forks,  two  grist-mills,  four 
saw-mills,  one  plaster  mill,  and  one  chair-stufF  factory.  The  Vermont 
Central  Railroad  passes  through  this  town,  and  forms  a  connection  at 
the  village  of  White  River  Junction  with  the  Northern  Railroad  and  the 
Passumpsic  River  Railroad.     Population,  2,159 ;  valuation,  $831,643. 

Hartland,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windsor  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to  Samuel  Hunt,  July 
10,  1761,  by  the  name  of  Hertford,  which  was  confirmed  by  New  York 
to  Oliver  Willard,  July  23,  1766.  The  name  was  changed  to  the  one  it 
now  bears,  June  15, 1782.     The  settlement  was  commenced  by  Timothy 

VOL.  I.  69 


818  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Lull,  from  Dummerston,  in  May,  1763,  at  which  time  there  were  no 
inhabitants  on  Connecticut  river  between  Charlestown,  then  No.  4,  and 
Hartland ;  some  settlers  also  being  in  Newbury,  about  forty  miles  to 
the  north  of  this  place.  Mr.  Lull  purchased  a  log  canoe,  and  proceeded 
in  that  up  Connecticut  river  with  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and 
four  children.  He  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  a  considerable  brook  in 
Hartland,  where  he  landed,  tied  his  canoe,  and,  breaking  a  junk  bottle 
in  the  presence  of  his  family,  called  the  stream  Lull's  brook,  by  which 
name  it  has  ever  since  been  known.  He  proceeded  up  the  brook  about 
a  mile  to  a  log  hut,  which  had  been  previously  erected,  near  the  place 
now  known  as  Sumner's  village.  Here  he  spent  his  days.  During  the 
first  few  years  of  the  settlement,  Mr.  Lull  had  to  suffer  many  privations 
and  hardships;  but  possessing  a  strong  constitution  and  a  vigorous 
mind,  he  overcame  all  obstacles,  accumulated  a  handsome  property, 
lived  respected,  and  died  generally  lamented,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-one  years.  The  first  settlers  were  mostly  emigrants  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut. 

A  party  of  thirty  armed  men  from  this  town  and  Barnard,  under 
command  of  Robert  Morrison,  a  Hartland  blacksmith,  and  Benjamin 
Stebbins,  a  Barnard  farmer,  assembled  near  the  Windsor  court  house  at 
sunrise  on  the  31st  of  October,  1786,  when  a  session  of  the  common 
pleas  was  to  commence,  with  the  evident  design  of  obstructing  the 
court.  Stephen  Jacob,  the  state's  attorney,  and  Benjamin  Wait,  the 
high  sheriff,  waited  upon  them,  —  read  the  riot  act  and  several  other  acta 
relating  to  unlawful  assemblages,  and  warned  them  to  disperse,  which 
they  finally  did.  Morrison  was  afterwards  arrested,  pleaded  guilty,  was 
sentenced  to  a  month's  imprisonment,  to  procure  bonds  of  £100  for  his 
good  behavior  for  two  years,  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  =£10  and  costs  of 
suit.  Others  arrested  with  him  were  also  punished.  When  the  result 
of  the  trial  had  been  announced,  about  fifty  of  the  insurgents,  mostly  of 
Hartland,  assembled  under  arms  at  the  house  of  Captain  Lull  in  this 
town,  about  five  miles  from  the  court  house,  determined  to  rescue 
Morrison  from  imprisonment,  under  order  of,  and  accompanied  by, 
sheriff  Wait.  Captain  Dart,  of  Weathersfield,  marched  with  forty  men, 
and  reached  the  house  of  Lull  between  three  and  four  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  November  17,  approaching  it  by  a  circuitous  course  so  as 
to  escape  the  notice  of  the  guard,  and  after  a  short  but  "  very  resolute  " 
attack-,  captured  twenty-seven  of  the  insurgents,  and  lodged  them  iu 
jail  at  Windsor  before  sunrise.  They  made  very  humble  confession : 
fines  were  imposed,  and  they  were  put  under  bonds  to  keep  the  peace  : 
but  this  did  not  prevent  still  another  assemblage  of  about  one  hundred 
men  at  Lull's  house,  who,  however,  learning  that  the  government  had 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   HIGHGATE.  819 

six  hundred  men  under  arms  at  Windsor,  and  was  too  strong  for  them, 
took  counsel  of  their  fears,  and  disbanded. 

Hartland  was  organized  March  11,  1767,  but  officers  do  not  appear 
to  have  been  chosen  before  1770.  By  the  charter  it  had  25,350  acres. 
A  few  acres  in  the  northwest  corner  were  annexed  to  Woodstock, 
November  12,  1852.  This  is  a  rich  farming  tovirnship,  and  its  surface 
is  pleasantly  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys.  Connecticut  river  washes 
the  eastern  boundary,  and  at  Quechee  Falls,  on  this  stream,  are  several 
mills,  situated  on  the  Hartland  side.  Quechee  river  runs  across  the 
northeast  corner,  and  Lull's  brook  through  the  southern  part,  both  of 
which  afford  some  of  the  best  mill  privileges  in  the  state.  A  valuable 
bed  of  paint,  of  excellent  quality,  has  been  found.  There  are  three 
villages  —  Hartland,  North  Hartland,  and  Hartland  Four  Corners,  with 
a  post-office  at  each ;  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist, 
Universalist,  and  Union ;  and  twenty-two  school  districts :  also,  several 
grist-mills  and  saw-mills,  and  one  woollen  factory.  The  Vermont 
Centred  Railroad  passes  through  this  place.  Population,  2,063;  valu- 
ation, $833,007. 

HiGHGATE,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Franklin  county,  fifty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  and  bounded  west  and  north  by  Missisco  bay,  an  arm 
of  Lake  Champlain,  and  by  Canada,  was  chartered  August  17,  1763, 
to  Samuel  Hunt  and  sixty-four  others ;  and  was  first  settled  by  John 
Hilliker  and  John  Waggoner  in  1784,  and  by  other  Germans,  mostly 
soldiers,  who  had  served  in  the  British  army  during  the  Revolution ; 
and  John  Sax  built  the  first  saw-mUl  and  grist-mill.  The  township  was 
first  regularly  surveyed  in  1805,  by  John  Johnson,  and  contained  23,040 
acres.  November  1,  1792,  part  of  Alburgh  was  annexed  to  this  town ; 
and  Marvin's  gore  was  annexed  October  23,  1806.  A  part  of  this  town 
was  set  off  to  Swanton,  November  3,  1836;  and  its  present  area  is 
nearly  30,000  acres.  The  soil  is  mostly  sandy ;  but  in  the  southwest 
corner,  which  constitutes  a  part  of  what  is  called  Hog  Island,  it  is 
marshy.  Bog-iron  ore  has  been  found  in  great  abundance,  and  has 
been  worked  to  some  extent.  The  town  is  watered  by  Missisco  and 
Rock  rivers,  the  former  of  which  has  a  fall  of  forty  feet,  about  six  miles 
above  Swanton  falls,  affording  some  excellent  mill  privileges.  There 
are  three  villages  —  Highgate  Falls,  East  Highgate,  and  Sax's  Mills, 
with  a  post-office  at  each;  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Methodist,  Episcopalian,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  and  twenty-five  school 
districts :  also,  a  furnace  and  plough  manufactory,  a  scythe  manufactory, 
three  grist-mills,  seven  saw-miUs,  one  machine-shop,  two  carriage  shops, 
four  stores,  and  two  hotels.     Population,  2,653 ;  valuation,  $504,727. 


820  HISTOET   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

HiNESBUEGH,  in  the  southern  part  of  Chittenden  county,  twenty-six 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  24, 1762, 
to  David  Ferris,  Abel  Hines,  and  sixty-three  others.  The  first  settler 
was  Isaac  Lawrence,  with  his  family,  from  Canaan,  Conn.,  whose  wife 
is  said  to  have  lived  ten  months  without  seeing  the  face  of  any  other 
woman,  and  the  family  at  one  time  to  have  lived  a  while  on  dried 
pumpkins  alone.  They  and  Daniel  Chaffy's  family  came  here  before  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  left  when  the  war  commenced.  Mr.  Lawrence 
returned  in  1783;  and  Jacob  Meacham,  Amos  Andrews,  Hezekiah 
Tuttle,  George  McEwen  and  family,  and  Eliphaz  and  George  Steele, 
arrived  shortly  after. 

The  town  was  organized  March  20,  1787,  and  contains  about  thirty- 
six  square  miles.  The  surface  is  somewhat  hilly,  though  in  the  west 
part  it  is  generally  level,  and  the  soil  is  fertile.  There  were  some  beaver 
meadows,  one  of  which  contained  between  one  and  two  hundred  acres, 
from  which  the  first  settlers  derived  much  benefit.  On  the  river  Laplot 
is  a  rich  tract  of  interval  from  a  half  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width, 
and  about  four  and  a  half  miles  in  length,  which,  for  fertility  and  beauty, 
is  not  exceeded  by  any  land  in  the  county.  Water  is  furnished  by 
Lewis  creek,  Laplot  river,  and  Pond  brook.  On  the  first  of  these, 
Nathan  Leavenworth,  an  early  settler,  erected  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill 
in  1790,  before  which  the  settlers  were  obliged  to  go  to  Winooski  falls 
or  to  Vergennes  with  their  grists.  There  are  two  other  streams,  which 
take  their  rise  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  one  falling  into  the  river 
Laplot,  and  the  other,  called  Calkins,  or  Trout  brook,  emptying  into 
Lewis  creek  in  the  north  part  of  Monkton. 

Among  the  improvements  of  the  age  worth  noticing  is  an  establish- 
ment called  an  "  imperishable  potato  factory,"  —  not  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  potatoes,  as  the  name  would  seem  to  indicate,  but  where  they 
undergo  a  process  by  which  they  are  prepared  for  sea-stores.  The 
potatoes  are  cleansed,  pared,  and  reduced  to  a  pulp ;  the  moisture  is 
evaporated  by  fresh  currents  of  air  made  to  pass  in  contact  with  the 
pulp,  by  means  of  machinery ;  the  material  is  made  to  take  the  form  of 
tubes  (macaroni),  and,  when  perfectly  dry,  is  broken  in  a  mill  into 
samp  or  hominy.  By  this  process  of  preparation,  the  potato  loses 
one  sixth  of  its  original  bulk  and  three  fourths  of  its  weight.  For 
transportation  it  is  packed  in  tight  cans,  and  can  be  kept  for  any  length 
of  time.  European  vessels  already  make  it  an  article  among  their 
stores,  and  the  ships  under  charge  of  Dr.  Kane  were  supplied  with  it 
The  villages  are  Hinesburgh,  and  Murray's  and  Patrick's  Corners 
There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Congrega- 
tional; an  academy,  seventeen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  •  also 


VERMONT TOWN    OF   HOLLAND,   ETC.  821 

one  small  woollen  factory,  an  iron  foundery  and  machine-shop,  sev- 
eral flour  mills,  one  tannery,  one  wagon  shop,  and  one  harness  shop. 
Population,  1,834 ;  valuation,  $569,122. 

Holland,  the  northeast  corner  town  of  Orleans  county,  on  the  Canada 
line,  fifty-six  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  March  8,  1787,  and 
chartered  to  Timothy  Andrus  and  associates,  October  26,  1789.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  1800,  by  Edmund  Elliot  and  Joseph 
Cowal.  The  town  was  organized  March  14,  1805,  and  contains  thirty- x 
six  square  miles.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  not  mountainous;  and 
Mount  John,  in  the  southeast  corner,  is  the  only  elevation  which 
deserves  the  name  of  mountain.  There  is  a  large  pond  situated  in  the 
northeast  part,  and  several  small  ponds,  some  of  which  have  an  outlet 
north  into  Canada,  and  some  south  into  Clyde  river. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  1833,  this  town  was  visited  by  a  violent  tornado, 
which  commenced  on  Salem  pond  in  Salem,  and  passed  over  this  place 
in  a  northeasterly  direction.  It  was  from  half  to  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  wide,  and  prostrated  and  scattered  nearly  all  the  trees,  fences,  and 
buildings  in  its  course.  It  crossed  the  outlet  of  Norton  pond,  and 
passed  into  Canada,  and  its  course  could  be  traced  through  the  forests 
nearly  to  Connecticut  river.  Holland  has  two  church  edifices — Con- 
gregational and  Methodist ;  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-offi.ce : 
also,  some  saw-mills  and  a  starch  manufactory.  Population,  669 ;  valu- 
ation, !ii)150,000. 

HuBBARDTON,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Rutland  county,  fifty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  15,  1764,  to 
Isaac  Searls  and  sixty-six  others,  and  was  intended  to  embrace  23,040 
acres ;  but,  in  consequence  of  prior  charters  and  surveys  overlapping 
this,  the  measure  did  not  hold  out.  A  part  was  also  annexed  to  Sud- 
bury, November  7,  1806,  and  has  left  the  area  about  18,000  acres.  It 
derived  its  name  from  Thomas  Hubbard,  a  large  proprietor ;  and  the 
first  attempts  at  settlement  were  made  in  the  spring  of  1774,  by  Uriah 
Hickok  and  William  Trowjaridge,  with  their  families,  from  Norfoll<, 
Conn.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Mr.  Hickok,  was  born  on  the  first  of  Au- 
gust, of  the  same  year,  and  died  in  September,  1776.  This  was  the  first 
birth  and  the  first  death  in  this  town.  In  1775,  Samuel  Churchill,  Wil- 
liam Spaulding,  Abdiel  Webster,  Benjamin  Hickok,  Jesse  Churchill,  Be- 
najah  Boardman,  and  John  Seleck  moved  their  families  here.  These 
nine  families  constituted  the  whole  population  at  the  time  the  American 
array,  under  General  St.  Clair,  evacuated  Ticonderoga,  July  6,  1777. 

69* 


822  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

On  the  same  day  he  with  his  army  passed  through  Hubbardton,  and  left 
Colonels  Warner,  Hale,  and  Francis  Math  their  regiments  as  a  rear  guard. 
They  encamped  on  the  farm  of  John  Seleck,  near  the  spot  where  the 
Baptist  meeting-house  now  stands.  On  the  following  night,  Benjamin 
Hickok,  with  his  own  and  the  family  of  Uriah  Hickok,  left  their  homes, 
with  the  women  and  children  on  foot,  in  order  to  escape  the  danger. 
They  stopped  at  the  farm  of  Justin  Hickok,  in  Castleton,  for  the  night, 
expecting  to  pursue  their  journey  in  the  morning  with  Colonel  Bellows's 
regiment,  which  was  encamped  there.  The  Colonel  had  but  just  com- 
menced his  march  when,  hearing  firing  at  Hubbardton,  he  marched  back 
to  the  assistance  of  his  companions,  leaving  these  unfortunate  families 
to  pursue  their  flight  unprotected  and  alone.  Not  arriving  till  after  the 
battle  had  been  decided.  Colonel  Bellows  returned  back  to  Castleton. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  July,  Seth  Warner,  having  sent  a  de- 
tachment of  about  three  hundred  men  to  assist  Samuel  Churchill  in 
getting  away  his  family,  had  just  begun  their  return  march,  when  the 
battle  commenced.  Hearing  the  firing,  they  pushed  forward  as  fast  as 
possible  to  the  assistance  of  their  companions.  The  battle  commenced 
about  seven  o'clock,  by  an  attack  of  the  British  light  troops  under  Gen- 
eral Fraser,  who,  as  soon  as  the  retreat  of  the  Americans  had  been 
perceived,  pursued  them  with  great  eagerness.  The  American  force 
consisted  of  Warner's,  Francis's,  and  Hale's  regiments  ;  but  Hale,  fearful 
of  the  result,  retired  with  his  regiment,  leaving  Warner  and  Francis, 
with  only  seven  or  eight  hundred  men,  to  dispute  the  progress  of  the 
enemy.^ 

The  conflict  was  fierce  and  bloody.  Francis  fell  at  the  head  of  his 
regiment,  fighting  with  great  resolution  and  bravery.     Warner,  well  sup- 

^  This  statement  is  made  upon  the  authority  of  Dr.  Williams's  History  of  Vermont,  Vol. 
n.p.  106,  and  of  Ethan  Allen's  Narrative,  p.  139,  Walpole  edition,  and  may  seem  to 
imply  a  want  of  courage  in  that  young  officer.  Reports  were  circulated  unfavorable  to 
the  reputation  of  Colonel  Hale,  immediately  after  his  surrender,  but  whether  they  were 
weU  founded,  or  originated,  as  many  have  supposed,  in  the  envy  of  some  of  his  inferior 
officers,  who  wished  him  cashiered  to  make  room  for  their  own  promotion,  it  is  difficult 
now  to  decide.  When  Colonel  Hale  heard  these  reports,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  General 
Washmgton,  requesting  that  he  might  be  exchanged,  and  have  an  opportunity  to  vindicate 
his  character  before  a  court-martial ;  but,  before  this  could  be  effected,  he  died  while  a 
pnsoner  upon  Long  Island,  in  September,  1780,  aged  thirty-seven  years. 

As  Colonel  Hale  and  many  of  his  men  are  known  to  have  been  in  a  feeble  state  of 
health,  and  consequently  unfit  for  military  service,  and  as  the  historians  .Generally  of  that 
penod  attach  no  blame  to  his  conduct,  and  especially  as  his  character  is  s"aid  to  liavcbecn 
irreproachable  in  other  respects,  we  should  certainly  be  doing  wrong  in  allowincr  ^n  im 
putation  so  injurious  to  his  reputation,  and  so  mortifying  to  his  highly  respectable  °desccnd- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OP  HUBBARDTON.  823 

ported  by  his  officers  and  men,  charged  the  enemy  with  such  impetu- 
osity that  they  were  thrown  into  disorder,  and  at  first  gave  way.  They 
however  soon  recovered,  formed  anew,  and  advanced  upon  the  Ameri- 
cans, who  in  their  turn  fell  back.  At  this  critical  moment,  a  reinforce- 
ment under  General  Riedesel  arrived,  which  was  immediately  led  into 
action,  and  the  fortune  of  the  day  was  soon  decided.  The  Americans, 
overpowered  by  numbers  and  exhausted  by  fatigue,  fled  from  the  field 
in  every  direction.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  encounter  was 
very  considerable.  Hale  was  overtaken  by  a  party  of  the  British,  and 
surrendered  himself  and  a  number  of  his  men  prisoners  of  war.  The 
whole  American  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  was  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-four,  of  whom  thirty  were  killed.  The  loss  of  the 
enemy  in  lolled  and  wounded  was  one  hundred  and  eighty  three.^ 

Two  of  Mr.  Churchill's  sons,  John  and  Silas,  accompanied  the  detach- 
ment back  to  Hubbardton,  and  took  part  in  the  engagement.  The  latter 
was  taken  prisoner ;  but  the  former  made  his  escape,  and  fled  back 
to  his  residence,  as  did  also  the  rest  of  the  family,  after  having  two  of 
the  horses  wounded  on  which  the  women  rode.  Here  they  were  sur- 
prised and  all  taken  prisoners  by  Sherwood  and  his  party,  who  had  been 
lurking  on  the  hills  east  of  the  town  during  the  action.  The  men  and 
boys  were  taken  away,  the  house  plundered,  and  the  women  ordered  by 
Sherwood  to  leave  it  that  it  might  be  set  on  fire ;  but,  in  consequence  of 
their  tears  and  entreaties,  the  house  was  spared.  Sherwood,  suspecting 
that  Mr.  Churchill  had  flour  concealed,  ordered  the  Indians  to  take  him 
into  the  woods  and  burn  him,  unless  he  informed  them  where  it  was ; 
but,  after  all  the  horrible  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  order,  as  he  steadfastly  denied  having  concealed  any,  Sher- 
wood at  length  released  him.  Mr.  Churchill  and  his  sons,  John,  Silas, 
and  Ezekiel,  together  with  Messrs.  Hickok,  Keeler,  and  Kellogg,  were 
carried  to  Ticonderoga,  while  William  Churchill,  who  was  lame,  and 
the  females  and  younger  persons  of  the  families,  were  left  to  take  care 
of  themselves.  A  part  of  these  made  their  way  to  Castleton ;  but  Mr. 
Churchill's  family,  consisting  of  four  women,  two  boys,  one  of  whom 
was  lame,  and  two  small  children,  made  their  way,  some  on  foot  and 
some  on  horseback,  over  the  Green  Mountains  to  Charlestown,  —  then 
No.  4, —  thence  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  thence  over  the  mountain  to 
Sheffield,  Conn.,  the  place  from  which  they  emigrated.  The  men,  who 
were  detained  as  prisoners  at  Ticonderoga,  were  confined  during  the 
night   and  required    to   labor  during  the  day.     Messrs.   Churchill  and 

'  This  number  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Gordon,  Williams,  and  others,  as  also  of 
Ethan  Allen. 


824  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

Hick  ok,  who  were  employed  in  boating  wood,  watched  their  opportunity, 
landed  on  the  eastern  shore,  and  made  their  escape.  They  proceeded  to 
Hubbardton,  but  found  the  town  deserted  and  desolate.  In  Mr.  Hickok's 
house  was  the  putrid  carcase  of  a  dead  man,  and  numerous  others 
with  fragments  of  fire-arms  and  clothing  were  scattered  promiscuously  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  battle  ground.^  They  left  this  heart-sickening  scene, 
and  went  in  pursuit  of  their  families.  Mr.  Hickok  found  his  family  at 
Castleton ;  and  Mr.  Churchill  succeeded  in  finding  his  in  Connecticut. 
The  other  prisoners  mentioned  remained  at  Ticonderoga  till  October, 
when  they  were  retaken  by  Colonel  Brown. 

In  1780,  most  of  the  famihes  which  had  been  driven  off  had  returned, 
and  but  few  additions  were  made  to  the  settlement  till  1783.  In  1784, 
the  people  turned  out  and  collected  the  bones,  which  had  been  bleaching 
for  seven  years  upon  the  battle  ground,  and  buried  them.  Hubbardton 
was  organized  in  March,  1785.  The  surface  is  uneven  and  somewhat 
mountainous,  and  the  soil  various,  but  generally  good.  The  most 
noted  summit  is  Mount  Zion,  so  named  by  Ethan  Allen.  There  are 
several  natural  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  is  Gregory's,  about  three 
miles  long  and  one  broad,  lying  partly  in  Sudbury.  At  its  outlet  are 
excellent  mill  privileges,  which  have  been  improved  to  some  extent,  and 
are  surrounded  by  a  pleasant  little  village.  Berbe's  pond,  situated  a 
mile  northwest  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  is  one  and  a  half  miles  long 
and  a  mile  wide,  and  discharges  south  into  lake  Bombazine.  Besides 
the  ponds  just  noticed,  there  are  several  smaller  ones,  called  Round, 
Marsh,  Keeler's,  Black,  and  Howland's,  the  last  of  which  discharges 
into  Otter  creek.  There  are  two  church  edifices  —  Baptist  and  Congre- 
gational; ten  school  districts  and  school-houses  ;  and  two  post-offices 

Hubbardton  and  East  Hubbardton :  also,  one  grist-mill,  three  saw-mills 
two  tanneries,  and  five  blacksmith's  shops.  Population,  701 ;  valua- 
tion, $246,800. 

Huntington,  in  the  southern  part  of  Chittenden  county,  twenty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  June  7,  1763,  to  Edward  Burling  and 
sixty-six  others,  by  the  name  of  New  Huntington,  containing  about 
thirty-six  square  miles,  which  was  altered  to  the  name  it  now  bears 
October  27,  1795.  By  act  passed  October  27,  1794,  the  northwesterly 
part  of  this  township  was  annexed  to  Richmond,  and  the  northeasterly 
part  to  Bolton,  and  at  the  same  time  the  north  part  of  Avery's  and 
Buel's  gores  was  annexed  to  this  town,  probably  leaving  it  somewhat 

1  ]\l.-s.  Boardman  with  two  children  was  in  the  house,  which  was  surronndcd  by  the 
contendnig  armies  during  the  battle,  and,  as  there  was  no  cellar,  she  took  shelter  under 
the  bed,  where  she  remamed  till  the  battle  was  over. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   HYDEPARK.  825 

reduced  in  area.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  March,  1786,  by 
Jehiel  Johns  and  Elisha  Bradley,  emigrants  from  Manchester  and  Sun- 
derland. The  town  was  organized  March  29,  1790.  The  surface  is 
very  uneven,  consisting  of  high  mountains  and  deep  gullies.  That  cele- 
brated summit  of  the  Green  Mountains,  called  Camel's  Hump,  4,083 
feet  above  the  sea,  is  partly  within  the  town.  There  are  some  farms 
which  produce  tolerable  crops,  but  the  soil  is  in  most  parts  rocky  and 
poor.  Huntington  river  is  the  principal  stream,  and  affords  some  con- 
venient mill  privileges.  There  are  two  villages  —  North  and  South 
Huntington;  two  church  edifices  —  one  owned  by  the  Baptists,  and 
another  by  the  Methodists  and  Free-will  Baptists  ;  ten  school  districts, 
and  one  post-office :  also,  a  wheelwright  and  machine-shop,  and  three 
stores.     Population,  885  ;  valuation,  ^311,761. 

Hydepark,  Lamoille  county,  is  the  shire  town,  and  is  twenty-seven 
miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  char- 
tered to  Jedediah  Hyde  and  others,  August  27,  1781.  The  original 
grantees  were  mostly  residents  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  men  who  had 
distinguished  themselves  in  the  land  or  naval  service  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  settlement  was  commenced  by  John  McDaniel,  who  brought 
his  family  here  July  4,  1787,  from  Northfield,  N.  H.  At  this  time  the 
nearest  settlements  were  at  Johnson  on  the  west,  and  at  Cabot  on  the 
east;  the  former  distant  eight  mUes,  and  the  latter  twenty-sbc.  The 
intervening  country  was  a  perfect  wilderness,  with  no  road  or  guide 
except  marked  trees.  Mr.  McDaniel  was  joined  the  same  season  by 
William  Norton,  from  New  York ;  and  these  two  men  with  their  fami- 
lies were  the  only  persons  who  passed  the  next  winter  in  town.  In  the 
spring  of  1788,  Captain  Jedediah  Hyde,  Peter  Martin,  Jabez  Fitch  and 
sons,  and  Ephraim  Garvin  arrived.  Aaron  Keeler,  Truman  Sawyer, 
Oliver  Noyes,  N.  P.  Sawyer,  and  others  came  within  a  few  years. 
The  settlement  was  named  Hyde  park  in  the  charter,  as  a  compliment 
to  Captain  Jedediah  Hyde,  the  first  person  named  in  that  instrument. 
Jedediah  Hyde,  Jr.  was  a  proprietor,  surveyed  the  town,  and  drew  the 
charter.! 

The  following  short  biographies  of  some  of  the  pioneers  of  this  town 
may  prove  of  interest :  John  McDaniel,  the  first  settler,  was  a  man  of 
strong  mind  and  passions,  with  a  retentive  memory,  social  and  friendly, 
and  was  esteemed  a  father  by  the  first  settlers.     His  house  was  always 

•  This  charter,  a  part  of  which  is  in  German  text,  drawn  with  red  ink,  the  rest  in  black 
ink,  and  having  all  the  names  in  imitation  of  print,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  K.  B.  Hyde, 
a  son  of  the  Captain.     It  is  on  parchment,  and  is  a  literary  curiositj'. 


826  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

opened  to  the  poor  and  wayfaring  man.  He  died,  respected  and 
lamented,  August  12,  1834,  in  his  eighty-sixth  year.  Captain  Jedediah 
Hyde  had  the  command  of  a  company  in  the  Revolution,  and 
served  in  the  navy.  He  was  quite  noted  for  his  politeness  and  easy 
address.  He  died  May  29,  1822,  in  his  eighty-sixth  year.  Jabez  Fitch 
served  two  campaigns  in  the  old  French  war,  held  a  commission  in 
the  first  two  campaigns  of  the  Revolution,  was  captured  by  the  British 
on  Long  Island,  and  endured  an  eighteen  months'  imprisonment,  and  on 
board  of  several  of  their  prison  ships  experienced  cruelties  then  too  often 
practised  by  British  naval  officers.  He  kept  a  narrative  while  a  prisoner, 
and  a  diary  of  events  for  nearly  forty  years,  both  of  which  are  now  in 
the  possession  of  his  descendants.  He  also  contributed  to  the  periodi- 
cals of  the  day ;  and  died  February  29, 1812,  aged  seventy-five.  At  the 
time  this  town  was  settled,  there  resided  here  an  Indian  and  his  squaw, 
named  Joe  and  Molly,  who  were  of  nmch  service  to  the  first  settlers. 

Hydepark  was  organized  in  1791,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The 
surface  is  generally  level,  though  there  is  a  ridge  of  high  lands  running 
northerly  and  southerly.  There  is  a  variety  of  soil,  —  the  rich  bottoms 
on  the  rivers,  the  elevated  sandy  plains,  and  the  rich  loam  or  clay  and 
marly  lands.  The  town  is  watered  by  Lamoille  and  Green  rivers,  and 
by  Mill  and  Carter  brooks.  There  are  several  ponds,  containing  from 
half  an  acre  to  fifty  acres  each. 

Hydepark  village  is  situated  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town  on  a 
beautiful  elevated  plain,  and  contains  a  court-house,  jail,  and  jailer's 
house,  built  by  the  inhabitants  in  1836,  at  which  time  it  became  the  seat 
of  justice  for  Lamoille  county.  Hydepark  has  a  Union  meeting-house, 
the  Lamoille  Central  Academy,  nineteen  school  districts,  the  Lamoille 
County  Bank,  and  two  post-offices  —  Hydepark  and  North  Hydepark. 
The  principal  manufactures  are  starch,  and  boots  and  shoes.  Popula- 
tion, 1,107 ;  valuation,  P43,852. 

Ira,  in  the  central  part  of  Rutland  county,  is  of  a  triangular  form, 
about  fourteen  miles  long,  and  two  wide  at  the  south  end,  and  running 
to  a  point  towards  the  north ;  and  is  sixty  miles  from  Montpelier.  It 
was  organized  May  31,  1779.  A  part  of  it  (1,825  acres)  was  taken 
October  28,  1784,  for  a  portion  of  the  new  town  of  Middletown ;  and  a 
part  of  the  west  side  of  Clarendon  was  annexed  to  Ira,  November  9, 
1854.  Its  present  area  is  supposed  to  be  about  12,000  acres.  The  sur- 
face is  rather  mountainous,  —  Bird's  mountain,  in  the  north  part,  being 
the  principal  elevation,  which  is  high  and  abrupt,  ta  brook  rises  in  the 
south  part,  runs  northeasterly,  and  joins  Furnace  brook  in  Clarendon. 
Castleton  river  crosses  the  townsliip  in  a  westerly  direction.     Mill  privi- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   IBASBTJRGH,   ETC.  827 

leges  are  not  very  good.  Ira  has  a  Baptist  meeting-house,  seven  school 
districts,  a  select  school,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  three  wagon  shops. 
Population,  400 ;  valuation,  $197,093. 

Irasburgh,  situated  in  the  centre  of  Orleans  county,  forty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  is  the  shire  town.  Ira  Allen  and  his  associates  obtained  the 
charter,  February  23,  1781.  Mr.  Allen  was  the  principal  proprietor,  and 
from  him  the  town  derives  its  name.  The  settlement  was  commenced 
some  time  previous  to  the  year  1800,  and  it  was  organized  March  12, 
1803.  The  town  contains  23,040  acres.  The  first  tier  of  lots  in  Lowell 
contiguous  to  and  adjoining  Irasburgh  were  annexed  to  the  latter, 
November  18,  1852.  The  surface  is  somewhat  diversified  with  gentle 
hiUs  and  valleys.  The  soil  is  easy  to  cultivate,  and  produces  good  crops. 
Black  river  passes  through  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  receiving  a  number 
of  small  strearns';  but  its  current  is  generally  moderate,  and  it  affords  but 
a  few  mill  privileges.  Barton  river  just  touches  upon  the  eastern  corner. 
In  the  spring  of  1827,  a  shirt  of  mail,  which  is  doubtless  of  European 
origin,  was  found  by  Shubael  Goodell.  At  what  time  it  was  left  here,  or 
by  whom,  it  is  not  possible  to  ascertain.  It  was  purchased  by  Lieutenant 
Wilson,  United  States  Artillery,  and  is  now  deposited  in  the  National 
Institute  at  Washington.  Irasburgh  has  one  village  ;  three  church  edi- 
fices —  Methodist,  Congregational,  and  Baptist ;  the  court-house  and 
jail ;  a  post-office ;  twelve  school  districts  and  thirteen  schools  ;  and  the 
Orleans  County  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000:  also,  shops  for  mak- 
ing wagons  and  harnesses.     Population,  1,034  ;  valuation,  $345,629. 

Isle  La  Mott  is  the  most  westerly  island  of  those  embraced  within 
Grand  Isle  county,  close  to  the  main  channel  of  Lake  Champlain, 
and  twenty-eight  miles  from  Burlington.  It  was  chartered  to  Benja- 
min Wait  and  ninety-five  others,  October  27,  1789,  with  the  name 
it  now  bears,  which  was  altered  to  Vineyard,  November  1,  1802,  and 
changed  back  to  Isle  La  Mott,  November  6, 1830.  The  first  settlers 
were  Bbenezer  Hyde,  Enoch  Hall,  William  Blanchard,  and  Ichabod 
Fitch,  who  commenced  their  efforts  for  redeeming  the  wilderness  in 
1785.  The  town  was  organized  March  24,  1791,  and  contains  4,620 
acres.  A  marsh  extends  across  the  island  from  east  to  west,  which 
abounds  with  excellent  cedar.  The  roclvs  are  limestone,  and  are  exten- 
sively quarried  for  building  purposes.  The  island  is  destitute  of  streams. 
Isle  La  Mott  has  one  church  edifice — Methodist  Episcopal;  a  select 
school,  two  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  The  chief  manufactur- 
ing is  in  marble.     Population,  476  ;  valuation,  6125,790. 


828  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

Jamaica,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  "Windham  county,  ninety  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  to  General  Samuel  Fletcher  and  fifty- 
three  others,  November  7,  1780,  on  the  payment,  for  each  right,  of  £9 
lawful  money,  in  silver  or  other  current  funds  ;  and  the  settlement  was 
commenced  about  the  same  time  by  William,  Benjamin,  and  Caleb 
Howard  and  several  others,  who  emigrated  from  Mendon,  Mass.  The 
town  was  organized  September  3,  1781,  and  contains  29,017  acres,  the 
surface  being  broken  and  mountainous,  and  the  elevations  rocky ;  but 
the  soil  is  generally  warm  and  productive.  Limestone  exists  in  the 
eastern  part,  and  lime  is  manufactured  to  some  extent.  Water  is  sup- 
plied by  West  river  and  its  tributaries,  affording  numerous  and  excellent 
mill  privileges.  Jamaica  has  two  villages  —  Jamaica  Centre  and  Raw- 
sonville ;  three  church  edifices —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Univer- 
salist ;  fourteen  school  districts ;  the  West  River  Bank,  with  a  capital 
of  f  50,000  ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  two  founderies,  and  several 
wooden-ware  shops.     Population,  1,606  ;  valuation,  $410,919. 

Jay,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Orleans  county,  fifty  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier, was  granted  March  13,  1780,  and  was  originally  called  Carthage. 
About  one  third  of  the  town  was  chartered  to  Governor  Thomas 
Chittenden,  November  7,  1792,  and  the  remainder  to  John  Jay  and 
.John  Cozine,  of  New  York,  December  28th  the  same  year,  when  it 
received  its  present  name.  Previous  to  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain, 
five  or  six  families  had  settled  in  this  township ;  but  during  the  war 
they  nearly  all  left  the  settlement.  A  few  families  have  since  ven- 
tured to  take  up  their  abode  in  Jay,  and  the  settlement  has  made  moder- 
ate improvement.  It  was  organized  March  29,  1828,  and  contains 
23,040  acres.  The  eastern  part  is  handsome,  level  land,  the  soil  of  which 
is  good ;  and  the  western  part  is  almost  wholly  mountainous.  A  num- 
ber of  small  streams  rise  among  the  mountains,  and,  running  easterly, 
unite  before  they  leave  the  town,  affording  several  very  good  mill  privi- 
leges. Jay  peak,  one  of  the  highest  of  the  western  range  of  the. Green 
Mountains,  having  an  altitude  of  4,018  feet,  is  situated  partly  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  town,  and  partly  in  Montgomery,  \yestfield, 
and  Richford.  Jay  has  no  church  edifice,  but  has  six  school "  districts, 
and  one  post-office:  also,  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  two  planing 
machines,  one  starch  factory,  and  two  blacksmith's  shops.  ^Population, 
371 ;  valuation,  SJ61,790. 

Jericho  is  centrally  situated  in  Chittenden  county,  twenty-sLx  miles 
northwest  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  to  .Governor  Thomas 
Chittenden,  Edward  Burling,  and  others,  June  8, 1763.     The  efforts  at 


VERMONT — TOWN   OP  JERICHO.  829 

settlement  were  made  in  1774  by  Messrs.  Messenger,  Rood,  and  Brown 
with  their  families,  who  came  from  the  western  part  of  Massachusetts. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war,  however,  the  settlement  was  mostly 
abandoned ;  and  as  several  incidents  relative  to  the  abandonment  may 
be  of  interest  to  the  general  reader,  they  are  here  inserted.  Mr.  Brown 
settled  on  the  flats  near  Underhill,  on  what  is  now  called  Brown's  river, 
where  he  and  his  family  remained  unmolested  during  the  early  part  of 
that  memorable  struggle.  They  had  succeeded  in  making  such  improve- 
ments on  the  land  as  to  be  able  to  raise  most  of  the  necessaries  of  life  ; 
when,  in  the  autumn  of  1780,  the  family  were  surprised  and  made 
prisoners  by  a  party  of  Indians.  At  the  time,  a  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Olds  was  in  the  house,  and  made  his  escape  to  the  block-house 
on  the  Winooski  river,  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  The  Indians,  after 
securing  their  prisoners,  killed  the  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs  belonging  to 
Mr.  Brown,  set  the  house  on  fire,  and  started  for  Montreal.  The  prison- 
ers suffered  much  on  their  journey  through  the  woods  from  fatigue  and 
hunger,  the  most  of  their  food  being  raw  bear's  meat.  On  their  arrival 
at  St.  Johns  they  w^ere  sold  to  British  officers  at  $8  per  head,  and  by 
them  retained  as  prisoners  nearly  three  years,  during  which  time  they 
were  compelled  to  labor  for  their  masters,  and  allowed  but  miserable 
fare.  On  their  return  they  were  enabled  to  keep  a  part  of  their  land  in 
Jericho,  and  by  industry  and  perseverance  accumulated  a  handsome 
property.  Two  sons  of  Mr.  Brown  settled,  lived,  and  died  on  the  same 
land  where  their  father  fixed  his  abode,  and  their  families  were  among 
the  most  respectable.  Mr.  Messenger  settled  on  the  Winooski  river,  and 
remained  there  until  June,  1776,  when  General  Ira  Allen  advised  him  to 
leave  as  the  place  was  unsafe.  Mr.  Messenger,  with  his  faniily  and  a 
small  share  of  their  effects,  proceeded  down  the  river  in  a  canoe  belong- 
ing to  General  Allen,  to  what  is  called  Hubbell's  Falls,  in  Essex,  where 
they  unloaded.  Mr.  Messenger  went  over  the  falls  in  the  canoe  without 
injury,  except  breaking  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe.  He  changed  ends,  re- 
loaded, and  proceeded  to  what  has  since  been  called  the  Lawrence  farm, 
where  they  remained  for  the  night.  Having  arrived  at  Colchester,  they 
carried  their  load  around  the  falls  at  that  place,  let  the  boat  drift  over, 
and  arrived  safely  at  Lake  Champlain.  From  thence  they  were  trans- 
ported, with  others,  in  an  open  boat  to  Skenesboro'  (now  Whitehall), 
and  from  thence  to  Bennington,  where  they  arrived  at  the  time  of  the 
battle  at  that  place.  On  the  return  of  peace,  Mr.  Messenger  Math  his 
family  settled  again  on  his  old  place,  where  he  lived  to  an  advanced  age, 
an  industrious  and  respectable  farmer. 

Jericho  was  organized  March  22, 1786.  It  originally  contained  27,110 
acres,  but  a  part  of  it  was  taken  October  27,  1794,  to  form  Richmond, 

VOL.  I.  70 


830  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  its  present  area  is  about  thirty-six  square  miles.  The  soil  is  vari- 
ous ;  but  it  is  good  for  farming,  and  well  adapted  to  raising  most  kinds 
of  grain  and  grass.  Winooski,  Brown's,  and  Little  rivers,  and  Mill  brook, 
supply  abundance  of  water.  On  all  these  streams  are  fine  alluvial 
flats,  and  the  mill  privileges  are  good ;  but  the  best  are  on  Brown's  river, 
near  the  west  village.  Jericho  contains  two  villages — Jericho  Corner  and 
Jericho  Centre,  each  of  which  has  a  post-office ;  five  meeting-houses  — 
one  Congregational,  one  belonging  to  Congregational ists  and  Baptists, 
one  each  of  the  Universalists,  Methodists,  and  Episcopalians ;  and 
twelve  school  districts :  also,  two  grist  and  four  saw  mills,  one  carding- 
machine,  one  starch  factory,  four  stores,  and  two  taverns.  The  Vermont 
Central  Railroad  passes  along  its  southerly  side.  Population,  1,837 ; 
valuation,  $550,354. 

Johnson,  in  the  central  part  of  Lamoille  county,  twenty-eight  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  February  27,  1782,  and  chartered  to 
William  S.  Johnson  and  sixty-three  others,  January  2,  1792.  Samuel 
Eaton,  from  New  Hampshire,  whose  name  is  recorded  among  the  heroes 
of  our  Revolution,  commenced  the  settlement  in  1784.  During  the 
French  war,  before  the  reduction  of  Canada  by  the  British,  Mr.  Eaton 
passed  through  this  part  of  the  country  and  down  Lamoille  river  to 
Lake  Champlain  on  a  scout.  At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution 
he  enlisted  in  the  American  army  under  Colonel  Beedle,  and  frequently 
jiassed  through  this  township  while  scouting  between  Connecticut  river 
and  Lake  Champlain.  Several  times,  during  these  enterprises,  he  en- 
camped on  the  same  flat  which  he  afterwards  occupied  as  a  farm.  Like 
many  of  the  settlers  of  this  state,  Mr.  Eaton  encountered  many  difficulties. 
In  indigent  circumstances,  and  with  a  numerous  family,  he  packed  his 
personal  effects  upon  the  well-tried  back  of  an  old  horse,  and  set  out  in 
search  of  that  favorite  spot  which  he  had  selected  in  his  more  youthful 
days.  The  next  year  there  was  an  accession  to  the  settlement  by  the 
arrival  of  a  family  by  the  name  of  McConnel,  and  several  others  from 
New  Hampshire.  Soon  after,  the  settlement  presented  evidences  of  life 
and  activity,  and  has  steadily  increased. 

Johnson  was  organized  Marcli  4,  1789,  and  contained,  by  the  charter, 
23,040  acres,  which  has  been  considerably  enlarged  by  the  annexation 
of  a  third  part  of  Sterling,  by  act  of  November  3  4,  1855.  The  surface 
is  uneven,  being  thrown  into  ridges.  The  alluvial  flats  are  somewhat 
extensive  ;  but  back  from  the  river  the  lands  are,  for  the  most  part,  rather 
stony.  The  Lamoille  river  runs  through  from  east  to  west,  and  has  a 
beautiful  valley  along  its  banks.  At  a  point  on  this  river,  about  a  hun- 
dred rods  below  McConnel's  falls,  there  is  a  natural  stone  bridge,  upon 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   KIRBY,    ETC.  831 

which  persons  can  cross  at  low  water.  This  bridge  is  some  distance 
from  the  bed  of  the  river,  so  that  the  water  passes  under  it.  A  short 
distance  below  this  the  action  of  the  water  on  the  rock  has  excavated  a 
basin,  much  resembling  a  large  boiling  pot.  There  are  two  villages  — 
Johnson  and  Perkinsville  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Bap- 
tist, and  Methodist ;  an  academy,  called  the  Lamoille  County  Grammar- 
School ;  eighteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  the  Gihon 
Woollen  Factory,  two  grist-mills  and  a  number  of  saw-mills,  a  starch 
factory,  and  manufactories  of  rakes,  carriages,  harnesses,  stoves,  and  tin- 
ware.    Population  1,381;  valuation,  $363,722. 

KiRBY,  in  the  east  part  of  Caledonia  county,  adjoining  St.  Johnsbury, 
and  thirty-six  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  October  20,  1786,  and 
chartered  to  Roswell  Hopldns,  by  the  name  of  Hopkinsville,  October  S7, 
1790.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1799,  by  Phineas 
Page  and  Theophilus  Grout,  who  were  soon  after  joined  by  Josiah 
Joslin,  Jude  White,  Jonathan  Leach,  Ebenezer  Damon,  Antipas  Har- 
rington, Asahel  Burt,  Jonathan  Lewis,  and  others,  who  came  principally 
from  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts.  The  town  was  organized 
August  29,  1807,  and  originally  contained  11,264  acres;  it  has  since  been 
increased  by  the  addition  of  2,527  acres  from  Burke.  The  surface  is 
uneven,  and,  in  some  places,  ledgy  or  swampy-  There  are,  however, 
some  tracts  of  very  good  land.  There  are  no  streams  of  any  note,  but 
an  abundance  of  water  in  springs  and  brooks.  Kirby  has  a  Methodist 
meeting-house,  seven  school  districts,  and  three  saw-mills.  Population, 
509 ;  valuation,  $160,391. 

Lamoille  County,  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  state,  was  incorporated 
October  26,  1835,  being  made  up  of  Stow  and  Elmore,  from  Washing- 
ton county ;  Mansfield  (late  a  part  of  Stow)  from  Chittenden ;  Eden, 
Hydepark,  Morristown,  and  Wolcott,  from  Orleans;  Belvidere,  Cam- 
bridge, Johnson,  and  Waterville,  from  Franklin ;  making  ten  towns. 
Sterling  (now  forming  parts  of  Johnson,  Morristown,  and  Stow)  made 
another.  The  county  contains  about  420  square  miles.  The  Lamoille 
and  its  branches  course  through  the  whole  county,  along  which  are  some 
fine  tracts  of  interval ;  and  some  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Winooski  rise 
in  the  southerly  part.  Hydepark  is  the  shire  town.  The  supreme  court 
sits  in  August,  and  the  county  court  in  May  and  December.  Popula- 
tion, 10,872 ;  valuation,  ^2,825,739. 

Landgrovb,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Bennington  county,  seventy 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  on  the  6th  and  chartered  on  the  8th 


832  HISTOEY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

of  November,  1780,  to  William  Utley,  from  Ashford,  Conn.,  and  twenty- 
one  others,  and  the  settlement  was  commenced  by  Utley,  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  six  children,  in  June,  1769.  Mr.  Utley 
had  the  preceding  year  purchased  forty  rights  of  land  in  Peru,  which 
was  represented  to  him  as  lying  west  of  Andover,  and  adjoining  that 
township.  From  Chester,  where  about  twenty  families  had  settled,  he 
cut  his  road  before  him  fourteen  miles  into  the  wilderness,  till  he  arrived 
at  a  branch  of  West  river,  where  he  commenced  his  settlement.  Find- 
ing that  Peru  did  not  join  Andover,  and  that  the  lands  on  which  he  had 
settled  were  ungranted,  he  petitioned  the  legislature,  and  obtained  a 
charter  as  above  stated. 

The  town  was  organized  March  25,  1800,  and  contains  4,646  acres. 
It  is  watered  by  several  of  the  head  branches  of  West  river.  The  vil- 
lages are  Landgrove  and  Clarksville.  There  is  a  small  society  of  Metho- 
dists, and  a  few  persons  of  other  denominations.  There  are  three  school 
districts,  three  schools,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  387 ;  valuation, 
$171,800. 

Leicester,  in  the  south  part  of  Addison  county,  thirty-six  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  20,  1761,  to 
Aaron  Brown  and  sixty-six  others ;  and  the  settlement  was  commenced 
in  1773,  by  Jeremiah  Parker,  from  Massachusetts.  Little  progress  was 
made,  however,  till  after  the  Revolution.  The  town  was  organized  in 
1786.  Rev.  Stephen  Olin,  who  was  born  here  in  1797,  graduated  at 
Middlebury  in  1820 ;  was  a  teacher  at  the  South ;  became  a  Methodist 
clergyman  and  preached  some  years  ;  was  professor  in  Franklin  College, 
Ga. ;  president  of  Randolph- Macon  College,  Va.,  and  of  Wesleyan 
University,  Middletown,  Conn. ;  published  "  Travels  in  the  East,"  in 
two  volumes ;  and  numerous  smaller  works,  which  are  embraced  in  four 
volumes,  12mo.  He  died  August  16,  1851.  The  principal  elevation  is 
a  branch  of  the  Green  Mountains  running  through  the  eastern  part, 
called  Bald  Hill.  The  soil  is  a  rich,  sandy  loam,  interspersed  with  some 
flats  of  clay;  but,  in  approaching  the  mountain  towards  the  east,  the 
soil  becomes  harder  and  less  productive.  Along  the  river  are  valuable 
tracts  of  interval.  The  town  is  watered  principally  by  Otter  creek 
and  Leicester  river,  the  latter  of  which  runs  across  the  northwest  corner 
and  falls  into  Otter  creek.  Lake  Dunmore  lies  partly  in  this  township 
and  ]5artly  in  Salisbury.  There  are  two  ponds,  called  Little  and  Mud. 
The  town  has  one  meeting-house — Union;  six  school  districts,  one 
post-office ;  and  two  lime  manufactories.  The  Rutland  and  Burlino-- 
ton  Railroad  passes  through  the  town.  Population,  596  ;  valuation, 
$216,233. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN    OF   LEMIN6T0N,   ETC.  833 

Lemington  is  in  the  northeasterly  part  of  Essex  county,  and 
sixty-four  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  June  29,  1762,  to 
Samuel  Averill  and  sixty-four  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced, 
as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  in  1789,  by  Mills  De  Forest,  Colonel 
Ward  Bailey,  Lewis  Smariage,  William  Simes,  James  Mosey,  Hale 
Whiting,  Isaac  Morgan,  and  John  Kibbey.  About  1793  or  1794,  Henry 
Blodgett,  Josiah  Abbott,  Thaddeus  Rogers,  Andrew  McAllister,  John 
Hugs,  Howard  Blodgett,  and  some  others  arrived.  The  settlements  are 
mostly  confined  to  the  margin  of  Connecticut  river,  which  separates  this 
place  from  Colebrook,  N.  H.  The  town  was  organized  in  March,  1796. 
There  are  three  large  brooks  running  through  Lemington,  which  are 
tributaries  of  the  Connecticut,  on  one  of  which  is  a  cascade  of  fifty  feet. 
The  most  northerly  of  these  streams  is  called  Willard's  brook.  The 
Monadnock  mountain  of  Vermont  lies  in  the  northeast  corner.  There 
are  four  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Lumber  is  manufactured 
to  a  limited  extent.     Population,  187 ;  valuation,  $54,850, 

Lincoln,  in  the  northeasterly  part  of  Addison  county,  twenty-one 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  and  chartered  Novem- 
ber 9,  1780,  to  Benjamin  Simonds  and  sixty-three  others.  The  settle- 
ment was  commenced  about  the  year  1790,  —  the  first  settlers  belonging 
mostly  to  the  denomination  called  Friends.  The  town  was  organized 
March  13,  1798,  and  contained  originally  23,040  acres ;  but  a  part  was 
set  off  to  Warren,  November  12,  1824,  while  it  received  by  annexation 
a  part  of  Bristol,  November  18  of  that  year,  and  a  part  of  Avery's  Gore, 
November  12,  1847.  The  surface  is  rocky  and  uneven.  The  western 
part  is  watered  by  New  Haven  river,  which  is  formed  here :  several 
small  branches  of  Mad  river  rise  in  the  eastern  part.  The  principal 
exports  are  iron,  lumber,  wool,  butter,  cheese,  sheep,  cattle,  horses,  and 
maple  sugar.  Lincoln  has  one  village  —  Ackworth ;  one  church  edi- 
fice —  Friends',  the  town-house  also  being  occupied  for  religious  meet- 
ings; twelve  school  districts ;  and  one  post-oflice:  also,  two  forges  for 
making  bar  and  bloom  iron,  nine  saw-mills,  three  clapboard  mills,  two 
grist-mills,  one  shingle  mill,  one  sleigh  and  wagon  shop,  and  four  black- 
smith's shops.     Population,  1,057  ;  valuation,  1 167,518. 

Londonderry,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Windham  county,  seventy- 
three  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  February  30,  1770,  by  New 
York,  under  the  name  of  Kent ;  and,  in  1778,  the  lands  were  confiscated 
on  account  of  James  Rogers,  the  principal  proprietor,  becoming  a  torv. 
It  -was  regranted  by  the  government  of  Vermont,  March  16,  1780,  and 
chartered  to  Edward  Aiken,  April  20  of  the  same  year.     In  the  years 

70* 


834  HISTORY   AND   DESCEIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

1795  and  1797,  James  Rogers,  Jr.,  petitioned  the  legislature,  and  obtained 
aU  the  confiscated  land  which  remained  unsold.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  about  the  year  1774  by  James  Rogers,  Samuel  Thompson, 
and  James  Patterson,  from  Londonderry,  N.  H.  Persons  by  the  name 
of  Glazier,  Hellick,  Eddy,  Montgomery,  Allyn,  Aiken,  and  Miller,  came 
soon  after ;  and,  in  1798,  Dr.  John  Wakefield,  who  was  a  prominent 
citizen,  and  carried  on  a  successful  practice  for  twenty  years. 

The  town  is  supposed  to  have  been  organized  as  early  as  1780,  and 
originally  contained  28,459  acres ;  but  it  was  divided  October  22,  1795, 
and  the  east  part  was  called  Windham,  a  part  of  which,  however,  was 
re-annexed  to  Londonderry,  October  21,  1797,  leaving  its  present  area 
about  20,000  acres.  The  surface  is  mountainous,  although  along  the 
banks  of  West  river  are  some  very  productive  farms.  A  considerable 
portion  of  the  land,  though  fit  for  pasturage,  is  too  rough  for  tillage. 
There  are  two  ponds,  called  the  Great  and  the  Little,  which,  on  the 
opening  of  the  spring,  are  much  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  fishing. 
There  are  two  villages.  North  Londonderry  and  South  Londonderry,  each 
having  a  post-oflice;  three  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  and 
Union,  the  latter  occupied  by  Methodists  and  Congregationalisls ;  two 
academies — the  Londonderry  and  West  River;  and  thirteen  school  dis- 
tricts :  also,  two  grist-mills,  two  saw-mills,  a  large  establishment  for  mak- 
ing chair  stuff,  and  another  for  chair  stuff  and  washboards ;  and  a  sash, 
door,  and  blind  manufactory.     Population  1,274 ;  valuation,  $294,069. 

LoAVELL,  in  the  western  part  of  Orleans  county,  thirty-six  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  March  5,  1787,  and  chartered  to  John  Kelly,  of 
New  York,  by  the  name  of  Kellyvale,  June  6  and  7,  1791,  in  two  charters, 
and  the  name  was  altered  to  Lowell,  November  1,  1831.  Durinff  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  Colonel  Hazen,  attempting  to  open  a  road  from 
Connecticut  river  to  St.  John's  in  Canada,  proceeded  with  a  part  of  his 
regiment  as  far  as  this  township,  and  encamped  for  some  days  on  the 
flat  near  the  Missisco  river.  The  road  was  made  passable  from 
Peacham  to  this  place,  and  was  cut,  but  not  cleared,  several  miles 
further.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  by  Major  William 
Caldwell,  in  April,  1806.  Abel  and  Asahel  Curtis  and  John  Hardino- 
were  among  the  early  settlers. 

Lowell  was  organized  March  31,  1812,  and  contained  under  the  char- 
ters 39,000  acres,  but  its  area  was  somewhat  reduced  November  15, 1852, 
by  the  armexation  of  the  first  tier  of  lots,  "  contiguous  to  and  adjoin- 
ing "  Irasburgh,  to  that  town.  Although  encompassed  by  mountains 
on  all  sides  except  the  northeast,  much  of  the  land  is  easy  of  tillage, 
and  generally  productive.     Water  is  furnished  by  Missisco  river  and  its 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OP  LUDLOW.  835 

tributaries.  At  the  foot  of  a  fall  in  this  river  is  a  natural  bridge  of 
about  three  feet  wide,  and  the  same  distance  from  the  surface  of  the 
"water.  A  range  .of  serpentine  passes  through  this  township  in  a  north- 
easterly direction,  forming,  near  the  centre,  a  considerable  precipice,  and 
near  the  line  between  Lowell  and  Westfield,  another  blnfF,  called  Ser- 
pentine hill.  With  this  mineral  are  also  found  very  fine  asbestos  and 
amianthus.  There  is  a  pleasant  little  village ;  a  starch  factory,  one  sash 
and  blind  factory,  and  one  post-oiBce.  The  only  religious  denomina- 
tion is  the  Baptist.     Population,  637;  valuation,  $159,625. 

Ludlow,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Windsor  county,  bordering 
westerly  on  the  Green  Mountains,  is  ninety  miles  from  Montpelier. 
It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September  16,  1761,  to  Jared  Lee 
and  sixty-five  others ;  but  nothing  was  done  towards  its  settlement  until 
1784—5,  when  James  Whitney  moved  here  from  Massachusetts,  and  set- 
tled about  three  miles  from  Black  river,  on  what  is  called  North  Hill. 
Jesse  Fletcher  and  Simeon  Read  came  here  together  with  their  families 
one  or  two  years  after  Whitney's  arrival.  Others  soon  followed,  and,  in 
a  few  years,  a  large  part  of  the  territory  was  taken  up  and  improved  by 
settlers.  Although  the  people  dwelt,  for  some  time,  quite  remotely  from 
each  other,  and  many  hardships  had  to  be  endured  by  them,  for  the 
want  of  roads  and  other  conveniences  of  life,  they  toiled  on,  and,  by  in- 
dustry and  enterprise,  gradually  overcame  the  obstacles  of  nature,  mak- 
ing for  themselves  good  farms  and  comfortable  homes. 

Ludlow  was  organized  March  31,  1792,  at  which  time  its  area  was 
quite  extensive ;  but  on  the  31st  of  October,  the  same  year,  11,739  acres 
were  taken  to  help  make  up  the  town  of  Mount  Holly,  and  its  present 
area  does  not  probably  much  exceed  19,000  acres.  It  is  irregular  in 
form,  the  greatest  length  being  from  north  to  south,  and  the  average 
width  about  three  and  a  half  miles.  It  is  situated  near  the  highest 
elevation  of  this  part  of  the  Green  Mountain  chain,  985  feet  above  the 
sea-level,  and  is  surrounded  by  spurs  that  branch  out  from  the  main 
range.  The  surface  exhibits  variety,  abounding  in  ridges,  slopes,  deep 
ravines,  and  valleys.  In  the  eastern  part,  there  is  a  lofty  range  of  ser- 
pentine, containing  the  varieties  of  asbestos,  talc,  and  hornblende,  being 
very  hard,  and  beautifully  variegated.  This  range  of  serpentine  is 
thought  by  some  to  have  been  the  eastern  barrier  of  a  considerable  body 
of  water,  which  covered  the  central  part  of  Ludlow,  and  all  that  portion 
of  Plymouth  extending  from  the  north  line  of  Ludlow  to  the  source  of 
Black  river.  That  such  a  collection  of  water  once  existed,  and  that  it 
finally  disappeared  by  the  wearing  away  of  the  serpentine  range,  during 
a  long  series  of  years,  would  seem  conclusive  from  traces  of  the  action 


836  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  the  water  upon  the  rocks  many  feet  above  the  present  bed  of  the 
stream,  and  from  the  successive  steppes  or  tiers  of  alluvial  table-lands 
which,  at  different  heights  and  constantly  increasing  distances  from  the 
present  course  of  the  river,  now  constitute  the  most  fertile  portions  of 
the  town.  A  short  distance  from  Duttonsville,  in  Cavendish,  three 
miles  below  the  point  where  the  stream  crosses  the  serpentine  range,  is 
another  of  these  rocky  barriers,  which  once  dammed  up  the  waters  of 
Black  river.  Here  the  water  has  worn  its  bed  one  hundred  feet  deep, 
through  mica  slate,  for  nearly  a  mile,  leaving  traces  of  its  tremendous 
effort  in  the  huge  and  disjointed  masses  of  rock  and  the  ragged  over- 
hanging cliffs,  which  present  themselves  upon  both  sides  of  its  channel 
through  the  whole  course. 

In  the  south  part  of  the  village,  there  was  formerly  a  curious  eleva- 
tion of  earth,  called  the  "  Hogback,"  about  eighty  feet  high  and  forty 
rods  in  length.  On  the  summit,  this  elevation  was  just  wide  enough  to 
admit  of  the  passage  of  two  persons,  while,  upon  every  side,  it  stood 
perfectly  detached  from  the  neighboring  hills,  surrounded  by  alluvial 
flats.  But  it  fell  in  the  course  of  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad, 
which  runs  nearly  the  whole  length  of  it,  and  for  which  the  ridge  was 
depressed  about  twenty-five  feet,  and  portions  of  its  sides  removed  to 
fill  up  the  flats,  so  that  very  little  of  the  ancient  form  remains.  From 
the  westerly  end  of  it,  there  is  a  bridge  across  Jewell's  brook  and  the 
road  leading  to  Andover,  288  feet  long,  and  fifty-seven  feet  high  above 
the  road.  The  formation  of  this  singular  elevation  can  only  be 
accounted  for  by  supposing,  that,  at  this  point,  the  streams  —  one  com- 
ing from  the  northwest  in  what  is  now  the  channel  of  Black  river,  and 
the  other  from  the  south  in  what  is  now  the  channel  of  Jewell's  brook 
—  commingled  their  waters  in  the  lake,  of  which  the  site  of  the  village 
appears  to  have  been  the  bed,  and  formed  an  eddy,  thus  depositing  the 
gravel  and  soil  loosened  from  the  surrounding  hills  by  the  fall  and  spring 
rains.  The  first  religious  society  (Congregational)  was  organized  in 
1806  —  meetings  having  been  held  from  the  first  settlement  to  that  time 
in  log  houses.  The  rough,  old-fashioned  building  then  erected  gave 
place  in  1S39  to  a  new  house.  The  Baptists  organized  a  church  in 
1825,  although,  for  many  years  previous,  they  had  been  supplied  with 
preaching.  Benjamin  Pierce,  who  is  well  known  in  all  the  adjoining 
towns  for  his  piety  and  zeal,  was  very  efficient  in  his  labors  among  the 
Baptists  here.  The  Second  Baptist  church,  organized  in  1834,  had  its 
origin  in  Ihe  temperance  reform.  The  Universalist  society,  organized 
in  1835,  was  greatly  prospered  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Hemphill ; 
and  through  his  influence,  repentance  and  baptism  were  made  pre- 
requisites of  membership  in  that  church. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OF  LUNENBURGH.  837 

There  are  two  ponds  in  this  town ;  and  upon  both  sides  of  Black 
river  are  several  extensive  bogs.  The  soil  is  fertile,  and  well  adapted 
for  grazing  and  cultivation.  The  Black  River  Academy  is  located  here, 
and  stands  among  the  first  of  the  academical  institutions  of  the  state. 
There  are  two  villages  —  one  in  the  east  part,  which  is  a  place  of  some 
business ;  and  the  other  and  principal  one  in  the  central  part,  on  both 
sides  of  Black  river.  There  are  in  the  latter  village  two  woollen  manu- 
factories, a  grist  and  a  saw  mill,  and  mechanics  sufficient  to  supply  the 
wants  of  this  and  adjoining  towns.  The  town  contains  five  churches 
—  one  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  one  Universalist,  and  two  Bap- 
tist ;  fifteen  school  districts,  each  provided  with  convenient  school- 
houses  ;  and  one  post-office.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad 
passes  through  this  place.     Population,  1,619 ;  valuation,  $501,378. 

LuNENBURGH,  Essex  county,  on  the  eastern  margin  of  the  state, 
forty-five  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  and  chartered  July  5, 
1763,  by  New  Hampshire,  to  David  Page,  Jonathan  Grout,  and  sixty- 
eight  others.  The  first  settlement  was  probably  commenced  about  the 
year  1770.  The  settlement  begun  in  the  lower  part  of  Guildhall,  about 
the  year  1764,  was  long  thought  to  be  in  this  town ;  and  one  of  the 
farms  lying  in  a  bow  of  Connecticut  river,  which  was  first  occupied,  still 
bears  the  name  of  the  "  Lunenburgh  farm."  The  town  was  organized 
at  a  meeting  of  the  major  part  of  the  inhabitants,  September  11,  1781, 
and  contains  23,040  acres. 

Prominent  among  the  early  inhabitants  were  David  Hopkinson, 
Reuben  and  Simon  Howe,  Samuel  Howe,  Jr.,  Eleazer  Roosebrooks,  and 
Bbenezer  Rice.  Some  part  of  the  land  is  extremely  stony,  particularly 
that  lying  in  the  southwesterly  section,  next  to  Concord,  where  the 
ground  is  almost  wholly  covered  with  detached  rolling  masses  of  gray 
granite.  The  earth,  to  a  considerable  depth,  appears  to  be  a  diluvial 
formation,  consisting  of  rounded  masses  of  granite  imbedded  in  clay 
and  gravel.  The  northeastern  part  is  less  stony,  and  presents  a  valuable 
farming  country,  particularly  the  flats  along  the  river,  which  are  a  deep 
alluvial  deposit,  and  very  productive.  Connecticut  river  waters  the 
southeastern  part,  and  near  the  south  corner  commence  the  Fifteen 
Mile  Falls,  the  head  of  which  is  822  feet  above  the  sea.  Its  other 
waters  are  Neal's  pond,  Neal's  branch,  and  Catbow  branch.  The  town 
has  one  village,  which,  in  July,  1849,  was  visited  by  fire,  resulting  in  the 
destruction  of  the  town  hall,  Congregational  church,  public-house,  a 
dwelling-house,  with  the  outbuildings,  and  several  barns,  making  about 
twenty  biiildings.  The  two  first-mentioned  structures  have  been  re- 
built.    There  are  three  church  edifices — Congregational,  Baptist,  and 


838  HISTOKT   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Methodist;  nine  school  districts,  which  are  furnished  with  school- 
houses  ;  a  high  school,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  starch  factory, 
one  sleigh  factory,  and  several  saw-mills  and  grist-mills.  Population, 
1,123 ;  valuation,  $250,000. 

Lyndon,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Caledonia  county,  thirty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  2,  and  chartered  November 
20,  1780,  to  Jonathan  Arnold  and  fifty-one  others.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  by  Daniel  Cahoon,  Jr.,  in  April,  1788,  who  continued  here 
with  several  workmen  till  the  ensuing  fall,  when  he  returned  to  Wind- 
ham, N.  H.,  his  former  place  of  residence,  to  pass  the  winter.  In  March, 
1791,  there  were  six  or  seven  families  here,  and  several  young  men 
without  famiUes  had  commenced  operations.  Of  these,  Nathan  Hines, 
James  Spooner,  and  Daniel  Reniff  were  among  the  first  town  officers. 
General  Isaac  Fletcher,  who  had  been  in  the  state  legislature,  and  in 
congress  from  1837  to  1841,  died  here  October  19, 1842. 

Lyndon  was  organized  on  the  4th  of  July,  1791,  and  contains  23,040 
acres.  It  was  surveyed  before  any  of  the  towns  around  it,  and  was  laid 
out  exactly  square;  hence  its  regularity,  and  the  irregularity  of  those 
adjacent.  Its  soil  is  a  rich  loam,  free  from  stone,  easy  to  cultivate,  and 
very  productive.  Agaric  mineral  is  found,  —  forming  the  bottom  of  two 
ponds  several  acres  in  extent,  —  and  has  been  employed  for  all  the  pur- 
poses for  which  Spanish  white  is  used,  and  also  for  whitewashing. 
Passumpsic  river  receives  here  the  following  tributaries.  North  branch. 
Miller's  river.  South  branch,  and  Hawkins's  brook,  all  of  which  are 
sufficiently  large  for  mills.  At  the  Great  falls  in  the  Passumpsic,  near 
the  south  part  of  the  town,  the  water  descends  about  sixty-five  feet  in 
the  distance  of  thirty  rods ;  and  at  the  Little  falls,  one  mile  above,  the 
water  descends  eighteen  feet,  affording  excellent  situations  for  mills  and 
water  machinery.  There  are  two  villages  —  Lyndon  and  Lyndon 
Centre ;  four  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Baptist,  Universalist,  and 
Congregational;  an  academy,  fifteen  school  districts,  one  bank,  and  two 
post-offices  —  one  at  each  village :  also,  places  for  the  manufacture 
of  wagons,  harnesses,  tin-ware,  leather,  sashes  and  doors,  and  of  starch. 
Population,  1,752  ;  valuation,  $654,876. 

Maidstone,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Essex  county,  on  Connecticut 
river,  fifty  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to 
Agur  Judson  and  sixty-four  others,  October  12,  1761,  and  contains 
14,472  acres.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1772  by  Arthur  and 
Thomas  Wooster.  John,  Benjamin,  and  Deliverance  Sawyer,  John 
Sawyer,  Jr.,  Messrs.  Ai-nie  and  Merrells,  Enoch  Hall,  Benjamin   Whit- 


VERMONT TOWN    OF   MANCHESTER.  839 

comb,  Thomas  French,  and  Jeremy  Merrells  settled  here  about  the 
same  time.  The  town  was  organized  March  29,  1788,  James  Lucas, 
Haines  French,  David  Gaskill,  and  Jacob  SchafF  being  its  first  officers. 
It  is  watered  by  Paul's  stream,  which  runs  through  the  north  part,  and 
by  Maidstone  lake,  which  is  three  miles  long  and  half  a  mile  wide, 
situated  in  the  western  part,  and  discharging  its  waters  into  Paul's 
stream.  The  principal  occupation  is  farming,  and  there  is  some  trade 
in  lumber.  The  town  is  without  any  minister,  lawyer,  doctor,  church 
edifice,  public  institution,  or  Adilage;  but  has  three  saw-mills,  five 
school  districts,  and  a  post-office.  The  population,  which  has  receded 
thirty-four  from  the  census  of  1840,  is  one  more  than  in  1830—237; 
valuation,  $78,020. 

Manchester,  in  the  northern  part  of  Bennington  county,  is  a  half 
shire  town,  and  is  eighty  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  by 
New  Hampshire  to  Ephraim  Cowen  and  sixty-three  others,  August  11, 
1761.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1763  by  Samuel  Rose  and 
others,  from  Duchess  county,  N.  Y. ;  and  in  1766  the  town  was 
organized.  During  the  controversy  with  New  York,  the  inhabitants 
took  a  prominent  part;  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution, 
it  was  a  rallying  point  for  the  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  militia. 
The  regiment  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Seth  Warner  was  mar- 
shalled here  for  the  service,  under  General  Stark.  The  following  singu- 
lar incident  occurred  here.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Colvin  disappeared 
very  suddenly,  and,  as  it  was  known  that  an  old  feud  had  existed 
between  him  and  the  brothers  Stephen  and  Jesse  Bourn,  they  were 
suspected  of  the  crime  of  murder  ;  a  short  time  after  which,  the  remains 
of  a  man  were  found  in  a  field  deposited  in  a  hollow  stump,  which  was 
identified  by  the  clothing  as  the  missing  Colvin.  The  Bourns  were 
arrested,  and,  upon  being  put  upon  trial,  confessed  the  crime,  and  nar- 
rated the  circumstances,  upon  which  they  were  sentenced  to  be  hung. 
But  a  short  time  previous  to  the  day  set  for  their  execution,  the  governor 
received  a  letter  from  an  ijidividual  living  in  New  Jersey,  stating  that  a 
person  apparently  insane  came  into  the  town  in  which  the  writer  lived 
a  short  time  previous,  and  said  his  name  was  Colvin,  and  he  hailed  from 
Manchester,  Vermont.  Whereupon  a  committee  who  were  personally 
acquainted  with  Colvin  were  sent  to  New  Jersey,  who  found  him  to  be 
the  veritable  Colvin,  —  brought  him  back  to  Manchester,  where  he  was 
at  once  recognized  by  all  who  had  ever  known  him.  The  Bourns  were 
at  once  discharged,  but  they  ever  after  persisted  in  declaring  that  they 
had  murdered  Colvin,  but  how  he  had  come  to  life  again  they  could  not 


840  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

understand.     The  mystery  concerning  the  human  bones  found  in  the 
hollow  stump  has  never  been  cleared  up. 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  Vermont,  Hon.  Richard 
Skinner,  who  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Conn.,  in  1778,  removed  to  this 
town  in  1800.  He  was  a  member  of  congress  from  1813  to  1815 ;  a 
judge  of  the  supreme  court  in  1816;  chief  justice  from  1817  to  1820  ; 
governor  of  the  state  from  1820  to  1822 ;  reappointed  chief  justice  in 
1824 ;  resigned  in  1829  ;  and  died  May  23,  1834. 

The  habitable  parts  of  this  township  lie  between  the  Green  Mountains 
on  the  east,  and  the  Equinox  mountain  on  the  west.  The  latter  is  the 
highest  summit  in  this  section  of  the  state,  being  2,915  feet  above  the 
site  of  the  court-house  in  Manchester  south  village,  and  3,706  feet  above 
tide  water.  Through  the  east  part  of  Manchester  runs  a  range  of  granu- 
lar quartz ;  and  contiguous  and  parallel  to  this  on  the  west  is  a  range  of 
transition  granular  limestone.  Here  also  are  inexhaustible  quarries  of 
beautiful  white  marble,  large  quantities  of  which  are  annually  exported. 
The  diluvial  beds  of  sand  are  of  great  value  in  the  sawing  and  manu- 
facture of  marble.  The  principal  stream  is  the  Battenkill,  which  rises 
in  Dorset,  and  runs  through  this  town  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  It 
receives  here,  as  tributaries.  Lye,  Bourn,  Glebe,  and  Mill  brooks,  which 
afford  a  great  number  of  mill  privileges. 

There  are  two  pleasant  villages,  known  as  Manchester,  and  Factory 
Point,  or  the  North  village.  The  former  is  pleasantly  situated  on 
elevated  ground,  and  contains  the  Battenkill  Bank  with  a  capital  of 
850,000,  a  jail,  a  court-house,  the  Burr  Seminary,  pleasantly  located  in 
the  midst  of  beautiful  scenery,  and  several  stores  and  mechanic  shops. 
The  north  village  is  the  seat  of  a  great  variety  of  manufactures,  the 
principal  of  which  is  that  of  marble.  It  has  also  a  woollen  factory,  and 
tannery.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  the  Congregational  at 
Manchester,  and  Baptist  and  Episcopal  at  Factory  Point ;  fifteen  school 
districts ;  and  a  post-office  at  each  village.  Population,  1,782 ;  valu- 
ation, $590,029. 

Mansfield,  in  the  southwest  part  of  Lamoille  county,  twenty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  8,  1763,  to 
Jeremiah  Travise  and  sixty-four  others,  and  originally  embraced  23,040 
acres.  The  settlement  was  commenced  a  short  time  previous  to  1800, 
at  which  date  it  had  twelve  inhabitants.  The  west  part  of  the  original 
town  has  no  land  fit  for  cultivation,  but  in  place  thereof  supports  the 
dignity  of  three  of  the  loftiest  peaks  of  the  Green  Mountains  —  the 
Chin,  4,348  feet  above  the  sea,  being  the  highest  of  the  range  :  the  Nose 


VERMONT TOWN   OP  MARLBOROUGH.  841 

has  an  altitude  of  4,044  feet,  the  South  Peak  of  3,882  feet.  As  the 
Chin  appears  to  rise  above  the  Nose,  it  may  be  inferred  that  "  Old 
Mansfield  "  is  recumbent,  asleep.  That  part  of  the  town  was  set  off  to 
Underbill,  November  15,  1839.  The  present  town  was  annexed  to 
Stow,  November  11, 1848,  but  the  act  was  repealed  December  6,  1853. 
This  part  has  some  excellent  land,  which  is  watered  by  two  considerable 
branches  of  "Waterbury  river.  The  population  in  1840  was  223,  at  the 
time  of  the  last  census  it  being  enumerated  with  that  of  Stow. 

Marlborough,  in  the  southerly  part  of  Windham  county,  twenty- 
eight  miles  from  Bellows  Falls,  and  twenty-four  from  Bennington,  was 
chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  April  29,  1751,  to  Timothy  Dwight  and 
sixty-four  others,  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  and  its  vicinity,  but  the 
charter  was  forfeited  in  consequence  of  a  non-compliance  with  its 
requisitions.  The  proprietors  urged  as  a  reason  for  their  neglect  the 
intervention  of  the  Indian  and  French  war,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
their  charter  renewed  September  21,  1761,  and  again  April  17,  1764,  in 
which  the  town  was  called  New  Marlborough,  but  it  gradually  acquired 
the  present  name  without  legislative  authority.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  as  early  as  the  spring  of  1763  by  Abel  Stockwell,  from 
West  Springfield,  Mass.,  and  Thomas  Whitmore,  from  Middletown, 
Conn.  Whitmore  came  in  by  the  way  of  Halifax,  and  settled  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town ;  while  Stockwell  came  in  by  the  way  of  Brattle- 
boro',  and  settled  in  the  eastern  part.  These  families  passed  nearly 
a  year,  and  endured  many  hardships,  without  having  any  knowledge 
of  each  other,  each  considering  his  own  the  only  family  in  town. 
Whitmore  brought  his  provisions  from  Deerfield,  Mass.,  on  his  back,  a 
distance  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles.  Mrs.  Whitmore  spent  most 
of  the  winter  of  1767  alone,  her  husband  being  absent  in  the  pursuit  of 
his  calling  as  a  tinker.  During  the  year  1780,  the  inhabitants  in  this 
vicinity  were  in  continual  apprehension  of  a  hostile  visit  from  the 
Indians  and  tories,  and  meetings  were  held  to  concert  measures  for  the 
common  safety ;  whereupon  it  was  agreed  that  every  able-bodied  man 
should  hold  himself  in  constant  readiness  to  defend  the  settlements. 
On  the  eve  of  the  last  day  of  October  in  the  same  year,  after  a  clear 
and  pleasant  day,  a  violent  snow-storm  commenced,  and  Mr.  Stockwell 
received  intelligence  from  Colonel  Sargeant  of  Brattleboro',  calling  upon 
the  inhabitants  to  defend  themselves  against  the  Indians  and  tories, 
who  had  reached  Newfane.  This,  however,  proved  to  be  a  false  alarm.^ 
From  1764  to  1770,  the   settlement  was  considerably  augmented  by 

'  See  article  on  Athens,  ante,  pp.  736-7. 
VOL.  L  71 


842  mSTOEY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OP  NEW  ENGLAND. 

emigrants  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  among  whom  were 
Charles  Phelps,  Colonel  William  Williams,  who  distinguished  himself 
in  the  battle  of  Bennington,  Captain  Nathaniel  Whitney,  and  Samuel 
and  Jonas  Whitney.  Bears,  deer,  moose,  wolves,  and  other  wild  animals, 
abounded  about  this  time,  and  Captain  Whitney  particularly  distin- 
guished himself  as  a  hunter.  It  is  said  (and  it  makes  a  very  good  bear 
story)  that  he  killed  more  than  a  hundred  each  of  bears  and  deer ;  also, 
one  moose  and  fourteen  wolves. 

Marlborough  was  organized  about  May  8,  1775,  and  is  six  miles 
square.  The  surface  is  mountainous ;  but  the  soil  is  rich  and  deep,  and 
produces  good  crops.  Centre  mountain  is  a  considerable  elevation,  and 
derives  its  name  from  its  central  situation.  The  town  is  watered  by 
the  west  branch  of  West  river.  Whetstone  brook,  and  Green  river, 
which  rise  here  and  afford  several  mill  privileges.  There  are  two  ponds, 
Allen's  and  South,  each  of  which  is  about  one  mile  and  a  half  long  by 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  wide.  Marlborough  has  one  village,  called  the 
Centre  ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  eleven 
school  districts,  and  two  post-offices — Marlborough  and  Marlborough 
Centre.  The  inhabitants  are  engaged  almost  exclusively  in  agricultural 
pursuits.     Population,  896 ;  valuation,  $313,717. 

Marshfield,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county,  adjoining 
East  Montpelier,  was  granted  to  the  Stockbridge  tribe  of  Indians, 
October  16,  1782,  and  chartered  to  them,  June  22,  1790.  It  was  pur- 
chased of  the  Indians  by  Isaac  Marsh,  of  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  and  from 
him  it  derives  its  name.  He  paid  the  Indians  for  the  grant  £140 
lawful  money,  and  the  land  was  conveyed  to  him,  July  29,  1789,  the 
deed  having  been  signed  by  eighteen  Indians,  who  were  then  residents 
of  New  Stockbridge,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.  The  improvements 
were  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1790,  by  Martin  and  Calvin  Pitkin, 
from  East  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  left  the  town  in  the  fall,  and  returned 
again  the  succeeding  spring  accompanied  by  Gideon  Spencer.  Thus, 
till  1794,  they  continued  to  spend  the  summer  here,  and  remove  in  the 
winter.  In  the  winter  of  1794,  Caleb  Pitkin,  Gideon  Spencer,  and 
Aaron  Elmore  brought  in  their  families  while  the  snow  was  more  than 
four  feet  deep.  In  the  summer  following,  they  were  joined  by  Eben- 
ezer  Dodge  and  family;  and,  March  1,  1795,  Joshua,  Stephen,  and 
Nathaniel  Pitkin,  and  Solomon  Gilman,  moved  in. 

Mai-shfield  was  organized  March  10,  1800,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  very  uneven ;  the  soil  west  of  the  river  is  good  ;  that  on 
the  east  is  broJien,  wet,  and  stony.  The  town  is  watered  principally  by 
Winooski  river,  in  which,  at  this  place,  the  Great  faUs  have  theii-  head, 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   MBNDON,  ETC.  843 

1,074  feet  above  the  sea,  and  which  are  also  said  to  descend  five 
hundred  feet  in  the  distance  of  thirty  rods.  In  the  northeast  part  is  a 
good  sized  natural  pond.  Marshfield  has  a  small  village  in  the  north 
part,  which  is  the  seat  of  a  moderate  amount  of  business ;  one  meeting- 
house —  Union ;  eleven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  four 
saw-mills,  a  tannery,  a  starch  factory,  a  carriage  factory  ;  and  a  variety 
of  mechanic  shops.  Something  is  done  in  planing  and  coopering. 
Population,  1,102  ;  valuation,  $294,923. 

Mendon,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rutland  county,  forty-seven  miles  from 
Moritpelier,  was  chartered  to  Joseph  Bowker  and  thirty-three  others, 
February  23,  1781,  by  the  name  of  Medway.  Parker's  gore  was 
annexed  to  it,  and  the  name  was  changed  into  that  of  Parkerstown, 
November  7,  1804,  which  name  was  altered  November  6,  1827,  to  the 
one  it  now  bears.  It  was  organized  March  11,  1806.  It  lies  mostly  on 
the  Green  Mountains,  and  much  of  it  is  high,  cold  land,  incapable  of 
settlement.  There  are,  however,  some  good  farms  along  the  western 
border,  and  good  grazing  land  in  other  parts.  There  are  eight  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  a  pill-box  factory,  a  match  factory, 
and  nine  saw-mills.     Population,  504 ;  valuation,  $169,931. 

MiDDLEBTJRY,  about  the  centre  of  Addison  county,  is  the  shire  town, 
and  is  thirty-one  miles  in  a  right  line  from  Montpelier.  It  was  char- 
tered by  New  Hampshire,  November  2,  1761,  to  John  Evarts  and  sixty- 
two  others ;  and  the  first  clearing  was  made  by  Colonel  John  Chipman 
in  1766,  on  the  north  bank  of  Middlebury  river,  where  the  west  and 
centre  roads  from  Salisbury  now  unite.  At  this  time  there  was  no  dweU- 
ing-house  in  the  state  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountains,  north  of 
Manchester,  for  a  distance  of  sixty  miles.  The  prospects  were  so 
discouraging  that  Mr.  Chipman  soon  returned  to  Connecticut,  and  did  not 
visit  the  township  during  the  seven  succeeding  years.  In  1773,  how- 
ever, Colonel  Chipman  and  the  Hon.  Gamaliel  Painter  from  Salisbury, 
Conn.,  determined  to  risk  their  all  in  effiscting  a  settlement,  came  into 
the  town  in  May  of  this  year  with  their  families,  and  erected  a  small 
log  hut.  Previous  to  their  arrival,  Benjamin  Smalley  had  made  a 
clearing,  and  built  a  log  house,  which  was  the  first  one  in  Middlebury. 
During  the  year  1773  the  number  of  families  was  increased  to  six  or 
seven,  and  four  more  joined  the  settlement  the  succeeding  year,  one  of 
which  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  creek,  then  within  Cornwall. 
Prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  there  were  thirteen 
families  w^ithin  the  charter  limits  of  Middlebury,  and  eight  others  in 
that  part  of  Cornwall'  which  was  subsequently  annexed  to  Middlebury. 


844 


HISTORY    AND    DESCEIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


In  June,  1776,  all  these,  with  the  exception  of  Daniel  Foot  and 
Benjamin  Smalley,  left  the  place  ;  and  they,  after  being  despoiled  by  the 
Indians,  left  in  September,  but  returned  the  following  winter,  and 
remained  till  the  spring  of  1778.  The  Indians  frequently  visited  Middle- 
bury  in  the  absence  of  the  settlers,  and  destroyed  or  carried  off  all  the 
movable  property  w^hich  fell  in  their  way.^  In  1783,  settlers  again  came 
in,  among  whom  were  Smalley,  Thayer,  and  Jonathan  Chipman.  The 
early  settlers  were  mostly  from  Connecticut. 

Middlehury  was  organized    March  29,  1786,  and  was  constituted  a 
shire  town  in  1791.     It  contains  about  twenty-four  thousand  acres,  the 


Middlebury. 

surface  of  which  is  very  level,  excepting  a  strip  along  the  east  side, 
which  extends  on  to  the  Green  Mountains.  Separate  from  the  Green 
Mountains,  Mount  Nebo  or  Chi])man's  hill  is  the  most  considerable 
elevation,  being  four  hundred  and  thirty-nine  feet  above  the  level  of 
Otter  creek  below  the  falls.  A  large  proportion  of  the  land  is  fertile, 
and  produces  good  crops  of  grain  and  grass.  Limestone,  suitable  for 
the  manufacture  of  lime,  is  found  in  all  parts  of  the  town  ;  and  marble 
exists  in  large  quantities,  the  manufacture  of  which  has  been  carried  on 

•  A  large  number  of  Indian  ri'lics,  such  as  arrows,  hammers,  etc.,  have  been  cxhum6d 
on  the  west  bank  of  Middlebury  river. 


VERMONT  - 


■TOWN    OF   MIDDLEBORY. 


845 


to  the  extent  of  $8,000  annually.  In  1809,  a  company  was  incorporated 
for  the  more  successful  prosecution  of  this  business,  called  the  "  Middle- 
bury  Marble  Manufacturing  Company."  A  bed  of  the  sulphuret  of  iron 
has  been  discovered  here,  and  it  is  thought  to  exist  in  large  quantities. 
The  only  streams  of  consequence  are  Otter  creek,  which  runs  through 
the  west  part,  and  Middlebury  river,  which  runs  through  the  south  part 
into  Otter  creek. 

Middlebury  village  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  Otter  creek  at  Middle- 
bury  falls,  and  is  intersected  by  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad, 
which  runs  through  a  cut  about  twenty  feet  deep  in  the  centre  of  the 
village,  crossed  by  two  bridges  near  the  park,  about  twenty  rods  south 


Middlebury  College. 


of  which  is  the  depot.  In  1793,  all  the  buildings  in  this  village 
amounted  to  sixty-two,  the  most  of  which  were  built  of  logs.  The 
streets  are  somewhat  irregular;  but  the  dwellings  and  other  buildings 
are  mostly  good,  and  the  place  presents  a  very  fair  appearance.  Middle- 
bury College  is  located  in  this  village.  This  college  had  its  foundation 
in  a  coantv  grammar-school  established  here  in  1797  ;  and  as  little  had 
been  done  towards  endowing  the  University  of  Vermont,  the  project  of 
a  college  here  met  with  much  favor,  and  an  act  of  incorporation  was 
obtained,  dated  November  1,  1800,  with  the  title  of  "  President  and 
Fellows  of  Middlebury  College."  The  institution  was  immediately 
organized,  and  seven  students  were  admitted.     The  first  class  graduated 

71* 


846  HISTOKY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

in    1802  —  one    student;    in    1808,   the    class    numbered   twenty-three. 
Among  the  long  list  of  benefactors   of  the  college   occur  the   names  of 
Samuel  Miller,  Arad  Hunt,  Gamaliel  Painter,  Joseph  Burr,  and  Isaac 
Warren.     There  have   been  four   presidents :    Rev.  Jeremiah   Atwater, 
from  1800  to  1809 ;  Rev.  Henry  Davis,  from  1810  to  1817 ;  Rev.  Joshua 
Bates,  from   1818   to  1839 ;  and   Rev.  Benjamin   Labaree,  since   1840. 
The  number  of  alumni  has  reached  960,  of  whom  425  have  been  clergy- 
men.    The  largest  class  graduated  in  1838,  with  forty-three  students. 
The  library  contains  8,500  volumes.     The  college  buildings  (a  view  of 
which   is    given    on    the    preceding    page)  consist   of    three    spacious 
edifices,  the  oldest,  which  is   of  wood,  having  been  erected  in  1798. 
Two    of  these  buildings  —  the    east   college    and   north    college  —  are 
divided  into   rooms   for  the   accommodation   of  students ;     the    third, 
known  as  the  chapel,  contains  a  room  for  public  worship,  recitation 
and    lecture    rooms,    and    rooms    for    libraries    and    other    purposes. 
The    college   is   supported    entirely  upon    tuition   fees    and    the   liber- 
ality  of  individuals,  having    received   no    endowment  from  the    state. 
This  town  was  the  residence  of  Hon.  Samuel  S.  Phelps,  who  was 
born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  May  13,  1703,  —  graduated  at  Yale  College, 
and  soon  after  came  here  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law.     He  was 
drafted  into  the  service  in  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  was  appointed 
paymaster,  and   served  in  that  capacity  about   eighteen  months,  after 
which  he  resum"ed  the  practice  of  law.     He  was  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court  from  1831  to  1838,  and  United  States  senator  from  1839  to  1851,  in 
which  year  he  died.     Another  resident  was  Hon.  James  Meachara, — 
born  in  Rutland,  August  16,  1810.     He  was  a  literary  man,  serving  suc- 
cessively as  teacher  in  Castleton  and  St.  Albans  academies,  tutor  and 
professor  of  rhetoric  and  English  literature  in  Middlebury  College,  as 
well  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in   New  Haven.     He  was 
chosen  representative  to  congress  in  1849  to  supply  the  vacancy  occa- 
sioned by  the  resignation  of  Hon.  George  P.  Marsh,  to  which   place  he 
was  twice  reelected,  and  which  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  August 
22,  1856.     He  was  also  one  of  the  regents  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute. 
Ex-Governor  William   Slade,  who  was  born  in  Cornwall,  May  9,  1786, 
died  here  January  16, 1859.     He  came  here  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  law  in  1810 ;  he  was  editor  of  the   Columbian  Patriot,  and  printer 
and  bookseller,  1814-16 ;  secretary  of  state,  1815-23  ;  held  various  county 
offices  until  1831 ;  was  member  of  congress,  1831^3  ;  reporter  of  the  su- 
preme court  of  Vermont,  1843-44 ;  governor  of  the  state,  1844-46  ;  from 
1846  until  his  death,  he  was  con-esponding  secretary  and  general  agent 
of  the  Board  of  National  Popular  Education,  in  which  last  office  he  made 
himself  more  illustrious  than  in  all  the  others,  and  became  the  cham- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF    MIDDLESEX.  847 

pion  of  popular  education  in  our  land.  His  publications  are,  a  compila- 
tion of  the  laws  of  Vermont  (1825) ;  a  very  valuable  work,  entitled  "  Ver- 
mont State  Papers"  (1823) ;  Vermont  Reports,  Vol.  15  (1844) ;  and  a  large 
number  of  pamphlets  on  various  subjects.  Hon.  Benjamin  Swift  was  a  rep- 
resentative in  congress  from  1829  to  1831,  and  senator  from  1833  to  1839. 
Besides  the  college  buildings,  the  village  contains  five  churches  — 
Congregational,  Methodist,  Baptist,  Episcopal,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  a 
court-house,  a  bank  (with  a  capital  of  $75,000),  and  a  respectable 
number  of  stores  and  mechanic  shops.  At  the  falls  of  Otter  creek 
are  some  very  excellent  mill  privileges,  on  which  are  a  cotton  factory, 
a  grist-mill,  a  woollen  factory,  and  an  iron  foundery,  each  of  which  is 
doing  considerable  business.  Among  the  manufactures  of  this  place  is 
that  of  cards  for  woollen  factories,  in  which  an  extensive  business  is 
done.  The  Middlebury  Register  is  published  here.  There  is  another 
thriving  little  village,  called  East  Middlebury,  situated  on  Middlebury 
river.  The  town  has  a  number  of  elementary  schools,  an  academy,  a 
female  seminary,  and  two  post-offices  —  Middlebury  and  East  Middle- 
bury.    Population,  3,517 ;  valuation,  $776,500. 

Middlesex,  Washington  county,  adjoining  Montpelier  upon  the 
northwest,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  8,  1763,  to  Jacob 
Rezeau  and  sixty-four  others.  Thomas  Mead  was  the  first  settler, 
as  well  as  the  first  in  the  county.  He  began  improvements  in  Middle- 
sex in  1781  or  1782,  and  the  next  year  moved  his  family  from  Westford, 
Mass.  Jonah  Harrington  moved  his  family  into  town  the  year  fol- 
lowing, and  Seth,  Levi,  and  Jacob  Putnam  the  year  after.  Middlesex 
was  organized  about  the  year  1788,  and  contained  23,040  acres  by  the 
charter,  a  portion  of  which,  embracing  several  lots  west  of  Hogback 
mountain,  was  annexed  to  Waterbury,  October  30, 1850.  The  surface  is 
uneven,  but  the  soil  is  generally  good,  and  there  are  some  fine  intervals 
along  Winooski  river,  which  waters  the  south  part,  and  furnishes  one 
of  the  best  sites  for  mills  in  the  county.  The  channel  worn  through 
the  rocks  in  this  river  is  somewhat  of  a  curiosity.  It  is  about  thirty 
feet  in  depth,  sixty  in  width,  and  eighty  rods  in  length,  the  rocks  ap- 
pearing like  a  wall  on  each  side.  Over  this  chasm  a  bridge  is  thrown, 
which  is  perfectly  secure  from  floods.  On  the  banks  of  this  river,  at 
the  falls,  near  the  middle  of  the  south  line,  is  Middlesex  village. 
The  north  branch  of  this  river  runs  across  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  town.  There  are  also  several  brooks,  on  which  saw-mills  have 
been  erected.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  one  occupied  by 
the  Baptists,  and  each  of  the  other  two  by  the  Methodists,  and 
occasionally    by    the    Universalists  ;     thirteen    school    districts,    and 


848  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

one  post-office :  also,  a  linseed  oil  factory.  The  Vermont  Central 
Railroad  passes  through  Middlesex.  Population,  1,865 ;  valuation, 
$368,100. 

MiDDLETOWN,  in  the  southwesterly  part  of  Rutland  county,  sixty-six 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  formed  by  taking  3,510  acres  from  the  north- 
west of  Tinmouth,  6,118  from  the  northeast  of  Wells,  2,388  from  the 
southeast  of  Poultney,  and  1,825  from  the  southwest  of  Ira,  making 
13,841  acres,  and  was  called  Middletown,  in  reference  to  its  position 
among  the  parent  towns.  It  was  incorporated  October  28,  1784.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  and  mills  erected  a  short  time  before  the 
Revolution,  by  Thomas  Morgan  and  some  others.  The  settlers 
moved  back  to  Connecticut  during  the  war,  but  returned  again  as  soon 
as  it  was  over.  The  town  was  organized  in  1786.  The  surface  is  con- 
siderably broken,  the  soil  being  a  gravelly  loam.  Poultney  river  rises  in 
Tinmouth,  and  runs  westerly  through  Middletown.  Near  the  centre  is 
a  small  but  pleasant  village  containing  three  meeting-houses  —  Congre- 
gational, Baptist,  and  Methodist ;  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-mill,  a  found- 
ery,  and  other  manufactories.  There  are  nine  school  districts,  and  one 
post-office.     Population,  875 ;  valuation,  ^260,000. 

MiLTON,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Chittenden  county,  bordering 
upon  Lake  Champlain,  and  forty  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered 
by  New  Hampshire,  June  8,  1763,  to  Samuel  Rogers  and  sixty-four 
others ;  and  the  settlement  was  commenced  February  15,  1782,  by 
Leonard  and  William  Irish,  Leonard  Owen,  Amos  Mansfield,  Absalom 
Taylor,  and  Thomas  Dewey,  who  were  soon  after  joined  by  Gideon 
Hoxie,  Zebediah  Dewey,  Enoch  and  Elisha  Ashley,  and  others.  The 
first  settlers  suffered  many  privations  and  hardships. 

The  town  was  organized  March  25,  1788,  and  contains  27,616  acres. 
The  surface  is  gently  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys,  but  contains  no 
mountains  of  consequence.  Cobble  hill,  in  the  south  part,  827  feet,  and 
Rattlesnake  hill,  in  the  north  part,  912  feet  high,  being  the  most  consider- 
able. The  soil  is  various,  being  in  some  parts  sandy,  in  others  clayey, 
and  in  others  a  warm  loam.  Water  is  furnished  by  the  river  La- 
moille, and  by  several  small  streams,  which  afford  numerous  mill  seats. 
The  Great  Falls  on  the  river,  seven  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  a  little  to 
the  southwest  of  the  centre  of  Milton,  are  somewhat  of  a  curiosity,  and 
are  often  visited  by  travellers.  Iron  ore  is  found  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties, and  is  thought  to  be  of  good  quality.  The  lumbering  business  has 
heretofore  engrossed  much  of  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants ;  but  the 
pine  timber  being  mostly  exhausted,  their  chief  attention  is  now  given 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OP  MONKTON.  849 

to  agriculture.  There  is  a  small,  thriving  village  at  Milton  falls,  which 
affords  excellent  sites  for  mills,  and  another  pleasant  little  village,  two 
miles  west  of  the  falls,  called  Checkerberry  Green.  There  are  three 
church  edifices  —  two  Congregational  and  one  Methodist ;  fourteen 
school  districts  ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Milton  and  West  Milton :  also, 
four  saw-mills,  one  grist-mill,  one  flour-miU,  one  woollen  factory,  one 
paper-mill,  one  tannery,  one  wheelwright  shop,  and  five  blacksmith's  shops. 
The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  passes  through  MUton.  Popula- 
tion, 2,451 ;  valuation,  $637,563. 

MoNKTON,  in  the  north  part  of  Addison  county,  twenty-seven  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  24,  1762,  to 
Abraham  Dow  and  sixty-three  others,  and  was  settled  in  1774,  by  John 
and  Ebenezer  Stearns,  Barnabas  Burnham,  and  John  Bishop,  who  left 
during  the  war,  but  returned  in  1784.  The  town  was  organized  March 
28,  1786,  and  contained  at  that  time  an  area  of  24,000  acres,  which  has 
been  diminished  by  the  annexation  of  a  portion  to  Starksboro'.  A 
mountain,  called  the  Hogback,  extends  along  the  eastern  boundary,  and 
there  are  several  other  considerable  elevations.  Iron  ore  is  found  in 
large  quantities,  together  with  black  oxide  of  manganese ;  and  on  the 
east  side  of  a  ridge  of  land  running  north  and  south  is  an  immense  bed 
of  porcelain  clay,  which  might  be  manufactured  into  the  best  China 
ware.  In  the  northwest  corner  is  a  very  extensive  cave,  with  different 
apartments,  one  of  the  entrances  to  which  much  resembles  a  door-way, 
and  is  covered  with  an  arch  of  solid  rock,  beautifully  turned.  At  the 
outlet  of  this  cave  is  a  small  stream  of  pure  cold  water,  which  comes 
from  under  the  hill  in  which  the  cave  is  situated.  The  western  part  is 
watered  by  Little  Otter  creek,  and  the  eastern  part  by  Pond  brook,  which 
takes  its  rise  from  Bristol  pond  nearly  on  the  line  between  Monkton  and 
Bristol,  and  runs  through  Monkton  into  Lewis  creek  in  Hinesburgh. 
Lewis  creek  also  runs  a  short  distance  in  the  northeastern  part.  These 
streams  afford  but  few  miU  privileges.  Monkton  pond  lies  in  the  north 
part,  and  is  about  a  mile  in  length  and  half  a  mile  wide.  In  the  south 
part  is  another  pond,  curiously  located  on  the  highest  part  of  Fletcher 
hill.  There  are  four  villages  —  the  Borough,  Barnumtown,  Monkton 
Ridge,  and  East  Monkton ;  three  meeting-houses  —  Methodist,  Baptist, 
and  Friends';  a  literary  society,  eight  school  districts,  four  parts  of 
districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  the  Kaohn  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  prepares  clay  for  bricks  and  porcelain,  and  also  as  a  facing  upon 
room-paper ;  three  wheelwright's  shops,  and  several  mills.  Population, 
1,246 ;  valuation,  $371,960. 


850  HISTOET   AND    DESCEIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

MoNTGOMEEY,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Franklin  county,  forty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  March  13,  1780,  and  chartered  October  8, 
1789,  to   Stephen  R.  Bradley  and  fifty-eight  others.     Captain  Joshua 
Clap,^  a  respectable  Revolutionary  officer,  removed  his  family  from  Wor- 
cester county,  Mass.,  into   Montgomery,  in   March,  1793 ;  and  this  was, 
for  two  years,  the  only   family  here.     Hon.   Samuel  Barnard,  Reuben 
Clap,  and  James  Upham,  all  from  Massachusetts,  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers.     The  town  was  organized  August  12, 1802,  and  contains  23,040 
acres.     On  Trout  river  is  a  beautiful  tract  of  interval ;  but,  back  from 
the   river,  the  land  is  mountainous   and  less  suitable  for  cultivation. 
Trout  river  is  formed  by  the  union  of  south  and  east  branch,  about  half 
a  mile  west  of  the  centre  of  this  town,  receiving  in  its  course  a  number 
of  tributaries.     The  mill  privileges,  both  on  the  river  and  its  tributaries, 
are  numerous  and  excellent.     There  are  two    villages  —  Montgomery 
and  Montgomery  Centre,  with  a  post-office  at  each  ;  four  church  edifices 
—  Episcopal,    Methodist,    Congregational,    and    Second    Advent ;    and 
eleven  school  districts :  also,  two  grist-mills,  ten  saw-mills,  two  tub  fac- 
tories, one  wheelwright's  shop,  and  one  sash  and  door  factory.    Popu- 
lation, 1,001 ;  valuation,  $177,132. 

MoNTPELlEE  is  the  shire  town  of  Washington  county,  and  the  seat 
of  government  of  the  state.  It  was  granted  October  21,  1780 ;  char- 
tered to  Timothy  Bigelow  and  fifty-eight  others,  August  14,  1781,  and 
rechartered  February  6,  1804.  The  first  attempt  at  settlement  was 
made  in  the  spring  of  1786,  by  Joel  Frizzle,  a  hunter  and  ti-apper,  who 
felled  a  few  trees,  planted  a  little  corn  among  the  logs  after  the  Indian 
fashion,  and  erected  a  very  small  log  cabin  on  the  banks  of  Winooski 
river,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town.  Having  completed  these 
improvements,  he  the  same  season  moved  his  wife  in  from  Canada. 
The  first  permanent  settlement,  however,  was  not  made  till  May,  1787, 
w^hen  Colonel  Jacob  Davis  and  General  Parley  Davis,  the  well-known 
surveyor  of  a  great  part  of  this  section  of  the  state,  with  a  hired  man, 
one  horse,  cooking  utensils,  pork,  flour,  beans,  and  other  necessaries, 
arrived  here  from  Charlton,  Worcester  county,  Mass.  This  party,  hav- 
ing crossed  over  Winooski  river  to  the  house  of  Seth  Putnam,  near 
Montpefier  line,  cut  a  road  from  thence  to  the  hunter's  camp,  now 
occupied  by  the  jaU-house  in  Montpelier,  when   Colonel  Davis  and  his 

^  Captain  J.  Claji  was  twin  brother  of  Captain  Caleb  Clap,  who  settled  in  Greenfield, 
Mass.  Both  were  officers  of  the  same  grade,  and  served  through  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  former  died  in  1811,  and  the  latter  in  1812.  The  resemblance  between  them  is 
said  to  have  been  so  perfect  that  they  could  be  distinguished  only  by  their  dress.  The 
name  of  the  present  town  clerk  is  Joshua  Clapp. 


VERMONT TOWN    OF   MONTPELIEU.  851 

hired  man  commenced  clearing  up  the  meadow  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Little  North  branch,  now  known  as  State  street.  They  soon  erected  a 
large  log-house,  into  which  Colonel  Davis  moved  his  family  the  following 
winter,  leaving  General  Davis,  who  had  brought  his  instruments  with 
him,  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  town.  General  Davis  afterwards 
located  himself  here  on  a  tract  of  land,  containing  about  three  hundred 
acres.  The  settlement  from  this  date  progressed  rapidly,  and,  in  1791, 
the  population  numbered  one  hundred  and  seventeen  persons.  The  first 
settlers  were  mostly  hardy,  enterprising,  and  intelligent  young  men, 
among  whom,  besides  those  already  mentioned,  were  Jonathan  Snow, 
James  Taggard,  John  Templeton,  Solomon  Dodge,  James  Hawkins, 
David  Wing,  Jr.,  Ziba  Woodworth,  Nathaniel  Davis,  Nathaniel  Peck, 
Caleb  Bennett,  Clark  Stevens,  and  B.  I.  and  J.  B.  Wheeler.  Hon. 
Nicholas  Baylies,  a  native  of  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1794,  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Woodstock,  and  removed  to 
this  place.  He  was  in  1831  and  1832  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  and 
died  at  Lyndon,  August  17,  1847.  Hon.  Samuel  Prentiss,  also  a  resi- 
dent of  this  town,  was  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  from  1825  to 
1829,  and  a  senator  in  congress  for  two  terms  from  1831  to  1842.  He 
died  here  January  15,  1857.  Captain  Samuel  Upham,  an  early  settler 
in  this  town,  and  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  died  here  May  12,  1848,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five.  His  son,  Hon.  William  Upham,  was  born  in 
Leicester,  Mass.,  and  removed  hither  at  an  early  age  —  settled,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law.  He  was  chosen  United  States  senator  in 
1842,  reelected  in  1848,  and  served  until  within  ten  days  of  his  death, 
which  took  place  at  Washington,  January  14,  1853.  General  Ezekiel 
P.  Walton,  editor  of  the  Vermont  Watchman,  resided  here  until  his 
death  in  1855.  Hon.  E.  P.  Walton,  his  son,  and  successor  as  editor  and 
publisher  of  that  journal,  as  also  of  the  "  Vermont  Annual  Register,"  is 
the  present  representative  in  congress  from  the  first  district  of  this  state. 
Hon.  Daniel  P.  Thompson,  who  has  distinguished  himself  as  a  writer, 
and  whose  name  is  familiar  even  in  transatlantic  cities  as  the  author  of 
the  "  Green  Mountain  Boys,"  and  "  Locke  Amsden,"  is  also  a  citizen  of 
Montpelier. 

Montpelier  was  organized  on  the  29th  of  March,  1791,  and  contains 
4,316  acres,  having  lost  about  five  sixths  of  its  territory,  November  8, 
1849,  by  the  incorporation  from  it  of  East  Montpelier.  It  was  constituted 
the  permanent  seat  of  government  of  the  state,  November  8,  1805,  and 
became  the  shire  town  of  what  was  then  the  county  of  Jefferson,  since 
Washington.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  there  is  scarcely  an  acre  of 
unimproved  land.  It  is  watered  by  the  Winooski  river  and  its  tribu- 
taries. 


852  HISTORY   AND    DBSCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

The  village  of  Montpelier  is  a  thriving,  compactly  built  place,  and  is 
about  ten  miles  northeasterly  from  the  geographical  centre  of  the  state. 
It  is  located   on  the  Winooski  (the  Indian  word  for  onion),  at  its  con- 
fluence with  the  North  Branch,  and  contains  about  2,500  inhabitants. 
The   situation   is   low,  but  the  streets   and  building-ground  have  been 
raised  so  much  that  it  is  now  as  dry  as  other  places  of  the  like   soil. 
The  whole  site  of  the  village  bears  unequivocal  signs  of  having  been 
the  bed  of  a  lake,  the  original  surface  of  the  water  being  indicated  by 
the  strata  of  earth  and  rocks  on  all  the  surrounding  hills.     Montpelier 
village  stands  among  the  most  active  and  thriving  business  places  in  the 
interior  of  New  England.     Being  the  central  point  of  six  mail  stages, 
located   upon   the    Vermont  Central    Railroad,  and   commanding    the 
principal  part  of  the  trade  to  an  extent  of  more  than  twenty  miles,  — 
being  the  seat  of  government,  the  shire  town    of  the  county,  having 
an  academy,  and  the  incidental  establishments  to  which  these  naturally 
lead,  there    are  few  towns    so   isolated  from  navigable  waters  which 
exhibit   greater   prosperity.     A  substantial    arch  bridge    of  about   one 
hundred  feet  span  crosses  Winooski  river  at  the  falls,  and  unites  the 
village  to  a  cluster  of  buildings  on  the  Berlin  side.     In  the  early  part  of 
its  history  a  well-selected  circulating  library  was  established,  which  may 
account,  in  part,  for  the  intelligence  and  taste  for  reading  which  prevail 
generally  among  the  inhabitants. 

The  site  of  the  state-house,  although  somewhat  lower  than  the  sur- 
rounding country,  is  573  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  first  state-house 
here,  completed  in  1838,  was  built  of  granite,  at  a  cost  of  $132,000,  of 
which  the  citizens  of  Montpelier  paid  ^15,000.  It  was  constructed  in 
the  form  of  a  cross,  its  front  being  seventy-two  feet  wide,  making  with 
the  wings  150  feet.  The  centre  was  one  hundred  feet  deep,  and  the 
wings  fifty.  The  top  of  the  dome  was  one  hundred  feet  high.  This 
edifice  was  burnt  in  January,  1857.  The  plan  of  the  new  building,  now 
in  process  of  erection,  is  substantially  the  old  one  with  some  improve- 
ments. The  wings  and  main  building  are  each  twelve  and  a  half  feet 
longer  than  those  of  the  former  edifice.  The  entire  length  of  the  front 
is  176  feet,  consisting  of  seventy-two  feet  for  the  main  portion  and  fifty- 
two  feet  for  each  of  the  wings,  which  last  are  fifty  feet  eight  inches  deep. 
The  depth  of  the  main  building  is  113  feet,  and  of  the  front  portico 
eighteen  feet,  which  latter  is  sixty-four  feet  high, from  the  ground  to  the 
top  of  the  cornice.  The  dome  rises  about  sixty  feet  above  the  ridge  of 
the  roof,  making  the  entire  height  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of  the 
dome  124  feet.  This  is  surmounted  with  a  female  statue  similar  in 
design  to  the  patron  goddess  of  agriculture. 

There  are  five  church  edifices  —  Episcopal,  Methodist,  Free  Church, 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   MORETOWN,   ETC.  853 

Congregational,  and  Roman  Catholic ;  five  school  districts ;  one  post- 
office  ;  the  Washington  County  Grammar- School ;  the  Montpelier  Union 
District  school ;  an  insurance  office ;  two  banks,  with  an  aggregate  capi- 
tal of  $200,000  ;  and  five  newspapers  —  the  Vermont  Watchman,  Ver- 
mont Register,  Green  Mountain  Freeman,  Repository,  and  Patriot: 
also,  a  large  lumber  manufactory,  an  iron  foundery,  flour-mills,  and  man- 
ufactories of  sashes  and  blinds,  carriages  and  sleighs,  hats  and  caps, 
furniture,  and  silver  plate.  Population  in  1850,  2,310,  which  has  in- 
creased to  about  3,500 ;  valuation,  $1,066,797. 

MoRETOWN,  near  the  centre  of  Washington  county,  eight  miles  south- 
west from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  7,  1763, 
to  Josiah  Forster  and  sixty-four  others ;  and  the  settlement  was  com- 
menced, about  1790,  by  Paul  Knap,  Reuben,  Eliakim,  and  Ira  Hawks, 
all  from  Massachusetts.  The  town  was  organized  March  22,  1792,  at 
which  time  Joseph  and  Ebenezer  Haseltine,  Seth  Munson,  and  Daniel 
Parker  w^ere  among  the  inhabitants.  It  has  an  area  of  23,040  acres. 
Much  of  the  surface  is  mountainous,  and  incapable  of  being  settled. 
Mad  river  enters  from  Waitsfield,  runs  northeasterly,  and  falls  into 
Winooski  river.  On  this  stream  are  several  mill  privileges.  Moretown 
has  one  church  edifice  —  Episcopal  Methodist ;  fifteen  school  districts, 
and  one  post-office :  also,  one  grist-mill,  six  saw-mills,  one  clapboard 
mill,  and  one  wagon  and  sleigh  manufactory.  Population,  1,335; 
valuation,  $305,815. 

Morgan,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Orleans  county,  fifty-two  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  November  6,  1780,  to  Jedediah  Calderkin 
and  sixty-three  others,  by  the  name  of  Caldersburgh,  which  was  altered  to 
the  name  it  now  bears  October  19,  1801,  after  setting  off  a  part  of  it  to 
Wenlock,  and  annexing  to  it  Brownington  and  Whitelaw's  gores.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1800  by  Nathan  Wilcox.  It 
was  organized  March  25,  1807,  and  contains  20,135  acres.  The  surface 
is  undulating,  and  mostly  susceptible  of  cultivation.  A  head  branch  of 
Clyde  river,  called  Farrand's  river,  passes  through  the  east  part  of 
Morgan,  and  Seymour's  lake,  which  is  about  four  miles  long  and  nearly 
two  wide,  lies  in  the  central  part.  The  religious  denominations  are 
Congregationalists  and  Methodists,  who  occupy  one  meeting-house. 
There  are  six  school  districts,  one  post-office,  and  three  saw-mills. 
Population,  486  ;  valuation,  $116,713. 

MORRISTOWN,  nearly  in  the  central  part  of  Lamoille  county,  twenty 
miles  from   Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered 
VOL.  I.  72 


854  HISTORY    AND    DESCEIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

to  Moses  Morse  and  associates,  August  24,  1781.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  in  the  spring  of  1790  by  Jacob  Walker,  who  came  from  Ben- 
nington, accompanied  by  his  brother,  who  soon  returned.  Mr.  "Walker 
remained  here  during  the  summer,  making  his  home  at  the  house  of 
John  McDaniel,  in  Hydepark,  to  which  place  he  returned  every  Sat- 
urday night,  going  out  again  on  Monday,  with  provisions  sufficient  to 
last  him  through  the  week.  In  this  way  he  labored  through  the 
summer,  and  in  the  fall  returned  to  Bennington.  In  the  spring  of 
1791,  Mr.  Walker  brought  his  family  here,  and  continued  through  the 
summer,  returning  again  in  the  fall  to  his  former  place  of  residence.  In 
the  spring  of  1792,  Mr.  W^alker  and  family,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Olds 
and  family,  again  came  here,  and  immediately  set  to  work  to  build  a 
camp,  in  which  they  and  two  hired  men  lived  two  months,  during 
which  time  Governor  Butler,  of  Waterbury,  paid  them  a  visit.  At  the 
end  of  two  months  they  progressed  so  far  in  the  settlement  as  to  have 
a  house  built,  into  which  they  all  removed.  In  the  fall,  Mr.  Walker 
removed  to  Fairfax,  leaving  Mr.  Olds  and  family.  Mrs.  Olds  was  the 
first  woman  who  remained  here  during  the  winter.  In  the  summer  of 
1798,  Captain  Safford,  from  Windsor,  Mass.,  built  the  first  saw-mill,  at 
the  Great  falls  on  the  Lamoille  river. 

Morristown .  was  organized  in  1796,  and  contained  23,040  acres, 
and  it  has  been  somewhat  increased  by  the  annexation  of  a  part  of 
Sterling,  which  was  cut  up  and  partitioned  to  the  adjoining  towns, 
November  14,  1855.  The  surface  is  moderately  uneven,  and  the  soil  of 
good  quality,  and  easy  to  cultivate.  It  is  watered  by  the  Lamoille 
river,  along  which  are  some  fine  tracts  of  interval,  and  on  which  are  two 
excellent  mill  sites.  There  are  several  other  streams  on  which  mills  are 
erected.  In  the  southeast  corner  is  a  collection  of  water,  known  by  the 
name  of  Joe's  pond. 

Morrisville  is  a  pleasant,  flourishing  village,  situated  near  the  Great 
falls,  furnishing  one  of  the  finest  situations  for  manufacturing  establish- 
ments which  the  state  affords.  The  river  at  this  place  falls  into  a 
channel  cut  directly  across  the  stream,  twenty  feet  deep  and  thirty 
broad,  which  was  denominated  by  the  early  settlers  "  the  Pulpit,"  from 
the  resemblance  of  the  rocks  at  the  north  end  to  that  structure.  On  the 
west  side  of  this  chasm  the  roelcs  rise  perpendicularly  to  the  height  of 
thirty  feet,  and  the  beholder  while  standing  on  the  edge  of  this  precipice 
sees  the  whole  body  of  the  river  plunged  down  at  his  feet  into  this 
boiling  caldron,  from  which  it  escapes  through  a  channel  at  the  south 
end,  and,  immediately  spreading  itself  out,  encircles  numerous  islands 
whose  high,  jagged  points  are  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  cedar  and 
fir,   together   presenting  a   scene  of  grandeur  and  beauty  seldom  sur- 


VERMONT TOWN  OF  MOUNT  HOLLY.  855 

passed.  There  are  three  villages  —  Morristown,  Morrisvilie,  and  Cady's 
Falls,  the  last  of  which  is  situated  two  miles  below  Morrisvilie,  and 
bids  fair  to  become  a  place  of  considerable  business.  At  the  centre  of 
Morristown  is  a  small  village,  pleasantly  located,  and  wanting  only  the 
facilities  of  water  power  to  make  it  the  principal  place  of  business. 
The  public  buildings  are  a  town-house  and  two  meeting-houses  — 
the  Congregational  at  Morrisvilie,  and  the  Methodist  at  Morristown. 
There  are  twenty-five  school  districts,  an  academy,  and  a  post-office  at 
each  village :  also,  three  starch  factories,  one  tannery,  one  carriage 
factory,  five  stores,  and  some  saw-mills  and  grist-mills.  Population, 
1,441 ;  valuation,  $465,702. 

MoxraT  Holly,  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  Rutland  county,  sixty  mUes 
from  Montpelier,  was  made  up  from  Jackson's  gore,  containing  10,669 
acres,  3,388  acres  from  the  east  side  of  Wallingford,  and  11,739  acres 
from  the  west  side  of  Ludlow,  making  25,796  acres ;  i  and  was  incorpo- 
rated October  31,  1792.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1781,  by 
Ichabod  G.,  Stephen,  and  John  Clark,  Jonah,  Amos,  and  Ebenezer  Ives, 
from  Connecticut ;  Jacob  Wilcox,  from  Rhode  Island ;  and  Joseph  Green, 
David  Bent,  Abraham  Crowley,  and  Nathaniel  Pingrey,  from  Massa- 
chusetts. The  town  was  organized  November  19,  1792.  In  soil.  Mount 
Holly  is  similar  to  the  mountain  towns  generaDy,  being  much  better 
adapted  to  the  production  of  grass  than  of  grain.  Ludlow  mountain  is  a 
considerable  elevation  lying  along  the  eastern  line.  Mill  river,  which 
rises  in  the  south  part  of  Mount  Holly,  and  runs  through  the  northeast 
corner  of  Wallingford  and  the  southwest  corner  of  Shrewsbury,  and 
unites  with  Otter  creek  in  Clarendon,  is  the  only  stream  of  consequence. 
Two  springs  upon  one  farm  send  their  waters,  the  one  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain  and  the  other  to  the  Connecticut.  In  the  northeastern  part  is  a 
considerable  body  of  water,  called  Patch's  pond.  In  making  a  cut 
through  a  ledge  of  rocks  for  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad,  in 
1848,  some  huge  bones  and  teeth  were  found  imbedded  in  vegetable 
muck  in  a  cavity  of  the  rocks,  which  were  decided  by  Professor  Agassiz 
of  Cambridge  to  be  those  of  an  extinct  species  of  elephant,  and  are 
believed  to  have  been  the  only  fossil  remains  found  in  New  England 
which  have  been  ascertained  ^vith  certainty  to  belong  to  an  elephant. 
There  are  four  small  villages  —  Mount  Holly,  Mechanicsville,  Healdville, 
and  Bowlville,  the  three  first  of  which  have  post-offices ;  three  church 
edifices  —  Baptist,  Second  Advent,  and  Union ;  and  fifteen  school  dis- 
tricts :  also,  two  grist-mills,  twelve  saw-mUls,  one  tannery,  four  mills  for 

1  The  area  given  in  connection  with  the  grand  Kst,  in  1855,  is  28,366  acres. 


856  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

cutting  out  chair  stufF,  two  butter-tub  factories,  and  one  rake  factory. 
The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  runs  through  the  town  from 
east   to  west.     Population,  1,534 ;  valuation,  $403,676. 

Mount  Tabor,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Rutland  county,  thirty-six 
miles  from  Bennington  and  sixty-eight  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered 
by  New  Hampshire,  August  28,  1761,  to  Jonathan  Willard  and  sixty- 
one  others,  by  the  name  of  Harwich,  which  was  subsequently  changed 
to  the  present  name.  It  was  organized  March  13,  1788.  A  part  of 
Peru  was  annexed  to  it,  October  25,  1805,  which,  however,  excepting 
a  small  portion,  was  set  off  to  Dorset,  November  17,  1825.  A  small 
slice  upon  the  northeast  corner  of  Danby  was  annexed  to  this  town, 
November  13,  1848 ;  making  its  area  23,376  acres.  A  large  portion 
of  the  town  is  on  the  summit  of  the  Green  Mountains,  and  inca- 
pable of  cultivation.  The  town  is  watered  by  the  Otter  creek  and 
its  branches,  which  rise  here.  The  nearest  village  is  at  the  station  of 
the  Western  Vermont  Railroad  in  Danby,  which  town  and  Weston 
furnish  the  nearest  post-office  accommodations.  The  town  has  one 
church  edifice  —  Union ;  and  five  school  districts :  also,  one  tannery, 
and  six  saw-mUls,  engaged  chiefly  in  making  shingles.  Population, 
308 ;  valuation,  $90,000. 

Newark,  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Caledonia  county,  forty-four 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered 
August  15,  1781,  to  William  Wall  and  sixty-four  others.  The  settle- 
ment was  commenced  in  1797  or  1798  by  James  Ball ;  and  the  town  was 
organized  in  1801,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  Improvements  have  been 
gradually  made,  though  much  of  the  land  remains  unredeemed  from  its 
wilderness  condition.  It  is  watered  by  a  gi-eat  number  of  small  streams, 
which  are  here  collected  together  and  form  the  Passumpsic  river.  It 
is  a  farming  town,  the  principal  articles  of  export  being  grass-seed, 
grain,  starch,  lumber,  butter,  beef,  and  wool.  Stock-raising  is  carried 
on  to  some  extent.  There  is  no  church  edifice,  but  meetings  are  held 
in  school-houses  by  Methodists,  Free-will  Baptists,  and  Congregation- 
alists.  There  are  tep  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  one 
grist-mill,  seven  saw-mills,  and  two  starch  factories.  Population,  434  ; 
valuation,  8110,572. 

NE-m3i]RY,  Orange  county,  lies  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  twenty, 
seven  miles  from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to 
General  Jacob  Bailey  and  seventy-four  others,  March  18,  1763.  The 
settlement  was  begun  in   the   spring  of  1762,  the  first  family  in   town 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OF  NEWBURY. 


857 


being  that  of  Samuel  Sleeper.i  Among  the  first  inhabitants  may  be 
mentioned  Thomas  Chamberlain  and  family,  Richard  Chamberlain  and 
family,  John  Hazleton  and  family,  General  Jacob  Bailey,  Colonel  Jacob 
Kent,  Colonel  Thomas  Johnson,  John  Taplin,  Noah  and  Ebenezer 
White,  Frye  Bailey,  and  James  Abbott,  who  came  mostly  from  the 
southeastern  parts  of  New  Hampshire,  and  from  Newbury,  Mass.  The 
first  meeting  of  proprietors  of  Newbury  was  held  June  13,  1763,  at 
Plaistow,  N.  H.  In  1764,  Rev.  Peter  Powers,  of  HoUis,  N.  H.,  came  in 
as  the  minister  of  Haverhill  and  Newbury.  He  preached  for  a  time  at 
General  Bailey's,  and  afterwards  in  a  log  meeting-house  south  of  General 
Bailey's  and  north  of  the  hill.  The  first  settlers  had  peculiar  hardships 
to  endure,  there  being  no  inhabitants  on  Connecticut  river  at  this  time, 
north  of  No.  4  (now  Charlestown,  N.  H.),  or  between  this  place  and  Con- 
cord. They  were  necessitated  to  carry  their  grain  to  Charlestown,  a 
distance  of  sixty  miles,  to  get  it  ground,  conveying  it  down  the  river  in 
canoes  in  the  summer,  and  drawing  it  on  the  ice  in  the  winter.  The 
crank  for  the  first  saw-mill  built  in  Newbury  was  drawn  from  Concord, 
N.  H.,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  on  a  hand-sled,  those  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  suffering  intensely  from  cold. 

This  -was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians,  and  they  felt  great  repug- 
nance at  losing  so  rich  a  field  for  the  pursuit  of  their  favorite  callings. 
The  rivers  abounded  in  salmon  and  the  brooks  in  trout ;  and  bears, 
deer,  moose,  fowl,  and  game  of  every  description,  were  found  in  every 
part  of  the  country.  The  land  was  rich,  and  easy  of  cultivation ;  so 
that  almost  every  thing  was  favorable  to  their  peculiar  manner  of  living.^ 

'  Sleeper  was  a  Quaker,  and  expected  to  be  tlie  preacher  for  that  peculiar  sect  in 
Newbury.  Mr.  Powers,  in  his  ministrations,  was  subjected  to  many  interruptions  from 
this  Sleeper  (who  was  wrongly  named,  for  he  was  always  awake  to  mischief),  such  as, 
"  Thee  lies,  Friend  Peter ! "  Though  entreated  by  the  best  men  of  the  settlement  to 
abstain  from  these  disorderly  interruptions,  he  was  inexorable ;  and  to  be  quit  of  the 
nuisance,  they  incarcerated  him  in  a  cellar  on  Musquash  Meadow.  He  was  scarcely  dis- 
posed of  before  another,  one  Benoni  Wright,  took  his  place,  and  was  more  bitter,  bois- 
terous, and  frantic  in  his  animadversions  than  his  predecessor.  He  was,  however,  dealt 
with  in  a  summary  manner,  having  been  taken  to  the  meadow  where  Sleeper  was  impris- 
oned, and  there  tried  and  sentenced  to  ten  lashes,  which  were  well  laid  on.  The  same 
court  also  sent  word  to  Sleeper  that,  if  he  interrupted  the  meetings  awain,  he  should 
receive  thirty  lashes.     These  two  self-constituted  martyrs  left  Newbury  in  1 766. 

*  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  his  History  of  the  Coos  Country,  gives  the  followin<T,  from 
David  Johnson,  of  Newbury :  "  On  the  high  ground  east  of  the  mouth  of  Cow  Meadow 
brook  and  south  of  the  three  large  projecting  rooks,  were  found  many  indications  of  an 
old  and  extensive  Indian  settlement.  There  were  many  domestic  implements.  Amonf 
the  rest  were  a  stone  mortar  and  pestle.  The  pestle  I  have  seen.  Heads  of  arrow."! 
large  quantities  of  ashes,  and  the  ground  burnt  over  to  a  great  extent,  arc  some  of  the 

72* 


858  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

General  Bailey  was  very  active  in  forwarding  the  settlement  of  this 
part  of  the  country,  and  distinguished  himself  as  a  general  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  He  possessed  great  influence  with  his  country- 
men, and  the  Indians  looked  up  to  him  as  a  father.  During  the  Revo- 
lution, Newbury  was  garrisoned  by  one  or  more  companies,  and  was, 
for  many  years  after,  the  most  important  town  in  the  state.  Over 
these  troops  General  Bailey  acted  as  quartermaster-general,  and  so 
attentive  was  he  to  the  Indians  that  he  retained  their  friendship  during 
the  war.  The  British  felt  it  so  important  to  secure  General  Bailey,  that 
they  offered  a  heavy  reward  for  his  person,  and  many  plans  were  con- 
certed for  his  capture  ;  but  they  never  succeeded.^  Besides  General 
Bailey  there  were  several  persons  in  Newbury  who  had,  by  their  devotion 
to  their  country,  excited  the  enmity  of  the  British  and  tories  to  a  high 
degree.  One  was  the  Rev.  Peter  Powers,  the  first  minister  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  who  had  preached,  and  done  every  thing  in  his 
power  to  sustain  the  cause  of  the  colonies,  and  had  already  sacrificed 
his  oldest  son,  Peter,  to  the  cause.  Another  was  Colonel  Thomas 
Johnson,  whom  the  British  considered  a  notorious  rebel,  as  he  had 
distinguished  himself  at  the  taking  of  Ticonderoga  and  the  siege  of 
Mount  Independence,  in  the  autumn  of  1777.  The  British  were  very 
desirous  of  taking  Colonel  Johnson,  but  he  eluded  all  their  vigilance 

marks  of  a  long  residence  there.  The  burnt  ground  and  ashes  were  still  visible  the  last 
time  it  was  ploughed.  On  the  meadow,  forty  or  fifty  rods  below,  near  the  rooks  in  the 
river,  was  evidently  a  burying-ground.  The  remains  of  many  of  the  sons  of  the  forest 
are  there  deposited.  Bones  have  frequently  been  turned  up  by  the  plough.  That  they 
were  buried  in  the  sitting  posture  peculiar  to  the  Indians  has  been  ascertained.  When 
the  first  settlers  came  here,  the  remains  of  a  fort  were  still  visible  on  the  Ox  Bow  a 
dozen  or  twenty  rods  from  the  east  end  of  Bloses  Johnson's  lower  garden,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  lane.  The  size  of  the  fort  was  plain  to  be  seen.  Ti-ees  about  as  large  as  a  man's 
thigh  were  growing  in  the  circumference  of  the  old  fort.  A  profusion  of  white  flints 
stones  and  heads  of  arrows  may  yet  be  seen  scattered  over  the  ground.  It  is  a  tradition 
which  I  have  frequently  heard  repeated,  that,  after  the  fight  with  Lovewell,  the  Indians 
said  they  should  now  be  obliged  to  leave  Coossuck  (Coos)."  It  is  said  that  there  was  an 
intimate  connection  between  the  Cobs  Indians  and  those  of  Maine  and  of  St  Francis  ■ 
between  the  first  and  the  last  of  which  the  connection  continued  to  the  end. 

'  A  bold  and  determined  effort  to  take  him  was  made  on  the  17th  of  June,  1782 
while  Colonel  Thomas  Johnson  (alluded  to  hereafter)  was  at  home  on  parole.  A  British 
force,  commanded  by  Captain  Prichard,  consisting  of  eighteen  men,  encamped  on  the 
heights  west  of  Ox  Bow,  and  sent  for  Colonel  Johnson  to  visit  them,  which  it  appears  he 
was  bound  to  do  by  the  terms  of  his  parole,  and  from  them  he  learned  of  their  design  to 
capture  General  Bailey.  Colonel  Johnson  was  in  a  strait ;  he  knew  not  what  to  do  ■  but 
rather  than  they  should  capture  Bailey  he  determined  to  hazard  his  own  safety  and  ac- 
cordingly took  a  method  to  inform  the  General  of  his  danger,  which  was  entirch-  suc- 
cessful ;  for  when  the  British  attacked  General  Bailey's  house  he  was  ssife  on  the  Haver- 
hill side. 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF  NEWBTJRT.  859 

till  the  spring  of  1781,  when  they  succeeded  in  capturing  him  at 
the  house  of  Deacon  Jonathan  Elkins,  in  Peacham,  where  he  had 
gone  to  fulfil  a  contract  for  erecting  a  grist-mill.  He  was  taken  to 
St.  John's,  and  about  six  months  after  was  set  at  liberty  on  his  parole 
of  honor,^  from  which  he  was  not  released  till  after  the  conclusion  of 
peace,  in  1783. 

Newbury  was  probably  organized  about  1763,  and  contains  36,450 
acres.  Connecticut  river  waters  the  eastern  border,  and  here  along  this 
stream  are  some  of  the  most  beautiful  tracts  of  interval  in  Vermont. 
The  other  streams  of  most  consequence  are  Wells  river;  Harriman's 
brook,  which  rises  in  a  pond  of  the  same  name,  passes  through  Newbury 
village,  and  joins  Connecticut  river ;  and  Hall's  brook,  which  originates 
in  Hall's  pond,  runs  through  the  south  part,  and  falls  into  the  Con- 
necticut river  in  Bradford ;  —  all  of  which  are  considerable  mill  streams. 
There  is  a  mineral  spring,  which  is  a  place  of  some  resort  for  those 
afflicted  with  cutaneous  diseases. 

There  are  four  villages  —  Newbury,  South  Newbury,  "West  Newbury, 
and  Wells  River.  The  first  —  a  very  pleasant  village  —  is  situated  near 
the  bend  of  the  Connecticut  river.  In  this  are  the  buildings  of  the 
Newbury  Seminary  and  Female  Collegiate  Institute,  which  com- 
menced its  operations  in  the  fall  of  1834,  and  has  rooms  sufficiently 
extensive  to  accommodate  one  hundred  students  with  board.  It  is 
under  the  immediate  patronage  of  the  New  Hampshire  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  its  privileges  are  equally 
extended  to  all  denominations.  The  seminary  is  in  a  very  prosperous 
condition.  Wells  River  village,  at  the  mouth  of  Wells  river,  is  well 
situated  for  trade,  and  has  valuable  water  privileges.  Just  below  this 
village  is  a  bridge  across  the  Connecticut,  and  there  is  another  just 
below  Newbury  village,  leading  to  "  Haverhill  corner."  The  legislature 
has  held  two  sessions  in  Newbury ;  the  first  in  1787,  and  the  other  in 
1801.  There  are  five  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one  Metho- 
dist, and  two  Union ;  twenty -four  school  districts ;  three  post-offices  — 
Newbury,  South  Newbury,  and  Wells  River;  and  one  bank,  with  a 
capital  of  $75,000 :  also,  two  grist-mills,  one  paper-mill,  and  a  steam- 
mill  for  manufacturing  mackerel  kits.     The  Connecticut  and  Passump- 

'  Colonel  Johnson,  on  account  of  the  hold  which  the  British  had  upon  him  by  his  parole 
of  honor,  was  subjected  to  much  suspicion.  Many  endeavored  to  make  it  appear  that  he 
betrayed  the  interests  of  his  country  to  the  British  during  his  captivity,  which  report  he 
was  unable  wholly  to  clear  up.  Since  his  death,  however,  letters  from  General  Wash- 
ington, Meshech  Weare,  and  others,  have  been  discovered,  which  entirely  exonerate  him 
from  any  such  charge,  and  make  it  appear,  that,  though  inactive  in  a  sense,  he  was  as 
good  a  patriot,  in  principle,  as  the  Revolutionary  era  can  furnish. 


860  HISTORY   AND    DESCRrPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

sic  Rivers  Railroad  passes  through  Newbury.     Population,  2,984 ;  valu- 
ation, ^880,527. 

Newfane,  the  shire  town  of  "Windham  county,  one  hundred  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  by  New  Hampshire,  June  19,  1753,  by 
the  name  of  Fane,  to  Abner  Sawyer  and  sixty-seven  others,  many 
of  whom  were  from  Shrewsbury,  Mass.  This  charter  was  forfeited, 
the  grantees  being  prevented,  by  the  dangers  arising  from  border  war- 
fare, from  complying  with  its  terms.  A  new  charter  was  issued  by 
New  Hampshire,  November  3,  1761,  to  Luke  Brown,  Benjamin  Flagg, 
and  sixty-three  others,  by  the  name  of  New  Fane.  A  committee 
of  these  proprietors,  July  10,  1765,  addressed  a  memorial  from  Shrews- 
bury, Mass.,  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Cadwallader  Golden,  of  New 
York,  —  in  consequence  of  his  proclamation  claiming,  in  behalf  of  that 
province,  all  the  land  west  of  Gonnecticut  river,  —  representing  that 
they  had  expended  considerable  sums  in  making  roads  and  other  im- 
provements in  the  township,  and  asking,  as  they  doubted  in  regard  to 
the  validity  of  the  New  Hampshire  title,  a  confirmatory  charter,  which, 
for  economy,  they  desired  might  issue  before  the  stamp  act  should 
become  obligatory.  This  petition  slumbered  a  long  time,  and  when 
finally  the  governor's  attention  was  drawn  to  it,  instead  of  the  grant  in 
confirmation,  he  made  a  new  charter.  May  11,  1772,  to  "  Walter  Frank- 
lin and  twenty  other  persons,  principally  residing  in  the  city  of  New 
York."  On  the  next  day,  Franklin  and  his  associates  conveyed  their 
right  to  Luke  Knowlton  and  John  Taylor,  of  Worcester  county,  Mass. 
Under  the  last  charter,  the  titles  to  lands  here  are  derived.  It  appears, 
however,  that  Knowlton  was,  before  this  conveyance,  a  large  holder  of 
lands  in  Newfane,  of  which  he  had  obtained  possession  by  deed  prior 
to  1767,  and  that  the  township  was  then  partially  settled  and  improved.^ 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  May,  1766,  by  Deacon  Jonathan 
Park,  Nathaniel  Stedman,  and  Ebenezer  Dyer,  who  emigrated  from 
Worcester  county,  Mass.  For  several  years  they  suffered  all  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  incident  to  the  settlement  of  a  new  country. 
Without  roads,  horses,  or  oxen,  they  were  under  the  necessity  of  convey- 
ing by  their  own  strength  all  their  provisions  and  other  necessaries 
from  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  through  a  pathless 
wilderness.  We  have  no  account  that  the  early  settlers  of  Newfane 
were  ever  molested  by  the  Indians,  but  tradition  informs  us,  that,  in  the 
war  of  1756,  and  some  years  before  any  settlement  was  commenced,  a 
battle  was  fought  here. 

'  Hall's  Eastern  Vermont,  p.  100,  note. 


VERMONT — TOWN  OF  NEW  HAVEN.  861 

Among  the  most  distinguished  of  the  early  settlers  were  Hon.  Luke 
Knowlton,  Calvin  Knowlton,  the  Hon.  Ebenezer  Allen,  and  the  Rev. 
Hezekiah  Taylor,  all  of  whom  exerted  their  influence  in  different  ways 
for  the  benefit  and  prosperity  of  the  town.  In  1826,  a  lump  of  native 
gold  was  picked  up  in  this  town,  weighing  eight  and  a  half  ounces.  It 
was  pure  gold  with  the  exception  of  some  small  quartz  crystals  attached 
to  it,  weighing  perhaps  half  an  ounce.     Its  specific  gravity  was  16.5. 

In  1772  the  township  was  surveyed,  and  Newfane  was  organized  on 
the  17th  of  May,  1774.  It  contained  by  charter  six  miles  square,  but  it 
has  been  reduced  by  contributing  to  Brookline  a  small  part  of  its  terri- 
tory lying  on  the  east  side  of  West  river.  The  surface  is  diversified 
with  high  hills  and  deep  valleys ;  but  there  are  no  elevations  that  deserve 
the  name  of  mountains.  The  intervals  afford  excellent  tillage,  and  the 
uplands  are  inferior  to  none  for  grazing ;  there  is  very  little  waste  land. 
Water  is  supplied  by  West  river,  South  branch.  Smith's  brook.  Baker's 
brook,  and  numerous  rivulets,  all  of  which  afford  valuable  mill  sites  and 
water  privileges. 

There  are  three  small  villages  —  Fayetteville,  Williamsville,  and  Pond- 
ville.  Newfane  Hill  was  formerly  a  place  of  some  business,  and  was  the 
site  of  the  county  buildings,  which  are  now  at  Fayetteville.  From  the 
summit  of  the  hill  may  be  seen  some  part  of  at  least  fifty  towns  lying  in 
Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and  Massachusetts.  On  the  east  is  a  view 
of  the  highlands  in  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  to  the  distance 
of  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  among  which  rise  Wachusett  and  Monadnock, 
almost  indistinguishable  from  the  sky.  On  the  north,  south,  and  west, 
little  is  to  be  discovered  but  an  extensive  sea  of  mountains,  which  dis- 
plays in  wild  disorder  ridge  above  ridge,  and  peak  above  peak,  till  the 
distant  view  is  lost  among  the  clouds.  Williamsville  and  Pondville,  on 
the  South  branch,  have  the  advantage  of  good  water-power.  Fayette- 
ville is  pleasantly  located  in  the  easterly  part,  not  far  from  West  river. 
It  contains  the  county  buildings,  two  taverns,  and  some  stores. 
There  are  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and  two 
Union ;  eleven  school  districts ;  three  post-offices,  one  at  each  of  the  vil- 
lages ;  and  the  Windham  County  Savings  Bank :  also,  manufactories 
of  leather  and  linseed  oil,  two  good  flour-mills,  two  lumber  mills,  and 
one  large  carriage  manufactory.    Population,  1,304 ;  valuation,  f  521,719. 

New  Haven,  in  the  central  part  of  Addison  county,  thirty-one  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  November  2,  1761, 
to  John  Evarts  and  sixty-one  others ;  and  the  settlement  was  commenced 
in  1769,  by  a  few  emigrants  from  Salisbury,  Conn.,  on  that  part  which 
is   now  set   off   to    Waltham.      Among   these   were    Phineas    Brown, 


862  HISTORY   ANB    DESCRIPTION    OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

Joshua  Hyde,  and  one  Griswold.  The  settlement  was,  however,  broken 
up  and  abandoned  in  1776,  in  consequence  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Near  this  place,  and  on  that  portion  of  the  ancient  township  now  con- 
stituting a  part  of  the  city  of  Vergennes,  a  fort  was  erected  and  gar- 
risoned by  troops,  commanded  by  Ebenezer  Allen  and  others,  to  protect 
the  frontier  settlements  from  the  common  enemy  —  the  "  Yorkers."  At 
the  close  of  the  war  the  settlers  returned  and  commenced  again  their 
labors,  which  had  been  so  summarily  inteiTupted.  Among  the  perma- 
nent settlers  were  Andrew  Barton  and  one  Cook,  as  also  Brown  and 
Griswold  in  the  Waltham  part;  and  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
town.  Captain  Miles  Bradley,  Enos  Peck,  Elijah  Foot,  and  Elisha 
Fuller. 

New  Haven  was  organized  in  1785,  and  contains  23,390  acres.  In 
October,  1789,  New  Haven  gore  was  annexed  to  New  Haven ;  in  1791, 
a  part  of  New  Haven  was  annexed  to  Weybridge ;  in  October,  1783,  a 
corner  of  this  town  was  taken  to  aid  in  the  incorporation  of  Vergennes ; 
and,  in  1796,  about  nine  square  miles  were  set  off  and  incorporated  as 
Waltham.  The  soil  in  the  western  part  is  principally  clay  or  marl,  and 
in  the  eastern  part  loam.  Along  New  Haven  river  are  alluvial  flats, 
which  are  extensive  and  very  productive.  Water  is  furnished  by  Otter 
creek,  Little  Otter  creek,  and  New  Haven  river,  the  latter  of  which 
enters  from  the  east,  about  two  miles  from  the  southeast  corner,  and, 
after  running  five  mUes,  falls  into  Otter  creek,  about  a  mUe  from  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  town.  In  the  year  1830,  during  the  night  of 
the  26th  and  27th  of  July,  by  a  change  of  the  channel  of  this  river, 
several  buildings  containmg  families  were  flooded,  and  afterwards  swept 
away  by  the  waters.  Of  twenty-one  persons  who  were  thus  surprised, 
seven  only  escaped,  the  remaining  fourteen  having  been  drowned.  The 
mill  privileges  on  these  streams  are  good.  Quarries  of  excellent  marble 
are  found  in  every  part  of  the  town.  New  Haven  contains  three  vil- 
lages —  New  Haven  Centre,  New  Haven  East  Mills,  and  Brooksville,  — 
at  each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office  ;  five  churches  —  two  Congrega- 
tional, one  Baptist,  one  Second  Advent,  and  one  Methodist ;  fourteen 
school  districts ;  and  an  academy :  also,  one  wooUen  factory,  one  tan- 
nery, and  one  axe  manufactory.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad 
passes  through  New  Haven.     Population,  1,663 ;  valuation,  $663,722. 

Newport,  in  the  north  part  of  Orleans  county,  upon  the  Canada  line, 
and  forty-eight  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  October  26,  1781, 
and  chartered,  by  the  name  of  Duncansboro',  to  Nathan  Fisk,  George 
Duncan,  and  sixty-three  others,  October  30,  1802.  The  name  was 
altered  to  Newport,   October   30,   1816.     The    settlement   was    begun 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   NORTHFIELD.  863 

before  the  year  1800 ;  but  it  made  little  progress  till  within  a  recent 
period.  Among  the  early  settlers  and  officials  were  Amos  Sawyer, 
Enos  Bartlett,  James  C.  Adams,  and  Luther  Chapin.  It  is  watered  by 
a  considerable  branch  of  Missisco  river,  and  by  several  streams  which  fall 
into  Memphremagog  lake.  Black  river  also  discharges  its  waters  into 
the  lake  in  this  town.  Newport  has  one  village  —  Lake  Bridge;  one 
church  edifice,  occupied  by  Congregationalists  and  Baptists ;  twelve 
school  districts ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Newport  and  West  Newport : 
also,  four  saw-mills,  and  several  mechanic  shops,  coopering  being  the 
principal  trade.     Population,  748 ;  valuation,  $203,800. 

NoRTHFiELD,  in  the  southern  part  of  "Washington  county,  ten  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6, 1780,  and  chartered  to  Major 
Joel  Matthews  and  sixty-four  others,  August  10,  1781.  The  first  land 
was  cleared  by  the  Hon.  Elijah  Paine,  on  the  farm  now  or  lately  owned 
by  John  Averill ;  and  the  first  settlement  was  made  in  May,  1785,  by 
Amos  and  Ezekiel  Robinson  and  Staunton  Richardson,  from  West- 
minster. Northfield  was  organized  March  25,  1794,  and  contained 
18,515  acres,  which  was  increased  November  7,  1822,  by  the  addition  of 
a  tract  from  the  east  part  of  Waitsfield ;  and  another  tract  on  the  east 
and  northeast  side,  October  26,  1846,  making  its  present  area  23,896 
acres.  The  surface  is  uneven,  and  a  range  of  highlands  passes  from 
north  to  south,  both  on  the  eastern  and  western  side  of  the  river.  The 
soil  is  generally  good,  and,  in  many  places,  is  easily  cultivated.  A  vein 
of  argillaceous  slate  passes  through  the  township  from  south  to  north. 
The  principal  stream  is  Dog  river,  which  runs  through  in  a  northerly 
direction,  and  affords  a  great  number  of  valuable  mill  privileges. 

Hon.  Charles  Paine,  a  son  of  Judge  Elijah  Paine,  was  born  at  Wil- 
liamstown,  April  15,  1799 ;  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1820,  and 
immediately  came  to  Northfield,  and  took  charge  of  his  father's  factory. 
He  continued  in  this  business  until  the  burning  of  his  factory  in 
1848.^  By  his  influence  and  energy  chiefly,  the  charter  of  the  Vermont 
Central  Railroad  was  obtained,  and  the  road  carried  to  a  completion. 
He  was  also  a  leading  spirit  in  other  railroad  enterprises.  For  two 
years  (1841^2)  he  was  governor  of  the  state.  His  last  great  undertak- 
ing was  the  exploration  of  a  route  for  the  Pacific  Railroad,  when  he  fell 
a  victim  to  the  disease  common  to  the  climate,  and  died  at  Waco,  Texas, 
July  6,  1853.  There  are  four  small  villages  —  South,  Centre,  Depot, 
and  Falls,  each  of  which  gives  evidence  of  prosperity.     The  Depot  vil- 

•  A  new  building  has  been  erected  upon  tlie  site  of  this,  but  not  yet  fitted  up  with 
machinery. 


864 


HISTOET   AND   DESCKIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 


lage  is  the  largest  and  most  compact.  All  of  them,  excepting  the  Centre, 
are  situated  on  Dog  river,  and  have  good  water  power.  During  the 
last  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  Northfield  has  increased  very  rapidly, 
both  in  wealth  and  numbers.  There  are  five  churches  —  Universalist, 
Methodist,  Congregational,  Episcopal,  and  Koman  Catholic ;  the  North- 
field    Institute,  twenty -one    school  districts,  and   one   post-office:    also. 


Depot  Village — Northfield. 


two  flannel  factories,  and  one  foundery  with  machine-shop  attached. 
The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes  through  Northfield.  Population, 
2,922 ;  valuation,  $783,548. 


North  Hero,  Grand  Isle .  county,  is  an  island  in  Lake  Champlain, 
twenty-six  miles  from  Burlington,  and  is  the  shire  town.  It  was  granted, 
in  connection  with  South  Hero  and  Vineyard,  and  they  were  all  char- 
tered by  the  name  of  "  Two  Heroes,"  October  27,  1779,  to  Ethan  Allen, 
Samuel  Herrick,  and  363  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in 
1783  by  Enos  and  Solomon  Wood,  the  former  from  Bennington,  and 
the  latter  from  Nonvich,  Conn.  The  British  erected  a  bloclc-house  here, 
at  a  place  called  Dutchman's  Point,  which  was  garrisoned,  and  not 
given  up  till  1796.  North  Hero  was  organized  in  1789,  and  has  an  area 
of  7,349  acres.  The  soil  is  of  an  excellent  quality,  and  produces  grain 
of  all  kinds  in  abundance.  It  has  no  streams  of  any  consequence,  and 
no  mills  or  mill  privileges.     There  is  one  village,  called  "  the  City."     Its 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   NORWICH.  865 

public  buildings  are  a  stone  court-house  and  jail.  It  has  one  church  edi- 
fice, occupied  by  the  Methodists  ;  four  school  districts,  one  post-office, 
and  two  stores.     Population,  730  ;  valuation,  $188,600. 

Norwich,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Windsor  county,  forty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  to  Eleazer  Wales  and  sixty-two  others,  July 
4,  1761,  by  the  name  of  Norwhich.  In  1762,  the  township  was  partly 
lotted,  and  the  next  year  Jacob  Fenton,  Ebenezer  Smith,  and  John  Slaf- 
ter  came  here  from  Mansfield,  Conn.,  built  them  a  camp  and  began 
improvements.  There  were  at  this  time  two  men  in  Hanover,  and  a 
small  settlement  in  Lebanon,  both  towns  lying  opposite  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  July,  Smith  and  Slafter  left  Fenton  at  the  camp,  while  they 
went  to  Lebanon  to  hoe  corn  ;  and  upon  their  return  on  Saturday  even- 
ing found  him  dead.  It  appeared  afterwards  that  Colonel  Otis  Free- 
man, of  Lebanon,  had  happened  over  here,  and  remained  with  Fenton 
till  his  death,  when  he  went  to  procure  help  to  bury  him,  which  was 
done  July  15,  1763,^  and  a  monument  was  erected  over  the  spot.  In 
1764,  four  men  (says  Thompson)  moved  their  families  into  the  township, 
and  from  this  time  the  settlement  advanced  with  considerable  rapidity, 
mostly  by  immigration  from  Preston  and  Mansfield,  Conn.  "  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1764,"  according  to  Grant  Powers,  "  Jacob  Burton  of  Stoning- 
ton.  Conn.,  came  to  Norwich  and  viewed  the  country  for  the  purpose  of 
locating  himself,  provided  he  was  suited  A\'ith  appearances.  At  that 
time  there  was  no  inhabitant  in  the  town.  The  next  year,  1765,  he 
returned  here  and  laid  out  a  part  of  the  town  into  lots ;  and  in  June, 
1766,  he  came  with  Asa,  his  son,  then  in  his  fourteenth  year,  and  some 
other  hands,  and  built  a  saw-mill  a  little  west  of  Norwich  Plain.  There 
were  then  but  two  families  ^  in  the  town ;  one  by  the  name  of  Messenger, 
who  lived  at  the  west  end  of  the  present  bridge  leading  from  Hanover 
to  Norwich,  and  a  Mr.  Hutchinson,  who  lived  near  where  the  military 
academy  now  stands.  Messenger  and  Hutchinson  came  into  town  either 
in  1765  or  the  spring  of  1766." 

'  Rev.  Grant  Powers,  in  his  "Historical  Sketches  of  the  Cods  Country,"  says  that 
Fenton's  death  occurred  in  1765. 

'  Powers  claims  to  have  derived  this  information  from  Rev.  Asa  Burton,  the  son 
alluded  to,  and  proceeds  to  a  somewhat  savage  onslaught  upon  Thompson  and  his  Gazet- 
teer, on  the  charge  of  carelessness  in  procuring  dates  and  facts,  while  he  meets  with  a 
difficulty  in  reconciling  this  account  with  the  statement  of  Colonel  Freeman,  that  "  Smith 
and  Slafter  were  there  in  1765."  This  he  attempts  to  dispose  of  by  the  supposition  that 
Burton  did  not  refer  to  men  without  families,  as  it  was  quite  common  for  single  men  to 
make  a  temporary  location.  Some  of  Thompson's  four  families,  who  came  in  1764,  might 
have  remained  hut  a  short  time ;  and  it  is  certainly  among  the  possibilities,  that  Mr. 
Burton  was  a  year  out  of  the  way  as  to  his  father's  Jirst  arrival. 

VOL.  I.  73 


866 


HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 


The  town  was  organized  in  Connecticut,  the  first  town  meeting  hav- 
ing been  held  in  Norwich,  in  1768.  The  township  contains  about 
25,000  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is  uneven,  but  nearly  all  admitting  of 
cultivation.  Here  are  some  of  the  finest  orchards  in  the  State.  The 
town  is  watered  by  Connecticut  river,  Ompompanoosuc  river,  Mosher's 
and  Bloody  brooks.  Bloody  brook  falls  into  the  Connecticut,  just  below 
the  bridge  leading  from  Norwich  to  Dartmouth  College.  This  brook  is 
said  to  have  derived  its  name  from  a  bloody  battle  fought  here  during 
the  French  war.  On  each  of  these  streams  are  some  excellent  mill-seats 
and  some  fine  tracts  of  interval.  Extensive  beds  of  iron  ore  are  found 
in  the  northwest  corner;  and,  on  the  bank  of  Connecticut  river,  about 


Norwich  University. 


seventy  rods  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ompompanoosuc,  is  an  Indian  bury- 
ing-ground,  where  human  bones,  stone  pots,  and  arrows  are  frequently 
found. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  of  this  town  now  deceased  were  Hon. 
Peter  Olcott,  who  died  in  September,  1808,  having  held,  beside  several 
important  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  state,  a  military  command  at  the 
capture  of  General  Burgoyne,  and  afterwards  passed  through  every 
grade  of  military  office  to  that  of  major-general.  The  Hon.  Thomas 
Murdock,  who  died  in  December,  1803,  was  a  member  of  the  council 
of  the  state,  and  a  judge  of  the  county  court.  The  Hon.  Paul  Brio-ham 
who  died  July  15, 1824,  served  four  years  as  captain  in  the  Revolutionary 


VERMONT — TOWN  OF  ORANQE.  867 

army,  and,  besides  holding  several  other  important  offices,  was,  for 
twenty-two  years,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state. 

In  1820,  an  institution  was  established  here  under  the  name  of  the 
American  Literary,  Scientific,  and  Military  Academy,  and  a  commo- 
dious building  was  erected  for  its  accommodation.  It  was  placed 
under  the  superintendence  of  Captain  Alden  Partridge,  and  continued 
for  a  number  of  years  in  a  flourishing  condition,  with  pupils  or  cadets 
from  nearly  all  the  states  in  the  Union.  Subsequently  the  principal  part 
of  the  school  was  removed  to  Middletown,  Conn.,  but  was  at  length 
restored  to  Norwich  (a  small  school  having  meantime  kept  possession 
of  the  building),  under  the  name  of  the  Norwich  University,  by  the  act 
of  November  6,  1834,  with  the  insignia  of  a  regular  college,  differing 
however  in  this,  that  no  definite  term  was  prescribed  in  which  to  com- 
plete a  course  of  study,  students  being  admitted  to  honors  upon  passing 
a  satisfactory  examination.  This  went  into  operation  in  May,  1835. 
It  has  never  been  practically  regarded  as  among  the  colleges  of  the 
first  rank.  The  present  number  of  pupils  is  about  eighty.  The  highest 
number  in  attendance  during  any  year  has  been  104,  and  the  least, 
forty.  The  first  president  was  Captain  Partridge.  His  successors  have 
been  General  Truman  B.  Ransom,  who  died  on  the  battle  field  of 
Chapultepec,  General  Henry  S.  Wheaton,  and  Rev.  Edward  Bourns, 
D.  D.,  the  present  incumbent. 

Norwich  village  is  pleasantly  situated  on  Norwich  plain,  and  is  a 
thriving  little  place.  The  town  has  one  other  vUlage  —  West  Norwich; 
five  churches  —  Baptist,  Congregational,  Episcopal,  and  two  Metho- 
dist ;  twenty-three  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Norwich  and 
Pompanoosuc ;  also,  a  tannery,  and  shops  for  making  wagons,  cabinet 
ware,  sashes  and  blinds,  and  harnesses.  The  Connecticut  and  Passump- 
sic  Rivers  Railroad  passes  along  the  eastern  boundary  of  Norwich. 
Population,  1,678 ;  valuation,  $602,739. 

Orange,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Orange  county,  thirteen  miles 
from  MontpeUer,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Captain  Ebenezer  Green,  Amos  Robinson,  and  sixty-three  others, 
August  11,  1781.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced  by  Ensign 
Joseph  Williams,  in  September,  1793,  on  the  south  line  of  the  town. 
Others  who  came  early  and  held  offices  were  John  Sloane,  Ezra  and 
Thomas  S.  Paine,  Goold  Camp,  and  Fairbanks  Bush. 

Orange  was  organized  March  12,  1796,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  rather  brolcen.  Knox  moun- 
tain, in  the  iiortheasterly  part,  is  a  considerable  elevation,  and  affords 
inexhaustible  quantities  of  granite  for  building-stone.     The  soil  in  some 


868  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

parts,  particularly  on  the  heights,  is  rather  cold  and  wet ;  in  other  parts, 
and  on  the  streams,  it  is  rich  and  productive.  Large  flocks  of  sheep 
are  kept  in  this  town,  and  considerable  attention  is  paid  to  dairying. 
The  principal  streams  are  Jail  branch  and  Cold  branch.  There  are 
t\vo  villages — Orange  and  Bast  Orange,  each  of  which  has  a  post- 
office;  two  church  edifices  —  Union  at  Orange,  and  Free-will  Baptist 
at  the  east  village ;  and  fourteen  school  districts :  also,  two  starch 
factories,  and  several  mills.     Population,  1,007  ;  valuation,  $268,867. 

Orange  County  lies  on  the  east  side  of  the  Green  Mountains,  about 
half-way  between  the  northern  and  southern  boundaries  of  the  state, 
and  contains  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles.  It  was  one  of 
the  three  original  counties  made  out  of  Cumberland, —  Windham  and 
"Windsor  being  the  others,  —  which  were  all  incorporated  in  February, 
1781.  Its  original  limits  extended  northward  to  Canada,  but  nine  towns 
were  taken  from  it  upon  the  west,  in  1785,  and  the  tenth,  in  1786,  to 
help  form  Addison :  Caledonia  county  was  incorporated  from  it  in  1796  ; 
and  some  half-dozen  towns  were  taken  in  1811  and  1836  for  Wash- 
ington county.  It  has  now  seventeen  towns.  There  are  no  large 
streams.  Wells  river  runs  across  the  northeast  corner ;  and  Con- 
necticut river  and  its  tributaries,  particularly  Ompompanoosuc  and 
Wait's  river,  water  the  eastern  and  southeastern  parts.  The  first, 
second,  and  third  branches  of  White  river  water  the  south  and  south- 
western part,  and  Stevens's  branch  of  Winooski  river  waters  the  north- 
western part.  The  eastern  range  of  Green  Mountains,  called  the  height 
of  lands,  extends  along  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county.  The  rocks 
in  the  northern  and  central  parts  are  almost  exclusively  granite,  which 
in  many  places  makes  the  best  of  mill  and  building  stones.  Lead  ore 
is  found  in  Strafford,  and  immense  quantities  of  the  sulphuret  of  iron 
in  Thetford.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  passes 
along  its  easterly  margin,  and  the  Vermont  Central  crosses  its  south- 
west corner.  Chelsea,  lying  in  the  centre  of  the  county,  is  the  shire 
town.  The  supreme  court  holds  its  annual  session  in  March,  and  the 
county  courts  sit  in  January  and  June.  Population,  27,296 ;  valuation, 
$8,104,338. 

Orleans  County  lies  in  the  north  part  of  the  state,  about  half-way 
between  Connecticut  river  and  Lake  Champlain,  and  contains  seven 
hundred  square  miles.  It  was  incorporated  March  2,  1797,  at  the  time 
the  legislature  fixed  the  bounds  of  eleven  counties;  and  the  county 
officers  were  chosen  at  the  October  session  of  the  legislature  the  same 
year.     In  1836,  one  town  was  taken  from  this  and  annexed  to  Wash- 


VEEMONT  —  TOWN   OF   ORWELL.  869 

ington  county,  and  four  were  taken  to  form  Lamoille.  It  has  now 
nineteen  towns.  The  first  settlement  was  commenced  in  1787,  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  river  Lamoille.  This  county 
contains  more  ponds  than  any  other  in  the  state,  and  Memphremagog 
lake  lies  partly  in  the  north  part  The  eastern  and  central  parts  are 
watered  by  Black,  Barton,  and  Clyde  rivers,  the  southern  part  by  the 
Lamoille,  and  the  western  part  by  the  Missisco  river.  This  county  lies 
wholly  between  the  eastern  and  western  ranges  of  the  Green  Mountains. 
The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  extends  into  it  as 
far  as  Barton,  and  will  doubtless  be  continued  through  the  eastern 
central  part  to  the  Canada  line.  Irasburgh  is  the  capital.  The  annual 
session  of  the  supreme  court  is  held  here  in  August ;  and  the  terms  of 
the  county  courts  occur  in  June  and  December.  Population,  15,707; 
valuation,  ^3,644,854. 

Orwell,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Addison  county,  forty-seven  miles 
from  Montpelier,  lies  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  is 
opposite  to  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.,  the  average  width  of  the  lake  between 
Mount  Independence  in  this  town  and  Ticonderoga  being  eighty 
rods.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  to  Benjamin  Ferris, 
Benjamin  Underbill,  and  sixty-two  others,  August  8,  1763.  John 
Charter  began  improvements  on  the  south  end  of  Mount  Independence, 
and  lived  here  several  years  before  the  Revolution.  In  1776,  a  large  body 
of  troops  were  here  collected,  the  gi-eater  part  of  which  were  stationed  at 
Mount  Independence,  at  the  north  end  of  which  was  a  breastwork  with 
a  picket  fort  on  the  top.  The  next  year,  Ticonderoga  and  Mount 
Independence  feU  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  and  the  Americans 
retreated  to  the  south.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  in 
1783,  upon  Mount  Independence,  by  Amos  Spafford,  Shadrach  Hatha- 
way, Ebenezer  Murray,  Ephraim  and  William  Fisher,  and  by  John 
Charter,  who  was  driven  off  during  the  war.  The  next  year  the  Hon. 
Pliny  Smith  and  others  came  in,  and  from  this  time  the  settlement 
advanced  with  considerable  rapidity. 

Orwell  was  organized  December  12,  1787,  and  contains  forty-two 
square  miles.  A  small  part  of  Benson  was  annexed  to  this  town 
November  8,  1847,  and  five  days  after,  the  town  was  taken  from 
Rutland  county  and  annexed  to  Addison.  There  is  a  tract  of  about 
two  thousand  acres  in  the  south  part  which  is  somewhat  broken  and 
hilly ;  but  the  remaining  part  is  very  smooth  land,  and  produces  abun- 
dant crops  of  all  kinds  of  grain.  The  principal  streams  are  East  creek 
(which  rises  in  Benson  and  falls  into  Lake  Champlain,  on  the  north 
side  of  Mount  Independence),  and  Lemonfair  river,  which  here  consists 

73* 


870  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

of  two  branches  running  parallel  with  each  other,  along  the  eastern 
border,  and  uniting  near  the  north  line  of  tlie  township.  On  these 
streams  are  several  mill  privileges,  which  are  good  during  a  part  of  the 
year.  Orwell  has  one  village,  called  the  Centre ;  and  embryo  villages 
at  Abell's  Corner,  the  Baptist  church,  and  Chipman's  Point;  four  church 
edifices  —  two  Methodist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Baptist ;  twelve 
school  districts,  all  having  good  school-houses  ;  the  Mount  Independence 
library,  recently  started ;  two  post-offices  —  Orwell  and  Chipman's 
Point ;  and  the  Farmers'  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000 :  also,  one 
grist-mill,  three  saw-mills,  two  shingle  mUls,  and  four  dry  goods  stores. 
Population,  1,470  ;  valuation,  $719,607. 

Panton,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Addison  county,  on  Lake 
Champlain,  which  separates  it  from  Elizabethtown,  N.  Y.,  is  thirty- 
eight  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire, 
November  3,  1761,  to  James  Nichols  and  sixty-nine  others,  and  a 
settlement  was  commenced  in  1770,  by  John  Pangborn  and  Odle 
Squire,  from  Cornwall,  Conn.,  who  were  soon  joined  by  Timothy 
Spalding  and  others,  from  the  same  place,  and  Peter  Ferris,  from  Nine 
Partners,  N.  Y.  Ferris  settled  at  the  bay  where  Arnold  blew  up  his 
fleet  during  the  Revolution,  the  wrecks  of  which  were,  at  a  recent  period, 
to  be  seen  at  low  water.  During  the  Revolution  this  settlement  was 
broken  up,  most  of  the  men  having  been  made  prisoners,  their  dwellings 
burnt,  and  the  women  and  children  driven  to  the  south.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  peace  the  settlers  returned,  and  located  themselves  on  their 
former  clearings.  Panton  was  organized  in  1784,  and  contains  an  area 
of  25,000  acres,  which,  after  the  termination  of  a  long  legal  controversy 
with  the  town  of  Addison,  was  reduced  to  10,530  acres.  The  le<risla- 
ture  passed  an  act,  November  3,  1847,  which  would  have  enlarged  its 
size  by  some  fifteen  square  miles,  by  annexing  to  it  all  of  Ferrisbur^h 
west  of  the  Great  Otter  creek,  but  the  towns  refused  to  accept  the  act, 
it  being  made  dependent  on  their  ratification.  The  surface  is  very  level. 
The  only  stream  of  consequence  is  Dead  creek,  which  runs  northerly 
nearly  through  the  centre,  and  unites  with  Otter  creek  in  Ferrisburgh. 
There  is  not  a  good  mill  privilege  in  the  town.  There  are  two  church 
edifices  —  Baptist  and  Methodist;  four  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office.  The  people  are  engaged  exclusively  in  agriculture.  Population, 
559 ;  valuation,  ^220,743. 

Pawlet,  in  the  southwestern  corner  of  Rutland  county,  seventy-seven 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  26, 
1761,  to  Jonathan  Willard  and  sixty-one  others.     The  settlement  was 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF  PEACHAM.  871 

commenced  the  same  year  by  Simeon  Burton  and  William  Fairfield. 
The  next  year  Captain  Jonathan  Willard,  who  owned  twenty-two 
rights  of  land,  equal  to  7,920  acres,  came  here  with  eight  or  ten  hired 
men ;  and  Messrs.  Rush,  Fitch,  and  others  arrived  about  the  same  time. 
Pawlet  was  organized  in  1769,  and  contains  24,052  acres.  It  is  divided 
nearly  in  the  centre  by  a  range  of  mountains  extending  through  it  from 
south  to  north,  the  most  remarkable  summit  being  a  little  north  of  the 
centre,  and  called  Haystack  mountain.  The  soil  is  dry  and  warm, 
easily  cultivated,  and  produces  good  crops  of  grain  and  grass.  The 
principal  streams  are  Pawlet  and  Indian  rivers,  the  latter  of  which  rises 
from  a  spring  of  pure  water  sufficiently  large  to  carry  a  grist-mill. 
Indian  river  abounds  in  trout,  and  takes  its  name  from  the  great 
number  of  Indians  who  formerly  resorted  here  for  the  purpose  of  fishing. 
There  are  two  villages  —  Algiers  and  West  Pawlet ;  five  church  edifices 
—  Congregational,  Methodist,  Campbellite,  and  two  Baptist ;  fifteen 
school  districts,  an  academy,  and  two  post-offices  —  Pawlet  and  West 
Pawlet :  also,  one  grist-mill,  one  wagon  shop,  and  several  blaclcsmith's 
shops.  The  Rutland  and  Washington  Railroad  passes  through  this 
town.     Population,  1,843 ;  valuation,  $663,531. 

Peacham,  in  the  western  part  of  Caledonia  county,  twenty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  December  31,  1763,  to 
David  Smith  and  sixty-nine  others.  In  1773,  that  part  called  "  The 
Square"  was  allotted,  and  several  claims  were  pitched  upon.  In  1774, 
pitches  were  made  by  Jonathan  Elkins,  John  Sanborn,  Frye  Bailey, 
John  Skeel,  and  Robert  Carr ;  and  the  same  year  a  line  was  run  from 
Connecticut  river  in  Barnet,  through  Peacham,  to  Missisco  bay  on  Lake 
Champlain.  This  line  was  of  great  use  to  our  scouts,  and  to  deserters 
from  the  enemy  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  the  spring  of  1775, 
Jonathan  Elkins  came  to  the  town,  accompanied  by  several  hired  men, 
and  began  improvements  upon  the  lot  he  had  made  choice  of  the  year 
before.  In  March,  1776,  several  companies  belonging  to  Colonel  Bee- 
del's  regiment  marched  through  Peacham  to  Canada  upon  snow-shoes. 
The  same  spring.  General  Bailey,  having  had  orders  to  open  a  road 
from  Newbury  to  St.  Johns,  for  the  conveying  of  troops  and  provisions 
into  Canada,  had  it  cut  from  Newbury  six  miles  above  this  town,  when 
the  news  arrived  that  our  army  had  retreated  from  Canada,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  undertaking  was  abandoned.  Mr.  Elkins  moved 
his  family  to  Peacham  in  June  of  this  year ;  but,  after  a  stay  of  three 
weeks,  was  obliged  to  retreat  with  General  Bailey's  men  to  Newbury, 
where  he  remained  until  the  October  following,  when  he  moved  back 


872  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

again.  The  only  families  that  remained  here  during  the  succeeding 
winter  were  those  of  Mr.  Elkins,  John  Skeel,  and  Archibald  McLachlin. 
In  1777,  however,  the  settlement  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  James 
Bailey,  Asher  Chamberlain,  and  Noah  HoUyday,  with  their  families. 

In  1778,  the  scouts  having  frequently  discovered  tracks  of  Indians,  the 
inhabitants  became  considerably  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  settle- 
ment, expecting  an  attack  at  almost  any  moment.  During  the  same 
year,  a  number  of  prisoners  and  British  deserters  found  their  way 
through  from  Canada,  and  arrived  at  Peacham  in  a  famished  condition. 
In  1779,  General  Hazen,  with  a  part  of  his  regiment,  came  to  the  town, 
for  the  purpose,  as  he  said,  of  completing  the  road  commenced  by 
General  Bailey  in  1776,  that  an  army  might  be  sent  through  for  the 
reduction  of  Canada.  But  this  was  only  a  feint  for  dividing  the  enemy, 
and  preventing  their  sending  their  whole  force  up  the  lakes.  The  road 
was,  however,  cut  by  Hazen  for  fifty  miles  above  Peacham,  and  several 
block-houses  erected  on  the  route.  This  thoroughfare  was  of  considera- 
ble benefit  to  the  settlers  in  its  neighborhood  after  the  war ;  and,  in 
many  places,  is  still  called  the  Hazen  road.  Hazen  marched  to  the 
south  in  the  fall,  abandoning  all  the  block-houses  except  the  one  twelve 
miles  above  Peacham,  and  committing  this  to  the  care  of  a  sergeant's 
guard.  In  the  spring  of  1780,  Captain  Aldrich  came  to  Peacham  and 
built  a  small  picket  around  the  house  of  James  Bailey,  and  the  block- 
house above  was  abandoned.  In  the  fall,  Aldrich  marched  his  men  to 
the  south,  leaving  the  inhabitants  to  look  out  for  themselves.  Colonel 
Thomas  Johnson,  of  Newbury,  who  had  engaged  to  erect  mills  in 
Peacham,  arrived  at  Deacon  Jonathan  Elkins's  with  the  mill-stones  on 
the  evening  of  the  6th  of  March,  1781.  About  one  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  8th,  a  party  of  the  enemy  from  Canada  came  upon 
them  and  made  prisoners  of  Colonel  Johnson,  Jacob  Page,  and  Jonathan 
and  Moses  Elkins,  sons  of  Deacon  Elkins,  the  latter  being  allowed  to 
return  on  account  of  his  sickly  condition.  They  were  all  carried  to 
St.  Johns.  Colonel  Johnson  returned  on  parole  ;  Mr.  Page  was  sent  to 
Montreal,  and  Jonathan  Elkins  to  Quebec;  and  the  two  last  were 
imprisoned.  In  the  fall,  when  the  British  fleet  sailed  from  Quebec, 
Colonel  Elkins  was  sent  a  prisoner  to  England  with  about  150  others,  who 
were  distributed  throughout  the  fleet  and  obliged  to  do  duty.  When 
the  fleet  arrived  at  Plymouth,  England,  the  prisoners  were  confined  in 
Mill  prison,  where  they  remained  until  they  were  exchanged  for  Corn- 
wallis's  troops,  in  1782,  when  Colonel  Elkins  returned  again  to  Peacham. 
Captain  Nehemiah  Lovewell  was  stationed  with  his  company  in 
this  town  during  the  summer  of  1781.     In  September,  he  sent  a  scout 


VERMONT  —  TOWN  OF  PERU.  873 

of  four  men  up  the  Hazen  road,  who  were  ambushed  and  fired  upon  by 
the  Indians.  Two  were  killed  and  scalped,  and  the  other  two  taken, 
and  on  the  tenth  day  after  they  left  Peacham,  they  were  prisoners  in 
Quebec  with  Colonel  Elkins.  There  were  no  soldiers  kept  here  in 
1782,  and  two  men  named  Bailey,  of  this  town,  were  carried  prisoners 
to  Canada. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  of  this  town  was  Hon.  John  Mattocks, 
who  was  a  successful  lawyer,  and  held  and  discharged  with  ability 
various  public  trusts,  —  was  for  three  years  a  member  of  congress,  two 
years  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  and  one  year  governor  of  the  state. 
He  died  August  14,  1847. 

Peacham  was  organized  March  18,  1783,  and  contained,  by  the  char- 
ter, 23,040  acres.  One  half  of  Deweysburgh,  being  about  2,650  acres, 
was  annexed  to  it,  November  2,  1810.  In  the  valuation  table,  its 
area  is  set  down  at  26,008  acres.  A  ridge  of  land  passes  through 
the  western  part,  which  has  no  considerable  elevation,  but  a  hard, 
unproductive  soil:  the  eastern  part  is  rich,  and  pleasantly  diversified 
with  hills  and  valleys.  This  section  is  occupied  by  a  great  number  of 
respectable  and  wealthy  farmers.  Shell  marl  (from  which  lime  has  been 
manufactured)  and  limestone  are  found  in  large  quantities.  Onion  river 
pond  lies  in  the  western  part,  and  covers  three  hundred  acres.  There  are 
several  other  small  ponds.  Two  considerable  streams,  passing  off  to  the 
east  into  Stevens  branch,  afford  numerous  mill  privileges.  Peacham 
has  four  villages  —  Peacham,  Peacham  HoUow,  Ewell's  Mills,  and 
Water  Street ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist 
Episcopal ;  fourteen  school  districts ;  an  excellent  academy,  known  as 
the  Caledonia  County  Grammar- School,  one  of  the  oldest  ia  the  state, 
and  endowed ;  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  starch  factory,  four  stores, 
and  the  usual  mechanical  and  other  business  incident  to  an  agricultural 
community.     Population,  1,377  ;  valuation,  $464,461. 

Peru,  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Bennington  county,  on  the  sum- 
rait  of  the  Green  Mountains,  is  eighty  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was 
chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  13, 1761,  to  William  Sumner  and 
sixty-five  others,  by  the  name  of  Bromley,  and  the  settlement  was 
commenced  about  the  year  1773  by  William  Barlow,  from  Woodstock, 
Conn.  The  town  was  organized  March  1,  1802,  and  contains,  by  char- 
ter, 23,040  acres,  much  of  which  is  high  and  broken,  and  but  partially 
cleared.  A  portion  was  annexed  to  Mount  Tabor,  October  25,  1805. 
There  are  two  natural  ponds,  one  covering  about  forty,  and  the  other 
about  sixty  acres.  The  eastern  part  of  the  town  is  watered  by  the  head 
branches  of  West  river.     The  best  road  across  the  Green  Mountains  in 


874  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  state,  south  of  Montpelier,  passes  through  this  place.  Peru  has  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  seven  school  districts ; 
and  one  post-office.     Population,  567 ;  valuation,  ^122,664. 

PiTTSFlELD,  in  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of  Rutland  county,  thirty- 
five  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  8,  1780,  and  char- 
tered to  Samuel  Wilcox  and  129  others,  July  29,  1781.  The  settlement 
was  begun  in  1786,  by  Thomas  Hodgkins,  Stephen  Holt,  George  Mar- 
tin, Daniel  and  Jacob  Bowe,  and  a  Mr.  Woodard.  It  was  organized 
March  26,  1793,  and  contains  twelve  thousand  acres.  Portions  were 
taken  from  it  and  added  to  Rochester,  October  29,  1806,  and  November 
15,  1824;  and  portions  of  Stockbridge  were  annexed  to  it,  November 
15,  1813,  and  October  22,  1822.  The  surface  is  mountainous,  and  so 
rough  that  some  malicious  wag  has  attributed  to  the  good  people  of 
this  place  the  invention  and  first  introduction  of  the  one-legged  milking- 
stool,  as  the  means  of  conquering  a  stern  difficulty.  The  most  important 
elevation  is  called  Wilcox's  peak.  White  river,  and  two  streams  which 
unite  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  forming  Tweed  river,  which  falls  into 
White  river  in  Stockbridge,  afford  several  good  miU  privileges.  The 
religious  denominations  are  Congregationalists  and  Methodists,  each  of 
which  is  supplied  with  a  house  of  worship.  There  are  seven  school 
districts,  and  a  post-office.     Population,  512;  valuation,  $116,207. 

PiTTSFORD,  in  the  northeiiy  part  of  Rutland  county,  forty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  by  New  Hampshire,  October  12,  1761,  to 
Ephraim  Doolittle  and  sixty- three  others,  not  one  of  whom  ever  settled 
here.  The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1769  by  Gideon  and  Benja- 
min Cooley,  from  Greenwich,  Mass.,  who  were  soon  joined  by  Roger 
Stevens,  Felix  Powell,  Ebenezer  Hopkins,  Stephen  Mead,  Moses  Olm- 
stead,  Edward  Owen,  Joshua  Woodward,  and  others,  from  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  two  picket  forts 
were  erected  here,  one  called  Fort  Mott,  and  the  other  Fort  Vengeance, 
the  latter  of  which  was  built,  early  in  the  year  1779,  upon  an  eminence 
on  the  east  side  of  Otter  creek,  near  the  stage  road  from  Pittsford  to 
Middlebury.  This  was  a  frontier  township,  and  Fort  Vengeance  was 
the  most  northerly  post  in  Vermont,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Green 
Mountains,  held  by  the  Americans  during  the  Revolution. 

Pittsford  was  probably  organized  as  early  as  1770,  but  the  exact  date 
is  unknown,  the  first  records  having  been  accidentally  burned.  The 
town  first  sent  a  representative  —  Jonathan  Fassett  —  in  1778.  It  has 
an  area  of  25,950  acres.  The  surface  is  generally  level;  a  range  of 
hills,  however,  extends  along  the  west  line,  between  this  place  and  Hub- 


VERMONT TOWN   OP   PLAINFIELD.  875 

bardton.  The  soil  is  mostly  loam,  with  some  tracts  in  which  sand  or 
clay  prevails ;  while  along  the  margin  of  Otter  creek  and  Furnace  brook 
are  some  extensive  meadows  of  rich  alluvium.  Iron  ore,  and  marble  of 
excellent  quality,  are  found  in  abundance ;  much  of  the  marble  was 
formerly  taken  to  Middlebury  to  be  sawn  and  wrought.  Otter  creek  and 
Furnace  brook  (formed  by  the  union  of  East  creek  and  Philadelphia 
river)  are  the  principal  streams,  the  latter  of  which  furnishes  numerous 
mill  privileges.  There  are  two  ponds,  one  of  about  twenty,  the  other  of 
about  thirty  acres  ;  four  villages  —  Pittsford,  Mill,  Furnace,  and  Hitch- 
cock ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Methodist ; 
twelve  school  districts,  and  eight  parts  of  districts,  with  fifteen  schools ; 
and  one  post-office :  also,  the  Pittsford  Iron  Company,  manufacturing 
pig-iron  and  stoves ;  one  tannery,  and  several  mechanic  shops.  The 
Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  passes  through  the  town.  Popula- 
tion, 2,026 ;  valuation,  $886,889. 

Plainfield,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Washington  county,  adjoining  East 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  to  General  James  "Whitelaw  and  others, 
October  27,  1788,  by  the  name  of  St.  Andrew's  gore.  The  settlement 
was  commenced,  about  the  year  1794,  by  Theodore  Perkins,  Joseph 
Batchelder,  and  Seth  Freeman,  who  were  joined  the  next  year  by  Jona- 
than and  Bradford  Kinney,  Moulton  Batchelder,  John  Moore,  and  others, 
from  different  parts  of  New  England.  The  titles  to  the  lands,  under 
which  the  first  settlers  purchased,  proved  to  be  invalid,  and  they  were 
mostly  obliged  to  purchase  a  second  time ;  but  by  the  indulgence  of  the 
Hon.  Heman  Allen,  into  whose  hands  the  lands  had  fallen,  the  inhab- 
itants were  generally  enabled  to  retain  the  farms  on  which  they  had 
commenced  improvements.  Plainfield  was  organized,  under  the  charter 
name,  April  4,  1796,  which  was  changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears, 
November  6,  1797.  The  town  contains  ten  thousand  acres.  The  legis- 
lature passed  an  act,  November  14,  1855,  to  annex  to  it  Goshen  and 
Harris  gores,  if  the  people  of  Plainfield  should  accept  the  act ;  but  the 
act  was  rejected.  The  surface  is  uneven ;  although  there  is  but  little 
waste  land,  and  the  soil  is  generally  of  good  quafity.  It  is  watered  by 
Winooski  river,  and  by  Great  brook,  which  flows  into  the  Winooski. 
There  is  a  small  but  excellent  trout  pond^  in  the  eastern  part,  and  a 
mineral  spring  similar  to  the  springs  in  Newbury,  which  is  a  place  of 
some  resort  for  invalids.     At  the  junction  of  Winooski  river  and  Great 


'  This  pond  broke  through  its  embankments  on  the  Gth  of  July,  1857,  and  swept  off 
mills,  shops,  and  bridges,  destroying  twelve  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  property.  There 
was  no  apparent  cause  for  the  swelling  of  the  water,  as  the  weather  was  dry. 


876  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

brook  is  a  small  village.  There  are  two  meeting-houses,  occupied  by- 
Methodists,  Congregationalists,  Baptists,  and  Universalists ;  eight  school 
districts  with  nine  schools ;  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  tannery,  one 
manufactory  of  edge-tools,  one  door  and  blind  factory,  two  wooden-ware 
shops,  and  shops  for  making  wagons,  boots,  tin-ware,  and  harnesses, 
besides  a  blacksmith's  and  a  wheelwright's  shop.  Population,  808  ;  val- 
uation, $255,131. 

Plymouth,  in  the  western  part  of  Windsor  county,  fifty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  6,  1761,  to  Jer- 
emiah Hall,  John  Grimes,  and  sixty-two  others,  by  the  name  of  Saltash. 
A  grant  was  also  made  by  New  York  to  Ichabod  Fisher  and  others. 
May  13,  1772,  but  no  charter  appears  to  have  been  taken  out.  The  set- 
tlement was  commenced  in  1777  by  John  Mudge,  who  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  Aaron  Hewett  and  others.  The  town  was  organized  about 
the  year  1787,  and  contains  25,600  acres.  The  present  name  was  made 
to  supersede  that  of  Saltash,  February  23,  1797.  The  surface  is  con- 
siderably broken,  two  mountains  extending  through  the  town  parallel  to 
the  river,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  it.  The  mountain  on  the  north- 
eastern side  is  very  abrapt,  and  is  known  as  Mount  Tom.  At  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  on  the  southwestern  side  of  the  river,  are  situated  the 
Plymouth  caverns,  the  principal  one  of  which  was  discovered  July  1, 
1818,  and  on  the  10th  of  that  month  was  thoroughly  explored  by 
Zadock  Thompson,  the  historian.  This  contains  seven  rooms,  curi- 
ous in  their  formation,  and  varying  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  in  length,  the 
roofs  of  which,  when  discovered,  were  festooned  with  stalactites,  and 
the  bottom  with  stalagmites,  which  have  been  broken  off  and  carried 
away.  The  rocks  of  the  cavern  are  limestone,  and  it  was  probably 
formed  by  the  removal  of  the  earth  from  among  the  rocks  by  water. 
This  cave  is  visited  by  a  large  number  of  persons  during  the  summer 
season.  Plymouth  is  watered  by  Black  and  Otta  Quechee  rivers,  on  the 
former  of  which  are  several  good  mill  seats.  There  are  a  number  of  nat- 
ural ponds,  which  abound  in  fish.  Soapstone  is  found  here,  as  also  con- 
siderable quantities  of  iron  ore  of  a  superior  quality,  which  is  smelted 
and  cast  into  stoves  at  the  village  called  Tyson  Furnace.  There  are 
two  church  edifices  —  Union  and  Congregational ;  sixteen  school  dis- 
tricts, and  two  post-offices  —  Plymouth  and  Tyson  Furnace  :  also,  eleven 
saw-mills  and  four  grist-mills.     Population,  1,226  ;  valuation,  $332,476. 

POMFRET,  in  the  northerly  part  of  Windsor  county,  forty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  8,  1761,  to  Isaac 
Dana  and  sixty-five  others  ;  and  the  settlement  was  commenced,  in  the 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   POULTNEY.  877 

spring  of  1770,  by  Bartholomew  Durltee,  from  Pomfret,  Conn.,  who 
came  in  with  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  five  children,  on  the 
6th  day  of  March,  on  foot,  upon  a  snow-shoe  path,  drawing  their 
furniture  upon  hand-sleds.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days,  they  were  joined 
in  the  settlement  by  John  Cheedle  and  family ;  and  in  1771,  William 
Wilson  immigrated  here  from  Connecticut,  being  followed  a  few  weeks 
after  by  his  wife  and  three  children,  who  came  the  whole  distance  on 
foot.  In  the  course  of  two  years  the  settlement  was  increased  by  a 
great  number  of  families,  among  whom  were  John  W.  Dana,  Seth 
Hodges,  and  Benjamin  Bugbee.  Mr.  Dana  soon  after  erected  the  first 
grist-mill,  upon  a  small  stream  falling  into  White  river. 

Pomfret  was  organized  in  March,  1773,  and  contains  23,500  acres. 
The  surface  is  considerably  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  generally  good. 
There  are  to  be  seen  here  the  traces  of  a  hurricane,  which  formerly 
passed  through  the  township  from  west  to  east,  and  which  probably 
laid  prostrate  the  whole  of  the  timber,  a  new  growth  having  arisen 
much  younger  than  that  of  the  neighboring  forests.  White  river  touches 
upon  the  northeast  corner,  and  Ott§,  Quechee  river  upon  the  southeast 
corner.  There  are  three  villages  —  Pomfret,  South  Pomfret,  and  Snow's 
Store,  at  each  of  which  there  is  a  post-office ;  three  church  edifices  — 
Methodist,  Congregational,  and  Christian ;  and  sixteen  school  districts, 
in  one  of  which  there  is  a  select  school :  also,  two  grist-mills,  and  five 
saw-mills.     Population,  1,546  ;  valuation,  ^520,900. 

PouLTNEY,  in  the  western  part  of  Rutland  county,  sixty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September  21,  1761,  to 
Samuel  Brown  and  sixty-three  others,  and  the  first  proprietors'  meeting 
was  held  in  Sheffield,  Mass.,  .lune  7,  1763.  The  settlement  was  entered 
upon  in  1771,  by  Thomas  Ashley  and  Ebenezer  Allen,  who  with  others 
of  the  early  settlers  emigrated  either  from  Connecticut  or  the  western 
part  of  Massachusetts.  The  first  meeting  on  record  was  held  March  8, 
1775,  at  which  time  the  town  was  probably  organized.  It  contains 
20,652  acres.  The  soil  is  generally  warm  and  productive,  and  the  sur- 
face pleasantly  diversified  with  hills  and  valleys.  The  town  is  watered 
by  Poultney  river  and  its  numerous  tributaries,  along  which  the  alluvial 
flats  are  extensive  and  very  productive,  and  upon  which  are  a  number 
of  valuable  mill  seats.  A  violent  freshet  in  July,  1811,  swept  off  from 
the  streams  four  grist  and  four  saw  mills,  one  woollen  factory,  one  card- 
ing-machine,  and  several  other  buildings. 

There  are  two  pleasant  villages  in  Poultney,  called  East  Poultney  and 
West  Poultney,  each  having  a  post-office,  and  giving  evidence  of  much 
business  and  enterprise.     In  the  west  village  is  the  Troy  Conference 

VOL.  I.  74 


878  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Academy,  which  was  chartered  October  25,  and  went  into  operation 
September  1,  1836.  The  principal  building,  which  is  of  brick,  is  112 
feet  long  by  thirty-six  wide.  It  is  under  the  control  of  the  Troy  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  There  are  four  church 
edifices — Methodist,  Episcopal,  Congregational,  and  Baptist;  and  fif- 
teen school  districts  ;  and  the  Bank  of  Poultney,  with  a  capital  of 
$50,000:  also,  a  melodeon  factory,  an  iron  foundefy  and  machine 
shop,  a  candlestick  factory,  a  tannery,  tM''o  establishments  for  making 
blinds  and  doors,  one  for  cabinet  ware,  and  one  for  hones  and  pencils. 
The  Rutland  and  Washington  Railroad  passes  through  Poultney.  Pop- 
ulation, 2,329 ;  valuation,  ^902,545. 

PowNAL,  the  southwest  corner  town  of  Bennington  county,  130  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  January  8,  1760, 
to  Seth  Hudson  and  fifty-five  others,  and  under  this  charter  the  settle- 
ment was  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1762,  there  being  at  that  time 
four  or  five  Dutch  famihes  within  the  township,  who  claimed  their  land 
under  the  "  Hoosic  Patent,"  granted  by  the  government  of  New  York. 
Among  the  early  inhabitants  were  the  families  of  Wright,  Gardner, 
Morgan,  Dunham,  Noble,  Card,  Curtis,  Watson,  and  Seelye ;  but  the 
precise  time  when  they  severally  came  is  not  ascertained.  In  1791,  this 
town  was  the  third  in  Bennington  county,  and  the  fifth  in  the  State,  in 
point  of  population,  containing,  at  that  time,  1,746  inhabitants,  or  five 
more  than  in  1850. 

Pownal  was  organized,  as  is  supposed,  March  8,  1763,  and  contains 
twenty-three  thousand  acres.  The  surface  is  considerably  uneven,  but 
the  soil  is  generally  good,  and  produces  plentiful  crops.  Along  Hoosic 
river  are  some  rich  and  beautiful  tracts  of  interval.  The  soil  is  well 
adapted  to  the  production  of  grain  and  grass,  and  here  are  kept  some  of 
the  finest  dairies  in  the  State.  The  principal  stream  is  the  Hoosic  river, 
which  is  formed  here,  and  passes  in  a  northwesterly  direction  into 
Hoosic,  N.  Y.,  possessing  some  valuable  sites  for  mills.  Some  of  the 
head  branches  of  Walloomscoik  river  rise  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
Pownal,  and  pass  into  Bennington.  There  are  three  villages  —  Pownal, 
Pownal  Centre,  and  North  Pownal,  each  of  which  has  a  post-oflice ; 
four  church  edifices  —  Baptist,  Methodist,  Congregational,  and  Union  ; 
eleven  school  districts ;  and  two  institutions,  called  the  Oak  Grove 
Seminary,  and  North  Pownal  Academy:  also,  one  woollen  factory,  with 
eighty  looms;  and  two  carriage  manufactories.  Population,  1,742  •  val- 
uation, $526,829. 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF   PUTNEY.  879 

Putney,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windham  county,  on  the  Connecticut 
river,  105  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire, 
December  26,  1753,  to  Colonel  Josiah  Willard,  and  re-chartered  by  New 
York  to  Willard  and  others,  November  14,  1766.  A  portion  of  it  was 
embraced  within  the  "  equivalent  lands,"  forming  also  parts  of  Brattle- 
boro'  and  Dummerston.^  A  settlement  was  commenced  and  a  fort 
built  on  the  "  Great  Meadow,"  so  called,  in  the  eastern  part,  a  little  pre- 
vious to  the  breaking  out  of  the  French  war  in  1744 ;  but,  on  the  com- 
mencement of  hostilities,  the  fort  was  evacuated,  and  the  inhabitants, 
together  with  those  from  adjacent  towns,  retired  to  Northfield,  Mass., 
which  was  the  frontier  post  during  that  war.  Previously  to  the  breaking 
up  of  the  fort,  a  man  by  the  name  of  William  Phipps  was  hoeing  corn 
on  the  5th  of  July,  1745,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  "  Meadow," 
when  two  Indians  sprang  upon  him  and  dragged  him  into  the  woods 
near  by,  where,  after  a  short  parley,  one  of  the  Indians  departed,  leaving 
the  prisoner  under  the  care  of  his  comrade.  Phipps,  with  the  hardihood 
characteristic  of  the  pioneers  of  these  wilds,  watching  an  opportunity, 
struck  his  keeper  down  with  the  hoe,  and,  seizing  his  gun,  gave  the 
other,  who  w^as  returning,  a  fatal  wound.  Thus  at  liberty  again,  he 
sought  refuge  in  the  fort ;  but,  unfortunately,  before  he  reached  it,  he 
fell  in  with  three  other  Indians,  who  butchered  the  brave  fellow  in  cold 
blood.  Five  days  after  this  event  the  Indians  made  an  attack  upon 
Upper  Ashuelot  (Keene,  N.  H.),  and  killed  and  scalped  Josiah  Fisher. 
Shortly  after,  Nehemiah  Howe,  as  he  was  cutting  timber  on  the 
"  Meadow,"  was  captured  by  the  Indians  and  carried  to  Canada,  where 
he  died. 

In  1754,  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  by  Philip  Alexander, 
from  Northfield,  Mass.,  John  Perry,  and  John  Averill,  with  their  families, 
and  Michael  Gilson,  a  bachelor,  his  mother  and  two  sisters,  all  emi- 
grants from  Massachusetts,  who  located  themselves  on  the  Great 
Meadow,  as  their  predecessors  had  done  ;  and,  in  tire  year  following, 
1755,  in  company  with  others  lately  arrived,  built  a  fort,^  on  the  site  of 
the  house  lately  occupied  by  Colonel  Thomas  White.  On  the  comple- 
tion  of  the  fort,  several  of  the  inhabitants  of  Westmoreland,  N.   H., 

^  See  article  on  Dummerston,  ante,  p.  792. 

^  This  foi't  was  oblong,  about  120  by  eighty  feet — built  of  yellow  pine  timbei-,  hewed 
six  inches  thick,  and  laid  up  about  ten  feet  high.  Fifteen  dwellings  were  erected  within 
it,  the  wall  of  the  fort  forming  the  back  wall  of  the  houses.  These  were  covered  with  a 
single  roof  called  a  "  salt-box  "  roof,  which  slanted  upward  to  the  top  of  the  wall  of  the 
fort  The  houses  all  fronted  the  central  hollow  square.  A  great  gate  opened  south 
towards  Connecticut  river,  and  a  smaller  one  towards  the  west.  On  the  northeast  and 
southwest  corners  were  watchtowers. 


880  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

crossed  the  river  and  joined  the  garrison,  all  of  whom  returned  to  West- 
moreland at  the  close  of  the  French  war,  except  Deacon  Samuel  Minott. 
In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1755,  Doctor  Lord  and  Wilham  Wil- 
lard  joined  the  garrison.  Aaron  Alexander  was  the  first  child  born  in 
Putney  before  the  erection  of  the  fort.  Others  had  their  nativity  within 
the  garrison.  Captain  Daniel  How  and  the  father  of  Harrison  Wheeler 
died  in  the  fort,  and  were  buried  in  Westminster.  Rev.  Andrew  Gard- 
ner, who  had  been  chaplain  and  surgeon  at  Fort  Dummer,  ministered 
here  for  three  years.  Colonel  Willard  gave  the  use  of  the  Great 
Meadow,  which  at  this  time  was  not  more  than  half  cleared,  as  a 
consideration  for  building  the  fort  and  defending  it  during  the  war. 
The  land  was  portioned  out  to  each  family,  and  the  inhabitants  were 
accustomed  to  work  on  their  farms  in  company,  that  they  might  be  pre- 
pared for  an  assault.  During  the  war,  there  was  no  open  attack  on  the 
fort,  although  Indian  whoops  in  the  vicinity  often  broke  the  stillness  of 
the  night.  On  one  occasion  they  laid  an  ambush  at  the  north  end  of 
the  meadow,  which  the  settlers  had  the  good  fortune  to  discover  and 
elude.i  Early  in  the  autumn  of  1762,  Lieutenant  Joshua  Hide  purchased 
2,800  acres  of  land  along  the  river,  and  in  December  following  removed 
his  family  here,  and  settled  them  in  a  house  situated  about  fifty  rods 
south  of  the  spot  where  Westmoreland  bridge  has  since  been  erected. 
The  families  of  Perry  and  Alexander  only  were  here  at  that  time ;  and 
there  was  no  saw-mill  nor  grist-mill.  Joshua  Parker  purchased  land 
here  in  1764,  and  settled  his  family  on  Sackett's  brook,  or  what  is  now 
called  Putney  street,  in  March,  1765.  Henry  Walton,  James  Cummings, 
and  Moses  Johnson  also  erected  dwellings  on  the  street,  and  Benjamin 
Hutchins  and  Samuel  Skinner  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  Before  the 
middle  of  the  year  1765,  there  were  fifteen  families.  In  1768,  Noah 
Sabin,  of  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  afterwards  distinguished  in  the  annals  of 
Cumberland  county,  removed  here. 

Putney  was  organized  May  8,  1770,  and  contained,  after  a  part  of  it 
had  been  taken  to  form  Brookline,  October  30,  1794,  18,115  acres. 
Another  portion  was  annexed  to  Brookline,  October  25,  1804 ;  and 
about  forty-seven  acres  were  annexed  to  it  from  the  northeast  corner  of 
Dummerston,  October  28,  1846.  The  bottom  lands  on  the  river  and 
Sackett's  brook  are  rich  alluvial  tracts,  and  amply  repay  the  toil  of  the 
husbandman  by  their  abundant  crops.  The  "  Great  Meadow,"  \\dth  its 
waving  fields  of  corn  and  luxuriant  vegetation,  on  a  summer  day, 
affords  a  treat  to  the  lover  of  nature  rarely  equalled.     The  uplands  are 

'  Historical  Sermon,  at  Putney,  delivered  Fast-Day,  1825,  by  Kev.  E.  D.  Andrews. 
Hall's  Eastern  Vermont,  pp.  G9,  70. 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    RANDOLPH.  881 

mostly  of  a  rich,  strong  soil,  and  well  adapted  to  grazing,  and  the  pro- 
duction of  the  hardier  kinds  of  grain.  In  1770,  the  town  was  overrun 
by  immense  swarms  of  worms,  which  ate  up  every  green  thing.  Through 
the  centre  of  Putney  run  extensive  strata  of  argillite,  or  roof  slate, 
reaching  from  the  Massachusetts  line  far  into  Vermont ;  and  west  of 
these  occurs  the  mica  slate,  interspersed  with  hard,  black  limestone.  In 
the  east  part  is  found  a  very  rare  mineral,  known  by  the  name  of  fluate 
of  lime  or  fluor  spar,  of  a  beautiful  emerald  green  color.  This  is  the 
only  locality  in  the  United  States  where  this  mineral,  of  an  emerald 
green,  is  found ;  and  specimens  of  it  have  been  sent  to  the  most  distin- 
guished mineralogists  in  this  country  and  Europe.  Sackett's  brook,  a 
never  failing  stream,  affords  many  valuable  mill  privileges.  There  are 
two  villages  —  Putney  and  East  Putney.  The  former  is  about  one  mile 
from  Connecticut  river,  and  is  built  on  both  sides  of  Sackett's  brook. 
The  location  is  pleasant,  in  the  bosom  of  a  beautiful  valley,  sheltered  on 
each  side,  except  toward  the  east,  from  the  bleak  winds  of  our  climate, 
by  forest-crowned  hills.  This  village  contains  a  considerable  amount  of 
manufacturing  machinery,  which  brings  in  its  train  a  very  large  business. 
The  Congregationalists,  Methodists,  and  Baptists  have  each  a  church 
edifice ;  besides  which  there  are  eleven  school  districts  and  one  post^ 
office :  also,  a  paper-mill,  a  large  woollen  factory,  four  grist-mills,  five 
saw-mills,  and  manufactories  of  wagons,  harnesses,  and  leather.  The 
Vermont  Valley  Railroad  passes  through  East  Putney.  Population, 
1,425 ;  valuation,  $484,327. 

Randolph,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Orange  county,  twenty-three 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  2,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Aaron  Storrs  and  seventy  others,  June  29, 1781.  A  company,  consisting 
of  twenty  persons,  was  formed  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  then  called  Dresden, 
in  May,  1778,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  this  township,  known  to 
them  by  the  name  of  Middlesex,  at  the  first  meeting  of  which  Hon. 
Joseph  Marsh  was  chosen  moderator,  and  agent  to  present  a  petition  to 
the  legislature  for  a  charter.  The  settlement  was  commenced  three 
or  four  years  before  the  charter  was  obtained ;  and,  as  nearly  as  can  be 
ascertained,  William  Evans  and  family,  Edward  Evans,  John  Parks, 
and  Experience  Davis,  were  the  first  persons  who  passed  the  winter  in 
the  place.  On  the  17th  of  October,  1780,  the  day  after  the  burning  of 
Royalton,  Zadock  Steele  was  taken  from  this  place  by  the  Indians  and 
carried  into  captivity.  Eminent  among  the  citizens  of  this  place  was 
Hon.  Dudley  Chase,  who  was  for  many  years  speaker  of  the  house  of 
representatives  of  Vermont,  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  from  1817  to 

74* 


882  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

1820,  and  a  senator  in  congress  from  1813  to  1817,   and  again  from 
1825  to  1831.     His  death  occurred  February  23,  1846. 

Randolph  was-  organized  March  31,  1783,  and  contains  28,596  acres. 
The  surface  is  considerably  elevated,  but  is  less  broken  than  that  of  the 
land  generally  in  this  vicinity.  The  soil  is  productive  and  the  farming 
interest  extensive.  The  town  is  watered  by  the  second  and  third 
branches  of  White  river,  the  former  running  through  the  eastern  and  the 
latter  through  the  western  part.  These  streams  and  their  tributaries 
afford  a  number  of  advantageous  situations  for  mills.  There  are  four 
villages  —  Randolph,  East  Randolph,  West  Randolph,  and  Farvvell 
Village.  Randolph  Village  is  very  handsomely  situated  on  rising 
ground,  and  contains  the  Orange  County  Grammar-School,  which  was 
established  November  8,  1806,  and  is  well  furnished  with  apparatus, 
having  also  a  good  library  for  the  use  of  the  scholars.  This  academy 
has  been,  for  the  most  part,  deservedly  popular.  Randolph  East  Village 
is  situated  on  the  second  branch  of  White  river,  is  compactly  built,  and 
a  place  of  considerable  business.  Mills  of  various  kinds  are  in  opera- 
tion. West  Randolph  also  has  an  academy,  as  well  as  some  manu- 
factories and  mills.  There  are  seven  church  edifices  —  Methodist, 
Free-will  Baptist,  Universalist,  Christian,  Episcopalian,  and  two  Con- 
gregational ;  twenty-four  school  districts ;  and  four  post-offices  —  at 
Randolph,  and  at  the  east,  west,  and  north  villages :  also,  three  grist-" 
mills,  one  oil  mill,  and  one  carding  mill.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad 
passes  through  the  town.     Population,  2,666;  valuation,  $1,081,414. 

Reading,  centrally  situated  in  Windsor  county,  fifty-three  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  to  Israel  Stowell,  Zcdekiah  Stone,  Jonathan 
Hammond,  and  fifty-nine  others,  July  6,  1761.  This  township  was  also 
granted  by  New  York,  March  6, 1772,  to  Simon  Stevens  and  others,  with 
20,800  acres,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  a  charter  was  ever  issued  by 
New  York.  The  settlement  was  commenced,  about  the  year  1772,  by 
Andrew  Spear,  who  removed  his  family  here  from  Walpolc,  N.  H.,  and 
for  several  years  this  w^as  the  only  family  in  town.  About  the  year 
1778,  John  Weld  moved  his  family  from  Pomfret,  Conn.,  and  several 
young  men,  from  that  and  the  other  ISlew  England  states,  began  im- 
provements in  the  south  and  eastern  parts.  Most  of  the  early  settlers 
were  in  poor  circumstances  as  to  property,  and,  like  the  settlers  of  other 
new  townships,  had  to  endure  privations  and  hardships.  The  first  town 
meeting  was  held  March  30,  1780,  when  the  proper  officers  were  chosen. 
Reading  embraces  23,040  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is  very  uneven, 
and  the  hiUs  are  quite  abrupt.     Towards  the  west  part  is  an  elevated 


VERMONT TOWN    OF   EEADSBOROUGH.  883 

tract  of  land  extending  from  north  to  south,  from  which  issue  the 
principal  streams.  The  soil  is  of  .ordinary  capacity,  and  affords  ex- 
cellent pasturage.  On  the  line  between  Reading  and  Plymouth  is  a 
natural  pond,  about  two  hundred  rods  in  length  and  fifty  in  breadth, 
the  outlet  of  which  leads  into  Plymouth  pond.  Some  small  streams 
which  rise  in  the  north  part  fall  into  Quechee  river  at  Woodstock, 
North  village,  affording  a  tolerable  supply  of  water  for  common  mills. 
There  are  four  villages  —  Reading  Centre,  South  Reading,  Felchville, 
and  Hammondsville,  the  three  former  of  which  have  post-offices.  There 
are  three  church  edifices  —  all  Union ;  one  in  Felchville,  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  town,  generally  occupied  alternately  by  the  Baptists 
and  Methodists ;  one  of  stone,  at  South  Reading,  built  and  oc- 
cupied by  the  Universalists  and  Methodists ;  and  one  at  Reading 
Centre,  built  in  1816,  and  owned  by  all  denominations,  but  no  longer 
used  as  a  house  of  worship :  it  is  kept  in  repair,  and  used  by  the  town 
for  its  meetings.  The  town  had  formerly  a  public  library,  which  was 
some  years  since  destroyed  by  fire.  There  are  eleven  school  districts 
and  ten  schools:  also,  eight  saw-mills,  one  woollen  factory,  five  grist- 
mills, three  bedstead  manufactories,  and  one  rake  and  one  tin-ware 
manufactory.     Population,  1 ,171 ;  valuation,  ^447,262. 

Readsborough,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Bennington  county,  adjoin- 
ing Massachusetts,  about  125  miles  from  Montpelier,  contains  20,480 
acres ;  but  by  what  grant  or  charter  the  lands  are  holden  is  unknown. 
It  is  supposed,  however,  that  this  may  have  been  one  of  the  many  New 
York  grants,  of  which  no  charters  have  ever  been  found.  The  records 
were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1794,  and  the  earliest  now  found  in  the 
office  are  dated  in  that  year.  At  that  time,  Joseph  Hartwell  and  Throop 
Chapman  were  selectmen,  and  were  preceded  by  Simeon  Thayer,  Elijah 
Bayley,  and  Ezra  Amidon  ;  and  John  Fairbanks  was  town  clerk.  The 
surface  is  exceedingly  mountainous,  and  much  of  it  is  unsuitable  for 
settlement.  The  streams  are  Deerfield  river,  which  runs  along  the 
eastern  boundary  into  Massachusetts,  and  a  branch  of  this  river,  which 
runs  diagonally  through  the  town  from  northwest  to  southeast.  These 
streams  afford  several  mill  privileges,  which  have  been  improved.  There 
are  two  villages  —  Readsboro'  City  and  Hartwellville,  each  of  which  has 
a  post-office ;  two  church  edifices  —  Universalist  and  Methodist ;  and 
ten  school  districts :  also,  two  grist-mills,  seven  saw-mills,  two  shops  for 
making  broom-handles,  one  for  staves,  and  one  for  pen-holders;  one 
chair  manufactory,  and  one  tannery.  Population,  857 ;  valuation, 
fl76,305. 


884  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

RiCHFORD,  ill  the  northeast  corner  of  Franklin  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  March  13,  1780,  and  chartered  to  Jonathan 
Wells  and  fifty-nine  others,  August  21  of  the  same  year,  containing 
23,040  acres.  The  settlement  was  begun  in  1796,  by  Hugh  Miller  and 
Theophilus  Hastings,  and  the  town  was  organized  March  30,  1799. 
Chester  Wells,  Jonathan  and  Daniel  Janes,  and  Robert  Canady  were  the 
first  officers,  and  Benjamin  Barnett  was  the  first  representative,  in  1796. 

The  eastern  part  is  high  and  broken,  and  the  southeast  corner  extends 
on  to  Jay  Peak.  Along  the  river  is  some  fine  interval  land.  The  prin- 
cipal stream  is  Missisco  river,  which  enters  from  Canada,  and  runs 
through  the  town  in  a  southwesterly  direction  into  Berkshire.  Richford 
has  one  church  edifice  occupied  by  the  Methodists  and  Baptists ;  ten 
school  districts,  a  high  school,  and  two  post-offices  —  Richford  and  East 
Richford :  also,  one  tannery.     Population,  1,074 ;  valuation,  $216,044. 

Richmond,  in  the  central  part  of  Chittenden  county,  twenty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  formed  from  portions  of  Huntington,  Williston, 
Bolton,  and  Jericho,  and  incorporated  October  27,  1794.  Other  terri- 
tory was  annexed  to  it  from  Bolton,  October  25,  1804,  and  it  contains 
about  twenty  thousand  acres.  The  first  attempt  to  form  a  settlement 
was  made  in  1775,  by  Amos  Brownson  and  John  Chamberlain  with 
their  families,  but  they  abandoned  the  place  in  the  fall,  and  did  not 
return  till  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  the  spring  of  1784, 
they  returned  to  the  farms  on  which  they  had  made  beginnings,  accom- 
panied by  Asa  and  Joel  Brownson,  Samuel  and  Joshua  Chamberlain, 
James  Holly,  Joseph  Wilson,  and  Jesse  McFarlain.  Richmond  was 
organized  in  March,  1795.  Along  Winooski  river,  the  alluvial  flats  are 
extensive  and  beautiful.  Winooski  and  Huntington  rivers,  and  several 
smaller  streams,  furnish  plentiful  supplies  of  water  and  some  good  mill 
privileges.  Matthew  Cole  was  the  first  physician.  He  died  in  1809, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Seth  Cole.  Rev.  Ezra  Wilmot 
ordained  over  the  Baptist  church,  was  the  first  settled  minister,  and  the 
only  one  until  1823.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Universalist,  and  Catholic ;  four  villages  —  Richmond,  Jonesville,  Fay's 

Corner,  and  tljie  Flat ;  twelve   school  districts ;  and  two  post-offices 

Richmond  and  Jonesville  :  also,  manufactories  of  wagons,  harnesses,  tin 
ware,  cabinet  and  wooden  ware.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes 
through  Richmond.     Population,  1,453;  valuation,  $370,125. 

RiPTON  (originally  called  Riptown),  Addison  county,  lies  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Green  Mountains,  its  east  line  extending  to  the  top  thereof 
and  joins  the  very  flourishing  town  of  Middlebury,  being  twenty-six 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF    ROCHESTER.  885 

miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  April  13,  1781,  to  Abel 
Thompson  and  fifty-nine  others.  The  first  settlers  were  Ebenezer  and 
Asa  CoUer,  who  arrived  in  1801.  The  first  town  meeting  was  convened 
on  the  3d  of  March,  1828.  The  history  of  Ripton  is  not  remarkable  for 
any  interesting  event,  except  that  it  is  the  place  where  the  Hon.  Daniel 
Chipman,  the  able  and  talented  lawyer,  spent  the  last  twenty  years  of 
his  life.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1788  —  studied  law 
with  his  brother  Nathaniel  —  was  a  member  of  congress  from  1814  to 
1817  —  was  frequently  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  Ver- 
mont—  was  the  first  reporter  of  the  decisions  of  the  supreme  court,  and 
the  author  of  a  valuable  treatise  on  the  law  of  contracts  for  the  sale  of 
specific  articles.  He  died  here  April  23,  1850,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five. 

Ripton  is  watered  by  Middlebury  river ;  the  soil  is  stony  and  sandy, 
and  very  suitable  to  the  growth  of  strawberries,  raspberries,  sorrel, 
and  other  acid  vegetables.  The  elevation  of  the  town  being  ten  or 
twelve  hundred  feet  above  the  valley  of  Otter  creek,  the  seasons  are  not 
generally  of  sufficient  length  for  the  production  of  corn,  though  other 
grains  thrive,  with  a  proper  application  of  lime  and  ashes,  and  dairying 
finds  good  encouragement.  Ripton  contained  by  charter  twenty-four 
thousand  acres  ;  and  it  has  been  increased  by  annexations  from  the 
towns  of  Goshen,  Middlebury,  and  Salisbury,  to  35,900  acres,  a  long  part 
of  which  is  yet  in  its  wild  and  natural  state.  The  resources  of  Ripton 
are  yet  great  in  timber  for  lumber  and  coal.  Spruce  and  hemlock  con- 
stitute the  larger  portion  of  the  forest-trees.  It  is  watered  by  Middle- 
bury river,  which  runs  through  the  south  part.  For  fifty  years  past, 
there  has  been  a  good  road  from  Middlebury  through  this  town  to  Han- 
cock and  Rochester ;  and  the  centre  turnpike,  from  Middlebury  village 
to  Bethel,  is  now  a  free  thoroughfare,  excepting  through  Hancock.  Rip- 
ton has  one  church  edifice  —  Congregational ;  five  school  districts,  and 
one  post-office  :  also,  several  saw-mills  and  shingle  mills,  one  grist-mill, 
and  one  clapboard  mill.  Population  in  1850,  567,  which  has  increased 
to  about  700 ;  valuation,  $91,970. 

Rochester,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Windsor  county,  thirty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  to  Hon. 
Dudley  Chase,  Asa  Whitcomb,  and  sixty-three  others,  August  30,  1781. 
The  settlement  was  commenced  in  the  winter  of  1781-2  by  David 
Currier  with  his  family.  Other  early  settlers  were  John  Emerson,  John 
Sawyer,  Joel  Cooper,  and  Timothy  Clement.  Frederick  and  William 
Currier,  twin  sons  of  the  first  settler,  were  the  first  natives  of  Rochester. 
Rochester   was    organized    May    15,    1788,    and    contained    originally 


886  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

23,040  acres ;  and  it  has  been  increased  by  additions  from  Braintree, 
November  10,  1824;  from  Hancock,  October  28,  1834,  and  October  30, 
1847.  The  surface  is  mountainous  and  broken,  but  there  is  much  good 
land  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  The  interval  along  the  river  is 
handsome,  but  not  extensive.  The  principal  stream  is  White  river, 
which  runs  through  from  south  to  north,  receiving,  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  centre,  a  considerable  tributary  from  the  west,  which  originates 
in  Goshen.  On  each  of  these  streams  are  good  situations  for  mills. 
There  are  two  villages- — Rochester  and  Lower  Mills;  three  church 
edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist  Episcopal,  and  Universalist ; 
fifteen  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  —  Rochester  and  West 
Rochester :  also,  one  grist-mill,  several  saw-mills,  one  tub  factory,  and  a 
variety  of  mechanic  shops.     Population,  1,493  ;  valuation,  $455,678. 

Rockingham,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Windham  county,  bordering 
on  the  Connecticut  river,  which  separates  it  from  Walpole,  N.  H., 
is  eighty-two  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been 
granted  by  Massachusetts,  as  "  Number  Two,"  at  the  time  town- 
ships were  surveyed  and  granted  between  Merrimack  and  Connecticut 
rivers,  by  authority  of  that  state,  in  1735 ;  and  previous  to  1750,  it  was 
called  Goldenstown.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  December 
28,  1752,  to  Samuel  Johnson  and  seventy-three  others,  and  the  settle- 
ment was  begun  in  1753  by  Moses  Wright,  Joel  Bigelow,  and  Simeon 
Knight,  who  emigrated  from  Massachusetts.  The  names  of  some  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  were  Major  James  Davis,  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Atchison,  John  Flint,  and  Oliver  and  Timothy  Lovell,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  tory.  Jonathan  Barry  came  here  in  1784,  at  which 
time  there  were  but  few  clearings,  excepting  on  the  margin  of  Con- 
necticut river,  and  on  the  main  road  leading  from  what  is  now  the  Falls 
village  to  Chester.  But  little  is  known  of  the  early  history  of  Rock- 
ingham, save  what  has  already  been  given.  The  attention  of  the  first 
settlers  was  principally  directed  to  fishing  for  salmon  and  shad,  which 
were  then  taken  in  great  abundance  at  Bellows  Falls ;  and  for  this 
reason  agriculture  was,  for  many  years,  much  neglected,  and  the 
settlement  advanced  very  slowly.  In  1771,  there  was  a  population 
of  225. 

Rockingham  was  organized  about  the  year  1760,  and  contains  24,fl55 
acres.  A  portion  was  annexed  to  Athens,  November  2,  1846.  The 
surface  is  somewhat  broken.  The  principal  streams  are  Williams'  and 
Saxton's  rivers.  Bellows  falls  are  in  Connecticut  river,  near  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  town,  the  breadth  of  the  river  above  the  falls 
being   from    sixteen   to   twenty-two   rods.      At   the   falls  a  large   rock 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   ROCKINGHAM. 


887 


divides  the  stream  into  two  channels,  each  about  ninety  feet  wide. 
When  the  water  is  low  the  eastern  channel  appears  crossed  by  a  bar 
of  solid  rock,  and  the  whole  river  flows  into  the  western  channel,  where 
it  is  contracted  to  the  breadth  of  sixteen  feet,  and  descends  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity.  There  are  several  pitches,  one  above  another,  for  the  dis- 
tance of  half  a  mile,  the  largest  of  which  is  where  the  rock  divides  the 
stream.  In  1785,  Colonel  Enoch  Hale  erected  a  bridge  over  the  Con- 
necticut at  these  falls,  the  length  of  which  was  365  feet,  supported  in 
the  middle  by  the    great  rock  mentioned  above.      Till  1796,  this  was 


Bellows  Falls  Village. 

the  only  bridge  across  the  Connecticut.  It  is  here  about  fifty  feet  from 
the  water,  and  from  it  the  traveller  has  an  interesting  and  sublime  view 
of  the  falls.  About  eight  rods  south  of  this  bridge,  upon  two  rocks  on 
the  west  margin  of  the  river,  are  some  picture  writings  supposed  to  have 
been  made  by  Indians  that  frequented  the  spot,  consisting  of  variously 
ornamented  Indian  heads,  of  different  sizes,  which  Schoolcraft  interprets 
as  the  record  of  some  Indian  battle,  or  exploit.  The  Cheshire  Railroad 
bridge  also  crosses  the  river  at  the  falls,  and  the  Sullivan  Railroad 
bridge  a  little  above.  The  whole  descent  of  the  river  at  these  falls  is 
forty-two  feet. 

There  are  five  pleasant  villages  —  Bellows  Falls  (a  view  of  which  is 
here  given),  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  Rockingham,  Saxton's 
River,  Cambridgeport,  and  Bartoasville,  each  of  which  has  a  post-office", 


888  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

eight  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  two  Baptist,  one  Univer- 
salist,  one  Episcopalian,  one  Methodist,  and  one  Roman  Catholic ; 
two  high  schools ;  sixteen  school  districts  (the  schools  being  conducted 
on  the  graded  system) ;  two  newspapers  —  the  Argus  and  Times ;  and 
the  Bank  of  Bellows  Falls,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000;  also,  a  paper- 
mill,  a  woollen  factory,  and  manufactories  of  furniture,  marble,  sashes 
and  blinds,  iron  castings,  carriages,  cabinet  ware,  rifles,  harnesses,  shoe 
pegs,  and  organs.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  runs  through 
Rockingham.     Population,  2,837  ;  valuation,  $1,068,554. 

RoxBURT,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Washington  county,  fifteen 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered 
to  Benjamin  Emmons  and  sixty-four  others,  August  6,  1781.  The 
settlement  was  begun  in  1789,  by  Christopher  Huntington,  who  came 
originally  from  Mansfield,  Conn.,  but  had  resided  a  short  time  in 
Norwich  previous  to  his  removal  to  this  town. 

The  town  was  organized  March  24,  1796,  and  contains  an  area  of 
23,040  acres,  and  is  noted  chiefly  for  its  marble.  There  is  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  the  true  verd  antique,  the  composition  and  appear- 
ance of  which  are  so  identical  with  that  obtained  from  ancient  ruins,  that 
the  best  judges  have  mistaken  one  for  the  other.  Although  these 
quarries  have  been  opened  but  a  short  time,  this  beautiful  stone  has 
already  found  its  way  into  the  new  capitol  extension  at  Washington, 
and  into  the  parlors  of  the  wealthy  in  New  York  and  Paris.  The 
committee  for  the  erection  of  the  Franklin  Monument  in  Boston,  after 
subjecting  it  to  the  severest  tests  of  heat,  cold,  and  pressure,  selected  it 
for  that  purpose.  Roxbury  is  situated  on  the  height  of  land  between 
Winooski  and  White  rivers,  and  has  two  villages  —  Roxbury  and  East 
Roxbury,  at  each  of  which  is  a  post-office ;  one  Union  meeting-house, 
and  eleven  school  districts.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes 
through  the  town,  and  rises  here  to  an  altitude  of  997  feet  above  the 
sea  level.     Population,  967 ;  valuation,  $210,000. 

RoYALTON,  in  the  north  part  of  Windsor  county,  thirty-one  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  originally  granted  by  New  York  to  George 
Bangor,  William  Smith,  Whitehead  Hicks,  and  John  Kelly,  and  was 
by  them  surveyed  and  allotted  in  1770.  The  first  permanent  settle- 
ment was  made  in  1771  by  Robert  Havens  with  his  family.  The  next 
year  he  was  joined  by  Elisha  Kent  and  family.  It  being  ascertained  by 
the  settlers,  who  had  all  purchased  under  the  New  York  charter,  that  the 
legislature  of  Vermont  was  about  to  treat  this  township  as  vacant  land, 
and  grant  it  to  Eliakim  Spooner  and  others,  they  applied  and  obtained 


VERMONT TOWN   OF  ROTALTON.  889 

a  grant  of  the  same,  the  second  charter  issuing  to  Comfort  Seaver  and 
sixty-two  others,  December  20,  1781. 

In  1780,  there  were  about  three  hundred  persons  here,  and  the  place 
was  in  a  very  thriving  state.  They  had  hardly  secured  the  harvest  of 
that  year,  when  they  received  a  hostile  visit  from  the  Indians,  and  the 
settlement  was  laid  in  ashes.  The  Indians  commenced  their  depreda- 
tions on  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  October,  at  the  house  of  John 
Hutchinson,  who  lived  near  the  line  between  Tunbridge  and  Royalton. 
After  making  Mr.  Hutchinson  and  his  brother  Abijah  prisoners,  they 
proceeded  to  the  house  of  Robert  Havens,  where  they  killed  Thomas 
Pember  and  Peter  Button.  They  then  went  to  the  house  of  Joseph 
Kneeland,  and  made  prisoners  of  him,  his  father,  Simeon  Belknap,  Giles 
Gibbs,  and  Jonathan  Brown ;  proceeding  thence  to  the  house  of  Elias 
Curtis,  where  they  made  him,  John  Kent,  and  Peter  Mason,  prisoners. 
Thus  far  the  business  was  conducted  with  the  greatest  silence,  and  the 
prisoners  were  forbidden  to  make  any  outcry  upon  pain  of  death.  They 
at  length  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  branch,  where  they  made  a  stand, 
while  small  parties  proceeded  in  different  directions  to  plunder  the  dwell- 
ings and  bring  in  prisoners.  By  this  time  the  alarm  had  become  general; 
the  inhabitants  were  flying  for  safety  in  every  direction,  and  the  savages 
filled  the  air  with  their  horrid  yells.  Not  satisfied  with  the  depredations 
they  had  already  made  here,  one  party  went  to  Sharon,  and  another 
proceeded  up  the  river,  burning  and  pillaging  as  they  went. 

During  the  attack  there  were  several  occurrences  which  are  worthy  of 
notice.  In  one  of  the  houses  first  attacked,  two  women,  being  suddenly 
awakened  by  the  rushing  in  of  the  savages,  were  so  much  frightened 
that  they  lost  the  use  of  their  reason,  went  out  of  their  doors  dSshahille, 
and  stood  motionless  till  the  Indians  brought  them  their  clothes.  This 
act  of  negative  kindness  restored  their  senses ;  they  dressed  themselves, 
collected  the  children,  and  fled  to  the  woods,  while  the  savages  were 
engaged  in  plundering  the  house.  At  another  place  one  of  the  women 
had  the  boldness  to  reproach  the  Indians  for  distressing  helpless 
women  and  children,  telling  them  that  if  they  had  the  courage  of  war- 
riors, they  would  cross  the  river  and  go  and  fight  the  men  at  the  fort. 
The  Indians  bore  her  remarks  patiently  and  only  replied,  Squaw  shouldn't 
say  too  much.  At  another  place,  a  woman,  having  her  gown  carried  out 
of  the  house  with  other  plunder,  resolved  to  recover  it.  Seeing  it  in  a 
heap  of  pillage  which  the  savages  were  dividing  among  themselves  at 
the  door,  she  seized  it;  upon  which  one  of  the  Indians  clubbed  his  gun 
and  knocked  her  down.  Not  discouraged,  she  patiently  awaited  an  op- 
portunity when  the  savages  were  collecting  more  plunder,  seized  and 
brought  off  her  gown,  having  at  the  same  time  one  child  in  her  arms. 

VOL.  I.  75 


890  HISTORY  AKD   DESCKIPTION   OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

and  leading  another  by  the  hand.  Another  woman  having  her  young 
son  taken  away  with  other  little  boys,  followed  the  Indians  with  her 
other  children,  and  entreated  them  to  give  him  up,  which  they  did. 
Encouraged  by  this  success,  she  then  interceded  for  others,  and  finally 
prevailed  upon  them  to  give  up  twelve  or  fifteen  of  her  neighbors' 
children.  One  of  the  Indians  then  in  a  fit  of  good-humor  offered  to 
carry  her  over  the  river  upon  his  back.  She  accepted  his  proposal,  and 
her  savage  gallant  carried  her  safely  over,  although  the  water  was  half 
his  depth,  and  she  soon  returned  with  her  little  band  of  boys,  to  the  no 
small  surprise  and  joy  of  their  parents. 

Benjamin  Parkhurst,  one  of  the  first  settlers,  died  here  December  15, 
1842,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  having  been  an  inhabi- 
tant of  the  town  seventy-eight  years.  His  family  were  noted  for  lon- 
gevity. William  Waterman,  a  resident  who  died  here  March  10,  1845, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution;  was  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains, 
and  received  a  very  severe  wound  in  the  leg.  He  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  British  at  one  time,  and  placed  on  board  the  prison-ship  off 
New  York,  from  which  he  made  his  escape  by  swimming  to  Long 
Island,  made  his  way  to  the  American  quarters,  and  served  through  the 
war. 

The  early  records  are  missing,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  to 
a  certainty  when  the  town  was  organized ;  it  was  probably,  however, 
about  the  year  1774  or  1775.  Royalton  contains  22,320  acres.  The 
surface  is  somewhat  broken  and  hilly,  but  the  soil  is  good,  particularly 
along  White  river  and  its  branches,  where  it  is  of  a  superior  quality. 
White  river  runs  through  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  receives  here  its 
first  and  second  branches,  which  are  the  only  streams  of  much  conse- 
quence. There  are  two  villages  —  Royalton  and  South  Royalton,  the 
former  of  which  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  bank  of  White  river,  near 
the  centre  of  the  town ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Epis- 
copal, and  Methodist ;  a  very  flourishing  educational  institution,  called 
the  Royalton  Academy,  incorporated  in  1807 ;  eighteen  school  districts  ; 
two  post-offices  —  one  at  each  of  the  villages  ;  and  the  Bank  of 
Royalton,  with  a  capital  of  ^^100,000  :  also,  two  grist-mills  and  several 
saw-mills.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes  through  Royalton. 
Population,  1,850 ;  valuation,  $655,503. 

Rupert,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Bennington  county,  seventy- 
eight  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August 
20,  1761,  to  Samuel  Robinson  and  sixty-ozie  others,  containing  23,040 
acres ;  and  the  settlement  was  commenced  in  1767  by  Isaac  Blood, 
Reuben  Harmon,  Oliver  Scott,  and  a  Mr.  Eastman.     It  is  not  possible 


VERMONT TOWN    OF  RUTLAND.  891 

to  learn  when  the  first  town  meeting  was  held,  Josiah  Cass,  the  first 
ckrk  and  a  noted  tory,  having  carried  off  or  destroyed  the  records.  It 
appears  from  the  records  that  Bnos  Harmon  was  clerk  in  1780,  but  the 
other  officers  are  not  given.  The  surface  is  uneven,  and  the  eastern  part 
mountainous;  though  the  soil  is  very  good  for  farming.  Rupert  is 
watered  by  Pawlet  river,  and  by  White  creek,  which  runs  southwesterly 
into  the  Battenkill  in  Washington  county,  N.  Y.  In  the  summer  of 
1856,  a  tornado  passed  through  a  corner  of  Rupert,  making  a  track  of 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  prostrating  fences,  trees,  buildings,  and  what- 
ever came  before  it,  besides  killing  cattle  and  horses,  and  injuring  some 
men.  There  are  three  villages  —  Rupert,  East  Rupert,  and  West 
Rupert,  having  each  a  post-office  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Congrega- 
tional, Baptist,  and  Campbellite ;  and  nine  school  districts :  also,  one 
grist-mill  and  three  saw-mills.  The  inhabitants  are  almost  exclusively 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  Rutland  and  Washington 
Railroad  passes  through  Rupert.  Population,  1,101  ;  valuation, 
#495,890. 

Rutland,  about  the  centre  of  Rutland  county,  fifty  miles  from  Mont- 
pelier,  is  the  capital  of  the  county.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire 
to  John  Murray  and  sixty-three  others,  most  of  whom  resided  in  that 
state,  September  7,  1761.  None  of  the  original  proprietors  ever  perma- 
nently located  in  the  town ;  and  the  first  attempts  at  settlement  were 
made,  principally  by  adventurers  from  Connecticut  and  the  western  part  of 
Massachusetts,  in  1770,  among  w^hom  were  James  Mead  and  Simeon 
Powers.  During  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  Rutland  was  for  some 
time  a  frontier  settlement,  and  was  subject  to  all  the  commotions  and 
inconveniences  incident  to  its  situation.  Through  it  lay  the  only  mili- 
tary road  from  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  to  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point, 
on  Lake  Champlain.  During  the  war  the  Vermont  troops,  or  Green 
Mountain  Boys,  erected  two  small  picket  forts  here,  sufficient  to  contain 
one  hundred  men  each,  one  of  which  was  situated  on  the  present  site  of 
the  east  village,  about  twelve  rods  north  of  the  court-house ;  the  other 
was  at  the  head  of  the  falls  in  Otter  creek,  then  called  Mead's  falls.  As 
a  means  of  checking  the  incursions  of  the  enemy,  and  of  facilitating  the 
communication  between  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  and  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  these  forts  were  found  to  be  very  useful. 

Rutland  was  probably  organized  in  1779,  as  would  appear  from  old  docu- 
ments, although  the  records  begin  in  1780,  when  Moses  Hale,  Roswell 
Post,  James  Claghorn,  and  Zebulon  Mead  were  selectmen,  John  Smith 
appearing  to  be  clerk  the  year  previous.  Its  area  is  26,500  acres.  The 
surface  is  uneven,  and  presents  quite  a  variety  of  soil.     The  eastern  and 


892 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OP    NEW    ENGLAND. 


western    sides     are  skirted    by  ranges    of  the  Green  Mountains.     The 
principal  stream  is  Otter  creek. 

^-^  One  of  the  relics  of  the  early 

settlement  of  the  town  is  the 
old  court-house,  used  for  some 
years  as  the  state-house,  now- 
standing  on  West  street,  near 
Main  street,  and  occupied  at 
the  present  time  as  a  dwelling- 
house.  It  was  built  in  1784, 
and  the  accompanying  view, 
taken  from  a  daguerreotype, 
will  convey  to  the  reader  a 
very  correct  representation  of 
this  ancient  edifice.  The  leg- 
islature held  its  session  in  this  building  during  the  years  1784,  1786, 
1792,  1794,  1796,  1797,  and  1804. 

The  quarrying  of  marble  is  the  principal  branch  of  business  at  Rut- 
land, a  fact  well  known  to  the  world,  inasmuch  as  many  parts  of  the 
United  States  depend  upon  this  town  for  supplies,  and  large  quantities 


Old  Court  nouse. 


Marble  Quarries,   West  Rutland. 


are  exported  to  Europe.     There  are  seven  quarries  in  active  operation, 
in  the  business  of  which  a  capital  of  $500,000  is  invested.     The  receipts 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OP  RUTLAND.  893 

average  annually  about  the  same  amount  as  the  capital.  850  men  are 
employed  in  these  quarries,  in  the  various  branches  of  the  business. 
The  quarry  recently  opened  near  Sutherland  falls  furnishes  marble  of 
an  exceedingly  fine  and  beautiful  quality,  which  is  used  for  statuary 
purposes,  and  is  found  to  be  fully  equal  to  the  marble  of  any  part  of  the 
world.  The  greater  portion  of  the  marble,  after  excavation,  is  taken  to 
a  mill  erected  on  the  nearest  water  privilege,  and  then  sawn  into  slabs. 
The  mills  at  West  Rutland,  represented  in  the  foregoing  engraving,  are, 
however,  propelled  by  steam.  The  sawing  process  is  somewhat  similar 
to  that  of  the  lumber  gang-saws,  with  this  difference,  that  the  marble 
saws  run  horizontally  and  are  merely  thin  plates  of  iron  destitute  of 
teeth,  sand  mingled  with  water,  which  is  continually  poured  in  from 
above,  being  a  substitute  therefor.  The  average  white  marble  of  Rut- 
land sells  at  a  price  fifty  per  cent,  higher,  at  the  quarries,  than  does  the 
veined  Italian  marble,  delivered  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  suicide  of  a  Mr.  Temple,  in  October,  1834,  produced  a  profound 
sensation,  not  only  in  this  vicinity,  but  in  almost  every  part  of  the  state. 
He  occupied  a  very  high  social  position,  and  was,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  a  pension  agent.  It  appears  that  he  had  drawn  from  the  depart- 
ment at  Washington  ^80,000  on  spurious  paper ;  and  the  secretary  of 
the  treasury  having  discovered  his  guilt,  sent  the  evidence  thereof  to 
the  district  attorney  with  directions  to  bring  him  to  trial.  This  letter, 
by  some  untoward  circumstance,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  guilty  man ; 
and,  knowing  the  handwriting,  he  opened  it,  suspecting  there  was  some- 
thing wrong.  When  he  found  how  matters  stood,  he  took  his  gun, 
under  the  plea  of  going  out  for  sport,  and,  having  gone  a  short  distance 
from  his  residence,  deliberately  shot  himself. 

Several  among  the  citizens  or  sons  of  Rutland  are  particularly  deserv- 
ing of  notice.  Hon.  Israel  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  April 
4,  1759,  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1781,  studied  law  with  his 
brother  at  Barrington,  first  practised  at  Rupert,  and  then  removed  to 
Rutland.  He  was  a  member  of  congress  from  1791  to  1797,  when  he 
was  chosen  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  and  served  one  year ; 
was  again  member  of  congress  from  1801  to  1803 ;  senator  in  congress 
from  1803  to  1807,  in  which  latter  year  he  was  chosen  governor,  and 
became  insane  before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  He  died  in  1810. 
Hon.  Charles  K.  Williams  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  January  24, 
1782,  and  was  the  son  of  Professor  Samuel  Williams.  He  graduated 
at  Williams  College  in  1800,  and  soon  took  up  a  residence  in  Rutland. 
He  was  state's  attorney  for  this  county  in  1814-15 ;  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  in  1823-24 ;  collector  of  customs  for  the  Vermont  dis- 
trict from  1825  to  1829.     From  1829  to  1846  he  was  again  judge  of  the 

75* 


894  HISTOEY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

supreme  court,  the  last  thirteen  years  of  which  he  was  chief  justice.  From 
1850  to  1852  he  was  governor  of  the  state,  and  died  here  March  9, 
1853.  Rev.  Rufus  W.  Griswold  was  born  in  Rutland,  and  became  a 
Baptist  preacher,  residing  in  Philadelphia,  and  finally  in  New  York.  He 
devoted  most  of  his  time  to  literary  pursuits,  and  published  a  great 
number  of  prose  works,  and  some  poetry.  Prominent  among  these  were 
the  "  Poets  and  Poetry  of  America,"  the  "  Prose  Writers  of  America," 
and  the  "  Sacred  Poets  of  England  and  America."  He  died  suddenly 
at  New  York,  August  27,  1857.  This  town  is  also  the  home  of  Hon. 
Solomon  Foot,  senator  in  congress. 

The  construction  of  the  railroads  through  Rutland  has  done  much  to 
facilitate  its  progress.  Four  railroads  now  centre  here  —  the  Rutland 
and  Burlington,  the  Western  Vermont,  the  Rutland  and  Washington, 
and  the  Whitehall  and  Saratoga.  There  are  three  villages  —  Rutland, 
West  Rutland,  and  Centre  Rutland;  eight  church  edifices  —  two  Con- 
gregational, two  Methodist,  two  Roman  Catholic,  one  Baptist,  and  one 
Episcopal ;  twenty-one  school  districts ;  the  Union  High  School ;  one 
newspaper —  the  Rutland  Herald;  one  bank,  with  a  capital  of  ^150,000; 
and  four  post-offices  —  Rutland,  West  Rutland,  Centre  Rutland,  and 
Sutherland's  Falls :  also,  two  flour  mills,  one  iron  foundery  and  machine- 
shop,  and  six  marble  mills.  There  are  two  incorporated  marble  com- 
panies—  the  Rutland  Marble  Company,  and  the  American  Marble 
Company.  The  principal  articles  of  trade  are  agricultural  products, 
marble,  boots  and  shoes,  clothing,  fire-arms,  and  furniture.  The  mer- 
cantile business  of  Rutland  is  very  large.  The  population,  in  1850,  was 
3,715 ;  September  15,  1857,  7,633,  being  an  increase  in  seven  years  of 
more  than  one  hundred  per  cent. ;  valuation,  $2,414,803. 

Rutland  County,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Green  Mountains,  was 
incorporated  from  Bennington  county  in  February,  1781,  and  embraced 
aU  of  the  state  north  of  the  parent  county  and  west  of  the  mountains, 
until  Addison  county  was  taken  from  it  in  1785,  which  reduced  it  to  its 
present,  less  than  one  third  of  its  original  size.  It  contains  958  square 
miles,  and  is  divided  into  twenty-five  towns.  Of  these  Rutland  is  the 
shire  town  ;  and  the  annual  term  of  the  supreme  court  commences  here 
on  the  first  Monday  after  the  fourth  Tuesday  in  January ;  the  terms 
of  the  county  courts  are  held  in  March  and  September. 

The  surface  is,  for  the  most  part,  hilly  and  broken.  Along  Otter 
creek  and  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county  the  surface  is  level,  and 
the  soil  very  productive.  This  stream  flows  through  the  county  in  a 
northwesterly  direction,  and  falls  into  Lake  Champlain  at  Ferrisburgh. 
Black,  White,  and  Quechee  rivers  all  originate  in  the  eastern  part,  and, 


,  ".'  ti^Sn  II  'Bf  I  ill 

^      1  r      ( ' 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   RYEGATE.  895 

flowing  easterly,  fall  into  the  Connecticut.  Pawlet,  Poultney,  Castleton, 
and  Hubbardton  rivers  water  the  west  and  southwest  parts  of  the 
county.  All  varieties  of  soils  exist,  and  these  are  mingled  in  every 
possible  way.  Of  these,  the  loams  predominate.  A  mixture  of  loam 
and  sand  is  found  best  for  grains ;  clay  the  best  for  grass,  if  sufficiently 
wet ;  and  slate  the  best  for  wheat.  Of  the  crops,  hay  is  the  first  in 
importance ;  the  next  is  corn,  then  oats,  potatoes,  pease,  beans,  carrots, 
and  turnips.  The  county  raises  one  tenth  of  its  wheat,  nine  tenths  of 
corn  and  oats  consumed,  and  pork  equal  to  its  own  consumption. 
Maple  sugar  is  also  a  staple  article  of  produce.  Of  rock,  the  limestone 
formation  is  predominant.  Quarries,  containing  marble  from  the 
finest  to  the  coarsest  qualities,  and  of  all  colors,  as  well  as  of  purest 
white,  are  inexhaustible.  Slate  is  found  equal  to  any  in  the  world,  for 
writing,  for  roofing  and  other  purposes.  Iron  ore  is  also  abundant, 
particularly  in  Tinmouth,  Pittsford,  Chittenden,  and  Brandon.  The 
marble  and  slate  quarries,  with  their  mills  and  manufactories,  the  ore 
beds  and  furnaces,  employ  a  large  class  of  the  population,  and  are 
rapidly  developing  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  state.  Population,  33,059 ; 
valuation,  $11,043,681. 

Ryegate,  in  the  southern  part  of  Caledonia  county,  lies  directly  oppor 
site  to  Bath,  N.  H.,  and  is  thirty-three  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was 
chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September  8,  1763,  to  Richard  Jenness 
and  ninety-three  others,  and  was  originally  settled  by  emigrants  from 
Scotland.  A  company  was  formed  in  1772,  by  a  number  of  farmers  in 
the  shires  of  Renfrew  and  Lanark,  for  purchasing  a  tract  of  land  for  a 
settlement  in  North  America,  and  the  sum  of  £1,000  was  raised  to 
defray  the  expense.  In  March,  1773,  David  Allen  and  James  White- 
law  were  sent  by  the  company  to  explore  the  country,  and  purchase 
such  a  tract  of  land  as  their  funds  would  permit.  After  a  thorough 
examination,  they  purchased  the  south  half  of  Ryegate,  and  immedi- 
ately gave  notice  thereof  to  their  constituents.  In  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer of  1774,  a  number  of  families  and  several  young  men  came  over 
and  commenced  a  settlement,  Aaron  Hosmer  and  family  being  the  only 
persons  here  previous  to  this  time.  In  1775,  sixty  persons  left  Scotland 
to  settle  in  Ryegate ;  but,  unfortunately  for  them,  before  they  arrived 
the  Revolutionary  war  had  commenced,  and  they  were  detained  in  Bos- 
ton by  General  Gage,  who  gave  them  their  choice,  either  to  join  the 
British  army,  go  to  Nova  Scotia  or  Canada,  or  return  to  their  own 
country.  Some  of  them  settled  in  Nova  Scotia,  but  the  majority  of 
them  returned  to  Scotland,  so  that  no  addition  was  made  to  the  settle- 
ment during  the  Revolution.     Those,  however,  who  had  settled  previ- 


896  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

ously,  maintained  their  ground  ;  and,  after  peace  was  concluded  in  1783, 
families  annually  arrived  from  Scotland  for  several  years,  including  one 
of  those  who  had  returned  from  Boston,  and  two  young  men  who  had 
gone  to  Nova  Scotia  in  1775. 

Ryegate  was  organized  in  1776,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The  sur- 
face is  uneven,  and  in  the  north  and  east  parts  hilly  and  ledgy.  Nearly 
all  of  it,  however,  is  fit  for  pasture,  and  a  large  proportion  of  it  is  arable 
land.  On  Connecticut  river  are  a  few  tracts  of  interval.  Tickle- 
naked  pond,  covering  sixty-four  acres,  and  North  pond,  are  situated  in 
this  town,  and  afford  several  mill  privileges.  At  Canoe  Falls  there  is  a 
dam  across  the  Connecticut,  and  a  grist  and  saw  mill  on  the  Ryegate 
side.  Wells  river  runs  through  the  southwest  part  of  Ryegate,  and  is 
about  four  rods  wide,  affording  many  excellent  mill  sites.  Blue  moun- 
tain, situated  about  a  mile  northwest  of  the  centre,  is  the  only  eminence 
of  note,  and  is  composed  of  granite,  affording  inexhaustible  quarries  of 
excellent  mill-stones.     Limestone  is  abundant  in  many  parts. 

Nearly  two  thirds  of  the  inhabitants  are  of  Scotch  descent,  and  still, 
in  a  great  measure,  follow  the  habits  and  subsist  upon  the  diet  to  which 
they  were  accustomed  in  Scotland.  They  introduced  the  method  of 
manufacturing  oatmeal,  which  was  a  great  benefit  to  the  inhabitants 
during  the  cold  seasons  between  1810  and  1817.  In  those  seasons 
about  eight  thousand  bushels  of  oats  were  annually  made  into  meal  in 
this  town  and  about  as  many  in  Barnet.  The  Scotch  inhabitants  of 
Ryegate  and  Barnet  have  gained  a  high  reputation  for  the  manufacture 
of  good  butter.  There  are  two  villages  —  Ryegate  and  South  Rye- 
gate, at  each  of  which  is  a  post-office.  The  religious  denominations 
are  the  Associate  Presbyterian  and  the  Scotch  Reformed  •  Presbyterian 
churches,  each  of  which  has  a  meeting-house.  There  are  nine  school 
districts :  also,  one  grist-mill,  five  saw-mills,  and  one  leather  manufac- 
tory. The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  passes  through 
Ryegate.     Population,  1,606 ;  valuation,  $430,200. 

Salem,  in  the  northeasterly  part  of  Orleans  county,  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  August  18, 
1781,  to  Colonel  Jacob  Davis  and  sixty-four  others.  The  settlement 
was  commenced  by  Ephraim  Blake  in  March,  1798.  Amasa  Spencer 
came  into  town  in  1801,  and  David  Hopkins,  Jr.,  in  1802.  Salem  was 
organized  April  30,  1822,  and  contains  17,330  acres.  The  surface  is 
uneven,  but  not  mountainous.  Clyde  river  runs  through  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  and  falls  into  Salem  pond,  which  is  partly  in  this 
town  and  partly  in  Derby.  There  is  no  other  stream  of  consequence, 
and  no  mills  nor  mill  privileges.     There  are  two  ponds,  one  of  which 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   SALISBURY.  897 

lies  in  the  course  of  Clyde  river,  and  the  other  on  the  line  between  this 
and  Brownington,  each  of  which  is  about  one  mile  in  length  and  three 
fourths  of  a  mile  in  breadth.  South  bay  of  Lake  Memphremagog  lies 
between  this  place  and  Newport.  There  is  no  church  edifice,  but  the 
most  numerous  sect  is  the  Free-will  Baptist;  there  are  eight  school 
districts.     Population,  455 ;  valuation,  $75,000. 

Salisbury,  centrally  situated  in  Addison  county,  thirty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  November  3,  1761.  The  first  person 
who  came  into  Salisbury  with  a  view  of  setthng  was  Amos  Storey. 
He  built  a  log  hut,  which  was  consumed  by  fire,  and  he  himself  was 
killed  by  the  fall  of  a  tree  before  his  family  moved  in.  Thomas  Skeeles 
and  Abel  Waterhouse  were  the  two  next  who  lent  their  exertions  to  the 
settlement.  The  widow  of  Mr.  Storey,  and  eight  or  ten  small  children, 
made  the  first  family  that  moved  into  town,  which,  according  to  a  vote 
of  the  proprietors,  entitled  her  to  one  hundred  acres  of  land.  She 
arrived  on  the  22d  day  of  February,  1775,  and  endured  almost  every 
kind  of  hardship,  laboring  in  the  field,  chopping  down  timber,  and 
clearing  and  cultivating  the  soil.  She  retreated  several  times  to  Pitts- 
ford  during  the  Revolution,  on  account  of  the  danger  apprehended  from 
the  enemy ;  but,  at  length,  she  and  a  Mr.  Stevens  prepared  themselves 
a  safe  retreat,  which  was  effected  by  digging  a  hole  horizontally  into 
the  bank  of  the  Otter  creek  just  above  the  water,  barely  large  enough  to 
admit  one  person  at  a  time.  This  passage  led  to  a  spacious  lodging- 
room,  the  bottom  of  which  was  covered  with  straw,  and  upon  this  beds 
were  laid  for  the  accommodation  of  their  families.  The  entrance  to 
this  novel  and  ingenious  habitation  was  concealed  by  bushes,  which 
hung  over  it  from  the  bank  above.  The  wary  occupants  of  it  usually 
retired  to  their  lodgings  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  and  left  them 
before  light  in  the  morning,  and  this  was  effected  by  means  of  a 
canoe,  so  that  no  path  or  footsteps  were  to  be  seen,  which  would 
lead  to  their  discovery.^  The  family  of  Abel  Waterhouse  was  the 
third  in  town;  and  his  widow  married  Christopher  Johnson.  Mrs. 
Storey  married  Benjamin  Smalley,  the  first  settler  of  Middlebury,  and 
after  his  death  she  married  Stephen  Goodi-ich,  one  of  the  first  selectmen 
of  Middlebury. 

Salisbury  was  organized  March  17,  1788,  and  contains  about  16,000 
acres;  although  it    appears  to  have   been  chartered  six   miles    square, 

'  Those  who  have  read  the  exciting  novel,  by  Hon.  D.  P.  Thompson,  entitled  the  "  Green 
Mountain  Boys,"  will  doubtless  remember  the  terrible  explosion  which  took  place  in  this 
cavern,  by  which  quite  a  number  of  the  Yorkers  came  to  their  end.  Although  not 
intended  as  a  historical  work,  the  narrative  is  regarded  as  founded  in  fact. 


898  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

and  to  have  been  reduced  to  this  size  by  a  compromise  with  the  town 
of  Leicester,  between  which  and  this  town  a  dispute  had  been  main- 
tained, and  had  resulted  in  a  nearly  equal  division  of  the  territory.  A 
portion  was  annexed  to  Ripton,  November  1,  1832.  The  surface  is 
somewhat  uneven.  The  eastern  part  extends  on  to  the  Green  Moun- 
tains, and  in  the  western  part  are  some  fine  tracts  of  meadow.  Otter 
creek  forms  the  western  boundary ;  the  other  streams  are  Middlebury 
river,  which  touches  upon  the  north  part,  and  Leicester  river,  which 
waters  the  southern  part.  Lake  Dunmore  is  about  four  miles  long  and 
from  half  to  three  fourths  of  a  mile  wide,  and  lies  partly  in  this  town 
and  partly  in  Leicester.  On  the  outlet  of  this  lake  are  several  falls, 
which  afford  some  fine  mill  privileges,  around  which,  near  the  south  line, 
is  a  thriving  little  village.  In  the  mountain  east  of  Dunmore  lake  is  a 
cavern,  which  consists  of  a  large  room,  and  is  thought  to  have  been 
inhabited  by  the  Indians,  as  their  arrows  and  other  instruments  have 
been  found  in  it.  There  are  tvi^o  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and 
Methodist;  nine  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices — Salisbury  and 
West  Salisbury :  also,  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  bloom 
iron,  one  woollen  mill,  and  several  other  mills.  The  Rutland  and 
Burlington  Railroad  passes  through  Salisbury.  Population,  1,027  ; 
valuation,  $267,563. 

Sandgate,  in  the  western  part  of  Bennington  county,  103  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  11,  1761,  to 
John  Park  and  sixty-five  others.  The  settlement  was  begun  in  1771  by 
a  Mr.  Bristol.  The  old  records  have  been  lost,  and  later  ones  so  de- 
faced that  a  good  deal  of  obscurity  is  thrown  upon  the  early  history 
of  the  town  and  the  date  of  its  organization.  Abner  Hurd  was 
town  clerk  from  1778  to  1800 ;  and  the  organization  probably  took 
place  before  the  first  of  these  dates.  The  surface  is  very  broken  and 
mountainous.  The  most  considerable  elevations  are  Shettarack  and 
Bald  mountains  in  the  northwest  corner.  Spruce  and  a  part  of  Equinox 
mountain  in  the  northeastern  part,  Red  mountain  in  the  southeast,  and 
Swearing  hill  in  the  southwest  part.  The'  streams  are  all  small,  con- 
sisting of  several  branches  of  the  Battenkill  and  of  White  creek,  which 
afford  but  few  mill  privileges.  There  are  two  villages — East  and 
West  Sandgate;  one  church  edifice  at  the  East  village,  owned  by 
the  Congregationalists,  but  occupied  by  the  Methodists ;  ten  school 
districts  and  a  post-office  in  the  east  part :  also,  four  saw-mills  and  one 
clothes-pin  factory.     Population,  850 ;  valuation,  $178,931. 


VBKMONT  —  TOWN   OF   SUAETSBURY.  899 

Searsbdrgh,  a  small  town  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  Bennington 
county,  112  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  and  chartered  to 
William  Williams  and  twenty-five  others,  February  23,  1781,  and  was 
organized  March  18,  1833.  The  town  lies  mostly  on  the  Green 
Mountains,  and  contains  10,240  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  is 
incapable  of  settlement.  Deerfield  river  enters  from  Somerset,  and 
crosses  the  east  line  into  Wilmington.  Haystack  mountain  lies  partly 
in  the  northeast  corner.  The  principal  religious  denomination  is  the 
Universalist  The  town  is  divided  into  four  school  districts,  and  has 
one  post-office.     Population,  201 ;  valuation,  $38,300. 

Shaftsbury,  in  the  western  part  of  Bennington  county,  ninety-seven 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  20, 
1761,  to  John  Brown  and  sixty-one  others ;  and  the  settlement  was 
commenced  about  the  year  1763.  Among  the  early  settlers  may  be 
mentioned  Messrs.  Cole,  Willoughby,  Clark,  Doolittle,  Waldo,  and 
several  families  of  Mattisons.  The  Hon.  Jonas  Galusha,  late  governor 
of  Vermont,  came  into  this  town  in  the  spring  of  1775,  and  during  the 
Revolutionary  war  was  made  captain  of  one  of  the  two  companies  of 
militia  raised  here,  the  other  being  commanded  by  Captain  Amos  Hun- 
tington. Captain  Huntington  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Hub- 
bardton  and  sent  to  Canada,  after  which  the  two  companies  were 
united,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Captain  Galusha,  who  fought 
at  their  head  in  the  battle  of  Bennington.  He  was  one  of  the  supreme 
judges  in  the  years  1807  and  1808  ;  and  was  governor  of  the  state  nine 
years,  from  1809  to  1819.     He  died  at  Shaftsbury  in  October,  1834. 

Shaftsbury  was  organized  some  time  before  the  Revolution,  the  first 
meeting  on  record  being  an  adjourned  one,  April  13,  1779,  when 
Thomas  Mattison,  Abner  Rice,  Reuben  Ellis,  Joshua  Bates,  Ichabod 
Cross,  and  Nathan  Salisbury  were  chosen  town  officers.  Rev.  Caleb 
Blood,  the  pastor  of  the  Charles  Street  Baptist  church  in  Boston  from 
1807  to  1809,  and  subsequently  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Portland 
until  his  death  in  1814,  was  previously  settled  in  this  town  for 
many  years ;  and  Rev.  Isaiah  Mattison  had  a  very  long  and  successful 
pastorate  here.  The  town  contains  by  charter  23,040  acres.  It  lies 
between  the  Battenkill  and  Walloomscoik  rivers,  some  tributaries  of 
which  rise  here  and  afford  several  mill  privileges.  West  mountain 
lies  in  the  northern  part,  extending  into  Arlington.  The  soil  is  gen- 
erally good.  Iron  ore  of  excellent  quality  is  found  here,  of  which  large 
quantities  have  been  conveyed  to  Bennington  furnace ;  and  a  beautiful 
white  marble  has  been  extensively  quarried.  There  are  two  villages  — 
jhaftsbury  and  South  Shaftsbury,  each  of  which  has  a  post  office  ;  three 


900  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

meeting-houses  —  two  Baptist  at  Shaftsbury,  and  the  Universalist  at 
South  Shaftsbury  ;  and  seventeen  school  districts.  The  town  is  supplied 
with  the  necessary  accommodations  for  travellers,  and  has  several  grist- 
mills, saw-mills,  and  paper-mills.  The  Western  Vermont  Railroad 
passes  through  Shaftsbury.     Population,  1,896  ;  valuation,  $565,201. 

Sharon,  in  the  north  part  of  Windsor  county,  thirty-four  raiiles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  17,  1761,  to 
John  Taylor  and  sixty-one  others.  The  settlement  was  commenced, 
about  the  year  1765,  by  emigrants  from  Connecticut ;  and,  as  near  as 
can  be  ascertained,  Robert  Havens  and  family  were  the  first  who 
wintered  in  the  township.  At  the  time  of  the  attack  upon  Royalton,  in 
1780,  by  the  Indians,  Sharon  also  suffered.  A  party  of  them  which  went 
down  the  east  side  of  White  river  entered  the  house  of  Captain  Gilbert, 
made  captive  his  nephew  Nathaniel  Gilbert,  and  set  out  on  their  return, 
firing  every  building  within  sight,  destroying  the  cattle  and  laying  w^aste 
the  fields  and  crops.  On  the  west  bank  of  the  river  they  visited  the 
houses  of  General  Elias  Stevens,  Captain  Ebenezer  Parkhurst,  and 
others,  took  some  prisoners,  and  generally  ordered  the  women  and  small 
children  to  flee,  that  they  might  not  be  impeded  by  feeble  prisoners 
upon  the  march,  as  they  were  more  intent  upon  plunder  than  capture. 
Another  fact  which  should  not  pass  without  notice,  although  it  must 
keep  company  with  the  tale  of  Indian  barbarities  through  want  of  op- 
portunity for .  better  arrangement,  is,  that  "Joe  Smith,"  the  founder  of 
the  Mormons,  was  born  and  spent  his  youthful  days  in  Sharon. 

The  town  was  probably  organized  March  12,  1776,  when  Benjamin 
Spaulding  was  chosen  town  clerk,  Joseph  Parkhurst,  Daniel  Gilbert, 
and  Joel  Marsh,  selectmen.  It  contains  23,795  acres.  A  part  of  Pom- 
fret  was  annexed  to  it,  October  20,  1807.  The  surface  is  very  broken. 
White  river  runs  through  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  affords  a  number 
of  valuable  mill  privileges.  There  are  also  several  smaller  streams, 
on  which  mills  are  located.  On  the  bank  of  White  river,  near  the 
centre  of  Sharon,  is  a  flourishing  little  village.  The  town  has  one 
church  edifice  —  Congregational ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office:  also,  one  grist-mill,  twelve  saw-mills,  and  one  bobbin  factory; 
and  is  traversed  by  the  Vermont  Central  Railroad.  Population,  1,240 ; 
valuation,  $463,673. 

Sheffield,  in  the  north  part  of  Caledonia  county,  thirty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Stephen  Kingsbury  and  seventy-three  others,  October  25,  1793.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  about  the  year  1792.     The  town  was  oro-an- 


■t>" 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   SHELBUENE.  901 

ized  March  31,  1796,  and  contains  22,607  acres.  It  lies  on  the  height  of 
land  which  separates  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Connecticut  river 
from  those  which  flow  into  the  lakes,  and  is  watered  by  some  of  the 
head  branches  of  the  Passumpsic,  and  also  of  Barton  river.  In  the 
north  part  are  several  small  ponds,  affording,  with  the  rivers,  sev- 
eral good  mill  privileges,  some  of  which  are  occupied.  Sheffield  has 
one  meeting-house  —  Baptist ;  sixteen  school  districts ;  and  one  post- 
office  :  also,  one  starch  factory,  and  some  trade  in  lumber  and  wool. 
Population,  797  ;  valuation,  $185,683. 

Shelbuene,  in  the  western  part  of  Chittenden  county,  thirty-three 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  18, . 
1763,  to  Jesse  Hallock  and  sixty-three  others ;  and  a  small  settlement 
was  made  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  earliest  inhabitants 
were  two  Germans  by  the  names  of  Logan  and  Pottier,  who  com- 
menced upon  two  points  of  land  extending  into  Lake  Champlain,  which 
still  bear  the  names  "  Pottier's  point "  and  "  Logan's  point."  The  first 
settlers  were  employed  principally  in  getting  out  lumber  for  the  Canada 
market,  and  tradition  says  that  Pottier  and  Logan  were  murdered  for 
their  money  by  a  party  of  soldiers  sent  out  from  Montreal  to  protect  them 
from  the  Indians.  Before  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  about 
ten  families  had  settled  along  the  lake  shore,  among  whom  were  Thomas 
and  Moses  Pierson,  who  raised  and  harvested  a  large  crop  of  wheat 
before  the  town  was  abandoned  on  the  advance  of  the  British  up  the 
lake.  During  the  fall,  the  Messrs.  Pierson,  with  that  peculiar  industry 
which  braved  all  kinds  of  danger  rather  than  permit  any  thing  to  be 
lost,  came  here  with  a  number  of  hands  for  the  purpose  of  threshing 
out  the  wheat ;  and,  while  engaged  in  this  business,  they  were  attacked 
by  a  party  of  Indians,  and  two  of  their  number,  Barnabas  Barnum  and 
Joshua  Woodward,  were  killed.  The  others,  however,  after  a  pretty  hoit 
contest,  in  which  twelve  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  succeeded  in  repel- 
ling the  Indians  and  securing  the  grain.  During  the  war  the  settlement 
was  abandoned,  but  was  recommenced  immediately  after  its  close. 
The  early  settlers  came  principally  from  Connecticut. 

Shelburne  was  organized  on  the  29th  of  March,  1787,  and  contains 
14,272  acres,  exclusive  of  bays  and  ponds.  This  has  been  somewhat 
diminished  by  the  act  of  November  9,  1848,  annexing  that  part  of  the 
town  east  of  Muddy  brook  and  Shelburne  pond  to  St  George.  The 
soil  is  of  an  excellent  quality.  Laplot  river  is  the  principal  stream,  and 
affords  some  mill  privileges.  Shelburne  pond  is  in  the  northeast  part  of 
the  town,  and  covers  about  six  hundred  acres.  There  are  two  villages 
—  Shelburne  and  Shelburne  Falls  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist, 
VOL.  I.  '^^ 


902  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Protestant  Methodist,  and  one  occupied  by  Episcopalians  and  Congre- 
gationalists ;  thirteen  school  districts  and  one  post-office :  also,  one 
grist-mill,  one  saw-mill,  and  two  wagon  shops.  The  Rutland  and  Bur- 
lington Railroad  passes  through  Shelburne.  Population,  1,257  ;  valua- 
tion, $486,860. 

Sheldon,  in  the  central  part  of  Franklin  county,  twenty-six  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  18,  1763, 
to  Samuel  Hungerford  and  sixty-three  others,  by  the  name  of  Hun- 
gerford,  which  was  superseded  November  8,  1792,  by  the  present  name. 
It  was  first  settled,  about  the  year  1790,  by  Colonel  Elisha  Sheldon  and 
•  Samuel  B.  Sheldon,  emigrants  from  Salisbury,  Conn.  The  settlement 
advanced  with  considerable  rapidity,  and  the  town  was  organized  in 
1791.  It  contains  23,040  acres,  and  the  surface  is  diversified  with  hills 
and  valleys,  the  soil  being  generally  good  and  easily  cultivated.  The 
only  streams  of  consequence  are  Missisco  river,  which  runs  through  from 
east  to  west,  and  Black  creek,  a  considerable  tributary  of  the  Missisco, 
on  the  latter  of  which  are  some  good  mill  privileges.  Sheldon  has  one 
village,  called  Sheldon  Creek ;  the  Missisquoi  Bank,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000;  three  church  edifices  —  Episcopalian,  Congregational,  and 
Union;  fourteen  school  districts;  and  three  post-offices  —  Sheldon,  East 
Sheldon,  and  North  Sheldon :  also,  two  grist-mills,  four  saw-mills,  one 
woollen  factory,  three  tanneries,  a  wheelwright's  and  a  cabinet-maker's 
shop,  and  one  saddlery ;  also  a  dealer  in  cast-iron.  Population,  1,814  ; 
valuation,  $411,378. 

Sherburne,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rutland  county,  forty-six  miles  from 
Montpeher,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  7,  1761,  to  Ezra 
Stiles,  Samuel  Yates,  Benjamin  Ellery,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  sixty- 
three  others,  by  the  name  of  Killington,  which  name  was  changed  to 
the  present  one,  November  4,  1800.  The  town  was  surveyed,  and  lotted 
into  seventy  equal  shares,  in  1774,  by  Simeon  Stevens.  Isaiah  "Wash- 
burn, in  1785,  was  the  first  settler  who  broke  the  solitude  of  the  wilder- 
ness within  the  limits  of  this  township. 

Sherburne  was  organized  in  1794,  and  contains  23,040  acres ;  and 
Parker's  gore  was  annexed  to  the  town,  November  4,  1822.  With  the 
exception  of  a  narrow  strip  along  Quechee  river,  where  there  is  some 
very  good  interval,  the  surface  is  very  mountainous  and  broken,  about  a 
fourth  part  only  being  settled.  The  celebrated  summit  of  the  Green 
Mountains,  called  Killington  peak,  3,924  feet  above  the  sea,  is  situated 
in  the  south  part.  The  pass  over  the  mountains  here  has  an  altitude  of 
1,882  feet.     Quechee  river  originates  near  the  northwest  corner  and 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   SHORBHAM,   ETC.  903 

after  a  southeasterly  course  for  seven  miles,  enters  Bridgewater.  There 
are  several  tributaries  to  this  river,  which  are  sufficiently  large  for  mills. 
There  are  also  three  natural  ponds,  covering  about  ten  acres  each,  and 
from  one  of  them  issues  a  stream  called  Thundering  brook,  in  which  is 
a  fall  of  some  note.  The  rivers  and  brooks  abound  in  trout,  considerable 
quantities  of  which  are  annually  caught,  and  find  a  ready  market  at  the 
hotels  and  in  the  adjoining  towns.  Game  also  is  abundant,  consisting  of 
wild-cats,  sables,  minks,  muskrats,  lynxes,  foxes,  and  bears.  Sherburne 
has  one  village,  one  Union  meeting-house,  ten  school  districts,  and  two 
post-offices  —  Sherburne  and  North  Sherburne.  Spruce  shingles  are 
extensively  manufactured  here,  sufficient  to  supply  the  whole  county  : 
there  are  eight  saw-mills.     Population,  578  ;  valuation,  $113,400. 

Shoreham,  in  the  southwest  part  of  Addison  county,  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  which  separates  it  from  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.,  is  fifty  miles  from 
Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to  John  Chandler 
and  sixty-three  others,  October  8,  1761,  and  was  settled,  about  the  year 
1766,  by  Colonel  Ephraim  Doolittle,  Paul  Moore,  Marshal  Newton,  and 
others.  They  adopted  the  Moravian  plan,  and  had  all  things  common 
until  the  settlement  was  broken  up  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  On 
the  return  of  peace,  some  of  the  former  settlers  again  took  up  their  resi- 
dence, as  well  as  others  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  and  the 
town  was  organized  November  20,  1786.  Hon.  Silas  H.  Jenison,  for 
five  years  (1836-40)  governor  of  this  state,  was  a  native  of  this  town, 
and  died  here  September  30,  1849.  Rev.  Byron  Sunderland,  D.  D.,  now 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton, and  one  of  the  most  earnest,  able,  and  eloquent  pulpit  orators  in  the 
country,  was  also  born  here.  Shoreham  contains  26,319  acres,  the  sur- 
face of  which  is  level,  and  the  soil  good,  producing  fine  crops  of  corn 
and  grain.  This  may  be  considered  one  of  the  neatest  and  best  farm- 
ing towns  in  the  State.  A  bed  of  iron  ore  has  been  opened  in  the 
eastern  part.  The  only  stream  of  consequence  is  Lemonfair  river, 
affording  some  good  mill  privileges,  which  have  been  improved  by  the 
erection  of  three  saw-mills,  three  shingle  mills,  and  a  grist-miU.  There 
are  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Universalist ;  the  Newton 
Academy,  incorporated  in  1811 ;  thirteen  school  districts ;  and  two 
post-offices  —  Shoreham  and  Larrabee's  Point ;  also,  one  butter-tub 
factory.     Population,  1,601 ;  valuation,  $725,455. 

Shrewsbury,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Rutland  county,  fifty-nine  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  September  4,  1761,  to  Samuel  Ashley 
and  sixty-three  others,  only  one  of  whom  ever  settled  here.     Shrewsbury 


904  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

was  organized  March  20,  1781,  and  contains  forty-four  square  miles. 
It  lies  mostly  on  the  Green  Mountains,  and  in  the  eastern  part  is  situ- 
ated Shrewsbury  Peak,  which  is  one  of  the  highest  summits  of  the  Green 
Mountain  chain,  being  4,086  feet  above  tide  water.  This  elevation  is 
often  mistaken  for  Killington  peak.  Mill  river  runs  through  the  south- 
west part,  and  Cold  river  through  the  north  part,  both  of  which  are 
sufficiently  large  for  mills.  In  the  southerly  part  are  two  considerable 
ponds,  known  as  Peal's  and  Ashley's.  There  are  three  villages  — 
Shrewsbury,  Cuttingsville,  and  North  Shrewsbury,  the  first  two  of 
which  have  post-offices  ;  three  church  edifices  —  Universalist,  at  Shrews- 
bury, Baptist  at  Cottingsville,  and  Christian  at  North  Shrewsbury ;  and 
fourteen  school  districts  :  also,  six  saw-mills  and  one  grist-mill.  Popu- 
lation, 1,268 ;  valuation,  ^430,000. 

Somerset,  in  the  western  part  of  Windham  county,  is  fourteen  miles 
from  Bennington.  No  records  have  been  found  to  show  when  it 
was  chartered ;  and  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  settled  as  early  as  the 
towns  contiguous  to  it.  The  ancient  registers  say  that  it  once  com- 
prised 23,040  acres,  a  portion  of  which  was  annexed  to  Wardsboro', 
November  5,  1838.  Somerset  was  organized  November  19,  1792.  It 
is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  Green  Mountains  near  the  head 
waters  of  Deerfield  river,  which  runs  through  from  north  to  south,  and 
with  which  Moose  branch,  running  along  the  western  part,  unites  in 
Searsburgh.  It  is  intersected  in  the  easterly  part  by  Mount  Pisgah,  hav- 
ing a  north  and  south  direction,  which  leaves  only  a  strip  of  land  of 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  wide  fit  for  cultivation.  The  east  part  is  again 
divided  by  a  spur,  so  that  the  people  upon  one  side  have  a  more  natural 
connection  with  West  Wardsboro',  and  upon  the  other  with  West  Dover. 
The  westerly  part  of  Somerset  has  been  but  recently  settled ;  there  are 
several  saw-miUs,  and  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  chair  stuff"  and 
other  wood-work.  Besides  these  there  is  a  saw-mUl,  a  grist-mill,  and  a 
tannery  in  other  parts  of  the  town.  There  are  six  school  districts,  but 
no  church  edifice  or  post-office.     Population,  321 ;  valuation,  $82,743. 

South  Hero,  in  the  south  part  of  Grand  Isle  county,  is  bounded  on 
all  sides  but  the  north  by  Lake  Champlain.  It  was  chartered,  together 
with  Grand  Isle,  North  Hero,  and  Vineyard,  to  Ethan  Allen,  Samuel 
Herrick,  and  363  others,  October  27,  1779.  North  and  South  Hero 
were  separated  in  1788  ;  and,  in  1798,  South  Hero  was  divided,  and  the 
parts  took  the  names  of  South  Hero  and  Middle  Hero,  the  latter  of 
which  has  since  been  altered  to  Grand  Isle.  The  settlement  was  com- 
menced by  Ebenezer  Allen,  who  came  here  August  25,  1783,  and  the 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    SPRINGFIELD.  905 

town  is  supposed  to  have  been  organized  as  soon  as,  if  not  earlier  than, 
17S8.  It  contains  9,065  acres,  the  surface  being  generally  level,  and  the 
soil  excellent.  The  basis  of  this,  as  well  as  of  the  other  islands  in  Grand 
Isle  county,  is  limestone  of  different  varieties,  but  mostly  of  the  com- 
pact kind.  A  bridge  one  mile  and  twenty  rods  in  length,  which  cost 
$25,000,  connects  Chittenden  county  with  Grand  Isle  county.  Agricul- 
ture is  the  exclusive  occupation  of  the  inhabitants.  Among  the  citizens 
of  South  Hero  was  Kev.  Asa  Lyon,  who  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  1790,  —  came  here  from  Massachusetts  about  the  year  1800, 
and  was  a  member  of  congress  for  two  years,  from  1815-17,  He  died 
here  April  4, 1841.  The  religious  denominations  are  Congregationahsts 
and  Methodists,  each  of  which  has  a  meeting-house.  There  are  four 
school  districts,  one  academy,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  705 ; 
valuation,  $220,000. 

Springfield,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Windsor  county,  is  on  the 
Connecticut  river,  which  separates  it  from  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  sixty- 
eight  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to 
Gideon  Lyman  and  sixty-one  others,  August  20,  1761.  Among  the 
first  settlers  were  Simeon  Stevens  and  the  Hon.  Lewis  R.  Morris.  The 
surface  is  hilly,  but  it  contains  some  fine  alluvial  flats,  and  is  among  the 
best  agricultural  towns  in  the  state.  The  town  contains  several  mills 
and  manufactories,  among  which  are  a  cotton  mill,  with  a  capital  of 
$20,000;  a  card  factory,  one  shearing  and  brushing  machine  factory, 
one  cassimere  mill  with  a  capital  of  $25,000,  one  clothes-pin  and  bucket 
manufactory,  and  one  shoe-peg  manufactory  with  a  capital  of  $20,000. 
The  most  of  these  estabhshments  are  located  at  the  centre  village,  which 
is  situated  at  the  falls  in  Black  river,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Connecticut.  These  falls  (which  have  a  descent  of  110 
feet  in  one  eighth  of  a  mile,  fifty  of  which  are  nearly  perpendicular)  are 
regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  curiosities  in  the  state ;  and  the  village 
and  all  the  scenery  about  it  are  highly  romantic  and  interesting.  In  some 
places  the  channel  through  which  the  river  passes  does  not  exceed  three 
yards  in  width,  some  of  the  way  through  a  deep  ravine  walled  in  by 
perpendicular  ledges  of  mica  slate  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  high.  The 
production  of  silk  has  received  considerable  attention,  and  more  than 
one  thousand  pounds  of  cocoons  have  been  produced  in  a  year.  The 
town  contains  two  villages  —  Springfield  and  North  Springfield,  each 
having  a  post-office ;  six  church  edifices  —  a  Congregational,  Wesleyan 
Methodist,  Independent  Methodist,  Baptist,  Christian,  and  UniversaHst ; 
twenty  -school  districts  and  one    academy,  the  Springfield  Wesleyan 

76* 


906  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Seminary.     The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  touches  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  town.     Population,  2,762 ;  valuation,  f  1,138,908. 

St.  Albans,  the  capital  of  Franklin  county,  upon  the  shore  of  Lake 
Champlain,  an  arm  of  which  separates  it  from  North  Hero,  is  forty-eight 
miles  from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August 
17,  1763,  to  Stephen  Pomeroy  and  sixty-three  others.  Jesse  Walden  is 
supposed  to  have  been  the  first  civilized  person  who  settled  in  St. 
Albans,  having  removed  here  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  began 
improvements  at  the  bay.  There  was  no  addition  to  the  settlement  till 
1785,  when  Andrew  Potter  immigrated  here,  and  from  that  time  the 
settlement  advanced  rapidly.  Among  the  earliest  settlers  were  the 
families  of  Messrs.  Potter,  Morrill,  Gibbs,  Green,  and  Meigs,  who  came 
principally  from  the  south  part  of  the  state,  and  from  the  other  states  of 
New  England. 

Among  the  men  deserving  of  notice  here  may  be  mentioned  Hon. 
Benjamin  Swift,  who  represented  the  northwestern  district  of  Vermont 
in  congress  for  one  term,  from  1829-31 ;  and  was  senator  for  six 
years  ending  in  1839.  He  died  here  November  11,  1847.  Hon.  Asa 
Aldis,  an  eminent  lawyer,  was  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  in 
1815-16 ;  and  died  October  18,  1847.  His  son,  Hon.  Asa  O.  Aldis,  is 
at  present  an  associate  justice  of  the  supreme  court.  Rev.  Worthington 
Smith,  D.  D.,  late  president  of  the  University  of  Vermont,  died  here 
February  13,  1856.  Hon.  Lawrence  Brainerd  was  elected,  in  1854,  to 
serve  out  the  unexpired  term  of  the  late  Senator  Upham,  ending  in  1855. 

St.  Albans  was  organized  July  28,  1788,  and  contains  23,040  acres. 
Some  small  islands  were  annexed  to  it,  —  Johnson's,  October  22,  1842, 
and  Wood's,  October  22,  1845.  The  soil  is  a  dark  loam,  rich,  and  in 
good  cultivation.  There  are  no  large  streams  nor  good  mill  privileges. 
St.  Albans  village  is  a  very  flourishing  place,  containing  a  handsome 
park  thirty  by  thirty-five  rods  in  extent.  The  site  is  elevated,  and  slopes 
gently  from  the  east.  The  Vermont  and  Canada  Ralfi-oad  passes 
through  the  westerly  part  of  the  village,  and  a  large  depot  stands  on  the 
lot  of  ground  belonging  to  the  company.  Near  this  is  an  extensive  iron 
foundery,  with  facilities  for  the  various  kinds  of  iron  casting ;  and  a 
little  to  the  southwest  is  a  large  car  factory,  designed  chiefly  for  the 
manufacture  of  freight  cars.  There  are  no  mills  —  either  propelled  by 
water  or  steam.  The  public  buildings  in  this  village  are  a  court-house, 
an  academy,  four  church  edifices — Congregational,  Episcopal,  Metho- 
dist, and  Roman  Catholic  —  the  last  of  which,  it  is  estimated,  wlW  cost 
^30,000.    This  is  already  occupied,  although  some  time  may  be  required 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    ST.    GEORGE. 


907 


for  its  completion.  There  are  two  printing-offices,  at  which  the  Ver- 
mont Tribune  and  the  St.  Albans  Messenger  are  printed.  The  village 
has  a  large  number  of  mechanic  shops  and  stores ;  also  the  Bank  of  St. 
Albans  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  and  the  Franldin  County  Bank  with 
a  capital  of  $100,000. 


The  first  vessel  that  arrived  at  the  city  of  New  York  from  Lake 
Champlain  through  the  Northern  Canal  was  built  and  owned  here.  At 
the  landing-place  on  Belamaqueen  bay,  three  miles  west  of  St.  Albans 
village,  is  another  village,  called  St.  Albans  Bay,  as  yet  but  of  moder- 
ate extent,  at  which  there  is  a  Congregational  church.  Steamers 
have  at  different  times  run  between  this  place  and  Burlington,  and 
places  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake.  There  are  seventeen  school  dis- 
tricts and  two  post-offices  —  St,  Albans  and  St.  Albans  Bay.  Attention 
is  given  to  the  raising  of  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep ;  and  butter  and 
cheese  are  made  in  large  quantities.  Population,  in  1850,  3,467,  now 
estimated  at  4,500 ;  valuation,  ^1,089,393. 


St.  George,  in  the  central  part  of  Chittenden  county,  twenty-eight 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  18, 
1763,  to  Jesse  Hallock  and  sixty-three  others,  and  the  first  settler  was 
Joshua  Isham,  who  came  here  from  Colchester,  Conn.,  in  1784.  The 
town  was  organized  March  9,  1813.     That  part  of  Shelburne  east  of 


908  HISTOET  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Muddy  brook  and  Shelburne  pond  was  annexed  to  it  November  9, 1848, 
and  it  now  contains  about  2,500  acres.  The  surface  is  very  uneven, 
with  considerable  elevations ;  and  the  soil  is  loam,  clay,  and  gravel. 
There  are  no  streams  of  consequence,  and  no  mill  privileges.  There  is 
one  church  edifice,  which  is  free  to  all  denominations  ;  and  three  school 
districts:  also,  one  steam  saw-mill.  The  post-office  was  discontinued 
March  4, 1857.     Population,  127  ;  valuation,  $37,550. 

St.  Johnsbury,  now  the  shire  town  of  Caledonia  county,  thirty-seven 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  on  the  27th  of  October,  and  char- 
tered November  1,  1786,  to  Jonathan  Arnold  and  twenty-one  others. 
James  Adams  and  his  son  Martin  Adams,  with  their  families,  com- 
menced the  settlement  on  "  Benton's  meadow,"  and  Simeon  Cole  on 
the  "  Butler  meadow,"  in  1786.  The  next  year  Dr.  Jonathan  Arnold, 
Dr.  Joseph  Lord,  Barnabas  Barker,  and  others  moved  in.  The  town 
was  organized  June  21,  1790,  and  contains  21,167  acres. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  of  St.  Johnsbury  may  here  be  noticed 
Hon.  Lemuel  H.  Arnold,  who  was  a  native  of  this  town ;  removed  to 
Rhode  Island  at  an  early  age,  and  received  a  legal  education,  but  left  the 
profession  for  mercantile  pursuits ;  was  elected  governor  of  Rhode  Island 
in  1841  and  1842 ;  was  a  member  of  the  governor's  council  during  the 
Dorr  rebellion ;  member  of  congress  from  1845  to  1847 ;  and  died  in 
Kingston,  R.  I.,  June  27,  1852 :  Hon.  Luke  P.  Poland,  who  was  one  of 
the  supreme  judges  from  1848-50,  and  was  again  chosen  in  1857  :  Hon. 
Erastus  Fairbanks,  the  patentee  and  enterprising  manufacturer  of  the 
balance-scales,  and  who  was  governor  of  this  state  in  1852  and  1853. 

It  is  watered  by  the  Passumpsic  river,  which  runs  through  from  north 
to  south,  and  receives,  just  below  the  Plain  village,  the  Moose  river,  a 
considerable  stream  from  the  northeast,  and  Sleeper's  river,  a  smaller 
tributary  from  the  northwest.  The  amount  of  available  water  power 
furnished  by  these  streams  within  St.  Johnsbury  exceeds  that  of  any 
other  town  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

The  business  of  the  place  is  divided  among  three  villages.  The 
Centre  village,  so  called,  lies  upon  the  Passumpsic  river,  in  the  northerly 
part  of  the  town,  and  has  been  of  rapid  growth.  It  does  a  prosperous 
business,  and  contains  a  grist-miU,  saw-miU,  tannery,  and  various  shops. 
The  Congregationalists,  Methodists,  and  Universalists  have  each  a  meet- 
ing-house here.  The  East  village,  situated  upon  Moose  river,  in  the  east 
part,  is  the  natural  centre  for  the  business  of  portions  of  St.  Johnsbury, 
Waterford,  Concord,  Kirby,  Victory,  and  Bradleyvale,  and  contains  a 
meeting-house,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  oil  mill,  tannery,  and  several 
mechanic  shops.    The  pleasant  village  called  the  Plain,  —  containing  four 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   ST.    JOHNSBOEY. 


909 


meeting-houses  —  Methodist,  Roman  Catholic,  and  two  Congregational; 
an  academy,  two  public-houses,  a  high  school,  the  Passumpsic  Bank, 
with  a  capital  of  8100,000,  a  printing-office,  twenty  stores,  and  the  usual 
evidences  of  mechanical  industry  —  is  situated  in  the  southerly  part. 
There  is  here  a  large  establishment,  consisting  of  a  blast  furnace  and  a 


=^  #S*^^;t 


St.  Johnsbury  Piain, 

machine-shop  for  finishing  every  description  of  mill-gear  and  ordinary 
machinery,  a  carriage  factory,  and  a  factory  for  making  sashes,  doors, 
blinds,  and  other  wood-work.  On  Sleeper's  river  is  the  extensive  estab- 
lishment of  E.  &  T.  Fairbanks  and  Co.,  for  the  manufacture  of 
scales,  which  usually  employs  three  hundred  men  upon  annual  wages 
of  $130,000;  consumes  2,500  tons  of  pig-iron,  two  hundred  of  bar 
iron,  thirty-eight  of  steel,  twenty-six  of  copper,  and  2,500  of  anthra- 
cite coal ;  100,000  bushels  of  charcoal,  and  1,000,000  feet  of  lumber. 
The  annual  product  of  scales  is  about  $500,000.  Up  to  July,  1857, 
there  had  been  made  70,658  portable  scales ;  5,872  of  hay,  depot,  and 
railroad  scales ;  and  59,712  of  counter,  union,  even  balance,  and  drug- 
gist's scales.  The  town  is  divided  into  fourteen  school  districts,  and  has 
three  post-offices  —  St.  Johnsbury,  St.  Johnsbury  Centre,  and  East  St. 
Johnsbury ;  and  is  traversed  by  the  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers 
Railroad.     Population,  2,758  ;  valuation,  $1,449,292. 


910  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

Stamford,  in  the  centre  of  the  south  tier  of  towns  in  Bennington 
county,  116  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire, 
March  6,  1753,  to  Elisha  Cook  and  fifty-five  others.  It  was  chartered 
again  by  that  state,  June  9,  1754,  to  Francis  Bernard,  Esq.  and  sixty- 
five  others,  by  the  name  of  New  Stamford,  which  never  seems  to  have 
been  adopted  by  the  people.  The  first  settler,  tradition  says,  was  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Raymond,  who  built  a  cabin  against  a  large  rock, 
situated  about  a  mile  south  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  from  which  cir- 
cumstance he  ever  after  went  by  the  name  of  Rock  Raymond.  Stam- 
ford was  probably  organized  a  short  time  previous  to  1780;  the  first 
meeting  on  record  was  on  March  14  of  that  year,  when  Israel  and 
Amos  Mead,  Edward  Higley,  and  Benjamin  Tupper  were  chosen 
officers.  It  contains  23,040  acres,  the  surface  being  very  uneven,  and  a 
considerable  portion  of  it  waste  land.  The  -south  part  is  watered  by 
some  of  the  head  branches  of  Hoosic  river.  In  the  north  part  are 
several  natural  ponds,  the  most  important  of  which  are  Stamford  and 
Sucker.  The  waters  from  this  part  run  northerly  into  the  Walloom- 
scoik.  Stamford  has  one  village  —  Stamford  Hollow ;  two  church 
edifices  — Baptist  and  .Methodist ;  nine  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office  ;  several  saw-mUls,  and  one  tannery.  Population,  833 ;  valuation, 
$193,087. 

Starksborough,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Addison  county,  twenty- 
two  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7th,  and  chartered 
November  9th,  in  the  year  1780,  to  Daniel  Bridia  and  sixty-seven 
others.  A  part  of  Monkton  was  annexed  to  it,  March  4,  1797.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  April,  1788,  by  George  Bidwell  and 
Horace  Kellogg  with  their  families ;  and,  about  the  same  time,  John 
Ferguson  and  Thomas  V.  Ratenburgh  settled  in  that  part  of  Monkton 
which  has  since  been  annexed  to  this  township.  Mr.  BidweU  lived 
fifty-two  years  on  the  place  where  he  settled,  enduring  at  first  many 
privations  and  hardships ;  but,  by  industry  and  economy,  acquired  a 
handsome  landed  property,  and  died  AprU  13,  1840,  aged  eighty-four. 
He  was,  in  his  day,  one  of  the  principal  men  in  town,  and  is  stiU  remem- 
bered with  gratitude  and  affection. 

Starksborough  was  organized  in  March,  1796 ;  and  its  surface  is  very 
uneven.  A  mountain,  called  Hogback,  lies  along  the  west  line,  extend- 
ing into  Bristol ;  and  another  range  extends  through  the  central  part 
from  south  to  north,  called  East  mountain,  which  divides  the  waters  of 
Lewis  creek  from  those  of  Huntington  river.  Here  is  a  stream  formed 
by  the  confluent  waters  of  three  springs,  that  are  not  more  than  twenty 
rods  asunder.     These  springs  unite,  after  running  a  short  distance,  and 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   STOCKBRIDGE,   ETC.  911 

form  an  excellent  water  power.  There  are  two  small  villages,  both 
situated  near  Lewis'  creek,  in  the  westerly  part ;  four  church  edifices  — 
one  Methodist,  two  Friends', and  one  Union;  sixteen  school  districts; 
and  two  post-offices — Starksborough  and  North  Starks  borough :  also, 
two  grist-mills,  two  shingle  machines,  two  clapboard  machines,  two 
iron  founderies,  and  thirteen  saw-mills.  Population,  1,400;  valuation, 
$235,000. 

Stockbribge,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Windsor  county,  thirty-six 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  21, 
1761,  to  "William  Dodge  and  sixty-five  others.  The  first  settlers  were 
Asa  Whitcomb,  Hon.  Elias  Keyes,  John  Durkee,  and  Joshua  Bartlett, 
who  came  with  their  families  in  1784  and  1785 ;  after  which  the  pro- 
gress for  some  years  was  slow.  The  first  organized  town  meeting  was 
held  March  27,  1792.  Mr.  Keyes  erected,  in  1786,  the  first  grist-mill  and 
saw-miU.  The  town  contains  28,100  acres,  the  surface  of  which  is 
generally  level,  and  the  soil  adapted  to  the  raising  of  grain  and  grass. 
The  raising  of  stock  engages  a  moderate  share  of  attention.  Steatite, 
or  soapstone,  is  plentiful  in  the  north  part ;  but  it  is  not  of  the  best 
quality.  White  river  runs  through  the  northerly  part,  and  receives,  in 
its  passage,  Tweed  river  from  the  west.  The  best  mill  privileges  are 
at  the  Great  Narrows  in  White  river,  at  which  place  the  whole  river  is 
compressed  into  a  channel  but  a  few  feet  in  width.  There  are  two 
villages  —  Stockbridge  and  Gaysville ;  three  church  edifices  —  one  Meth- 
odist, and  two  Union  ;  seventeen  school  districts,  and  two  post-offices  — 
one  at  each  of  the  villages :  also,  two  woollen  factories,  one  for  the 
manufacture  of  doeskins,  and  the  other  for  flannels;  two  grist-mills, 
seven  saw-mills,  and  establishments  for  making  hay-rakes,  chairs,  and 
casks.     Population,  1,327 ;  valuation,  $366,090. 

Stow,  in  the  south  part  of  Lamoille  county,  fifteen  miles  in  a 
straight  line  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June 
8,  1763,  to  Joshua.  Simmons  and  sixty -three  others  ;  and  the  settlement 
was  commenced  about  the  year  1793.  It  was  organized  in  March, 
1797,  and  contains  23,040  acres,  which  was  increased,  November  14, 
1855,  by  the  addition  of  a  part  of  the  late  town  of  Sterling.  A  consid- 
erable part  of  the  surface  is  very  level,  and  appears  to  be  of  alluvial 
formation.  There  are  here  some  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  state,  and 
they  are  surpassed  by  few  in  fertility.  Nearly  all  the  land  is  capable  of 
being  made  into  good  farms,  and  there  is  little  which  is  not  suitable  for 
cultivation.  The  township  is  watered  by  Waterbury  river  and  its 
several  branches,  which   afford  good  mill  privileges.     There  are  three 


912  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

villages  —  the  Centre,  Mill,  and  Moscow ;  four  church  edifices  —  Con- 
gregational, Universalist,  Methodist,  and  Baptist ;  nineteen  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  eight  saw-mills,  five  starch-mills,  one 
grist-mill,  and  two  carriage  shops.  Population,  1,771 ;  valuation, 
486,094. 

Strafford,  in  the  south  part  of  Orange  county,  thirty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  12,  1761,  to 
Solomon  Phelps  and  sixty-three  others ;  and  the  settlement  was  begun 
just  before  the  Revolutionary  war.  Several  of  the  early  settlers  became 
tories,  left  the  country,  and  their  property  was  confiscated.  When 
Burgoyne  was  supposed  to  be  advancing  with  his  army  in  this  direction 
in  1777,  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  infant  town  are  said  to  have 
become  so  panic  stricken,  or  else  so  impregnated  with  loyalty,  as  to 
desert  to  the  enemy.^  The  town  was  probably  organized  March  18, 
1779,  when  the  first  officers  were  chosen ;  and  contains  24,325  acres. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  generally  good.  It  is  watered  by 
a  principal  branch  of  the  Ompompanoosuc,  which  affords  several  good 
miU  privileges.  In  the  northeasterly  part  is  a  pond,  covering  about  one 
hundred  acres,  called  Podunk,  which  is  a  place  of  considerable  resort 
for  amusement  and  angling.  In  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town  is  an 
extensive  bed  of  the  sulphuret  of  iron,  from  which  immense  quantities 
of  copperas  are  manufactured.  For  the  prosecution  of  this  business  a 
company  has  been  formed,  called  the  Vermont  Copperas  Company,  the 
owners,  residing  principally  in  Boston,  having  united  the  works  here 
with  a  mine  owned  by  them  in  Shrewsbury.  The  mine  was  discov- 
ered in  1793,  by  two  men  who  were  tapping  sap-trees.  The  works 
were  commenced  by  Mr.  Eastman,  but  were  not  successfully  prosecuted 
for  some  years.  The  stock  was  afterwards  taken  up  in  Boston  by 
Messrs.  Reynolds  and  the  late  Colonel  Amos  Binney.  President 
Monroe  visited  the  works  in  the  summer  of  1817.  In  1827  the  com- 
pany employed  from  thirty  to  forty  hands  in  doing  the  same  work  that 
has  since  been  performed  by  one  third  of  the  number.  For  many  years 
the  business  was  continued  under  great  discouragements  and  at  a  loss ; 
and  even  in  late  years,  the  low  duty  imposed  upon  the  foreign  article 
has  made  it  difficult  to  realize  a  profit  from  the  home  production.  The 
company  has  t\vo  factory  buildings,  each  about  267  feet  in  length  by 
ninety-four  in  width.  The  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  copperas  have,  in 
some  years,  amounted  to  nearly  $40,000,  about  one  thousand  tons 
being  turned  out.     The  copperas  is  used  by  most  of  the  majiufactories 

•  See  article  on  Thetford,  p.  917. 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   STKATTON,   ETC.  913 

in  New  England,  and  is  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  It  is 
said  to  be  unsurpassed  for  dyeing  purposes  by  any  copperas  in  the 
market.  The  company  are  now  engaged  principally  in  manufacturing 
copper,  by  separating  it  from  the  copperas  ore,  employing  about 
seventy-five  hands.  Hon.  Justin  S.  Morrill,  representative  to  congress 
from  the  second  district,  is  a  citizen  of  this  town. 

Strafford  contains  two  pleasant  villages.  The  upper  one  is  hand- 
somely built  around  a  triangular  common,  the  dwelling-houses,  stores, 
shops,  and  a  church  forming  the  sides,  and  the  round  hUl  and  old 
meeting-house  the  base.  The  lower  village  is  known  by  the  name 
of  South  Strafford.  Strafford  is  divided  into  thirteen  school  districts ; 
and  the  religious  denominations  are  Baptists,  Christians,  Methodists, 
Congregationalists,  and  Universalists.  There  are  four  meeting- 
houses, one  belonging  to  the  Congregationalists,  and  the  others  Union, 
or  free ;  thirteen  school  districts,  and  three  post-offices  —  Strafford, 
South  Strafford,  and  Copperas  Hill:  also,  several  mills,  and  one 
large  establishment,  employing  twenty  hands,  for  the  manufacture  of 
bedsteads,  and  spring-bottoms  for  beds.  Population,  1,540 ;  valuation, 
$574,553. 

Stratton,  in  the  western  part  of  Windham  county,  ninety  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  30,  1761,  to  Isaac 
Searle  and  sixty-two  others.  It  was  settled  principally  by  emigrants 
from  Massachusetts,  among  whom  were  Timothy  Morsman,  in  1784, 
and  others  of  his  name  and  by  the  name  of  Patch,  who  arrived  soon 
afterwards.  The  town  was  organized  in  1788,  and  contains  23,040 
acres ;  and  it  was  increased,  October  28,  1799,  by  the  annexation  of 
Stratton  gore.  The  surface  is  mountainous  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
and  hence  has  but  very  few  settlers.  It  is  watered  by  the  Bald  moun- 
tain branch  of  West  river,  and  by  Deerfield  river,  on  which  are  erected 
four  saw-mills.  There  are  two  natural  ponds,  one  in  the  south  part, 
called  Carter's,  and  the  other  in  the  northwestern  part,  called  Jones's, 
each  covering  about  one  hundred  acres.  The  religious  denominations 
are  Free-will  Baptists  and  Methodists,  who  occupy  one  meeting-house. 
There  are  five  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  286 ; 
valuation,  $60,851. 

Sudbury,  in  the  north  part  of  Rutland  county,  forty-three  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  6,  1763,  to 
Captain  Silas  Brown  and  sixty-three  others,  and  contains  16,740  acres. 
The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Timothy  Miller  about  1780,  and 
others   who   came   soon   after,   principally  from    Connecticut.      Some 

VOL.  I.  77 


914  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OP  NEW   ENGLAND. 

settlements,  which  were  attempted  some  five  years  earlier,  had  been 
abandoned.  The  town  was  organized  March  16,  1789.  The  surface 
is  uneven,  and  a  high  ridge  of  land  extends  through  the  centre  from 
north  to  south.  It  is  well  watered  by  Otter  creek,  Hubbardton  pond, 
and  several  small  streams.  On  one  or  two  of  these  streams,  mills 
have  been  erected.  There  are  two  villages  —  North  Sudbury  and 
Centre  Sudbury ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Metho- 
dist ;  five  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  a  first-class  summer 
boarding-house  having  extensive  accommodations,  and  being  largely 
patronized  by  visitors  from  Atlantic  cities.  The  American  Marble 
Company,  with  a  reputed  capital  of  ^500,000,  have  opened  a  marble 
quarry  in  this  town  at  an  expense  of  875,000,  but  are  not  operating 
at  present.     Population,  794 ;  valuation,  $238,354. 

Sunderland,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Bennington  county,  eighty-seven 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  30, 1761, 
to  Isaac  Searle  and  sixty-one  others.  Messrs.  Brownson,  Bradley,  War- 
ren, Evarts,  Chipman,  and  Webb,  emigrants  from  Connecticut,  com- 
menced the  settlement  in  1766.  Sunderland  was  the  home,  during  the 
Revolutionary  struggle,  of  the  celebrated  Ethan  Allen.  It  was  in 
connection  with  his  residence  here  that  an  incident  ^  has  been  preserved 

'  On  the  31st  of  May,  1780,  two  daughters  of  Eldad  Taylor,  of  Sunderland,  Keziah, 
aged  seven,  and  Betsey,  aged  four  years,  wandered  into  the  woods.  Not  returning, 
the  parents  became  alarmed  and  commenced  a  search,  which,  with  the  aid  of  a  few 
neighbors,  was  continued  through  the  night  without  success.  The  next  day  the  search 
was  continued  by  large  numbei-s  from  this  and  the  neighboring  towns,  and  was  continued 
till  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  when  it  was  relinquished,  and  the  people 
who  had  been  out  collected  together  with  the  view  of  returning  to  their  homes.  Among 
those  was  one  who  thought  the  search  should  not  be  abandoned,  and  this  was  Ethax 
Allen.  He  mounted  a  stump,  and  soon  all  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him.  In  his  laconic 
manner  he  pointed  to  the  father  and  mother  of  the  lost  children,  —  now  petrified 
with  grief  and  despair,  —  bade  each  individual  present,  and  especially  evei-y  parent,  to 
make  the  case  of  these  parents  his  own,  and  then  say  whether  he  could  go  contentedly  to 
his  home  without  making  one  further  effort  to  save  those  dear  little  ones  who  were, 
probably,  now  alive,  but  perishing  with  hunger,  and  spending  their  last  strength  in 
crying  to  father  and  mother  to  give  them  sometliing  to  eat.  As  he  spake  his  giant 
frame  was  agitated,  and  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  and  in  the  assembly  of  several 
hundred  men  but  few  eyes  were  dry.  "  I  '11  go,  1 11  go  "  —  was  at  length  heard  from  every 
part  of  the  crowd.  They  betook  themselves  to  the  woods,  and  before  night  the  lost 
children  were  restored  in  safety  to  the  arms  of  the  distracted  parents.  It  appeared  that 
the  first  night  they  laid  down  at  the  foot  of  a  large  tree,  and  the  second  they  spent  upon 
a  large  rock.  They  obtained  plenty  of  drink  from  the  stream,  but  were  very  weak  for 
the  want  of  food.  Tliey,  howevei-,  both  survived,  and  Betsey,  the  younger,  is  now  (Julj-, 
1842),  the  wife  of  Captain  John  IMunson,  of  Williston.  The  elder  was  the  wife  of  John 
Jones,  and  died  some  years  ago  at  Williston.     ThomiKon's  Vermont,  Part  HI.  p,  169. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   SUTTON,   ETC.  915 

illustrative    of  the  tenderness    and   humanity  of  this  rough  and  stern 
warrior. 

Sunderland  was  organized  in  1769,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The 
surface  is  very  uneven;  but  on  the  Battenkill  river  are  some  fine 
alluvial  flats.  The  soil  consists  of  alluvium,  loam,  and  marl.  Near  the 
foot  of  the  Green  Mountains,  in  the  southern  part,  the  sulphate  of  iron 
is  found  in  considerable  quantities ;  lead  ore  has  also  been  found. 
Water  is  supplied  by  the  Battenkill  river,  and  Roaring  branch,  which 
unites  with  the  Battenkill  in  Arlington.  On  this  stream  are  several 
excellent  situations  for  mills  and  other  machinery.  There  are  four 
villages  —  North  Sunderland,  Piety  Hill,  Mount  Pleasant,  and  Sunder- 
land Borough ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ; 
four  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  establishment  for  the 
manufacture  of  squares  and  edge  tools ;  one  grist-mill,  fourteen  saw- 
mills, two  machine-shops,  three  manufactories  of  washboards,  clothes- 
pins, and  mop-heads.  The  Western  Vermont  Railroad  passes  through 
Sunderland.     Population,  479  ;  valuation,  $140,824. 

Sutton,  in  the  north  part  of  Caledonia  county,  thirty-eight  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  the  name  of  Billymead,  February  6,  1782, 
to  Jonathan  Arnold  and  eleven  others;  and  in  1812  the  name  was 
altered  to  the  one  it  now  bears.  The  settlement  was  entered  upon, 
about  the  year  1791,  by  a  Mr.  Hackett,  who  was  soon  after  joined  by 
famihes  from  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  The  town  was  organized 
in  1794,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The  surface  is  generally  even,  and 
considerable  tracts  of  it  so  low  and  wet  as  to  be  incapable  of  cultivation. 
It  is  watered  by  two  large  branches,  which  unite  near  the  south  line  of 
Burke,  and  join  the  Passumpsic  river  in  Lyndon.  There  are  several 
ponds,  of  which  Fish  pond,  lying  in  the  northeast  part,  is  the  largest, 
covering  about  two  hundred  acres.  There  are  two  villages  —  Sutton 
Corner  and  Sutton  HoUow;  two  church  edifices,  occupied  by  three 
denominations  —  Free-will  Baptist,  Universalist,  and  Methodist;  thir- 
teen school  districts,  and  a  post-office :  also,  a  saw-mill,  tannery,  and  an 
extensive  establishment  for  making  oil  and  essences.  Population,  1,001 ; 
valuation,  @243,600. 

SWANTON,  Franklin  county,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  fifty 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  17, 
1763,  to  Josiah  Goodrich  and  sixty-three  others.  Before  the  conquest 
of  Canada  by  the  English,  the  French  and  Indians  had  quite  a  settle- 
ment at  Swanton  Falls,  consisting  of  fifty  huts.  They  had  cleared  some 
land,  on  which  they  raised  corn  and  vegetables,  and  had  built  a  church. 


916  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 

also  a  saw-mill,  —  the  channel  cut  through  the  rocks  to  supply  the 
water  for  which  still  remains.  This  place  was  occupied  by  the  Indians 
till  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution.  The  first  permanent  settlers 
were  John  HUliker  and  famUy,  who  arrived  about  the  year  1787,  and 
were  soon  joined  by  others. 

Among  the  citizens  of  Swanton  was  Hon.  .James  Fisk,  who  was  a 
member  of  congress  from  1805  to  1809,  and  1811  to  1815.  In  1812 
he  was  appointed,  by  President  Madison,  judge  of  the  territory  of 
Indiana,  but  declined  the  office.  In  1815  and  1816  he  was  a  judge 
of  the  supreme  court  of  this  state.  In  1817  he  was  chosen  United 
States  senator,  but  resigned  at  the  end  of  one  year ;  and  was  afterwards, 
for  eight  years,  collector  of  customs  in  this  state.  His  death  occurred 
here,  December  1,  1844. 

The  town  was  organized  in  1790,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  Along 
the  Missisco  river  the  land  is  low  and  moist;  but,  further  back,  it 
becomes  more  elevated,  dry,  and  sandy.  In  the  southern  part  the  soil 
is  gravelly,  and  in  the  northern  part  marshy.  The  town  is  well  watered, 
—  INIissisco  river  and  McQuam  creek  being  the  principal  streams. 
Besides  these,  there  are  several  streams  which  flow  in  different  di- 
rections. Bog-iron  ore  of  an  excellent  quality  is  found  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town ;  but,  as  yet,  little  of  it  has  been  wrought,  the  prin- 
cipal portion  being  transported  to  the  furnaces  ia  Sheldon,  Highgate, 
and  Vergennes.  Marble  also,  of  a  fine  quality,  is  found  in  abundance. 
It  covers  an  area  of  over  three  hmidred  acres,  extending  to  an  unknown 
depth,  and  is  generally  found  at  a  distance  varying  from  two  to  eight 
feet  below  the  surface.  It  is  detached  from  its  original  bed  in  large 
blocks  by  blasting,  and  these  are  conveyed  about  half  a  mile  to  the 
mills  at  Swanton  falls,  where  they  are  sawn  into  slabs  or  pieces  of  any 
required  dimensions.  At  Swanton  falls  a  flourishing  village  has  sprung 
up,  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Missisco  river,  six  miles  from  its 
mouth.  The  ground  on  which  the  village  is  built  is  elevated,  pleasant, 
and  healthy.  There  are  five  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one 
Methodist,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Roman  Catholic ;  seventeen  school 
districts ;  the  Swanton  Falls  Academy  ;  one  newspaper  —  the  Journal ; 
the  Union  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $75,000 ;  and  two  post-offices  — 
Swanton  and  Swanton  Falls :  also,  a  grist-mill,  saw-mill,  a  forge, 
marble  and  tile  mills,  tin,  sheet-iron,  and  copperas  works,  and  a  number 
of  small  mechanic  shops.  The  Vermont  and  Canada  Railroad  passes 
through  Swanton.     Population,  2,824;  valuation,  $626,962. 

Thetford,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Orange  county,  on  the  Connec- 
ticut river,  thirty-four  miles  from    Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   THETFORD.  917 

Hampshire,  August  12,  1761,  to  John  Phelps  and  sixty-one  others.  The 
first  settlement  was  made  in  1764  by  John  Chamberlin,  familiarly 
known  as  "  Old  Quail  John,"  from  Hebron,  Conn.  His  daughter 
Susannah  was  born  on  the  13th  of  December  the  same  year,  and  was 
the  first  native.  During  1765  the  Baldwin  and  Hosford  families 
removed  to  Thetford.  The  town  was  organized  May  10,  1768,  con- 
taining 26,260  acres ;  and  Abner  Howard  was  the  first  clerk.  Rev.  Asa 
Burton,  who  came  with  his  father  from  Connecticut  to  the  adjoining 
town  of  Norwich  in  1766,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1777, 
came  here  in  1778,  was  ordained  the  next  year,  and  continued  as  the 
pastor  of  the  first  Congregational  church  until  his  death.  May  1, 1836,  — 
fifty-seven  years. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  people  of  Thetford  had  common  patri- 
otism. One  stain,  however,  rests  upon  their  history, —  that,  when  appre- 
hension was  felt  quite  generally  that  Burgoyne  would  march  with  his 
army  through  this  section  on  his  way  to  Boston,  no  less  than  thirty  men 
from  the  then  small  towns  of  Stratford  and  Thetford  deserted,  and  went 
over  to  the  enemy.  By  this  cowardly  act  no  less  than  twenty  families, 
and  over  four  hundred  cattle  and  sheep,  were  deprived  of  protection.  By 
the  kindness,  however,  of  the  people  of  Lyme,  they  were  conveyed 
across  the  river,  and  made  comfortable  by  shelter  and  security.^ 

The  surface  is  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  rocky.  The  town  is 
watered  by  Ompompanoosuc  river  and  one  of  its  branches,  which  afford 
fine  mill  privileges.  Half  of  Fairlee  lake  lies  in  the  north  part,  and 
there  are  several  smaller  bodies  of  water.  There  are  six  villages  — 
Thetford,  North  Thetford,  East  Thetford,  Post  Mills,  Union  Village,  and 
Thetford  Centre,  the  first  five  having  post-offices ;  four  church  edifices  — 
one  Congregational  at  Thetford,  and  one  at  Post  Mills,  Free-will  Baptist 
at  Thetford  Centre,  and  Methodist  at  Union  Village ;  also  a  Methodist 
society  at  North  and  East  Thetford,  without  a  place  for  public  worship ; 
and  seventeen  school  districts.  Thetford  Academy  was  incorporated  and 
established  in  1819.  It  is  not  strictly  sectarian,  although  the  prevailing 
influence  is  Congregational.  There  are  three  buildings,  the  central  one 
containing  five  school-rooms  and  a  hall,  the  other  two  containing  the 
lodging-rooms  of  the  students,  the  present  number  of  whom  is  about 
two  hundred.  There  are  also  one  wooUen  mill,  and  manufactories  of 
carriages,  scythes,  and  paper,  as  well  as  a  slate  quarry,  worked  by  the 
Howard  Slate  Company.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers 
Railroad  passes  along  the  east  line  of  the  town.  Population,  2,016; 
valuation,  $635,671. 

'  Hall's  Eastern  Vermont,  p.  302. 
77* 


918  HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 

TiNMOUTH  is  situated  in  the  southerly  part  of  Rutland  county,  seventy 
miles  from  Montpelier,  and  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1761,  to  Joseph  Hooker  and  sixty-three  others.  It  was  first 
settled,  about  the  year  1770,  by  Thomas  Peck  and  John  McNeal.  On 
the  17th  of  February,  1777,  the  inhabitants  had  a  meeting,  and  "  voted 
not  to  raise  money  towards  paying  Seth  Warner's  regiment."  Such  a 
vote  as  this  indicates,  either  that  a  majority  of  tories  were  present  at 
the  meeting,  or  that  their  penuriousness  triumphed  over  their  patriotism. 
The  following  oath  of  allegiance  was  administered  to  the  freemen  of 
the  town,  at  a  meeting  held  soon  after  the  passage  of  the  above  vote  :  — 
"  You  each  of  you  swear,  by  the  living  God,  that  you  believe  for  your- 
selves, that  the  King  of  Great  Britain  hath  not  any  right  to  command, 
or  authority  in  or  over  the  states  of  America,  and  that  you  do  not  hold 
yourselves  bound  to  yield  any  allegiance  or  obedience  to  him  within  the 
same,  and  that  you  will,  to  the  utmost  of  your  power,  maintain  and 
defend  the  freedom,  independence,  and  privileges  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  against  all  open  enemies,  or  traitors,  or  conspirators,  what- 
soever ;  so  help  you,  God." 

Distinguished  among  the  citizens  was  Hon.  Nathaniel  Chipman,  who 
was  born  at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  in  1752,  —  graduated  at  Yale  College  in 
1777,  soon  after  which  he  came  to  Vermont.  He  was  chosen  a  judge 
of  the  supreme  court  in  1786,  and  chief  justice  in  1789 ;  and  was  ap- 
pointed in  the  last-named  year  one  of  the  commissioners  to  adjust  the 
controversy  with  New  York.  In  1790  he  was  appointed  a  commis- 
sioner to  negotiate  for  the  admission  of  Vermont  into  the  Union,  and 
in  1791  received  from  President  Washington  the  appointment  of  judge 
of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  this  state.  He  was  again  chosen 
chief  justice  in  1796 ;  also  one  of  a  committee  to  revise  the  statutes, 
a  large  share  of  which  duty  feU  upon  him  alone.  The  laws,  published 
in  1797  as  the  result  of  this  labor,  are  spoken  of  as  the  best  compila- 
tion which  the  people  of  Vermont  has  had.  He  was  a  United  States 
senator  from  1797  to  1803 ;  and  again  chief  justice  in  1813  and  1814. 
In  1815  he  was  chosen  professor  of  law  in  Middlebury  College,  in  which 
office  he  continued  until  his  death,  February  15,  1843. 

Tinmouth  was  organized  March  8,  1774,  and  contained  originally 
23,040  acres,  which  have  been  reduced  by  annexation  to  Middletown 
October  28,  1784,  and  to  Wallingford,  October  21, 1793,  to  about  17,000 
acres.  The  surface  is  not  very  even  —  two  ranges  of  mountains  extend- 
ing through  it  from  south  to  north,  one  on  each  side  of  Furnace  brook. 
Several  quarries  of  fine  marble  have  been  opened,  and  iron  ore  is  found 
in  abundance  in  several  places.  Furnace  brook,  or  Little  West  river, 
rises  from  a  small  pond  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  and  runs  nearly 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   TOPSHAM,   ETC.  919 

north  through  Clarendon,  uniting  with  Otter  creek  in  Rutland.  Poult- 
ney  river  waters  the  western  part.  The  principal  religious  society 
is  made  up  of  Congregationalists,  who  own  the  only  church  edifice; 
there  are,  however,  a  few  Episcopalians  and  some  Methodists.  The 
town  contains  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office ;  also,  four 
saw-mills,  and  one  stonecutter's  shop.  Population,  717;  valuation, 
$280,975. 

TopSHAM,  in  the  north  part  of  Orange  county,  nineteen  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  17,  1763,  to 
George  Frost  and  eighty-one  others ;  and  the  settlement  was  begun, 
about  the  year  1781,  by  Thomas  Chamberlain,  Thomas  McKeith,  and 
Samuel  Farnum,  who  were  joined,  in  1783-4,  by  Robert  Mann,  Sam- 
uel Thompson,  John  Crown,  and  Lemuel  Tabor.  Most  of  the  first 
settlers  came  from  New  Hampshire.  Tabor  built  the  first  saw-mill  in 
1784,  and  the  first  grist-mill  in  1787.  He  was  the  first  town  clerk  ;  and 
the  office  was  held  by  him  for  thirty-three  years,  and  by  his  son  Levi 
succeeding  him  for  twenty-three  years,  to  1848.  Topsham  was  organ- 
ized March  15,  1790,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The  surface  is  very 
uneven,  and  much  of  it  stony.  It  is  watered  principally  by  the  head 
branches  of  Wait's  river,  several  of  which  are  considerable  mill  streams. 
There  are  two  villages  —  East  Topsham  and  West  Topsham ;  three 
Union  meeting-houses,  occupied  by  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Baptists, 
and  Free-will  Baptists ;  nineteen  school  districts,  and  three  post-offices 
—  Topsham,  West  Topsham,  and  Wait's  River:  also,  ten  saw-miUs,  one 
carding  and  cloth-dressing  mill,  three  grist-miUs,  two  tanneries,  and  two 
planing  machines.     Population,  1,668  ;  valuation,  $429,449. 

TowNSHEND,  in  the  central  part  of  Windham  county,  ninety  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  80,  1753,  to 
John  Hazeltine  and  sixty  three  others ;  but,  for  reasons  not  now  appar- 
ent, remained  for  some  years  unvisited  and  uninhabited.  The  first  set- 
tlement was  made  in  1761  by  Joseph  Tyler,  from  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  and  a 
few  others,  whose  names  do  not  appear  on  the  record.  John  Hazeltine 
came  here-  soon  after  Mi*.  Tyler,  and  from  the  same  town ;  he  had  been 
chiefly  instrumental  in  obtaining  the  town  charter,  and,  before  any  set- 
tlements had  been  commenced,  bought  out  so  large  a  part  of  the  lands  of 
the  proprietors,  that  he  owned  more  than  half  of  the  town.  The  town- 
ship was  never  regularly  surveyed  and  lotted,  and  no  plan  of  it  was  ever 
drawn ;  each  proprietor  was  to  have  the  privilege  of  locating  his  right 
whenever  he  pleased,  by  getting  the  same  surveyed  and  recorded.  Its 
boundary  lines  remained  unchanged  until  October  29, 1840,  when  there 


920 


HISTORY    AND    DESCKIPTION    OF    NEW    ENGLAND. 


was  a  large  addition  by  the  annexation  of  Acton,  making  its  present 
area  about  30,000  acres.  The  early  settlers  labored  hard  in  clearing  up 
their  lands,  and  had  scarcely  made  a  good  beginning,  when  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  commenced.  Through  the  activity  of  Colonel  John 
Hazeltine,  fifty-one  persons  signed  an  agreement  on  the  12th  of  July, 
1775,  binding  themselves  to  maintain  and  disseminate  the  principles  of 
American  liberty,  and  adopting,  as  their  rules  of  action,  the  resolutions 
passed  and  promulged  by  the  continental  congress  in  the  preceding  year. 
The  association  was  joined  by  all  the  citizens  then  in  the  place.  Those 
out  of  town  were    Samuel   Fletcher,  Benjamin  and   Oliver   Moredock, 


Aaron  Johnson,  Samuel  Parkis,  Thomas  Barns,  and  Ebenezcr  Burt,  who 
were  "in  the  service  at  Eoxbury,  under  General  Washington."  A  com- 
pany was  raised  here  in  1776,  and  marched,  under  command  of  Captain 
Fletcher,  to  Ticonderoga,  and  thence  to  Bennington.  On  their  way 
thither,  with  a  party  of  thirteen  he  attacked  and  routed  a  detachment  of 
forty  British,  killed  one,  and  took  seven  prisoners.  General  Fletcher 
came  here  from  Grafton,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  1767,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years.  In  1775  he  entered  the  army  as  an  orderly  sergeant 
—  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  — ■  and,  being  discharged  the  follow- 
ing January,  he  returned  to  Townshend,  where  he  received  the  commis- 
sion of  a  militia  captain ;  he  was  an  active  ]iolitician,  and  rendered 
essential  service  to   the  people  of  Vermont  in  establishing  their  state 


VERMONT TOWN    OP   TROT.  921 

government.  He  remained  in  the  service  until  the  surrender  of  Bur- 
goyne,  when  he  returned  home,  and  was  promoted  through  the  various 
military  grades  to  that  of  major-general.  He  represented  the  town  for 
many  years  in  the  legislature,  and  was  eleven  times  elected  a  member  of 
the  executive  council.  In  1788,  he  was  appointed  high  sheriff  for  the 
county,  and  held  the  office  for  eighteen  years ;  and  for  three  years  was 
associate  judge  of  the  county  court.  His  death  occurred  September  15, 
1814. 

There  is  no  certainty  as  to  the  time  when  Townshend  was  organized. 
The  first  meeting  for  the  transaction  of  business  (perhaps  a  proprietors' 
meeting)  was  held  May  30,  1771,  but  it  does  not  appear  from  record 
that  any  town  clerk  was  elected  until  1779.  William  Young  was  the 
first  incumbent  of  that  office.  A  small  church  was  organized  in  1777, 
consisting  mostly  of  females,  over  which  a  Mr.  Dudley  was  ordained 
pastor,  but  after  three  years  he  was  dismissed,  soon  after  which  the 
church  became  extinct.  In  1790,  however,  they  built  a  meeting-house, 
but  had  no  settled  minister  until  1815. 

Whiskey  distilled  from  potatoes  was  a  favorite  beverage  in  this  sec- 
tion in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  and  such  was  the  demand 
for  it,  that  two  distilleries  were  erected,  one  by  Major  Ezekiel  Ransom 
in  1810,  and  the  other  by  Captain  Ebenezer  Brigham  in  1811.  They 
flourished  for  a  time,  but  an  enlightened  public  opinion  eventually 
made  the  business  disreputable  as  well  as  unprofitable,  and  it  was  aban- 
doned. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  very  broken,  there  being  many  high  and 
very  steep  hills.  West  river  flows  through  the  town  from  northwest  to 
southeast,  its  average  width  being  about  ten  rods ;  along  its  banks  are 
some  highly  cultivated  and  fertile  meadows,  varying  from  one  hundred 
to  two  hundred  rods  in  width,  and  making  some  of  the  best  farms  in 
this  section  of  the  state.  The  town  is  also  watered  by  several  brooks, 
some  of  which  afford  good  mill  privileges.  There  are  two  villages  — 
Townshend  and  West  Townshend,  each  having  a  post-office ;  three  church 
edifices  —  Baptist  and  Congregational  at  Townshend,  and  a  Congrega- 
tional at  West  Townshend ;  the  Leland  Classical  and  English  School, 
incorporated  October  31,  1834,  a  very  flourishing  and  popular  institu- 
tion ;  and  twelve  school  districts  :  also,  several  saw-mills  and  grist-mills, 
and  such  general  mercantile  and  mechanical  business  as  is  found  in  an 
agricultural  community.     Population,  1,354 ;  valuation,  $487,144. 

Troy,  in  the  north  part  of  Orleans  county,  forty-seven  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  in  two  separate  gores,  —  the  south  half  being 
chartered  to  John  Kelly  of  New  York  City,  October  13,  1792,  and  the 


922  HISTORY   AND   DESCKIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

north  half  to  Samuel  Avery.  Gold  and  silver  mines  on  the  Kelly  grant 
were  reserved  to  the  state.  It  was  settled,  about  the  year  1800,  by 
emigrants  from  different  towns  on  the  Connecticut  river;  but,  during 
the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  most  of  the  inhabitants  left  the  place. 
A  part  of  them,  however,  returned  after  the  war,  and  the  settlement  has 
since  advanced  with  considerable  rapidity.  The  two  grants  were  incor- 
porated into  a  town  by  the  name  of  Missisquoi,  October  28,  1801,  under 
which  it  was  organized  March  30,  1802 ;  and  the  same  was  changed  to 
Troy,  October  26,  1803.  It  is  eleven  and  a  half  miles  long  from  north 
to  south,  and  about  five  and  two  mUes  respectively  upon  the  north 
and  south  lines,  comprising  within  its  limits  23,000  acres.  The  surface 
is  generally  level,  and  along  the  river  are  tracts  of  interval  of  consid- 
erable extent  and  fertility.  The  soil  is  for  the  most  part  a  strong  loam, 
suitable  for  grass  and  most  kinds  of  grain.  Abundance  of  water  is 
supplied  by  Missisco  river,  and  by  several  of  its  tributaries.  There  are 
falls  on  the  Missisco,  in  the  north  part,  where  the  descent  over  a  ledge 
of  rocks  is  about  seventy  feet.  These  and  the  deep,  still  water  below 
present  a  grand  and  interesting  spectacle,  when  viewed  from  a  rock 
which  projects  over  them  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  perpendicular 
height.  An  immense  mass  of  iron  ore  of  an  excellent  quality  was  some 
time  since  discovered  a  short  distance  to  the  eastward  of  Missisco 
river.  A  furnace  and  forge  have  been  erected,  which  produce  annually 
about  four  hundred  tons  of  cast  iron  and  several  tons  of  wrought  iron. 
These  works  are  carried  on  by  the  Boston  and  Troy  Iron  Company. 
There  are  four  church  edifices  —  Methodist,  Congregational,  Baptist, 
and  Second  Advent;  twelve  school  districts,  and  the  Missisquoi  Valley 
Academy.  There  are  two  villages  —  North  Troy  and  South  Troy, 
with  a  post-office  at  each.  At  the  north  village  are  a  grist-mill,  saw- 
mill, woollen  factory,  machine-shop,  two  blacksmith's  shops,  a  sash,  blind, 
and  door  manufactory,  and  three  shoe-making  shops :  at  the  south  vil- 
lage are  two  wheelwright's,  tw^o  carpenter's,  and  a  blacksmith's,  a  sad- 
dler's, and  a  shoemaker's  shop.    Population,  1,008  ;  valuation,  $270,498. 

Tdneridge,  in  the  south  part  of  Orange  county,  twenty-six  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September  3,  1761,  to 
Abraham  Root,  Obadiah  Noble,  and  sixty-three  others ;  and  the  settle- 
ment was  entered  upon,  about  the  year  1776,  by  James  Lyon,  Moses 
Ordway,  and  others,  emigrants  from  New  Hampshire.  James  Lyon, 
Jr.,  born  January  25,  1780,  was  the  first  native.  About  the  year  1787, 
the  ingi-ess  of  the  inhabitants  was  so  great  that  grain  could  not  be  pro- 
cured for  their  support,  and  they  were  reduced  almost  to  a  state  of 
starvation. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   UNDERHILL.  923 

It  was  in  this  town,  close  to  the  Royalton  line,  that  John  and  Abijah 
Hutchinson  were  captured  at  the  house  of  the  former,  which  was  then 
burned  by  the  Indians,  in  October,  1780,  upon  their  predatory  expedi- 
tion to  this  and  adjoining  towns.  Peter  Button,  who  was  killed  by 
them  in  Royalton,  was  also  a  resident  of  this  town.^  The  town  was 
organized  March  21,  1786,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The  surface  is 
uneven  and  broken,  and  the  elevations  are  abrupt.  The  soil  is  generally 
a  deep,  rich  loam,  and  along  the  first  branch  of  White  river,  which 
waters  the  town,  is  some  interval.  On  this  stream  are  several  very 
good  mill-seats.  There  is  a  medicinal  spring  here,  which  has  been 
resorted  to  by  persons  afflicted  with  cutaneous  complaints,  with  bene- 
ficial results.  There  are  three  small  villages  situated  on  the  first  branch 
of  White  river,  called  the  Centre,  North  Village,  and  South  Village, 
the  former  of  which  is  the  largest ;  four  church  edifices  —  Methodist, 
Congregational,  and  two  Free-will  Baptist;  nineteen  school  districts, 
and  the  same  number  of  schools,  besides  a  select  school  during  a  part 
of  the  year ;  and  two  post-offices  —  Tunbridge  and  North  Tunbridge  : 
also,  three  grist-mills,  eight  saw-mills,  four  black  or  iron  smiths,  one  of 
whom  manufactures  augers  and  edge-tools  quite  extensively ;  one  iron 
foundery  and  finishing  shop,  three  carriage  shops,  one  rake  factory,  one 
harness  shop,  and  three  shoe  shops.  Some  attention  is  given  to  dairy- 
ing and  the  raising  of  stock.     Population,  1,786 ;  valuation,  $516,211. 

Underbill,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Chittenden  county,  twenty-six 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  8,  1763, 
to  Joseph  Sackett,  Jr.,  and  sixty-four  others,  and  the  settlement  was 
begun  about  the  year  1786,  the  first  surveys  having  been  made  in  1785. 
The  town  was  organized  March  9,  1795,  and  contained  by  charter 
23,040  acres ;  this  was  increased  November  15,  1839,  by  the  annexa- 
tion of  the  western  part  of  Mansfield.  William  Barney  was  the  first 
representative,  in  1795  ;  and  the  first  town  clerk,  holding  the  office  from 
1795  to  1811.  Abner  Eaton,  Archibald  Dixon,  and  Cyrus  Stevens 
were  the  first  selectmen.  A  large  portion  of  the  surface  is  very 
uneven ;  and  the  streams  are  all  small,  the  most  important  being  the 
head  branches  of  Brown's  river,  which  rise  in  the  south  part.  The 
inhabitants  are  mostly  farmers,  and  the  raising  of  stock  is  the  leading 
pursuit.  Oats,  corn,  and  potatoes  are  raised  in  sufficient  quantities  for 
home  consumption,  and  to  some  extent  for  export.  There  are  two  ordi- 
nary villages  —  Underbill  Flat  and  Underbill  Centre ;  two  small  villages 
—  Pleasant  Valley  and  Stevensville ;  five  church  edifices  —  two  occu- 

'  See  article  on  Royalton,  ante,  p.  889. 


924  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

pied  by  the  Congregationalists,  one  by  the  Methodists,  one  by  the  Roman 
Catholics,  and  one  by  the  Methodists  and  Free-will  Baptists ;  thirteen 
school  districts  ;  two  incorporated  educational  institutions  —  the  Green 
Mountain  Academy  and  the  Bell  Institute ;  and  three  post-offices  — 
Underbill,  Underbill  Centre,  and  Pleasant  Valley :  also,  nine  saw-mills, 
one  grist-mill,  one  starch  factory,  and  an  establishment  at  Stevensville 
for  the  manufacture  of  measures,  cheese-boxes,  and  butter-tubs.  Popu- 
lation, 1,599 ;  valuation,  ^317,003. 

Vergennes,  Addison  county,  the  only  city  in  Vermont,  is  twenty-one 
miles  from  Burlington  and  thirty-five  from  Montpelier,  and  lies  at  the 
head  of  navigation  on  Otter  creek.  It  was  formed  of  territory  taken 
from  Ferrisburgh,  New  Haven,  and  Panton,  being  four  hundred  by  480 
rods  in  extent,  having  an  area  of  1,200  acres,  and  was  incorporated  as 
a  city  by  the  general  assembly,  October  23,  1788.  The  first  meeting 
under  its  charter  was  held  March  12,  1789  ;  and  the  first  settlement 
within  the  limits  of  the  city  was  made  in  1766,  by  Donald  Mcintosh, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  who  was  in  the  battle  of  Culloden.  He  came 
to  this  country  with  General  Wolfe's  army,  during  the  French  war, 
and  died  July  14,  1803,  aged  eighty-four  years.  The  subsequent  set- 
tlers were  principally  from  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  the  south 
parts  of  this  state. 

Vergennes  is  surrounded  by  a  rich,  fertile  country.  Its  trade  has 
always  been  considerable,  and  is  gradually  increasing.  A  regular  line 
of  boats  runs  between  this  place  and  Troy,  N.  Y.,  which  are  engaged 
in  the  transportation  of  freight.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad 
passes  through  the  city,  and  at  this  point  large  numbers  of  live  stock, 
and  considerable  quantities  of  wool,  butter,  cheese,  hay,  and  other 
articles,  are  sent  by  this  conveyance  to  the  Boston  market.  There  are 
ten  stores  in  the  city,  doing  the  usual  variety  of  business  transacted 
in  country  villages.  The  manufactories  are  as  follows :  one  iron 
foundery,  four  forge  fires,  one  flouring-mill,  three  saw-mills,  one  estab- 
lishment for  the  manufacture  of  Sampson's  patent  scales,  one  hone 
factory,  and  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  patent  wire-tooth 
hay-rakes  on  wheels,  revolving  rakes,  drag  and  hand-rakes,  harrows, 
chisel  and  auger  handles. 

The  city  is  watered  by  Otter  creek,  which  affords  some  of  the  finest 
stands  for  mills  in  the  country,  and  is  navigable  for  large  vessels  from 
Lake  Champlain  to  the  city,  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles.  The 
shore  of  this  creek  is  very  bold,  and  vessels  of  three  hundred  tons' 
burden  may  receive  and  discharge  their  cargoes  at  almost  any  spot 
with  the  assistance  of  a  ten-foot  plank.     The  flotilla  commanded  by  the 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   VERNON.  925 

brave  McDonough,  which  captured  the  British  fleet  in  Plattsburg  bay 
on  the  11th  of  September,  1814,  was  fitted  out  at  this  place.  A  United 
States  arsenal  was  established  here  in  1828,  and  is  the  only  military 
establishment  of  the  United  States  within  the  limits  of  Vermont.  It 
contains  a  large  amount  of  ordnance  and  munitions  of  war  belonging 
to  the  general  government,  and  a  portion  belonging  to  the  state  govern- 
ment. The  buildings,  grounds,  ordnance  stores,  tools,  and  materials 
belonging  to  the  United  States,  are  valued  at  $107,576. 

Vergennes  has  but  one  village,  about  three  fourths  of  which  lies  on 
the  east  side  of  Great  Otter  creek.  There  are  three  church  edifices  — 
Congregational,  Episcopal,  and  Methodist  Episcopal ;  two  school 
districts  —  the  eastern  and  western,  the  former  of  which  has  three 
schools,  and  the  latter  one;  a  classical  school,  one  newspaper  (The 
Independent),  one  bank  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  1,378 ;  valuation,  $416,106. 

Vernon,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Windham  county,  upon  the 
Massachusetts  line,  is  about  132  miles  from  Montpelier.  It  constituted 
a  part  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.  (which  was  chartered  September  5,  1753),  till 
Vermont  became  a  separate  state,  when  it  became  the  town  of  Hinsdale 
in  Vermont,  which  name  was  altered  to  Vernon,  October  21,  1802. 
This  was  one  of  the  first  settled  towns  in  the  state ;  but  the  precise  time 
of  its  settlement  is  not  known.  The  earliest  inhabitants  were  emi- 
grants from  Northampton  and  Northfield,  Mass.  Captain  Amos  Tute, 
a  man  of  wealth  and  influence,  was  very  early  an  inhabitant.  Fort 
Dummer  in  Brattleborough,  Hinsdale's  fort  in  Hinsdale,  and  Bridge- 
man's  fort  in  this  town,  were  all  insufficient  to  shield  the  inhabitants 
from  the  incursions  of  the  Indians.  On  the  24th  of  June,  1746,  a  party 
of  twenty  Indians  came  to  Bridgeman's  fort,  attacked  a  number  of  men 
who  were  at  work  in  a  meadow,  killed  William  Robbins  and  James 
Parker,  wounded  Mr.  Gilson  and'  Patrick  Roy,  and  made  prisoners  of 
Daniel  Howe  and  John  Beeman.  Howe  killed  one  of  the  Indians 
before  he  was  taken.  In  1747,  the  Indians  burnt  Bridgeman's  fort, 
killed  several  persons,  and  made  others  prisoners. 

This  place  again  received  a  hostile  visit  on  the  27th  of  July,  1755, 
when  Caleb  Howe,  Hilkiah  Grout,  and  Benjamin  Gaffield  were  way- 
laid and  fired  upon  by  a  party  of  Indians,  as  they  were  returning  from 
their  labor  in  the  field.  Howe  was  killed,  Gaffield  was  drowned  in 
attempting  to  ford  the  river,  and  Grout  escaped  unhurt.  The  Indians 
then  proceeded  to  Bridgeman's  fort,  which  had  been  rebuilt,  and  to 
which  they  gained  admission  by  having  in  some  way  got  a  knowledge 
of  the  signal  to  be  given  at  the  gate,  where  they  made  prisoners  of  the 

VOL.  I.  78 


926  HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

families  of  these  three  men,  being  all  the  persons  in  the  fort.  These 
were  Mrs.  Jemima  Howe  and  her  children,  Mary,  Submit  Phips, 
William,  Moses,  Squire,  and  Caleb  Howe,  and  a  babe  six  months  old, 
Mrs.  Submit  Grout  and  her  children,  Hilkiah,  Asa,  and  Martha,  and 
Mrs.  Gaffield  with  her  daughter  Eunice,  —  fourteen  persons.  They 
were  all  taken  to  Canada,  where  they  were  doomed  to  suffer  a  long 
and  cruel  captivity.  Mrs.  Howe,  after  a  series  of  adventures,  was 
finally  redeemed  with  three  of  her  children,  through  the  intervention  of 
Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  Major  (afterwards  General)  Israel  Putnam,  and 
other  gentlemen  who  had  become  interested  for  her  A^^elfare,  on  account 
of  the  peculiarity  of  her  sufferings,  and  the  patience  with  which  she  had 
borne  them.  Mrs.  Howe,  who  was  afterwards  known  as  the  "  Fair 
Captive,"  was,  on  her  return,  married  to  Captain  Amos  Tute.  Of  the 
other  children,  the  youngest  died,  another  was  given  to  Governor 
Vaudreuil  of  Canada,  and  the  two  remaining  ones,  who  were  daughters, 
were  placed  in  a  convent  in  that  province.  One  of  these  was  afterwards 
carried  to  France,  where  she  married  a  Frenchman  named  Cron  Lewis, 
and  the  other  was  subsequently  redeemed  by  Mrs.  Howe,  who  made  a 
journey  to  Canada  for  the  express  purpose.  At  the  close  of  three  years' 
captivity,  Mrs.  Gaffield  was  ransomed  and  went  to  England.  The  fate 
of  her  daughter  Eunice  is  uncertain.  A  petition  was  presented,  by 
Zadock  Hawks,  to  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  October  9,  1758, 
praying  them  to  use  their  influence  to  obtain  the  release  of  Mrs.  Grout, 
the  petitioner's  sister.  At  that  time  she  and  her  daughter  were  residing 
with  the  French  near  Montreal,  and  her  two  sisters  were  with  the 
Indians  at  St.  Francis ;  and  they  were  probably  soon  released,  as  one 
of  the  sons,  a  few  years  later,  was  a  resident  of  Cumberland  county. 
Startwell's  fort  was  built  here  in  1740,  and  is  now  standing  in  the  north 
part,  having  been  till  recently  occupied  as  a  dwelling-house.  It  is 
probably  the  oldest  house  now  standing  in  the  state. 

The  records  were  accidentally  burnt  in  1797,  and  therefore  the  time 
of  the  organization  cannot  be  ascertained.  It  was  probably,  however, 
before  the  Revolution.  A  large  part  of  the  surface  of  Vernon  is 
mountainous,  and  the  soil  is  dry,  stony,  and  thin,  except  some  small 
tracts  of  interval  along  Connecticut  river,  which  are  very  fertile.  Be- 
tween the  meadows  and  the  hills  is  a  considerable  tract  of  pitch-pine 
plain,  which  has  been  wont  to  produce  good  crops  of  rye.  The  streams 
are  all  small.  There  are  two  villages  —  Vernon  and  South  Vernon- 
one  Union  meeting-house  ;  nine  school  districts,  and  one  post-office : 
also,  two  grist-mills  and  four  saw-mills.  At  South  Vernon  is  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Ashuelot  and  Connecticut  River  Raih'oads.  Population 
821 ;  valuation,  $292,780. 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   VERSHIRE,   ETC.  927 

Vershire,  near  the  centre  of  Orange  county,  twenty-five  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  August  3, 
1781,  to  Abner  Seelye  and  sixty-four  others.  The  settlement  was  com- 
menced by  a  Mr.  Knight,  in  the  year  1779.  Rosanna  Titus  was  the 
first  native,  born  January  1, 1780.  Thompson  says  the  town  was  organ- 
ized in  1783.  Jonathan  Maltby  was  first  town  clerk,  and  Joel  Walker 
was,  in  1785,  the  first  representative.  Vershire  contains  21,961  acres. 
The  surface  is  very  uneven,  and  in  some  parts  stony.  It  is  watered  by 
the  head  branches  of  Ompompanoosuc  river,  which  are  here  small.  There 
is  a  large  copper  mine  in  Vershire,  operating  under  an  act  of  incorpora- 
tion from  this  state,  the  capital  stock  being  principally  owned  by  persons 
in  New  York.  From  sixty  to  one  hundred  men  are  constantly  em- 
ployed at  the  mine.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Baptist,  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  fifteen  school  districts,  and  one  post- 
office  :  also,  one  starch-mill,  one  tannery,  a  grist-mill,  several  saw-mills, 
and  the  usual  mechanic  shops.     Population,  1,071 ;  valuation,  $368,746. 

Victory,  in  the  southwest  part  of  Essex  county,  about  forty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  Septem- 
ber 6,  1781,  to  Ebenezer  Fisk  and  sixty-four  others.  The  first  settler 
was  James  Elliot,  who  arrived  in  the  year  1811.  Curtis  Elliot  was  the 
first  native,  and  Loomis  Wells  the  first  representative  and  town  clerk. 
The  town  was  organized  May  3,  1841,  and  contained  by  charter  23,040 
acres,  which  was  increased  November  6,  1856,  by  the  annexation  of  a 
part  of  the  late  town  of  Bradleyvale.  It  is  watered  by  Moose  river, 
which  runs  through  from  northeast  to  southwest.  Victory  has  one  vil- 
lage, called  Moose  River  Village ;  and  four  school  districts :  also,  a 
starch-factory,  and  five  saw-mills  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber. 
Population,  168;  valuation,  $70,825. 

Waitsfield,  in  the  southwesterly  part  of  Washington  county,  was 
granted  and  chartered  February  25, 1782,  to  Roger  Enos,  Benjamin  Wait, 
and  sixty -eight  others,  and  contained  by  survey  in  1788,  an  area  of  23,850 
acres.  The  settlement  w^as  commenced  in  1789  by  General  Benjamin 
Wait,  who  was  soon  followed  by  several  other  families.  In  1791  the 
population  amounted  to  sixty-one  persons,  and  the  town  was  organized 
March  25,  1794,  under  its  present  name,  which  was  given  as  a  compli- 
ment to  the  first  settler.  Some  Indian  relics  were  found  by  the  inhabi- 
tants, such  as  cooking  utensils,  beads,  tomahawks,  trinkets,  and  weapons 
associated  with  an  Indian  encampment;  but  nothing  to  warrant  the 
belief  that  the  natives  ever  had  a  permanent  residence  here.  Bears 
proved  a  great  annoyance  to  the  settlers  by  destroying  their  sheep  and 


928  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

plundering  their  corn-fields ;  like  other  thieves  they  generally  committc;d 
their  depredations  in  the  night,  but  were  sometimes  daring  enough  to 
attack  a  flock  of  sheep,  or  a  field  of  corn,  in  the  daytime ;  they  were 
occasionally  shot,  but  the  most  successful  method  of  capturing  them  was 
with  the  log  trap.  The  wolves,  however,  were  much  more  troublesome 
than  the  bears ;  they  prowled  about  the  settlement  only  in  the  night, 
and  were  seldom  captured  or  seen,  but  it  was  a  very  common  thing  to 
hear  their  doleful  howl  on  the  mountains  in  the  evening.  Early  in  the 
present  century,  considerable  search  was  made  here  by  some  of  the 
inhabitants  for  minerals,  and  by  others  for  buried  treasure.  Abel  Spauld- 
ing  commenced  digging  for  iron  ore,  and  continued  washing  and  dig- 
ging at  intervals  for  several  years,  but  found  nothing  but  a  small  bed 
of  yellow  ochre.  Samuel  S.  Savage  became  suddenly  elated  with  an 
illusion  of  enormous  wealth,  and  supposed  himself  a  millionnaire.  His 
daughter  Nancy  had  dreamed  three  nights  in  succession  that  one  of 
Captain  Kidd's  large  pots  of  money  lay  buried  near  a  ledge  of  rocks  a 
short  distance  from  his  house.  He  at  once  commenced  digging  for  it, 
and  used  aU  the  precautions  necessary  for  making  fast  to  the  pot ;  but  in 
an  evil  hour,  — just  as  he  struck  the  lid  with  his  crow-bar,  —  the  pot  van- 
ished, and  neither  he  nor  any  of  his  neighbors  have  ever  been  able  to 
give  any  satisfactory  account  as  to  what  became  of  it. 

General  Wait's  name  is  deserving  of  some  further  notice.  He  was 
born  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  February  13, 1737.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  entered  the  service  under  General  Amherst.  In  1756  he  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  French,  carried  to  Quebec,  and  from  thence  sent  to 
France,  and  while  on  the  way  he  was  retaken  by  the  British  and  carried 
to  England.  In  1757  he  returned  to  America,  and,  in  1758,  assisted  at 
the  capture  of  Louisburg,  and  was  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Canada 
during  the  two  following  years.  In  1767  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Windsor,  in  this  state,  which  made  the  third  family  in  that  town. 
He  was  a  prominent  advocate  of  the  rights  of  Vermont  in  the  contro- 
versy with  New  York.  In  1776  he  entered  the  army  of  the  United 
States  as  a  captain,  and  fought  under  the  banners  of  Washino-ton  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  during  which  time  he  had  been  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  colonel.  After  his  return  home  he  was  made  a  brigadier-oeneral 
of  the  state  militia,  was  seven  years  high  sheriff  of  Windsor  county,  and 
three  years  represented  the  town  of  Windsor  in  the  legislature.  After 
his  removal  here,  as  above  stated,  he  represented  this  town  for  seven 
years,  and  died  in  1822,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 

In  1822,  four  tiers  of  lots,  including  a  tier  of  small  lots  on  the  east 
side  of  the  town,  were  annexed  to  Northfield;  and,  in  1846,  sixteen 
other  lots  were  annexed,  amounting,  in  the  whole,  to  8,310  acres  •  leav- 


VERMONT  —  TOWN    OF   WALDEN,   ETC.  929 

ing  to  Waitsfield  an  area  of  15,540  acres.  The  eastern  part  of  the 
town  is  mountainous.  Mad  river  is  the  principal  stream,  and  along  its 
margin  there  is  much  rich  interval  land,  which,  united  with  the  fine  pas- 
tures on  the  adjacent  uplands,  makes  some  excellent  farms.  Waitsfield  has 
one  village,  and  one  post-office  ;  four  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Methodist  Episcopal,  Wesleyan  Methodist,  and  Universalist ;  and  eight 
school  districts :  also,  a  starch-factory,  grist-mill,  shingle  mill,  carding- 
machine,  two  tanneries,  several  saw-mills,  and  the  usual  number  of 
mechanic  shops.     Population,  1,021  ;  valuation,  $288,653. 

Walden,  in  the  western  part  of  Caledonia  county,  twenty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Moses  Robinson  and  sixty-five  others,  August  18,  1781.  The  settle- 
ment was  entered  upon  in  January,  1789,  by  Nathaniel  Perkins  and 
family,  who  were  for  three  years  the  only  persons  in  town.  Mr.  Perkins 
remained  upon  the  spot  where  he  settled  until  his  death,  in  1842,  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years.  He  was  the  first  town  clerk  and  representative, 
and  his  son  Jesse  was  the  first  native  of  Walden.  Nathan  Barker  was 
the  second  settler.  The  first  lands  cleared  and  habitations  erected  were 
on  the  Hazen  road,  at  a  place  where  there  was  a  block-house  built  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  war.  Hon.  James  Bell,  a  prominent  lawyer  and 
very  popular  speaker,  who  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture, was  a  citizen  of  this  town,  and  died  here  April  23,  1852.  Walden 
was  organized  March  24,  1794,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  A  portion  of 
this  is  rough.  The  pass  over  the  mountains  here  has  an  altitude  of 
1,615  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  northwestern  part  has  a 
handsome  surface,  and  the  soil  generally  is  a  deep,  rich  loam,  producing 
good  crops.  Water  is  furnished  by  the  Winooski  and  Lamoille  rivers, 
and  by  Joe's  brook.  There  are  two  considerable  ponds  —  Cole's,  in  the 
northeastern,  Lyford's,  and  a  portion  of  Joe's,  in  the  southern  part. 
There  are  two  villages  —  South  Walden  and  East  Walden;  three 
church  edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Union ;  two  post- 
offices —  Walden  and  South  Walden;  and  twelve  school  districts: 
also,  one  grist-mill,  eight  saw-mills,  two  starch  factories,  one  carriage 
shop,  and  two  wheelwright's  shops.  Population,  910 ;  valuation, 
$279,612. 

Wallingford,  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  Rutland  county,  sixty-two 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  November  27, 
1761,  to  Captain  Eliakim  Hall  and  sixty-five  others ;  and  the  settlement 
was  commenced  in  1773  by  Abraham  Jackson  and  family,  —  the  early 
settlers  being  mostly  from   Connecticut.     Jerathiel   Doty,  a  soldier  of 

78* 


930  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

the  Revolution,  and  the  last  survivor  of  the  body-guard  and  escort  of 
Lafayette  to  his  native  country,  died  at  South  Wallingford,  on  the  14th 
of  November,  1857.  Mr.  Doty  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1764,  and 
was  consequently  ninety-three  years  of  age.  He  enlisted  in  the  conti- 
nental army  when  only  fifteen  years  old,  and  served  throughout  the  seven 
years'  struggle.  Again,  in  1812,  he  volunteered  in  his  country's  service, 
and  took  part  in  the  operations  at  Plattsburg.  The  deceased  was  buried 
on  Wednesday  the  18th  with  public  honors. 

The  town  was  organized  March  10,  1778,  and  contained  by  charter 
23,040  acres.  In  October,  1792,  a  portion  of  Wallingford  (2,388  acres) 
was  taken  to  help  form  Mount  Holly ;  and  in  October,  1793,  a  part  of 
Tinmouth  was  annexed  to  this  town.  The  eastern  part  of  it  lies  on  the 
Green  Mountains,  and  the  highest  ridge  here  is  called  the  White  Rocks. 
The  soil  near  Otter  creek  is  of  a  good  quality ;  and  in  other  parts  it  is 
fair,  producing  excellent  grass.  The  town  is  watered  by  Otter  creek. 
Mill  river,  and  by  a  number  of  brooks,  all  which  afford  convenient  sites 
for  mills.  Lake  Hiram,  sometimes  called  Spectacle  pond,  lies  on  the 
mountain  in  the  southeast  part,  covering  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
acres.  A  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Lake  Hiram  is  a  pond  covering 
about  fifty  acres ;  and  west  of  Otter  creek,  opposite  the  village,  is  one 
covering  one  hundred  acres.  A  range  of  primitive  limestone  passes 
through  the  west  part,  in  which  have  been  opened  several  quarries  of 
excellent  marble.  The  principal  village  is  situated  near  Otter  creek,  in 
the  north  part,  about  a  mile  from  Clarendon  line.  It  is  a  very  flourish- 
ing place,  containing  a  number  of  stores  and  mechanics'  shops,  and  is 
built  principally  upon  one  street,  running  north  and  south.  There  is 
another  village  —  South  Wallingford.  There  are  in  town  four  church 
edifices — two  Baptist,  one  Congregational,  and  one  Universalist; 
three  post-offices  —  Wallingford,  East  Wallingford,  and  South  Wal- 
lingford ;  and  fourteen  school  districts :  also,  two  grist-mills,  ten  stores, 
one  pitchfork  factory,  one  clothes-pin  factory,  two  cheese-box  factories, 
two  wheelwright's  and  three  blacksmith's  shops,  and  one  printing  estab- 
lishment. The  Rutland  and  Burlington,  and  the  Western  Vermont 
Railroads  pass  through  this  town.  Population,  1,688;  valuation, 
$742,700. 

Waltham,  in  the  northerly  part  of  Addison  county,  thirty-three  miles 
from  Montpelier,  containing  about  nine  square  miles,  was,  until  its  in- 
corporation, the  northwest  corner  of  New  Haven.  The  settlement  was 
commenced  just  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  by  a  family  named 
Griswold,  and  others  from  Connecticut.  During  the  war,  Mr.  Griswold 
was  carried  a  prisoner  into  Canada  by  the  Indians,  where  he  was  de- 


VERMONT — TOWN   OP   WARDSBOEOUGH,   ETC.  931 

tained  about  three  years.  During  the  prosecution  of  the  contest  between 
the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  from  anticipated  dangers,  this  settle- 
ment was  broken  up,  and  was  not  recommenced  till  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  Messrs.  Phineas  Brown  of  Waltham,  Mass.,  Griswold,  Cook, 
and  others,  settled  here.  From  the  time  of  their  arrival,  considerable 
progress  was  made.  In  1796,  after  the  incorporation  of  Vergennes,  it  was 
set  off  and  incorporated,  receiving  its  name,  in  deference  to  Mr.  Brown, 
from  his  former  place  of  residence.  The  soil  is  generally  good,  and 
along  Otter  creek,  by  which  the  town  is  watered,  are  some  fine  tracts  of 
interval.  Buck  mountain,  having  an  elevation  of  1,0-35  feet,  lies  near 
the  centre,  and  is  the  highest  land  in  the  county  west  of  the  Green 
Mountains.  The  town  is  divided  into  three  school  districts,  having 
eighty  scholars.  There  is  no  minister,  doctor,  or  lawyer,  village  church 
or  post-office.  The  people  trade  and  receive  their  mails  at  Vergeimes. 
Population,  270 ;  valuation,  ^107,460. 

Wardsborough,  in  the  westerly  part  of  Windham  county,  ninety- 
three  miles  from  MontpeUer,  was  granted  and  chartered  November  7, 
1780,  to  William  Ward  of  Newfane  and  sixty-two  others.  The  first 
efforts  at  settlement  were  made  in  June  of  that  year  by  John  Jones, 
Ithamar  Allen,  and  others,  from  Milford  and  Sturbridge,  Mass.  The 
town  was  organized  March  14,  1786,  and  in  1788  was  divided  into  two 
districts,  called  the  North  and  South  districts,  the  latter  of  which  was, 
in  1810,  incorporated  as  a  separate  town  by  the  name  of  Dover.  By 
the  charter  both  towns  had  33,944  acres ;  and  after  the  separation 
Wardsborough  was  left  a  little  larger  than  Dover,  with  nearly  18,000 
acres.  The  surface  is  very  uneven,  and  some  parts  of  it  very  rocky.  A 
range  of  high  hills  separates  this  town  from  Dover.  A  considerable 
branch  of  West  river  waters  this  place,  and  affords  some  tolerably  good 
mill  privileges.  Some  minerals  are  found,  of  which  tremolite  and 
zoisite  are  the  most  interesting,  the  former  being  found  in  crystals  some- 
times six  inches  long,  and  the  latter  in  gray  crystals  often  one  foot  in 
length  and  one  or  two  inches  wide.  There  are  three  villages  —  Wards- 
borough, West  Wardsborough,  and  South  Wardsborough,  with  a  post- 
office  at  each  ;  four  church  edifices  —  two  Congregational,  one  Metho- 
dist, and  one  Baptist ;  and  seven  school  districts :  also,  three  grist-mills, 
six  saw-mills,  one  taimery,  and  a  raw-hide  whip-factory.  Population, 
1,125 ;  valuation,  ^316,783. 

Warren,  in  the  southwest  part  of  Washington  county,  sixteen  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  9,  1780,  and  chartered  October 
20,  1789,  to  the  Hon.  John  Throop  and  sixty-seven  others ;  and  the  set- 


932  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OS   NEW   ENGLAND. 

tlement  was  commenced,  in  the  year  1797,  by  Samuel  Lard  and  Seth 
Leavitt,  The  town  was  organized  September  20,  1798,  and  contains 
16,660  acres.  Warren  lies  between  the  two  ranges  of  the  Green  Moun- 
tains at  the  place  where  they  commence,  but  the  surface  is  not  very 
mountainous.  It  is  watered  by  Mad  river,  which  affords  a  number  of 
good  mill  privileges.  There  are  two  villages  —  East  and  West  Warren, 
with  a  post-office  at  each ;  two  church  edifices,  free  to  all  denomina- 
tions ;  and  twelve  school  districts :  also,  two  grist-mills,  two  saw-mills, 
and  two  clapboard  mills.     Population,  962  ;  valuation,  $216,217. 

Washington,  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  Orange  county,  fifteen 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Major  Elisha  Burton  and  sixty-four  others,  August  8,  1781.  The  terri- 
tory was  granted  by  New  York,  by  the  name  of  Kingland,  and  it  was 
constituted  the  shire  town  of  Gloucester  county.  A  town  plot  was 
laid  out  into  village  lots  near  the  centre,  and  a  log  jail  erected,  which 
gave  the  name  of  Jail  branch  to  two  streams  rising  here.  It  was  first 
settled  in  1785,  by  Daniel  Morse,  who  was  soon  followed  by  his  brother, 
John  Morse.  The  proprietors  voted  to  give  Daniel  Morse  one  hundred 
acres  of  land,  and  to  the  son  of  John  Morse,  who  was  the  first  native, 
fifty  acres.  In  the  spring  of  1788,  eighteen  settlers  moved  in,  among 
whom  were  Elisha  Smith,  Jacob  Burton,  Abel  Skinner,  Bela  Tracy, 
Robert  Ingraham,  and  Thaddeus  White,  the  last  of  whom  was  the  first 
representative,  in  1794.  Washington  was  organized  March  1,  1792,  and 
contains  23,040  acres.  It  is  watered  by  branches  of  the  Winooski, 
Wait's,  and  White  rivers,  which  afford  a  few  mill  privileges.  The  town 
has  one  village,  situated  on  Jail  branch,  a  tributary  of  the  Winooski 
river ;  two  church  edifices  —  Universalist  and  a  Union  house ;  sixteen 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-mill, 
with  clapboard  and  shingle  machines  therein,  and  four  other  saw-mills. 
Population,  1,348  ;  valuation,  $328,698. 

Washington  County  lies  principally  between  the  two  ranges  of  the 
Green  Mountains,  in  the  northern  central  portion  of  the  state,  and  con- 
tains 580  square  miles.  After  the  sessions  of  the  legislature  had  been 
established  at  Montpelier,  a  new  county,  in  which  that  town  was  cen- 
trally situated,  was  incorporated  November  1,  1810,  by  the  name  of 
Jefferson,  embracing  fifteen  towns  from  the  adjoining  counties  of  Chit- 
tenden, Caledonia,  and  Orange;  and  was  organized  December  1,  1811. 
The  name  was  changed  to  Washington,  November  8,  1814.  In  1836, 
four  towns  were  annexed  to  it  from  Orleans,  Caledonia,  Orange,  and 
Addison,  and  two  were  cut  off  to  aid  in  forming  the  county  of  Lamoille. 


VEEMONT  —  TOWN   OF   WATEEBORT.  933 

In  1848  the  incorporation  of  East  Montpelier  gave  this  county  an  addi- 
tional town,  making  up  its  present  number  of  eighteen  towns,  of  which 
Montpelier  is  the  shire  town.  The  annual  term  of  the  supreme  court  is 
opened  here  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  August,  and  the  terms  of  the 
county  courts  on  the  second  Tuesdays  of  March  and  September.  The 
surface  of  the  county  is  quite  uneven,  it  being  the  point  of  divergence 
of  the  east  and  west  ranges  of  the  Green  Mountain  chain.  It  is 
traversed  by  the  river  Winooski,  and  by  Mad,  Dog,  and  others  of  its 
branches.  The  eastern  part  is  prolific  of  excellent  granite ;  but  in  the 
western  the  rocks  are  principally  of  argillaceous  slate,  quartz,  chlorite 
slate,  and  mica  slate.     Population,  26,010 ;  valuation,  $6,621,440. 

Waterbury,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Washington  county,  twelve 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  7,  1763, 
to  John  Stiles  and  sixty-five  others  ;  and  in  June,  1784,  James  Marsh 
moved  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  eight  children,  into  the  town 
from  Bath,  N.  H.,  taking  possession  of  a  surveyor's  cabin,  which  was 
standing  near  Winooski  river.  For  nearly  a  year  this  family  was  soli- 
tary and  alone,  having  been  induced  to  settle  here  upon  the  pledge  of 
the  proprietors  that  several  other  families  should  join  them.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1786,  Elder  Ezra  Butler,  who  had  visited  this  place  the  year  previ- 
ous for  the  purpose  of  preparing  a  place  of  residence,  moved  his  family 
in  from  Weathersfield,  and  was  followed  by  Caleb  Munson  in  1788,  and 
soon  by  others. 

Mr.  Butler  continued  on  the  farm  where  he  settled  until  his  death,  July 
19,  1838.  He  officiated  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  was  the  first  town  clerk,  eleven  years  a  representative,  and 
fifteen  years  a  member  of  the  council.  From  1803  to  1806  he  was  first 
assistant  judge  in  Chittenden  county,  and  chief  judge  from  1806  to 
1811,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  same  office  for  Jefferson  (now  Wash- 
ington) county,  then  just  organized,  which  he  held  until  he  was  chosen 
governor  of  the  state  in  1826.  To  this  place  he  was  reelected  the  next 
year.  In  1822  he  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  •  in 
1806,  of  the  council  of  censors ;  and  from  1813  to  1815  a  member  of 
congress.  Aside  from  his  thirty  years'  pastorate,  and  serving  in  town 
offices,  his  aggregate  term  of  public  service  reached  fifty-three  years. 

Waterbury  was  organized  March  31,  1790.  That  part  of  Middlesex 
containing  lots  50,  55,  56,  57,  58,  63,  and  64,  lying  on  the  westerly  side 
of  Hogback  mountain,  and  a  portion  of  the  undivided  land  in  that  town, 
were  annexed  to  Waterbury,  October  30,  1850 ;  and  it  now  contains 
25,978  acres.  Dr.  Daniel  Bliss  was  the  first  representative.  There  is 
much  level  land,  and  where  the   surface  is  uneven  the  swells  are  so 


934  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

4' 
gradual  as  to  present  little  or  no  obstacle  to  cultivation.    The  interval  on 

Winooski  river,  and  on  several  smaller  streams,  is  not  surpassed  in 
fertility  by  any  in  the  state.  Waterbury  river  and  Thatcher's  branch 
run  through  the  town  from  north  to  south  into  the  Winooski,  and  afford 
several  excellent  mill  privileges,  most  of  which  are  now  occupied.  There 
are  two  villages  —  Waterbury  Street  and  Waterbury  Centre  ;  four  meet- 
ing-houses —  two  Methodist,  one  Baptist,  and  one  Congregational ; 
seventeen  school  districts,  one  post-office,  and  the  Bank  of  Waterbury 
with  a  capital  of  $60,000  :  also,  two  grist-mills,  ten  saw-mills,  and  three 
tanneries.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes  through  Waterbury. 
Population,  2,352 ;  valuation,  $666,888. 

Wateeford,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Caledonia  county,  thirty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  and  chartered  to  Benjamin 
Whipple  and  sixty-four  others,  November  8,  1780,  by  the  name  of 
Littleton,  which  was  changed  to  its  present  one,  March  9,  1797.  The 
settlement  was  begun  in  1787,  and  the  town  was  organized  May  6, 
1793,  and  contained  23,040  acres.  The  surface  is  generally  rough  and 
stony.  There  are  some  flats  along  the  Connecticut  here,  but  they  are 
narrow,  and  not  overflown  at  high  water.  Stiles  pond  lies  in  the  south- 
east part,  and  covers  about  one  hundred  acres.  The  Passumpsic  river 
passes  the  west  corner  of  the  town,  and  Moose  river  touches  its  northerly 
corner.  There  are  three  villages —  Waterford,  Lower  Waterford,  and 
West  Waterford,  each  having  a  post-office;  two  church  ediOces  — 
Union  and  Congregational ;  and  fourteen  school  districts :  also,  eight 
saw-mills.  The  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic  Rivers  Railroad  runs 
through  the  westerly  corner.    Population,  1,412 ;  valuation,  $355,672. 

Waterville,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Lamoille  county,  forty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  October  26,  1788,  to  James  Whitelaw, 
James  Savage,  and  William  Coit.  When  chartered  it  was  known  as 
Colt's  gore,  containing  10,000  acres.  October  26,  1799,  a  part  of  this 
gore  was  annexed  to  Bakersfield;  the  remainder  of  it,  together  with 
parts  of  Bakersfield  and  Belvidere,  was  incorporated  under  its  present 
name,  November  15,  1824.  The  settlement  was  commenced  about  the 
year  1789,  and  it  was  organized  soon  afterwards.  The  first  mills  were 
erected  in  1796  and  1797.  Along  the  Lamoille  river,  by  which  the 
town  is  watered,  there  is  a  tract  of  very  good  land  ;  but  the  other  parts 
are  somewhat  mountainous  and  broken.  In  the  north  part  of  the  town 
is  an  extensive  quarry  of  soapstone.  There  are  two  church  edifices  — 
one  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists  and  Methodists,  the  other  by 
Universalists  and  others  ;  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also. 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF   WEATHERSFIBLD.  935 

one  large  flannel  factory  employing  seventy-five  hands,  manufacturing 
about  one  hundred  thousand  yards  annually;  one  starch  factory,  one 
grist-mill,  and  one  sash  and  blind  shop.  Population,  753;  valuation, 
^137,757. 

Weatherseield,  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  Windsor  county,  seventy 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  20, 
1761,  to  Gideon  Lyman  and  sixty-one  others,  most  of  whom  were  from 
New  Haven,  Conn.  They  entered  at  once  upon  the  settlement  of  the 
town,  and  in  1765  the  proprietors  made  a  report  of  their  progress,  repre- 
senting that  they  had  been  at  great  expense  in  surveying  and  lotting 
the  township,  and  had  cleared  and  cultivated  a  portion  of  the  land  and 
built  a  number  of  houses.  But  becoming  alarmed  at  the  fierceness  of 
the  dispute  in  which  New  Hampshire  and  New  York  were  then  engaged, 
and  fearing  that  it  might  retard  the  progress  of  their  settlement,  they 
addressed  a  petition  to  the  lieutenant-governor  of  New  York,  on  the 
17th  of  October,  1766,  expressing  a  desire  for  protection.  This  petition 
was  favorably  received,  and  on  the  8th  of  April,  1772,  the  town  was 
regranted  by  the  government  of  New  York  to  Gideon  Lyman  and  his 
associates.  Thomas  Prentiss,  Joseph  Hubbard,  and  Samuel  Steele 
were  among  the  early  settlers. 

The  inhabitants  of  Weathersfield  not  only  took  an  active  part  in  the 
controversy  with  New  York,  but  were  enthusiastic  supporters  of 
American  liberty.  Twenty-one  out  of  twenty-four  citizens,  on  the  31st 
of  July,  1775,  formed  an  association  in  this  behalf,  in  conformity  to  the 
recommendation  of  congress  the  preceding  year.  Those  who  refused  to 
join  were  John  and  Joseph  Marsh,  and  John  Marsh,  Jr. 

Dr.  Peleg  Redfield,  who  w^as  a  physician  of  some  prominence,  was  an 
early  resident  of  this  town  ;  but  removed  to  Coventry  in  1806,  being  one 
of  its  first  settlers,  and  continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death,  Novem- 
ber 8,  1848,  holding  in  succession  its  most  responsible  offices.  His  son, 
Hon.  Isaac  F.  Redfield,  was  born  in  Weathersfield,  April  10,  1804,  and 
removed  with  his  father  to  Coventry,  where  he  remained  until  he 
entered  Dartmouth  College  in  1821.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1827,  and  commenced  practice  in  Derby,  where  he  continued  until  he 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court  of  this  state  in  1835, 
being  state's  attorney  for  Orleans  county  for  the  three  years  preceding, 
and  having  an  extensive  practice  in  the  three  northeastern  counties  of 
the  state.  He  had  a  very  prominent  agency  in  breaking  up  the  gang 
of  counterfeiters  upon  the  borders  of  Lower  Canada,  and  attended,  on 
behalf  of  the  Boston  Bank  Association,  the  trials  of  those  arrested,  in  the 
court  of  king's  bench,   Montreal,  in  which  convictions  were  secured. 


936  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

He  has  continued  upon  the  bench  until  the  present  time,  and,  since 
1852,  has  been  chief  justice.  Judge  Redfield  is  the  author  of  "  A 
Treatise  on  the  Law  of  Railways,"  recently  published,  which  has  been 
received  with  the  highest  favor  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Trinity  College  in  1849, 
and  by  Dartmouth  College  in  1855. 

The  town  was  organized  in  Marcli,  1778,  and  contains  25,063  acres. 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  are  some  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
state.  The  meadows  on  Black  river  are  very  rich  and  fertile.  Ascutney 
mountain,  3,320  feet  above  the  sea-level,  situated  in  the  north  part,  is  the 
only  elevation  of  note,  and  divides  this  town  from  Windsoi-. 

Weathersfield  has  obtained  considerable  notoriety  for  the  interest  the 
people  have  taken  in  wool-growing,  and  in  the  improvement  of  their 
flocks  of  sheep.  Hon.  William  Jarvis,  a  resident  of  this  town,  and  for 
some  years  United  States  consul  at  the  port  of  Lisbon,  imported  some 
of  the  choicest  breeds  to  be  found  in  Europe,  which  has  done  much 
towards  building  up  the  wool-growing  interest,  not  only  in  Vermont, 
but  throughout  the  Middle  and  Western  states.  The  manufacture  of 
lime  is  prosecuted  to  some  extent.  There  are  two  villages,  the  principal 
one  Perkinsville,  which  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Mr.  Perkins,  a 
capitalist  of  Boston,  who  entered  largely  into  the  manufacture  of 
woollen  goods  at  this  place  and  at  Ascutneyville.  There  are  six  church 
edifices  —  three  Congregational,  one  Methodist,  one  Baptist,  and  one 
Union ;  twelve  school  districts,  and  five  post-offices  —  Weathersfield, 
Weathersfield  Centre,  Perkinsville,  Ascutneyville,  and  Upper  Falls : 
also,  one  cotton  mill  with  one  hundred  looms,  which  manufactures 
printing  cloth ;  several  grist-mills  and  saw-mills,  two  tanneries,  and  one 
bobbin  factory.     Population,  1,851 ;  valuation,  $748,753. 

Wells,  in  the  western  part  of  Rutland  county,  sixty-five  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September  15,  1761,  to 
Eliakim  Hall  and  sixty-three  others ;  and  the  fijrst  settlers  ^A^ere  Ogden 
Mallary,  about  the  year  1768,  and  Daniel  and  Samuel  Culver,  in  1771. 
The  town  was  organized  March  9,  1773,  and  was  originally  six  miles 
square  ;  but  it  has  been  reduced  by  annexations  to  Poultney  and  Middle- 
town,  6,118  acres  being  taken  October  28,  1784,  to  help  form  the  latter 
town.  John  Ward  was  the  first  town  clerk,  and  Daniel  Culver  the  first 
representative,  in  1778.  The  western  part  is  generally  level,  and  the 
eastern  part  mountainous  and  broken.  The  soil  is  generally  good 
where  it  is  not  so  uneven  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  cultivation. 
The  town  is  watered  by  Wells  pond,  which  lies  partly  in  Poultney,  and 
covers  upwards  of  2,000  acres,  the  outlet  of  which,  and  another  stream 


Vermont  —  town  of  west  fairlee,  etc.  937 

afford  mill  privileges.  There  are  three  church  edifices  —  Methodist, 
Episcopal,  and  Universalist ;  eight  school  districts,  and  one  post-office : 
also,  one  grist-mill,  two  saw-mills,  a  blacksmith's  and  a  wheelwright's 
shop.     Population,  804  ;  valuation,  $240,200. 

West  Fairlee,  in  the  easterly  part  of  Orange  county,  twenty-eight 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  set  off  from  Fairlee  and  incorporated  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1797,  and  embraces  rather  more  than  half  of  the  original  town, 
or  13,304  acres.  It  was  organized  March  31,  1797.  The  first  town 
clerk  was  Asa  May,  who  served  three  years;  his  successor,  Ehsha 
Thayer,  served  until  1847,  a  period  of  forty-seven  years.  The  first 
selectmen  were  Reuben  Dickinson,  Samuel  Robinson,  and  George 
Bixby :  Calvin  Morse  was  the  first  constable.  The  town  was  repre- 
sented in  connection  with  the  parent  town  until  1823. 

Hon.  Nathaniel  Niles,  who  was  a  distinguished  citizen  of  this  town, 
was  born  in  South  Kingston,  R.  I.,  graduated  at  Princeton  in  1769,  was 
for  a  time  student  of  law  and  medicine,  and  then  of  theology  under  Dr. 
Bellamy,  and  preached  in  various  places.  He  resided  in  Norwich,  Conn., 
where  he  married  a  daughter  of  Elijah  Lothrop,  a  man  of  wealth,  and 
here  invented  a  method  of  making  wire  from  bar  iron  by  water  power, 
which  was  the  first  invention  of  the  kind.  He  came  to  this  state,  pur- 
chased land,  and  was  the  first  settler  in  West  Fairlee.  He  was  speaker 
of  the  house  of  representatives  of  Vermont  in  1784,  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  from  1784  to  1788,  and  member  of  congress  from  1791  to 
1795.     He  also  published  several  of  his  discourses. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  very  uneven,  but  the  soil  moderately  pro- 
ductive. It  is  watered  by  Fairlee  lake,  lying  partly  within  the  township, 
and  Ompompanoosuc  river.  It  has  one  village,  one  post-office,  two 
church  edifices  —  Congregational,  and  one  owned  by  the  Freewill  Bap- 
tists and  XJniversalists ;  and  sixteen  school  districts :  also,  a  manufac- 
tory for  carriages ;  one  for  sashes,  doors,  and  blinds ;  a  tannery,  a  harness- 
maker's  and  a  shoemaker's  shop.    Population,  696  ;  valuation,  $196,777. 

Westfield,  in  the  western  part  of  Orleans  county,  forty-four  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  May  15,  1780,  to  Daniel  Owen  and 
fifty-nine  others.  Jesse  Olds,  a  Mr.  Hobbs,  and  others,  commenced  the 
settlement  in  1799.  The  town  was  organized  March  29, 1802,  and  con- 
tains 23,040  acres.  In  the  eastern  part  is  some  very  good  land ;  but  the 
western  part  is  high  and  mountainous,  and  unfit  for  cultivation.  Hazen's 
Notch  in  the  Green  Mountains  is  situated  in  the  southwest  corner. 
Missisco  river  and  three  of  its  tributaries  water  the  town,  and  furnish 
several  mill  privileges.  Westfield  contains  one  village,  one  church  edi- 
'VOL.  I.  79 


938  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

fice,  owned  by  the  Congregationalists  and  Methodists,  five  school  dis- 
tricts with  one  school  in  each,  and  one  post-office :  also,  several  saw- 
mills, a  starch-factory,  and  an  establishment  for  making  butter  tubs. 
Population,  502 ;  valuation,  $123,580. 

Westford,  in  the  northern  part  of  Chittenden  county,  thirty-two 
miles  northwest  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to 
Henry  Franklin  and  sixty-four  others,  June  8,  1763,  and  contained 
23,040  acres.  The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Henry  Parmelee  and 
others  in  1783-84,  but  the  township  had  not  a  sufficient  number  to  effect 
an  organization  until  1793.  Martin  Powell  was  first  town  clerk,  and 
the  office  was  filled  by  him  and  Paul  Eager  for  about  an  equal  time 
until  1817-18.  The  first  selectmen  were  John  Seeley,  Levi  Farnsworth, 
and  Shubael  WoodrufT;  apd  Jeremiah  Stone  was  first  representative, 
in  1793.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  not  mountainous.  It  is  watered 
by  Brown's  river,  on  which  are  several  saw-mills.  There  are  three  meet- 
ing-houses—  Baptist,  Congregational, and  Methodist  Episcopal;  twelve 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office.  Population,  1,458 ;  valuation, 
f316,535. 

West  Haven,  in  the  w^estern  part  of  Rutland  county,  at  the  lower 
extremity  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  sixty  miles  from  Montpelier,  formerly 
comprised  a  part  of  Fairhaven,  from  which  it  was  set  off  and  incor- 
porated October  20,  1792.  Elijah  Tryon  was  the  first  settler  in  1783. 
It  was  organized  the  same  year,  Nathan  Barlow  being  the  first  town 
clerk,  Lemuel  Hyde,  Cornelius  Brownson,  and  Dr.  Simeon  Smith  being 
the  first  selectmen.  William  and  Artemas  Wyman  held  the  office  of 
town  clerk  —  excepting  two  years  —  from  1798  to  1845. 

The  town  has  an  area  of  14,191  acres,  and  possesses  a  clayey  soil 
with  an  abundance  of  limestone.  It  is  watered  by  Hubbardton  river  and 
Cogman's  creek,  Poultney  river  also  coursing  along  the  southern  bound- 
ary, and  all  emptying  into  East  bay.  There  are  two  church  edifices  — 
Baptist  and  Congregationalist,  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  : 
also,  one  grist-mill,  and  two  or  three  saw-mUls.  Population,  718  ;  valua- 
tion, $234,170. 

Westminster,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windham  county,  opposite  to 
Walpole,_N.  H.,  and  eighty-two  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  originally 
"Number  One"  upon  the  west  bank  of  Connecticut  river,  it  being 
among  the  townships  on  the  Connecticut  and  Merrimack  rivers  ordered 
to  be  laid  out  by  the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  January  15, 
1735-6,  twenty-eight  of  which  were  between  these  two  rivers.     This 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   WESTMINSTEK.  939 

was  granted  November  19, 1736,  to  Captains  Joseph  Tisdale,  James 
Leonard,  Deacon  Samuel  Sumner,  and  about  thirty  others,  from  Taun- 
ton, Norton,  and  Easton,  Mass.,  and  Ashford  and  KUlingly,  Conn.,  who 
had  petitioned  for  the  same.  The  first  meeting  of  proprietors  was  held 
at  Taunton,  January  14,  1736-7 ;  and,  after  a  number  of  meetings,  the 
allotment  of  the  sixty-three  rights,  into  which  the  township  was  divided, 
was  made  the  same  year,  and  the  township  was  familiarly  known  as 
New  Taunton.  By  the  records  of  July  8,  1740,  it  appears  that  a  saw- 
mill had  been  built.  It  also  appears  that  improvements  were  made  in 
1739-40  by  Richard  Ellis  and  his  son  Reuben,  of  Easton,  who  built  a 
dwelling-house,  and  cleared  and  cultivated  several  acres  of  land;  by 
Lieutenant  John  Harney,  James  Washburn,  Joseph  Eddy,  Seth  Tisdale, 
and  Jonathan  Thayer,  who  w^ere  engaged  in  making  roads  and  fences. 
These,  however,  are  not  supposed  to  have  been  permanent  settlers,  as  the 
establishment  of  the  northern  boundary  line  of  Massachusetts,  in  1740, 
left  this  township  without  the  jurisdiction  of  that  province ;  and  the  last 
meeting  ever  known  to  have  been  held  by  the  Massachusetts  proprietors 
was  in  1742,  when  advice  as  to  the  means  of  securing  their  title  and 
possession  was  asked  of  the  legislature  of  that  state.  If  the  settlers  had 
not  become  wholly  disheartened  by  this  seemingly  unfortunate  change 
of  jurisdiction,  it  is  believed  that  the  insecurity  of  the  frontiers,  upon 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Cape  Breton  war  in  1744,  completed  the  deser- 
tion of  this  township.  There  is  a  tradition  that  one  Barney  (perhaps 
either  John  or  Jonathan,  whose  names  appear  among  the  first  grantees 
in  1736)  came  to  New  Taunton  as  early  as  1749,  built  a  house,  erected 
the  frame  of  a  saw-mill,  and  was  afterwards  driven  away  by  the 
Indians.!  jjj  ^[jg  spring  of  1751,  John  Averill,  with  his  wife,  and  son 
Asa,  came  here  from  Northfield,  Mass.  He  found  but  two  houses.  The 
one  into  which  he  moved,  situated  on  the  top  of  Willard's  or  Clapp's 
hill,  at  the  south  end  of  the  main  street,  had  been  occupied  by  William 
Gould  and  his  son  John,  Amos  Carpenter,  Atherton  Chaffee,  a  woman, 
and  two  children.  Gould  and  Carpenter  moved  their  families  into  the 
township  from  Northfield  during  the  summer  of  that  year.  The  other 
house  —  unoccupied — was  probably  the  one  built  in  1739  by  Richard 
Ellis.     Anna  Averill,  born  in  1751,  was  the  first  native. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  proprietors,  an  attempt  was 
made  to  procure  a  recognition  of  their  charter  from  New  Hampshire ; 
but  nothing  is  known  to  have  been  done  by  that  state  until  November 
9,  1752,  when  Governor  Wentworth  issued  a  charter  to  sixty-six  persons, 
in  which  the  town  was  called  Westminster.     By  this  charter,  as  well  as 

'  Hall's  Eastern  Vermont,  p.  60,  note. 


940  HISTORY   AOT)   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

the  first,  it  contained  28,040  acres.  The  first  meeting  was  held  in 
August,  1753,  at  Winchester,  N.  H.  (and  indeed  the  proprietors'  meet- 
ings were  held  in  that  town  for  eight  years),  at  the  house  of  Major 
Josiah  Willard,  whose  father.  Colonel  Josiah  Willard  of  Fort  Dummer, 
was  the  purchaser  of  twelve  shares  from  the  original  proprietors.  A  sub- 
sequent meeting  was  held  at  Fort  Dummer  the  same  year,  but  no  new 
settlements  were  made  on  account  of  a  new  war  breaking  out  that  year 
between  the  French  and  English,  and  the  consequent  feeling  of  danger 
away  from  reach  of  the  forts.  After  the  depredations  and  captures  by 
the  Indians  at  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  in  August,  1754,  the  few  inhabitants 
of  this  place  removed  across  the  river  to  Walpole  for  security,  but  re- 
turned again  in  October.  In  February,  1755,  the  Averill  family  moved 
to  Putney.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  fort  upon  the  "  Great 
Meadow"  was  buUt.^  Upon  the  return  of  peace,  the  conditions  of 
the  charter  not  having  been  fulfilled.  Colonel  Willard  (mentioned  above 
as  major,  who  had,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  Fort  Dummer)  obtained  a  renewal  on  the  11th  of  June,  1760. 
A  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  held,  February  4,  1761,  at  the  house 
of  John  Averill,  and  measures  were  taken  to  forward  the  settlement. 
Before  the  close  of  1766,  more  than  fifty  families  had  become  inhabi- 
tants. In  1771  there  was  a  population  of  478,  it  being  the  largest  town 
on  the  east  of  the  Green  Mountains,  if  not  in  Vermont.  No  records  are 
known  to  have  been  kept  from  1761  to  1781 ;  if  so,  they  were  probably 
concealed  or  destroyed  on  account  of  the  political  troubles ;  nor  is  it 
known  when  the  town  was  organized.  A  confirmatory  charter  was 
issued  by  New  York,  March  16,  1772.  In  this  year  also  a  change  of 
the  place  of  holding  the  Cumberland  county  courts  from  Chester  to 
Westminster  was  effected,  and  this  continued  to  be  the  shire  town 
until  1781 ;  and  the  half  shire  town  with  Marlborough  from  1781  to 
1787,  when  Newfane  became  the  capital  of  Windham  county.  It  was 
in  connection  with  the  sitting  of  the  courts  at  Westminster  that  the 
unhappy  occurrence  of  March  13,  1775,  became  a  part  of  its  history. 
The  cause  of  this  riot  lay  deeper  than  a  mere  unwilhngness  to  submit 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  New  York.  In  fact,  this  unwillingness,  so  per- 
sistently exhibited  in  all  the  early  history  of  Vermont,  was  rather  the 
effect  than  the  cause  of  the  real  difficulty.  Hostility  to  British  coercion 
had  at  this  time  reached  a  high  point ;  and  the  fact  that  the  higher  civil 
officers  in  this  country  had  received  their  appointments  directly  from 
New  York,  and  remained  loyal  to  the  King,  rendered  them,  in  the  eyes 
of  the  people,  but  little  more  tolerable  than  the  crown  officers  sent  over 

•  Article  on  Putney,  p.  879. 


VERMONT TOWN    OF    WESTMINSTER.  941 

to  exact  the  last  tithe  of  obedience.  It  was  with  this  feeling  that  an 
attempt  was  made  to  induce  the  judges  not  to  hold  the  court  for  that 
term ;  failing  in  which,  about  ninety  or  a  hundred  men,  some  of  them 
armed,  got  possession  of  the  court-house.  The  sheriff,  having  antici- 
pated the  difficulty,  had  obtained  the  assistance  of  about  sixty  persons 
from  this  and  the  neighboring  towns.  The  mob  were  barred  within  : 
the  sheriff  without  demanded  admittance.  High  words  passed  upon 
both  sides  :  some  blows  were  given,  and  finally  the  sheriff's  party  fired, 
which  was  quickly  returned.  William  French,  "  a  clever,  steady,  honest, 
working  farmer  "  boy,  of  scarcely  twenty-two  years  (son  of  Nathaniel 
French,  who  resided  in  Brattleborough,  almost  upon  the  Dummerston 
line),  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  died  the  next  day.  The  party  within, 
after  a  severe  struggle,  were  overpowered ;  eight  or  ten  were  taken 
prisoners.  Daniel  Houghton,  of  Dummerston,  was  also  mortally 
wounded,  and  survived  only  nine  days.  An  inquest  was  immediately 
held  upon  the  body  of  French,  and  a  verdict  of  murder  rendered.  The 
event  was  forthwith  trumpeted  afar,  and  brought  together  on  the  follow- 
ing day  between  four  and  five  hundred  persons,  ready  for  any  emergency. 
The  judges  met,  and  prepared  a  hasty  statement  of  the  facts  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  New  York,  but,  as  danger  was  imminent,  they  adjourned  the 
court  to  the  June  term.  Young  French,  having  been  deeply  imbued  with 
sentiments  of  liberty,  was  at  once  recognized  as  a  martyr ;  and  as  the 
events  of  Lexington  and  Concord  followed  so  closely  upon  this,  he  was 
set  down  by  many  as  the  first  martyr  to  British  tyranny.  It  is  quite 
certain  that  the  exponents  of  the  British  government,  either  in  New 
York  or  Boston,  would  have  been  prompt  to  aid  in  the  subjugation  of 
the  people  —  as  Lieutenant-Governor  Golden  applied  to  General  Gage 
for  arms  for  this  purpose  — but  for  the  affair  of  the  19th  of  April.  In 
1852,  a  petition  was  addressed  to  the  legislature  of  this  state,  bearing 
upon  it  some  of  the  most  respectable  and  influential  names,  including 
those  of  Charles  K.  Williams,  William  C.  Bradley,  Carlos  Coolidge, 
and  Jacob  CoUamer,  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  monument  over  the 
grave  of  French  ;  and  the  passage  of  a  bill  appropriating  f  2,500  to  that 
purpose  was  most  ably  advocated  by  Mr.  Bradley,  but  failed  by  only  a 
few  votes. 

Westminster  has  been  the  seat  of  several  patriotic  conventions,  espec- 
ially those  for  the  formation  of  a  state  government.  The  legislature  of 
Vermont  met  here  in  1780,  1783,  1789,  and  1803.  This  town  has  also 
been  the  residence  of  many  distinguished  men  —  some  of  them  of  quite 
opposite  sentiments.  Crean  Brush,  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  edu- 
cated as  a  lawyer,  came  to  America  in  or  prior  to  the  year  1762 — be- 
came a  resident  of  this  town  in  1771,  and  the  next  year  was  appointed 

79* 


942  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF  NEW   ENGLAND. 

clerk  and  surrogate  of  Cumberland  county,  and  received  a  commission 
to  administer  all  official  oaths.  He  procured  his  election  to  the  New 
York  assembly,  where  he  made  himself  conspicuous  in  his  advocacy  of 
tory  sentiments,  and  suggested  the  resolution  requesting  the  governor  to 
publish  that  famous  proclamation  offering  a  reward  of  £50,  in  each  case, 
for  the  apprehension  of  Ethan  Allen  and  seven  of  his  compatriots.  His 
tory  principles  were  so  extreme  that  he  was  convinced  there  would  be 
no  further  request  for  his  services  at  Westminster.  Having  remained  a 
short  time  at  New  York,  he  went  to  Boston  —  offered  his  services  to 
General  Gage  — became  nominally  a  receiptor  for  the  goods  of  persons 
in  that  town  who  wished  to  have  them  protected  through  fear  of  their 
insecurity  during  the  presence  of  the  British  army,  which  was  quartered 
about  town  —  plundered  the  shops  of  merchants  —  crowded  their  goods 
on  board  vessels,  and  left  with  Admiral  Howe's  fleet  upon  the  evacua- 
tion of  that  town.  This  vessel  getting  separated  from  the  fleet,  he  was 
captured  before  he  got  out  of  the  harbor  —  taken  back  to  Boston,  tried, 
and  imprisoned  for  nearly  two  years  —  effected  his  escape  —  went  to 
New  York,  and,  stung  with  mortification  and  grief  at  finding  no  sympa- 
thy for  his  injuries  and  losses,  even  among  British  officers,  in  May,  1778, 
he  put  an  end  to  his  own  life  by  a  pistol  ball. 

Stephen  Row  Bradley,  a  grandson  of  Stephen  Bradley,  who  was  one 
of  Cromwell's  Ironsides,  was  born  in  Wallingford,  Conn.,  February 
20,  1754;  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1775;  entered  the  American 
army  in  1776,  as  captain  of  the  "  Cheshire  Volunteers  ; "  became  quar- 
ter-master, and  aid-de-camp  to  General  David  Wooster,  and  was  with 
him  when  he  fell  in  the  attack  on  Danbury,  in  1777.  In  1778-9  he  was  a 
commissary,  and  also  major ;  and,  w^hen  not  engaged  in  a  military  capac- 
ity, devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  law,  assisted  by  Judge  Reeve.  He 
is  supposed  to  have  come  to  Vermont  in  1779,  and  practised  as  an  attor- 
ney. In  1780  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Cumberland  county  court. 
He  rose  rapidly  ;  became  the  associate  of  Allen,  Warner,  and  Chittenden, 
and  was  chosen  to  present  the  claims  of  Vermont  to  congress,  as 
opposed  to  those  of  New  Hampshire  and  New  York,  which  he  did  in 
an  ably  w^ritten  published  document  entitled  "  Vermont's  Appeal  to  the 
Candid  and  Impartial  World."  His  military  abilities  did  not  escape 
observation,  and  he  became  lieutenant-colonel,  and,  in  1791,  brigadier- 
general,  in  the  Vermont  militia.  Between  1781  and  1791  he  held  the 
various  offices  of  selectman  and  town  clerk  of  Westminster,  representa- 
tive to  the  legislature,  speaker  of  the  house,  register  of  probate  for 
Windham  county,  county  judge,  side  judge  of  the  supreme  court, 
commissioner  to  ascertain  the  line  between  New  York  and  this 
state,   and    member  of  the    constitutional    convention  in    1791;    and 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   WESTMORE.  943 

the  same  year,  he  and  Moses  Robinson  were  chosen  the  first  senators 
of  the  new  state.  He  served  for  the  four  years  assigned  to  him  by 
lot,  and  in  1801  was  returned  for  a  second  term,^  and  in  1807  for  a  third, 
and  served  it  out  During  this  time  he  was  twice  chosen  president  pro 
tempore  of  the  senate.  At  the  end  of  his  third  term,  in  1813,  he  retired 
from  public  life :  in  1818  he  removed  to  Walpole,  N.  H.,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death,  December  9,  1830.  His  son,  Hon.  "William  C. 
Bradley,  was  born  at  Westminster,  March  23,  1782,  and  still  survives. 
He  has  served  the  public  as  a  lawyer  of  eminent  ability,  was  a  member 
of  congress  for  six  years, — 1813-15  and  1823-27,  —  where  he  enjoyed  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  most  distinguished  statesmen.  His  pen  has 
also  made  valuable  contributions  in  the  various  departments  of  knowl- 
edge. Ezra  Stiles,  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Stiles,  president  of  Yale  College, 
also  settled  here  as  a  lawyer.  Lot  Hall,  who  was  born  in  Barnstable, 
Mass.,  in  1757,  served  his  country  in  the  navy,  and  became  a  heutenant; 
was  captured,  and  carried  a  prisoner  of  war  to  Scotland,  and  on  return- 
ing to  Barnstable  commenced  the  study  of  law ;  came  to  Vermont  in 
1782,  first  settling  at  Bennington,  and  removed  to  this  town  in  1783. 
He  represented  Westminster  in  the  legislature  several  years ;  was  a 
member  of  the  council  of  censors  in  1799 ;  was  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court  from  1794  to  1801,  and  a  fellow  of  MLddlebury  College  from  its 
beginning  until  his  death.  May  17,  1809.  An  eloquent  eulogium  upon 
the  character  of  Washington,  pronounced  by  him,  is  preserved.  Mark 
Richards,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state  in  1830,  and  member  of 
congress  from  1817  to  1821,  was  also  resident  here. 

The  surface  is  generally  quite  level,  part  of  it  showing  table-land  of  a 
mile  in  diameter,  considerably  elevated  above  the  river,  as  well  as  above 
the  large  and  fertile  meadows  upon  the  north  and  south.  This  table- 
land is  inclosed  by  hills,  so  that  there  are  no  streams  of  consequence, 
and  no  mUl  sites.  For  many  years  after  the  removal  of  the  courts  to 
Newfane,  this  town  maintained  its  reputation  as  a  place  of  considerable 
business  ;  but  of  late  years  it  has  been  otherwise,  and  perhaps  rather  on 
the  decline.  The  first  newspaper  published  in  Vermont,  "  The  Vermont 
Gazette,"  was  started  here  in  1781.  There  are  two  villages  —  West- 
minster East  and  Westminster  West,  the  former  being  the  principal 
one,  with  a  post-office  at  each  ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational ; 
thirteen  school  districts,  and  an  academy :  also,  a  tannery,  a  grist-mill, 
and  several  saw-mills.  The  Vermont  Valley  Railroad  passes  through 
the  east  part  of  the  town.     Population,  1,721 ;  valuation,  $582,686. 

Westmore,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Orleans  county,  forty-three  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  to  Uriah 


944  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Seymour  and  sixty-four  others,  by  the  name  of  Westford,  August  17, 
1781,  the  name  beihg  afterwards  changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears.  The 
town  was  surveyed  in  March,  1800,  containing  under  the  charter  23,040 
acres,  and  the  settlement  was  commenced  the  same  spring.  This  was 
abandoned  during  the  war  of  1812,  but  resumed  on  the  return  of  peace. 
Westmore  was  organized  March  19,  1805,  and  is  but  thinly  settled. 
The  surface  is  uneven,  and  Mounts  Hor,  Pisgah,  and  Pico,  are  the  most 
important  summits.  The  town  is  watered  by  Willoughby  lake  (which 
is  about  six  miles  long  and  one  and  a  half  miles  wide,  and  discharges 
its  waters  by  Willoughby  river  into  Barton  river),  and  by  some  of  the 
head  branches  of  Clyde  and  Passumpsic  rivers.  Westmore  has  one 
village,  called  Mill  Brook,  ten  school  districts,  and  one  ppst-ofHce —  Wil- 
loughby Lake  :  also,  two  saw-mills,  and  a  starch-mill.  Population,  152 ; 
valuation,  $60,829. 

Weston,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Windsor  county,  sixty-six  miles 
from  MontpeUer,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Andover,  from  which  it  was 
set  off  October  26,  1799,  and  organized  March  3,  1800.  It  was  made 
up  from  more  than  half  of  the  original  area  of  Andover  (23,500 
acres),  and  5,000  acres,  lying  west  of  it,  called  Benton's  gore,  which  had 
been  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  October  25,  1781,  to  Samuel  Ben- 
ton and  twenty-one  others,  together  making  19,110  acres.  The  sur- 
face is  very  rough  and  mountainous,  one  half  lying  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  Green  Mountains  at  an  angle  of  about  forty  degrees,  and  the 
other  half  on  the  western  declivity  of  a  spur  of  the  Green  Mountain 
range,  that  divides  Weston  from  Andover,  —  the  central  part  partakin<^ 
much  of  the  character  of  a  gorge  or  deep  ravine,  through  which  the 
waters  of  West  river  wind  their  way  to  the  Connecticut.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  Weston,  who  are  mainly  of  the  laboring  class,  are  principally 
engaged  in  agriculture.  Along  the  margin  of  West  river  are  two  pretty 
little  villages,  called  Weston  and  the  Island.  Weston  village  is  the 
principal,  and  contains  three  churches  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  and 
Union  ;  forty  dwelling-houses,  four  stores,  a  hotel,  one  school-house,  and 
a  variety  of  mechanics'  shops.  The  Island,  so  called  from  its  beino- 
situated  on  a  point  of  land  between  West  river  and  a  canal  which  is 
cut  across  a  curve  in  the  river  to  accommodate  a  mill,  is  a  place  of 
limited  business,  but  is  gradually  growing  in  population.  There  are 
twelve  school  districts,  and  one  post-office :  also,  ten  saw-mills,  a  grist- 
mill, two  tanneries,  one  turning  mill,  one  machine-shop,  one  axe  shop 
one  carding-machine,  and  blacksmiths',  carpenters',  tinsmiths',  wheel- 
wrights', and  shoemakers'  shops.     Population,  950 ;  valuation,  $284  247. 


VERMONT  —  TOWN   OF   WEST   WINDSOR,   ETC.  945 

"West  Windsor,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windsor  county,  about  seventy- 
seven  miles  from  Montpelier,  was  formerly  the  western  part  of  the  town 
of  Windsor,  from  which  it  was  set  oft"  in  1814,  but  reunited  the  follow- 
ing year.  On  the  26th  of  October,  1848,  it  was  again  set  off  and  incor- 
porated, and  in  January  of  the  following  year  it  was  organized.  Its 
area  embraces  14,015  acres,  or  more  than  half  of  the  original  town. 
Upon  the  first  division  of  the  town,  Jabez  Delano  was  the  representa- 
tive ;  and  under  the  last,  in  1849,  Daniel  Read  was  elected.  The  first 
town  clerk  (still  in  office)  was  Oilman  H.  Shedd  ;  selectmen,  Daniel 
Read,  Joel  Hale,  and  Thomas  Bagley.  The  land  in  West  Windsor  is 
hilly  but  fertile.  It  is  watered  by  Mill  brook,  which  rises  in  Reading 
and  flows  eastward  to  the  Connecticut.  The  business  of  the  people  is 
wholly  agricultural,  special  attention  being  given  to  wool-growing. 
There  are  two  villages,  called  Sheddsville  and  BrownsviUe ;  two  meet- 
ing-houses —  Universalist  at  the  former  village,  and  Methodist  at  the 
latter ;  nine  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  —  Brownsville :  also, 
three  saw-mills,  two  grist-miUs,  one  flannel  and  stocking-yarn  factory,  one 
tannery,  one  manufactory  of  brass  and  silver  trimmings  for  carriages 
and  harnesses,  and  one  knife  manufactory.  Population,  1,002 ;  valua- 
tion, $416,986. 

Weybridge,  in  the  central  part  of  Addison  county,  thirty-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to  Joseph  Gilbert 
and  sixty-three  others,  November  3,  1761,  and  embraced  under  the 
charter  25,000  acres,  but  8,261  of  which  could  be  identified  when  the 
survey  was  made,  other  prior  grants  having  overlapped  this.  Portions 
from  other  towns  have  been  annexed  to  it  —  October  28,  1791,  from 
New  Haven,  October  22,  1804,  from  Addison,  and  October  28,  1806, 
from  Panton ;  so  that  it  has,  at  present,  an  area  of  upwards  of  10,000 
acres.  About  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  David  Stow  and  Thomas 
Sandford  attempted  to  plant  themselves  here,  but  all  who  had  come 
were  soon  after  either  dispersed  or  made  prisoners  by  the  enemy.  The 
settlement  was  recommenced  almost  upon  the  return  of  peace,  the  set- 
tlers coming  principally  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  The 
town  was  organized  in  1789. 

The  surface  is  mountainous ;  but  the  soil,  having  a  limestone  basis, 
generally  yields  good  crops.  Otter  creek  is  the  most  important  stream, 
having  here  several  falls,  which  furnish  fine  mill  privileges  ;  and  Lemon- 
fair  river,  a  sluggish  stream,  runs  through  the  west  part  into  Otter  creek. 
Some  years  since  a  body  of  land  here  slid  into  Otter  creek,  which  com- 
pletely stopped  the  water  for  some  time,  leaving  the  channel  bare  below, 
and  materially  changing  the  course  of  the  stream.     Two  monuments 


946  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW  ENGLAND. 

have  been  erected  here,  one  to  the  memory  of  Hon.  Silas  Wright,  and 
one  to  the  settlers  carried  away  by  the  Indians  during  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

There  are  two  villages  —  Lower  Falls  and  Upper  Falls ;  three  church 
edifices  —  Congregational,  Methodist  Episcopal,  and  Wesleyan  Metho- 
dist ;  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  ■ —  Weybridge  Lower 
Falls :  also;  a  paper-mill  and  linseed-oil  mill  at  Upper  Falls,  a  saw-mill, 
two  grist-mills,  a  machine  shop,  and  two  wagon  shops.  Population, 
804 ;  valuation,  1265,323. 

Wheelook,  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  Caledonia  county,  thirty  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  and  chartered  to  the  President  and  Trus- 
tees of  Dartmouth  College  and  Moore's  Charity  School,  June  14,  1785, 
receiving  its  name  in  honor  of  Rev.  John  Wheelock,  who  was  at  that 
time  president  of  the  college.  Joseph  Page,  Abraham  Morrill,  and 
Dudley  Swasey  were  prime  movers  in  the  settlement,  and  arrived 
here  in  1790-1.  The  town  was  organized  March  28,  1792,  and  contains 
23,040  acres.  In  the  eastern  part  there  are  many  good  farms  ;  but  the 
land  in  the  western  part  is  cold  and  stony,  and  but  little  of  it  under 
improvement.  The  western  range  of  the  Green  Mountains  passes 
through  the  western  part,  and  is  here  called  Wheelock  mountain.  The 
town  is  watered  by  several  small  streams,  which  furnish  several  good 
mill  privileges.  There  are  two  church  edifices,  both  Baptist;  ten 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  grist-mill,  one  saw-mill, 
one  threshing  machine,  and  the  usual  mechanical  operations  for  a  small 
town.     Population,  855 ;  valuation,  $80,000. 

Whiting,  in  the  southern  part  of  Addison  county,  forty  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  August  6,  1763,  to 
Colonel  John  Whiting,  of  Wrentham,  Mass.,  from  whom  it  derives  its 
name,  David  Pond,  and  forty-six  others.  John  Willson,  from  the  same 
town,  erected  the  first  house,  in  1772,  and  in  June,  1773,  af  family  by  the 
name  of  Bolster  moved  into  it.  In  1774  the  family  of  Mr.  Willson 
and  several  others  took  up  their  residence  here.  During  the  Revolution, 
the  inhabitants  abandoned  the  place,  and  did  not  return  till  the  restora- 
tion of  peace,  when  they  were  accompanied  by  several  new-comers. 
Among  the  first  settlers  were  a  Mr.  Marshall,  Gideon  Walker,  Joseph 
Williams,  in  1784,  Daniel  Washburn,  Joel  Foster,  Samuel  Beach,  Ezra 
Allen,  Jehiel  Hull,  Henry  Wiswell,  and  Benjamin  Andrus,  in  1785. 

Whiting  was  organized  in  March,  1785,  and  contains  14,424  acres. 
In  1786  Ebenezer  Wheelock  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  convention 
for  revising  the  constitution,  and  Samuel  Beach  was  chosen  the  first 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   WHITINGHAM,   ETC.  947 

representative  in  1788.  The  soil  is  of  the  marly  kind,  and  produces 
good  grass  and  grain.  In  the  eastern  part,  which  is  watered  by  the 
Otter  creek,  is  a  swamp  covering  two  or  three  thousand  acres,  on  which 
large  crops  of  grain  have  been  produced.  There  are  two  church 
edifices  —  Baptist  and  Methodist ;  five  school  districts  and  five  schools ; 
one  post-office  ;  and  one  saw-mill.  The  Rutland  and  Burlington  Rail- 
road passes  through  Whiting.     Population,  629  ;  valuation,  $177,631. 

Whitingham,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Windham  county,  adjoining 
the  Massachusetts  line,  is  112  miles  from  Montpelier.  No  charter 
appears  to  have  been  granted  by  either  New  Hampshire  or  Vermont, 
but  four  grants  of  territory,  amounting  to  9,000  acres,  are  found  to  have 
been  made  by  New  York,  upon  different  dates  and  to  different  persons, 
by  the  name  of  Cumberland,  by  which  name  the  town  was  originally 
called.  These  w-ere  from  1766  to  1770.  Other  considerable  grants  were 
made  in  Cumberland  county,  and  it  is  not  easy  therefore  to  trace  the 
title  of  the  24,674  acres  which  compose  the  area  of  this  town.  In  1770, 
Moses  Bratlin  and  Silas  Hamilton  arrived  here,  and  commenced  the 
first  clearings.  They  were  followed,  in  1773,  by  Messrs.  Angel,  Gustin, 
Nelson,  Lamphere,  and  Pike,  who  came  from  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut, and  brought  their  families.  Whitingham  was  organized 
March  23,  1780.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  generally  good. 
The  western  part  abounds  with  limestone,  which  is  burnt  extensively 
into  lime.  Deerfield  river,  near  which  are  some  valuable  tracts  of 
meadow,  runs  through  the  western  part.  There  are  many  other  smaller 
streams,  as  well  as  two  natural  ponds,  one  of  which  is  called  Sawdawga, 
from  an  old  Indian  who  lived  near  it,  and  was  supposed  to  hjve  been 
drowned  in  going  down  Deerfield  river.  This  pond  has  been  gradually 
decreasing  for  the  last  seventy  years  by  land  forming  over  the  water, 
which,  to  the  extent  of  seventy  or  eighty  acres,  rises  and  falls  with  the 
pond.  Brigham  Young,  the  leader  of  the  Mormons,  was  born  in  a  log- 
hut  in  this  town.  He  was  of  poor  and  humble  parentage,  and  spent 
only  the  days  of  his  boyhood  here. 

There  are  three  yillages  —  Whitingham  Centre,  Sawdawga  Springs, 
and  Jacksonville ;  four  church  edifices  —  two  Universalist,  one  Baptist, 
and  one  Methodist ;  seventeen  school  districts,  one  academy,  and  two 
post-offices  —  Whitingham  and  Jacksonville :  also,  one  large  leather 
manufactory,  two  grist-mills,  twenty  lumber  mills,  and  one  iron  foundery. 
Population,  1,380  ;  valuation,  $331,399. 

WiLLiAMSTOWN,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Orange  county,  eleven 
miles  from   Montpelier,  was  granted   November  6,  1780,  and  chartered 


948  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

August  9,  1781,  to  Samuel  Clark  and  seventy-four  others.  The  settle- 
ment was  commenced  in  June,  1784,  by  Hon.  Elijah  Paine  and  John 
Paine  from  Windsor,  John  Smith,  Joseph  Crane,  Josiah  Lyman,  and 
others  from  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire.  The  first .  family  in 
town  was  that  of  Penuel  Deming,  which  arrived  here  in  February, 
1785  ;  and,  in  1786,  Hon.  Cornelius  Lynde  moved  in.  Judge  Paine  was 
a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1781,  in  the  class  with  Samuel 
Dexter  and  Judge  Davis  of  Boston.  He  was  a  United  States  senator 
from  Vermont  from  1795  to  1801,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  was 
appointed  by  President  John  Adams  a  judge  of  the  District  Court  of 
the  United  States  for  Vermont,  which  office  he  held  till  within  a  month 
of  his  decease.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society  of  Harvard,  before  which  he  delivered  the  first  address.  His 
death  occurred  in  this  town,  April  21,  1842,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five. 
His  son.  Governor  Charles  Paine,  was  born  and  resided  here  until  his 
removal  to  Northfield.  Another  son,  Elijah,  was  born  here,  graduated 
at  Harvard  in  1814,  —  established  himself  in  the  practice  of  law  in 
New  York  City,  was  appointed  reporter  of  the  United  States  Circuit 
Court,  and  published  a  volume  of  reports.  He  also,  with  Judge  Duer, 
prepared  a  work  on  Practice.  In  1850,  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
justices  of  the  superior  court  of  the  city  of  New  York,  which  office  he 
held  until  his  death,  October  6,  1853. 

Williamstown  was  organized  September  4,  1787,  and  contains 
23,040  acres.  It  lies  on  the  height  of  lands  between  Winooski  and 
White  rivers,  and  the  hills  upon  each  side  of  Stevens  branch  are  very 
high  and  abrupt,  approaching  so  near  each  other  as  hardly  to  have 
space  for  the  road  between,  which  is  here  known  as  the  Gulf  road. 
The  pass  over  the  mountains  here  is  908  feet  above  the  sea-level.  The 
soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  grass,  and  offers  average 
inducements  to  the  labors  of  the  farmer.  The  town  is  watered  by 
Stevens  branch,  a  tributary  of  Winooski  river,  and  by  a  tributary  of 
White  river.  In  the  south  part  there  are  some  medicinal  springs,  known 
as  the  Williamstown  springs.  They  lie  between  two  high  bluffs,  and 
their  location  is  very  romantic.  A  beautiful  house  has  been  erected 
for  the  accommodation  of  those  frequenting  this  spot.  Williamstown 
contains  two  villages,  pleasantly  situated,  known  by  the  names  of 
Williamstown  and  Mill  Village ;  five  church  edifices  —  Congregational, 
Baptist,  Methodist,  Universalist,  and  Free-will  Baptist ;  seventeen 
school  districts,  sixteen  school-houses,  and  one  post-office :  also,  one 
grist-mill,  seven  saw-mills,  one  starch  manufactory,  one  tannery,  and 
three  carriage  manufactories.     Population,  1,452  j  valuation,  §475,844. 


VERMONT TOWN    OP   AVILLISTON,    ETC.  949 

WiLLiSTON,  in  the  central  part  of  Chittenden  county,  is  separated 
from  Burlington,  on  the  west,  by  Muddy  brook,  and  is  thirty  miles  from 
Montpelier.  It  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Samuel  Willis,  to  whom, 
with  sixty-four  others,  it  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  7, 
1763.  Thomas  Chittenden  ^  arrived  here  in  May,  1774,  with  a  large 
family,  and  was  the  first  settler.  He  was  joined  in  1776  by  Elihu 
Allen,  Abijah  Pratt,  John  Chamberlain,  and  Jonathan  Spofford,  who 
had,  however,  but  just  arrived,  when  the  British  advanced  from  Canada, 
and  all  the  settlements  in  this  part  of  the  country  were  abandoned. 
John  Chamberlain  was  attacked  in  his  house  by  the  Indians,  and  a 
hired  man  and  child  were  killed  by  them.  No  further  depredations  that 
we  have  any  account  of  were  committed,  and  the  settlers  returned 
immediately  after  the  war.  Williston  was  organized  March  28,  1786. 
It  is  a  very  good  farming  town.  The  surface  is  diversified,  but  not 
mountainous,  and  the  soil  is  a  rich  loam,  producing  abundant  crops. 
Winooski  river  washes  the  northern  border,  besides  which  there  are 
some  small  streams  on  which  mills  have  been  erected,  but  there  are  only 
two  which  can  be  called  good  mill  privileges.  There  are  three  villages 
—  Williston  Centre,  Muddy  Brook,  and  French  Village ;  three  church 
edifices  —  Congregational,  Episcopal,  and  Methodist ;  thirteen  school 
districts,  an  academy,  and  one  post-office :  also,  several  saw-mills,  two 
tanneries,  and  two  stores.  The  Vermont  Central  Railroad  passes 
through  Williston.     Population,  1,669 ;  valuation,  $438,510. 

Wilmington,  in  the  western  part  of  Windham  county,  is  110  miles 
from  Montpelier.  Settlers  arrived  here  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war 
from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut;  but  improvements  were  much 
retarded  from  the  fact  of  its  having  been  twice  chartered  by  New 
Hampshire  to  different  proprietors ;  first  by  the  name  of  Wilmington, 
and  afterwards  by  the  name  of  Draper.  The  first  charter  was  dated 
April  29,  1751,  and  the  second  June  17,  1763,  the  latter  of  which, 
issuing   to   his    Excellency  Francis  Bernard  and  sixty-six   others,  and 

'  Governor  Chittenden  was  a  member  of  the  convention,  which,  in  1777,  declared 
Vermont  an  independent  state,  and  was  active  in  procuring  its  admission  into  the  Union. 
When  the  Vermont  constitution  was  established  in  1778,  he  was  chosen  governor,  to 
which  office  he  was  annually  reelected  (with  the  exception  of  one  year)  till  the  year  of 
his  death,  which  event  occurred  August  25,  1797  —  having  honored  the  highest  and 
most  responsible  office  of  state  for  nineteen  years,  and  voluntarily  resigned  it,  receiving 
the  most  certain  indications  of  the  sincere  respect  and  warm  affection  of  the  people  for 
him.  An  address  was  adopted  by  the  legislature  expressive  of  their  gratitude  to  him, 
while  his  tender  and  pafsmal  reply  was  a  most  fit  finale  to  liis  useful  public  career. 
Hon.  Martin  Chittenden,  who  was  a  member  of  congress  from  1803  to  1813,  and  governor 
of  this  state  in  1813-14,  was  also  an  inhabitant,  and  died  here  September  5,  1841. 
VOL.  I.  80 


950  HISTORY  AND    DESCRIPTION    OP   NEW   ENGLAND. 

embracing  23,040  acres,  was  the  one  which  the  settlers  recognized. 
Wilmington  is  watered  by  branches  of  Deerfield  river,  and  by  Beaver 
and  Cold  brooks.  Ray's  pond,  a  large  natural  sheet  of  water,  lies 
in  this  place.  Wilmington  has  one  incorporated  village ;  four  church 
edifices — Congregational,  Universalist,  Baptist,  and  Methodist;  one 
academy,  twelve  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  flour  mill, 
twelve  saw-mills,  and  an  establishment  for  making  bobbins,  and  hoe  and 
broom  handles.     Population,  1,372 ;  valuation,  $495,000. 

Windham,  in  the  north  part  of  Windham  county,  seventy-five  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  formerly  a  part  of  Londonderry,  from  which  it 
was  set  off,  and,  with  the  addition  of  a  small  gore  of  land  called  Mack's 
leg,  was  constituted  a  separate  town,  October  22,  1795.  Windham 
was  organized  March  14,  1796.  A  part  of  it  was  annexed  to  London- 
derry, October  21,  1797;  and  its  present  area  is  set  down  at  15,370 
acres.  Among  the  first  settlers  were  Edward  Aiken,  James  McCor- 
mick,  and  John  Woodburn,  some  time  prior  to  the  incorporation. 
James,  John,  and  Peter  Ailven  were  prominent  for  some  time  as  town 
officers.  William  Mack  was  also  an  early  settler  from  Londonderry, 
N.  ?I.  William  Harris,  a  prominent  citizen,  has  been  a  member  of  the 
state  senate  for  several  years,  and  an  associate  justice  of  the  county 
court,  besides  in  long  service  as  town  clerk.  Windham  lies  on  elevated 
land,  which  is  quite  broken.  It  is  watered  by  branches  of  Williams's, 
Saxton's,  and  West  rivers,  all  flowing  by  different  courses  into  the  Connec- 
ticut. Some  interesting  specimens  of  minerals  are  found,  particularly 
the  actinolite,  observed  in  long,  slender,  prismatic  crystals  of  a  greenish 
color  imbedded  in  talc.  There  are  also  garnets  and  serpentine.  Glebe 
mountain,  also  in  the  northwest  part,  rises  to  an  altitude  of  about  1,800 
feet.  Its  original  heavy  forest  growths  of  spruce  and  hemlock  have 
been  but  partly  cleared  off",  and  its  steeps  are  valueless  except  for 
pasturage ;  on  which  account,  it  was  devoted  to  the  support  of  the 
ministry  in  town.  Hence  the  name  of  the  mountain.  There  are  two 
villages  —  Windham  and  South  Windham,  with  a  post-office  at  each ; 
two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Baptist ;  and  nine  school 
districts :  also,  one  grist-mill  and  four  saw-mills.  Population,  763 ; 
valuation,  $202,671. 

Windham  County,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  state,  bounded  on 
the  east  by  Connecticut  river,  which  separates  it  from  Cheshire  county, 
N.  H.,  is  thirty-six  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  twenty-eight  miles 
from  east  to  west,  and  contains  about  780  square  miles.  At  the  first 
session  of  the  legislature  of  Vermont,  the  state  was  divided  into  two 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF   WINDSOR.  951 

counties,  by  act  passed  March  17,  1778.  The  territory  upon  the  east 
side  of  the  Green  Mountains  was  called  Unity  county,  which  name,  on 
the  21st  of  the  same  month,  was  changed  to  Cumberland  :  ^  and  it 
embraced  fully  one  half  of  the  state,  as  appears  by  an  act  passed 
February  11,  1779,  defining  the  boundaries  of  the  two  counties.  At 
the  extra  session  of  the  legislature  in  February,  1781,  Windham  received 
its  present  name,  and  was,  by  the  formation  of  the  counties  of  Windsor 
and  Orange,  reduced  to  nearly  its  present  limits.  Its  westerly  line  did 
not  then  embrace  Somerset.  Westminster  and  Marlborough  were  con- 
stituted the  half  shire  towns,  and  so  continued  until  1787,  when  New- 
fane  alone  was  made  the  county  seat ;  a  new  court-house  and  jail  being 
erected  at  that  place.  The  county  has  now  twenty-three  towns.  The 
annual  term  of  the  supreme  court  is  held  in  February,  and  the  terms  of 
the  county  courts  in  April  and  September. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  generally  quite  broken,  while  in  some 
parts  it  is  mountainous.  Its  geological  features,  though  distinctly 
marked,  are  very  irregular.  Few  continuous  ranges  can  be  traced  with 
certainty.  Its  formation,  in  the  western  part,  is  uniformly  the  primary; 
in  the  eastern,  the  tertiary  is  found ;  no  secondary  exists.  Besides  the 
Connecticut,  Williams's,  Saxton's,  West,  and  Deerfield  rivers  are  the 
principal  streams.  There  are  several  pleasant  villages,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  are  Brattleborough  and  Bellows  Falls.  The  eastern  part 
of  the  county  is  traversed  by  the  Vermont  and  Massachusetts,  the 
Vermont  Valley,  and  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroads,  having  but 
a  short  section  of  each.  The  Sullivan  Railroad  also  enters  and  departs 
at  Bellows  Falls.     Population,  29,062 ;  valuation,  ^8,804,749. 

Windsor,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Windsor  county,  fifty-five  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire  to  Samuel  Ashley  and 
fifty-eight  others,  July  6,  1761.  The  first  permanent  settlement  was 
commenced  by  Captain  Steele  Smith,  who,  with  his  family,  emigrated 
from  Farmington,  Conn.,  in   August,  1764;  and  the  settlement  being 

'  Cumberland  county  had  been  erected  by  act  of  the  legislature  of  New  York,  passed 
July  3,  17G6.  This  act  was  annulled  by  the  crown,  June  26, 1767  ;  it  was  reenacted  by 
New  York,  February  20,  1768,  and  the  county  chartered  on  the  1 7th  of  March.  By  the 
charter  it  included  all  the  territory  between  the  Connecticut  river  and  a  line  running 
northerly  from  the  southeast  corner  of  Stamford,  in  Bennington  county,  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  Socialborough  (now  Clarendon),  in  Rutland  county ;  thence  northeasterly  to 
the  south  corner  of  Tunbridge,  and  along  the  south  lines  of  Tunbridge,  Stratford,  and 
Thetford  to  the  Connecticut  —  embracing  all  the  present  county  of  Windham,  nearly  all 
of  Windsor,  and  parts  of  Bennington  and  Rutland.  The  original  charter,  elegantly  written 
on  parchment,  was  presented  to  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1840,  by  U.  H.  Penniman, 
and  is  preserved  in  the  library. 


952  HISTORY   AND   l)ESCRIPTIOISr   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

increased  the  next  year  by  the  anival  of  Major  Elisha  Hawley,  Captain 
Israel  Curtis,  Hezekiah  Thompson,  Thomas  Cooper,  and  some  others, 
who  immediately  began  improvements.  Before  the  close  of  this  year 
there  were  sixteen  families  here.  Solomon  Emmons  and  his  wife  ^  are, 
however,  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first  persons  in  the  place, 
Captain  Smith  finding  them  here  on  his  arrival ;  though  they  had  made 
no  improvements  with  a  view  to  a  permanent  location.  Windsor  was 
rapidly  settled,  and  was  soon  organized.  The  population  in  1771  was 
203.  The  records  appear  to  commence  February  17,  1786,  but  the 
town  must  have  had  an  earlier  organization.  During  the  controversy 
between  New  York  and  New  Hampshire  respecting  the  jurisdiction  of 
this  state,  the  proprietors  deeded  their  lands  in  trust  to  Colonel  Nathan 
Stone,  who  surrendered  them  to  Governor  Tryon  of  New  York,  by 
whom  they  were  regranted  to  Colonel  Stone,  March  28,  1772.  Under 
this  charter,  the  public  rights,  which,  under  the  old  charter,  were  of 
some  real  value,  were  located  in  the  most  barren  spots  on  Ascutney 
mountain,  and,  as  a  consequence,  are  worthless.  A  large  majority  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Windsor  opposed  the  exercise  of  jurisdiction  on  the  part 
of  New  York  within  "  the  Grants,"  among  the  names  of  whom  are  often 
found  those  of  the  earliest  settlers.  Among  those,  however,  who  did  not 
side  with  the  majority  on  this  matter,  were  Captain  WiUiara  Dean,  and 
his  sons  Willard  Dean  and  William  Dean,  Jr.  As  Windsor  was  renowned 
for  its  white  pine  timber,  and  the  citizens  often  had  the  privilege  of  cut- 
ting such  as  was  deemed  "  unfit  for  his  Majesty's  service,"  the  Deans, 
under  a  verbal  authority  of  a  deputy  of  Governor  Wentworth,  the  sur- 
veyor-general, felled  some  trees.  The  governor,  under  the  pretext  of 
punishing  what  was  deemed  by  him  a  trespass,  for  cutting  without  writ- 
ten license,  but  in  reality  because  their  political  sentiments  were  obnox- 
ious, in  1769  instituted  proceedings,  caused  their  arrest,  had  them  taken 
to  New  York  for  trial,  and  had  considerable  correspondence  with  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Colden  on  this,  and  matters  growing  out  of  it.  The 
Deans  were  subjected  to  much  harsh  treatment  by  the  petty  ofHcials, 
and  the  affair  only  added  to  the  already  embittered  state  of  feeling  on 
the  general  subject.  As  soon  as  the  real  purpose  of  the  governor  was 
conjectured,  the  council  of  the  province  of  New  York  dismissed  the 
proceeding,  and  the  Deans  were  liberated.  In  1770  an  armed  mob  here 
attempted  to  prevent  the  Cumberland  county  court  from  proceeding, 
on  the  gi-ound  that  it  only  acted  for  the  government  of  New  York, 
whose  authority  they  denied.     By  the  moderation  and  firmness  of  the 

'  Mrs.  Emmons  was,  for  a  long  time,  the  only  white  woman  who  resided  here  ;  and  was, 
for  many  of  her  last  years,  supported  at  the  public  expense.     She  died  in  1833. 


VERMONT — TOWN   OF   WINDSOR.  953 

judges,  no  serious  consequences  ensued,  and  a  large  number  of  the 
people  o/  Cumberland  and  Gloucester  counties,  in  a  petition  to  the  king, 
disavowed  the  act.  Still,  it  never  afterwards  became  easy  to  enforce 
such  of  the  edicts  of  the  New  York  government  as  were  aimed  at  the 
subjugation  of  the  "  Green  Mountain  boys." 

Windsor  is  also  renowned  as  the  place  where  the  convention  for  the 
adoption  of  the  state  constitution  was  assembled  on  the  2d  of  July, 
1777,  and  where,  in  spite  of  the  appalling  news  that  Ticonderoga  had 
been  evacuated,  that  instrument  was  ratified,  and  a  council  of  safety 
was  appointed  to  act  during  the  recess.  On  that  eventful  day,  when 
the  thoughts  of  members  turned  to  the  defence  of  their  homes,  and 
many  advocated  a  dissolution,  before  the  business  was  completed  a  vio- 
lent storm  set  in,  —  the  flashing  and  booming  of  heaven's  artillery 
seemed  to  inspire  them  with  a  courage  not  unlike  that  infused  on  the 
field  of  strife,  and  the  work  was  quickly  and  strongly  done.  Another 
convention,  called  by  the  council  of  safety,  was  held  at  Windsor,  De- 
cember 24th  of  that  year ;  the  constitution  was  reyised,  and  means  taken 
to  put  the  government  in  operation.  The  confiscation  act  was  enforced 
here  in  1779  ;  and  among  the  valuable  estates  that  came  within  its 
operation  was  that  of  Andrew  Norton.  The  first  legislature  convened 
here  in  1778.  Two  sessions  were  held  here  that  year,  and  two  in  1781 ; 
fourteen  sessions  in  all  were  held  here  from  1778  to  1804,  the  last  year 
that  the  legislature  met  in  Windsor. 

Among  the  distinguished  citizens  of  Windsor  was  Hon.  Horace 
Everett,  who  in  early  life  became  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  successful 
jury  lawyers  in  the  state.  He  was  a  member  of  congress  from  1829  to 
1843,  during  which  period  he  maintained  an  eminent  position  in  that 
body.  He  died  here  January  30,  1851,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 
Hon.  Jonathan  H.  Hubbard,  who  was  also  a  representative  in  congress 
from  the  same  district  from  1809  to  1811,  and  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court  in  1813-14,  died  here  September  20,  1849.  Hon.  Carlos  Coolidge 
was  born  here  in  1792 ;  graduated  at  Middlebury  College  in  1811 ; 
commenced  the  practice  of  law  here  in  1814 ;  was  state's  attorney  for 
Windsor  county  from  1831  to  1836  ;  member  of  the  legislature  for 
several  years  — 1834-7,  and  1839-42 ;  was  for  two  years,  1849  and 
1850,  governor  of  the  state,  and  still  resides  here.  Hon.  Chief  Justice 
Redfield  has  also  been  for  several  years  a  resident. 

In  1814,  Windsor  was  made  into  two  distinct  townships,  which  were 
reiinitcd  the  next  year.  On  the  26th  of  October,  1848,  it  was  again 
divided,  the  west  part  receiving  the  name  of  West  Windsor,  leaving 
the  old  town  with  an  area  of  10,809  acres. 

The  surface  is  hilly,  but  is  well  watered  by  small  streams  ;  and  the  land 

80* 


954  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    ENGLAND. 

is  fertile,  nearly  all  of  it  having  been  taken  up  by  settlers.  Ascutney 
mountain,  3,320  feet  high,  is  situated  partly  in  this  town  and  partly  in 
Weathersfield.  Windsor  possesses  a  favorable  position  for  trade,  and, 
by  the  enterprise  and  wealth  of  its  inhabitants,  it  has  become  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  towns  on  Connecticut  river.  The  railroad  from  Boston 
through  Windsor  to  the  fertile  and  extensive  country  beyond  it,  has 
added  much  to  the  importance  of  the  place.  The  village  of  Windsor  is 
situated  on  elevated  ground,  on  the  bank  of  Connecticut  river,  and  is 
compactly  but  somewhat  irregularly  built,  though  very  beautiful.  The 
place  is  tastefully  adorned  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  many  of  the  dwel- 
lings are  elegant,  which,  united  with  the  hill  prospect  around,  and  a  fine 
view  of  Ascutney  mountain,  render  it  one  of  the  most  pleasant  villages 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  For  the  purpose  of  giving  the  village  the 
advantages  of  water-power,  a  stone  dam  was  constructed,  in  1835, 
across  Mill  brook,  which  makes  a  reservoir  of  water  nearly  one  mile  in 
length,  with  a  surface  of  one  hundred  acres,  and  an  available  fall  of 
sixty  feet  in  the  distance  of  one  third  of  a  mile.  The  manufactures  of 
Windsor  are  numerous  and  valuable.  The  public  buildings  are  four 
houses  for  public  worship  —  Congregational,  Baptist,  Episcopal,  and 
Unitarian  ;  a  court-house,  the  state  prison,^  and  a  seminary  for  young 
ladies  and  gentlemen.  There  are  two  newspapers  —  Vermont  Chroni- 
cle and  Vermont  Journal ;  seven  school  districts,  and  one  post-ofRce ; 
the  Ascutney  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000  :  also,  the  Union  Arms 
Company,  manufacturing  guns  and  machinery;  manufactories  of  tin 
ware,  furniture,  and  harness,  as  well  as  one  of  scythe  snaths  in  the 
state  prison.     Population,  1,928 ;  valuation,  $664,500. 

Windsor  County,  situated  between  the  Green  Mountains  and  Con- 
necticut river,  contains  about  nine  hundred  square  miles,  and  was  incor- 
porated, together  with  Windham  and  Orange,  out  of  the  old  county  of 
Cumberland,  in  February,  1781.  But  its  boundaries  were  not  quite 
identical  with  the  present ;  for  it  took  in  Mount  Holly,  now  in  Rutland 

^  The  original  prison,  built  in  1808-9,  of  stone,  was  eiglity-four  feet  long,  tliirtv- 
six  wide,  and  three  stories  high,  and  was  capable  of  containing  170  prisoners.  Adjoining 
this  was  another  building  of  brick  and  stone,  four  stories  liigh,  for  the  use  of  the  keepers 
and  guards.  These,  together  with  a  large  workshop,  the  walls  inclosing  the  yard,  and 
other  less  important  structures,  cost  $39,000.  A  new  building  for  solitary  confinement, 
112  feet  long,  forty  wide,  and  four  stories  high,  was  erected  in  1830-2,  at  a  cost  of  $8,000. 
The  number  of  prisoners  committed  from  the  opening  in  1809  up  to  September  1,  1858, 
was  1,587  ;  number  pardoned,  616  ;  number  who  served  out  their  term,  788  ;  number  of 
those  who  escaped,  died,  or  were  sent  to  the  insane  hospital,  eighty-six.  Thirty-five  were 
committed  during  the  year  1858,  eighteen  wore  pardoned,  one  was  discharged  by  order  of 
court,  and  seventy-eight  remained  in  prison. 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   WINHALL,   ETC.  955 

county,  and  did  not  embrace  the  towns  of  Stockbridge,  Bethel,  and 
Rochester,  now  in  its  northwest  part.  It  now  has  twenty-four  towns,  of 
which  Woodstock  is  the  shire  town.  The  annual  term  of  the  supreme 
court  sits  here  in  February,  and  the  terms  of  the  county  court  occur  in 
May  and  December.  This  county  also  has  the  state  prison  —  at  Wind- 
sor. It  is  traversed  by  the  Rutland  and  Burlington  Railroad  in  the 
south  part,  by  the  Vermont  Central  and  the  Connecticut  and  Passumpsic 
Rivers  Railroads  in  the  east  and  north  parts.  It  is  watered  by  White, 
Quechee,  and  Black  rivers,  and  by  some  of  the  tributaries  of  West  and 
Williams  rivers.  The  surface  is  uneven,  but  the  soil  is  generally  of  an 
excellent  quality,  producing  fine  crops  of  grass  and  grain.  It  also  con- 
tains large  quantities  of  soapstone,  quarries  of  which  have  been  opened 
in  Plymouth,  Bridgewater,  and  Bethel :  it  also  contains  an  abundance 
of  excellent  granite  and  limestone.  There  are  several  pleasant  villages 
in  the  county,  the  most  important  of  which  are  Windsor,  Woodstock, 
Norwich,  and  Royalton.     Population,  38,320  ;  valuation,  ^12,181,965. 

WiNHALL,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Bennington  county,  eighty 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  September 
15,  1761,  to  Osee  Webster  and  sixty-one  others.  Nathaniel  Brown, 
from  Massachusetts,  commenced  the  settlement  during  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  about  1780.  Recine  Taylor,  born  July  13,  1783,  was  the  first 
native.  Asa  Beebe,  Jr.  was  the  first  representative  ;  also,  the  first  town 
clerk,  and  continued  in  office  till  1821.  Reuben  Brooks  was  clerk  for 
nineteen  years,  till  1852.  Asa  Beebe,  Sen.,  Russel  Day,  and  John  Brooks 
were  also,  for  a  long  time,  town  officers.  The  town  was  organized  in 
March,  1796,  and  contains  23,040  acres.  It  is  watered  by  Winhall  river, 
which  furnishes  a  great  number  of  good  mill  privileges.  It  has  one 
village  —  Bondville,  with  a  post-office  of  the  same  name  ;  three  church 
edifices — one  Methodist  (occupied),  and  two  Congregational  (unoc- 
cupied) ;  a  high  school,  and  nine  school  districts :  also,  eight  saw-mills, 
one  grist-mill,  one  tannery,  and  three  chair  shops.  Population,  762  ; 
valuation,  ^185,000. 

WoLCOTT,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Lamoille  county,  twenty-two  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  7,  1780,  and  chartered  to 
Joshua  Stanton  and  sixty-four  others,  August  22,  1781.  The  first  effijrts 
at  settlement  were  made  in  1788,  and  the  town  was  organized  March 
31, 1791.  Charlotte  Hubbell,  born  in  1790,  was  the  first  native.  Thomas 
Taylor  was  the  first  representative,  in  1801,  and  town  clerk  from  1794  to 
1824.  Robert  William  Taylor  was  the  first  clerk,  and  Hezekiah  Whit- 
ney, Thomas  Taylor,  and  Seth  Hubbell  were  the  first  selectmen.     The 


956  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

town  is  watered  by  the  river  Lamoille  and  several  of  its  tributaries, 
among  which  Green  river  and  Wild  branch  are  the  most  considerable  ; 
and  in  the  eastern  part  is  a  large  natural  pond,  called  Fish  pond.  There 
are  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational  and  Methodist ;  thirteen 
school  districts ;  and  two  post-ofHces  —  Wolcott  and  North  Wolcott : 
also,  one  grist-mill,  one  starch  factory,  seven  saw-mills,  and  three  clap- 
board mills.     Population,  909 ;  valuation,  $185,697. 

Woodbury,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Washington  county,  fifteen 
miles  from  Montpelier,  was  granted  November  6,  1780,  and  chartered 
to  Ebenezer  Wood,  William  Lyman,  and  sixty-three  others,  August  16, 
1781.  The  name  was  changed  to  Monroe,  November  5,  1838,  but  the 
original  one  was  restored  October  31,  1843.  But  few  settlers  came  in 
before  the  year  1800  ;  in  that  year,  the  whole  population  amounted  to 
twenty-three.  Woodbury  is  watered  by  branches  of  Winooski  and  La- 
moille rivers,  and  probably  contains  the  greatest  number  of  ponds  of 
any  town  in  the  state.  The  inhabitants  are  for  the  most  part  engaged 
in  the  various  occupations  incidental  to  an  agricultural  community. 
The  surface  is  rough,  but  the  soil  is  good  for  grazing.  There  are 
twelve  school  districts,  and  one  post-office  :  also,  one  grist-mill,  two 
saw-mills,  a  last  factory,  and  sash  and  blind  factory.  Population,  1,070 ; 
valuation,  $172,450. 

Woodford,  in  the  southerly  part  of  Bennington  county,  115  miles 
from  Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  March  6,  1753,  to 
Elihu  Chauncey  and  fifty-nine  others.  The  settlement  of  the  township 
was  commenced  immediately  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  but,  chiefly 
on  account  of  its  rough  and  mountainous  character,  it  remains  to  the 
present  day  very  sparsely  settled.  Phebe  Eddy,  born  April  22,  1793, 
■was  the  first  native.  The  town  contains  23,040  acres ;  and  an  organi- 
zation, thought  to  have  been  of  proprietors,  was  effected  February  11, 
1789,  at  which  Matthew  Scott  was  chosen  clerk ;  but,  as  the  first 
selectmen  to  be  found  on  record— Elkanah  Danforth,  David  Lyman,  Jr., 
and  Robert  Hill  —  were  chosen  in  1802,  it  is  thought  the  town  was 
organized  in  that  year.  Benjamin  Reed  was  proprietors'  cleric  and  town 
clerk  from  1792  to  1803.  Woodford  is  watered  principally  by  the 
head  branches  of  the  Walloomscoik,  and  by  a  branch  of  Deerfield  river. 
Timber  is  abundant,  and  the  manufacture  of  lumber  forms  the  principal 
occupation  of  the  inhabitants.  There  are  eighteen  saw-mills,  one  stave- 
mill,  one  planing  mill,  two  lath  mills,  two  manufactories  of  yellow  ochre 
and  one  powder-mill.  There  are  two  small  places,  not  aspiring  to  the 
dignity  of  villages,  each  of  which  has  a  public-house,  called  Woodford 


VERMONT TOWN   OF   WOODSTOCK.  957 

City  and  Woodford  Hollow,  the  latter  having  also  a  store ;  five  school 
districts,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  423  ;  valuation,  $116,069. 

Woodstock,  the  shire  town  of  Windsor  county,  forty-six  miles  from 
Montpelier,  was  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  July  10,  1761,  to  David 
Page  and  sixty-one  others,  with  24,900  acres  ;  but  was  also  granted  by 
New  York,  at  a  later  period  (February  28,  1771),  to  Oliver  Willard 
and  others,  and  a  charter  to  that  effect  was  issued  June  3,  1772, 
covering  23,200  acres.  There  were  then  only  forty-two  inhabitants, 
but  a  town  government  was  organized  in  May  of  the  next  year.  By 
the  year  1774  there  were  fourteen  families.  The  first  settlement, 
however,  had  been  effected  by  James  Sanderson,  who  moved  here  with 
his  family  in  1768.  Others  soon  followed.  Major  Joab  Hoisington, 
with  his  family,  was  an  early  settler,  and  was  the  first  person  who 
pitched  in  that  part  of  the  town  where  the  village  now  is,  which  was, 
in  early  times,  called  the  "  Green."  In  1776  he  built  a  grist-mill,  and 
soon  after  a  saw-mill,  on  the  south  branch  of  Quechee  river,  near 
the  spot  where  the  county  jail  now  stands.  Previous  to  the  erection  of 
these,  the  inhabitants  found  the  nearest  grist-mill  at  Windsor,  and 
sometimes  had  to  go  to  Cornish,  N.  H.  Dr.  Stephen  Powers,  the  first 
resident  physician,  removed  here  from  Middleborough,  Mass.,  in  1774, 
and  erected  the  second  log-house  in  the  village.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  the  progress  of  the  settlement  was  necessarily  slow. 
There  were  at  this  time  scarcely  any  inhabitants  in  the  state  to  the 
north  and  northwest  of  this  town,  and  the  settlers  here  were  subject  to 
frequent  alarms  by  reports  that  the  Indians  were  coming  upon  them, 
at  which  times  they  usually  secreted  their  most  valuable  effects  in  the 
Avoods.  The  early  settlers  also  suffered  much  by  the  ravages  of  wild 
beasts,  and  were  compelled  to  guard  their  cattle  and  sheep  during  the 
night,  or  shut  them  up  in  yards  and  buildings  prepared  for  the  purpose. 
The  settlement  of  this  town  came  too  late  to  give  it  a  brilliant  history 
in  the  serious  conflicts  of  the  Revolution,  and  in  those  occurring 
between  the  people  of  this  and  the  neighboring  province  of  New  York. 

The  legislature  held  a  session  here  in  1807,  —  the  first  and  only  one 
ever  held  in  Woodstock.  It  was  also  the  last  of  the  transitory  places 
for  the  meeting  of  that  body,  which,  since  1808,  has  regularly  been 
convened  at  Montpelier,  the  established  capital  of  the  state.  Among 
other  laws  passed  at  that  session  was  one  for  the  establishment  of  a 
state  prison  at  Windsor.  In  1811-12,  a  prevailing  epidemic  was  quite 
fatal  here. 

Woodstock  has  given  birth  to,  and  been  the  residence  of,  its  full  share 
of  distinguished  men.      Here  was  cradled  and  reared  Hiram  Powers, 


95S 


HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    NEW   ENGLAND. 


Birthplace  of  Hiram  Powers. 


a  man  whose  name  has  become  a  household  word  among  the  lovers  of 
art' — whose  fame  is  liis  country's  boast  —  who  has  invested  the  un- 
shapen,  inert  mass  with  life- — has  made  it  to  see  and  act  and  speak. 
His  father  was    Stephen  Powers,  Jr.,  and  his  grandfather  Dr.  Powers, 

one  of  the  first  settlers. 
He  was  born  July  6, 
1803,  at  the  old  home- 
stead of  the  Doctor, 
now  the  most  ancient 
m  town,  an  accurate 
likeness  of  which  is  here 
gi\  en.  His  circumstan- 
ces in  life  were  itot  such 
as  to  invite  any  but  a 
man  of  unquestionable 
genius  to  embark  in  a 
profession  where  the 
reward  is  slow,  because 
the  public  judgment  is  too  often  unajjpreeiative,  and  quite  often 
too  exacting.  A  slight  incident,  probably,  had  no  small  influence  in 
giving  direction  to  liis  early  discovered  idea  or  love  of  form.  He 
dreamed  —  and  the  dream  was  often  repeated  —  that  he  saw,  across 
the  river,  a  female  figure  arrayed  in  white,  standing  upon  a  pillar 
or  pedestal.  This  was  a  radiant  vision  M'hich  much  ])erplcxcd  his 
boyish  fancy,  as  h<'  had  never  seen,  and  had  no  idea  of,  a  statue. 
These  days  were  not  unimproved;  and  soon  his  first  essays  on  the 
rude  marble  but  too  certainly  indicated  the  destiny  of  the  man,  to 
sufl'er  him  to  be  reckoned  among  the  ordinaries  of  his  vocation.  His 
chcf-ira'urrr,  however,  "  the  Greek  Slave,"  might  well  leave  him  ]5eer- 
less,  did  he  rest  his  hands  there  :  but  sut'h  minds  place  the  goal  forward. 
Among  the  citizens  who  have  passed  away  was  Hon.  Titus  Hutch- 
inson, a  distinguished  lawyer,  who  was  for  nine  years  —  1825  to 
1834 — a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  the  last  five  of  whicli  he  was 
chief  justice.  He  died  here  August  24,  1857.  Hon.  Charles  Marsh 
was  born  in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  and  removed  to  this  state  with  his 
father's  family  —  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1786  —  stuilied 
law  under  the  venerable  Judge  Reeve  of  Connecticut  —  and  com- 
menced ])raetice  in  Woodstock  in  1788.  He  was  industrious  and 
successful  in  his  profession,  and  stood  at  the  head  of  the  ^^'indsor 
county  bar.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Dart- 
mouth College  for  forty  years,  and  M-as  particularly  efilcient  in  the 
memorable  controversy  of  that  institution  with  the  legislature  of  New 


VERMONT TOWN    OP    WOODSTOCK. 


959 


Hampshire.  He  represented  this  district  in  congress  for  one  term, 
1815-17  ;  and  died  here  January  11,  1849.  Hon.  George  P.  Marsh, 
now  of  Burlington,  distinguished  for  his  literary  attainments,  for- 
merly a  member  of  congress,  and  minister  resident  at  Constantinople, 
was  a  son  of  Hon.  Charles  Marsh,  and  a  native  of  this  town.  Another 
of  the  living  men,  honored  by  his  state,  is  Hon.  Jacob  Collaraer,  who 
was  born  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in  1792  ■ — ■  removed  with  his  father's  family, 
while  a  child,  to  Burliiigton  — •  was  educated  at  the  University  of 
Vermont,  where  he  graduated  in  1810  —  served  as  a  subaltern  in  the 
artillery,  in  the  Vermont  detached  militia,  during  the  first  campaign  of 


Woodstock  Park. 


the  war  of  1812 — was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  commenced  practice 
in  1813  —  in  1833  was  appointed  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  this 
state,  and  continued  on  the  bench  until  1842,  when  he  declined,  and  in 
1843  was  chosen  representative  to  congress,  where  he  served  until 
March,  1849,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed  postmaster-general  by 
President  Taylor.  On  the  death  of  General  Taylor,  in  1850,  Judge 
Collamer  resigned  with  the  other  members  of  the  cabinet ;  and  in  1854 
was  elected  United  States  senator,  which  place  he  still  holds.  He  has 
received  the  degree  of  "  Doctor  of  Laws  "  from  Dartmouth  College  and 
the  University  of  Vermont. 

A  little  territory  was  exchanged  between   the  northeasterly  corner   of 
Woodstock   and  the   southwesterly  corner  of  Hartford,  November  12, 


960  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

1852,  and  at  the  same  time  Woodstock  acquired  fifteen  acres  from 
the  northwesterly  corner  of  Hartland,  without,  however,  materially 
affecting  its  form.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  pleasantly  diversified  with 
hills  and  valleys,  river  and  mountain.  From  lower  Mount  Tom,  at  an 
elevation  of  542  feet,  you  look  down  upon  a  region  of  pastoral  beauty, 
with  pretty  cottages,  wide  green  meadows,  grazing  flocks,  and  highly 
cultivated  fields.  Upper  Mount  Tom  is  650  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
village,  and  1,337  feet  above  tide  water.  The  Otta  Quechee  runs 
through  the  town  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  and  has  two  considerable 
tributaries  on  the  north  and  south  sides  —  called  Beaver  and  Oil  Mill 
brooks  —  all  affording  mill  sites;  but  by  far  the  best  sites  are  upon  the 
main  stream.  Although  the  village  of  Woodstock  is  situated  in  a  valley, 
and  so  immediately  sun-oundcd  with  hills  as  to  afford  no  distant  pros- 
pect, it  is  generally  considered  as  unrivalled  by  any  of  its  neighbors  ;  and 
in  the  summer  months,  when  its  wide  spreading  elms,  and  the  goodly 
maples  of  its  beautiful  park,  are  in  full  foliage,  and  its  streets  and  wallvs 
are  fresh  and  cleanly,  few  villages  make  a  more  agreeable  impression. 
The  b-usiness  of  a  large  tract  of  country  centres  here,  and  for  the 
extent  and  variety  of  manufactures,  and  its  mercantile  transactions,  the 
town  ranks  as  one  of  the  first  in  the  state.  The  public  buildings  con- 
sist of  a  court  house,  jail,  and  five  church  edifices — Congregational, 
Episcopal,  Methodist,  Christian,  and  Universalist.  There  are  two 
newspaper  establishixients  here  —  "  The  Vermont  Standard,"  and  "  The 
Age,"  —  both  of  which  are  issued  weekly ;  one  bank  with  a  capital  of 
$60,000,  and  one  savings  institution  ;  a  school,  called  the  Green 
Mountain  Liberal  Institute,  at  the  south  village  ;  sixteen  school  districts, 
and  three  post-offices — Woodstock,  South  Woodstock,  and  Taftsville : 
also,  a  large  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  scythes  and  axes,  one 
for  making  carding-machines,  straw-cutters,  and  other  articles  of  like 
description  ;  a  machine-shop,  gunsmith's  shop,  establishments  for 
making  furniture,  wooden-ware,  sashes  and  blinds,  carriages,  harnesses, 
saddles,  trunks,  and  leather ;  a  woollen  factory,  making  daily  about 
five  hundred  yards  of  doeskins,  and  grain  and  flour-mills.  Population, 
3,041 ;  valuation,  $1,382,287. 

Worcester,  in  the  northerly  part  of  Washington  county,  ten  miles 
from  Montpelier,  Avas  chartered  by  New  Hampshire,  June  8,  1763,  to 
Joshua  Mason  and  sixty-four  others,  by  the  name  of  Worster  (which 
name  custom  has  superseded),  and  contains  23,040  acres.  The  first 
settlement  was  begun  in  1797,  by  George  Martin  and  John  Ridlan,  from 
Kennebunk,  Me.  The  town  was  organized  March  3,  1803,  John 
Young  being  chosen  town  clerk.     In  1808,  the  first  representative  — 


VERMONT — TOWN  OF  WORCESTER.  961 

James  Green  —  was  chosen.  Up  to  1812,  there  was  not  in  any  year 
a  population  of  fifty.  Amasa  Brown  moved  in,  that  year,  with  a  family 
of  twelve,  and,  for  once,  brought  the  population  up  to  about  sixty ;  but 
after  this,  some  enlisted  in  the  war,  and  many  were  driven  by  a  suc- 
cession of  cold  seasons  to  seek  habitations  and  a  livelihood  in  a  mUder 
climate ;  so  that,  by  1816,  only  three  families,  consisting  of  twenty 
persons,  remained  in  town.  In  1820,  the  population  was  forty-four. 
The  town  having  lost  its  organization,  and  no  record  having  been  kept, 
in  March,  1821,  a  meeting  was  held,  a  new  organization  effected,  and 
Amasa  Brown  was  chosen  town  clerk;  after  which  the  increase  was 
quite  rapid. 

The  surface  is  uneven,  and  the  elevations  are  somewhat  abrupt, 
particularly  near  the  north  branch  of  Winooski  river,  which  waters  the 
town,  and  upon  which  are  a  number  of  good  mill-sites.  The  soil  is 
generally  good,  with  some  interval.  Worcester  has  been  noted  for  its 
healthy  character,  but  five  adult  persons  and  twelve  children  having  died 
in  the  course  of  twenty-seven  years,  from  1797  to  1824.  It  has  one 
village,  called  Worcester  Corner ;  two  church  edifices  —  Congregational 
and  Methodist  Episcopal;  eleven  school  districts,  and  one  post-office. 
Population,  702;  valuation,  $141,406. 

VOL.  I.  81 


ADDITIONS  AND   CORRECTIONS. 


JoNESPORT,  situated  on  the  sea-coast  in  Washington  County,  Me.,  eighteen  miles 
southwest  from  Machias,  formed  a  part  of  the  town  of  Jonesborough  until  1832.  The 
settlement  of  the  town  was  commenced  some  years  previous  to  the  Revolution,  by  the 
Kellys,  the  Sawyers,  and  some  others.  John  Shorey  Wcis  an  early  settler,  and  took  up  a 
residence  on  Rogue's  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  Chandler's  river.  The  inhabitants  suffered 
much  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  provisions  ;  deriving 
for  weeks  together  their  only  sustenance  from  the  clam  beds.  But  little  attention  has 
ever  been  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Fishing,  coasting,  and  getting  out  cord 
wood  for  the  Rockland  and  Boston  markets,  are  the  principal  occupations  of  the  people. 
Some  business  is  done  in  boat-building.  Moose  k  Bee  Reach,  situated  opposite,  is  quite 
a  noted  thoroughfare,  and  affords  a  convenient  harbor,  as  well  as  a  safe  passage  for  ves- 
sels in  a  stress  of  weather ;  still,  many,  particularly  large  English  vessels,  bound  up  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  or  up  the  River  St  John,  by  endeavoring  to  make  the  land  here,  are 
driven  ashore,  and  the  scattered  remnants  of  their  cargoes  are  promptly  picked  up  and 
accepted  as  a,  precious  boon  by  the  poorer  inhabitants.  The  islands  at  the  mouth  of 
Indian  river  are  encircled  by  navigable  waters.  Head  Harbor  Island,  having  an  area  of 
iabout  three  hundred  acres,  is  situated  below  the  east  entrance  of"  the  Reach,"  and  has  a 
very  barren  soil.  Beals's  Island,  cut  off  from  the  main  land  by  "  the  Reach,"-  contains 
about  one  thousand  acres,  and  is  inhabited  by  several  families.  The  town  has  eleven 
school  districts.     Population,  826  ;  valuation,  $54,602. 

Odell,  is  the  name  of  an  unincorporated  and  an  uninhabited  township  in  the  eountj' 
of  Cods,  N.  H.,  bounded  west  by  Stratford.  It  was  purchased  of  the  State  about  the 
year  1839,  by  Hon.  Richard  Odell,  and  is  now  owned  by  his  heirs.  It  is  good  settling 
land,  and  a  large  portion  is  heavily  timbered.  A  branch  of  Phillips  river  runs  through 
the  eastern  part 

Elliotsville,  Piscataquis  county.  Me.  The  act  of  March  1 9,  1835,  incorporating 
this  town,  was  repealed  March  26,  1858. 

IsLANDPORT,  Hancock  county.  Me.  The  act  of  February  11,  1857,  incorporating  this 
town,  was  repealed  March  27, 1858. 

Greenfield,  Hancock  county,  Me»,  and  townships  numbers  One  and  Two  were  set 
off  from  Hancock  county,  and  annexed  to  Penobscot  county,  by  act  of  March  13,  1858. 

Jefferson,  Lincoln  county,  Me.  A  small  part  of  this  town  was  set  off  and  annexed 
to  Newcastle,  March  11,  1858. 

[962] 


SUPPLEMEl^T. 


TOWNS  AND  PLANTATIONS  IN  MAINE.i 

Akoostook  County.  The  spirit  of  immigration  to  tliis  county  having  recently  been 
stimulated  to  an  unwonted  degree,  some  information  respecting  the  various  settlements 
■will  be  in  place.  There  are  three  or  four  principal  centres  of  population,  nearly  all, 
however,  lying  in  the  first  and  second  ranges,  along  the  Military  road,  and  within  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  of  the  river  St  John.  These  are  Houlton,  Bridgewater,  Presque  Isle,  and 
Fort  Fairfield.  There  are  two  or  three  other  less  important  districts,  chiefly  in  the  fitlh 
and  sixth  ranges,  such  as  Patten,  Masardis,  Ashland,  and  Portage  Lake.  The  latter  are 
atuated  along  the  Aroostook  river  and  the  easterly  branches  of  the  Penobscot.  Indeed, 
such  is  the  supply  of  timber  along  these  streams,  and  so  great  are  the  facilities  for  getting 
it  to  marketable  ports,  that  these  localities  will  unquestionably  become  populous,  before 
new-comers  will  find  an  inducement  to  penetrate  further  into  the  wilderness.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  no  less  than  five  hundred  bond  Jide  settlers  have  taken  up  lots  during  the 
year  1858. 

Of  the  two  million  acres  held  by  the  state,  nearly  one  half,  or  964,000  acres,  lie  in  this 
county,  and  these  are  all  that  are  yet  offered  for  purchase.  By  the  laws  of  the  state,  lots 
in  the  lands  designated  by  the  state  for  settlement,  not  exceeding  two  hundred  acres  to 
each  person,  may  be  sold  at  fitly  cents  per  acre,  for  which  he  gives  his  notes,  payable  in 
one,  two,  and  three  years  in  labor  upon  the  roads.  In  order  to  receive  a  deed,  he  must 
establish  his  residence  on  the  lot  within  two  years,  and,  within  four,  build  a  comfortable 
dwelling-house,  and  clear  not  less  than  fifteen  acres,  ten  of  which  must  be  laid  down  to 
grass.  When  all  conditions  shall  have  been  fulfilled,  he  may  hold  his  land,  to  the 
extent  of  160  acres,  free  from  attachment  and  execution  for  debt,  as  long  as  the  value  of 
the  land  does  not  exceed  one  thousand  dollars.  Other  safeguards  against  transfer,  solely 
for  speculation,  are  provided. 

There  are  two  principal  causes  of  attraction  to  the  lands  in  Aroostook  county,  which 
are  nearly  as  extensive  as  the  whole  state  of  Massachusetts,  and  capable  of  sustaining  a 
vast  population.  These  are  the  richness  of  the  soil  and  the  excellent  roads.  The  Aroos- 
took soils  are  mostly  of  limestone  alluvion,  with  a  depth  varying  from  two  to  six  feet,  of 
great  fertility,  and  as  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  large  crops  of  wheat,  rye,  barley, 
oats,  buckwheat,  and  potatoes,  as  any  land  at  the  East  or  the  West.     The  uplands  are 


1  Such  towns  as  have  been  incorporated  since  the  body  of  the  work  was  in  type,  together  with 
some  of  the  more  important  plantations,  are  given  here.  In  the  greater  number  of  cases,  the  figures 
given  for  population  are  estimates  based  upon  the  last  census  reports,  upon  the  votes  given  for  the 
last  two  or  three  years  in  the  several  towns  and  plantations,  and  upon  the  number  of  scholars 
returned  in  the  latest  school  reports,  and  are  supposed  to  be  a,  near  approximation  to  the  actual 
numbers. 

(963) 


964  HISTORY   ANB   BESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

crowded  with  all  varieties  of  hard  wood  which  are  indigenous  to  rich  soils.  Along  the 
rivers  is  a  luxuriant  growth  of  blue-joint  and  other  grasses,  which  attain  a  height  of  four 
or  five  feet.  In  the  first  range,  some  townships  are  so  free  from  stones  that  even  a 
sulEciency  for  wells  and  cellars  is  not  readily  obtained.  That  part  of  this  territory 
which  is  believed  to  present  the  greatest  inducements  to  immigrants  is  what  is  known  as 
the  Valley  of  the  Aroostook,  and  the  tract  south  of  this,  extending  fifty  miles  more  or 
less,  embracing  the  five  easternmost  ranges  of  townships,  drained  in  part  by  tributaries  of 
the  St.  John,  but  principally  by  those  of  the  Penobscot  In  some  of  these  townships 
scarce  a  lot  of  ICO  acres  can  be  found,  which  is  not  capable  of  being  made  a  good  farm. 
AVheat  is  grown  less  than  formerly,  the  fly,  rust,  and  mildew  having  been  found  serious 
obstacles  to  its  profitable  culture,  although  in  several  sections  this  evil  is  yet  unknown. 
Twenty  to  twenty-five  bushels  to  the  acre  are  set  down  as  a  good  crop,  while,  in  several 
instances,  no  less  than  fifty  have  been  raised.  The  average  production  of  oats,  barley, 
and  rye,  under  good  treatment,  may  be  set  down  as  fifty  bushels  of  oats,  thirty  of  barley, 
and  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  of  rye.  Buckwheat  yields  from  forty  to  fifty  bushels ;  Indian 
corn  (not  yet  extensively  produced) ,  nearly  forty  bushels ;  and  potatoes,  from  two  to  three 
hundred  bushels.  It  is  asserted,  that,  for  ten  years  past,  not  more  than  one  fourth  of  this 
crop  has  ever  been  lost  by  disease  in  any  part  of  this  region.  The  yield  of  turnips,  with  very 
little  care,  is  about  five  hundred  bushels  ;  of  carrots,  from  six  hundred  to  twelve  hundred 
bushels ;  and  of  clover  and  herd's-grass  seeds,  from  six  to  ten  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  pastur- 
age is  abundant,  the  autumnal  feed  lasting  until  covered  with  snow,  while  the  cattle  find 
a  plenty  of  fresh  and  nutritious  grass  as  soon  as  snow  disappears  in  the  spring.  Another 
fact  which  greatly  enhances  the  value  of  lands  here  is,  that  droughts,  which  are  so  often 
destructive  in  the  Middle  States  and  the  West,  very  rarely,  if  over,  occur  in  Aroostook. 
The  cost  of  clearing  land  averages  about  ten  dollars  per  acre. 

Excellent  roads  were  mentioned  as  a  second  inducement  to  settlers.  In  this  respect 
the  county  is  provided  with  what  is  never  found  in  new  sections,  unless,  as  here,  the 
strong  arm  and  deep  pui-se  of  the  general  government  come  to  aid.  Two  principal 
thoroughfares  —  the  Military  and  the  Aroostook  roads  — -  run  northerly  through  to  the  St. 
John.  Besides  these  are  several  roads  connecting  the  eastern  and  western  settlements,  and 
the  eastern  with  towns  along  that  noble  river.  A  summary  of  the  distances  of  a  few  of  the 
principal  points  from  Bangor  is  given  below.'  The  present  rates  of  transportation  over  these 
roads  are  so  high  that  resort  is  had  by  the  eastern  settlements  to  the  St.  John,  during  the 
summer  months,  for  bringing  up  nearly  all  the  supplies  and  articles  of  domestic  trade. 
The  question  of  a  railroad  from  Bangor,  through  this  county,  is  now  warmly  urged  upon 
the  people  of  Maine ;  the  more  so  for  the  reason,  that  the  St.  Andrew  and  Quebec  Rail- 
road, now  nearly  completed  to  Woodstock,  a  few  miles  from  Houlton,  threatens  to  give 
our  Provincial  neighbors  a  monopoly  of  the  trade,  if  not  to  encourage  a  feeling  of  com- 
mon interest  between  the  people  of  tliis  region  and  the  Provinces. 


1  From  B.ingor  to  head  of  steam  navigation  at  Mattawamkeag  Point  ) 

"      by  railroad  to  Milford,  12  miles,  thence  by  travelled  road  to  Mattaw.  Point )  ®^  miles. 

*'      to  the  "  Forks "  at  Molunkus,  10  miles  from                                  "            "  7i  " 

"      "  Houlton,  by  military  road,      47    "        "                                Molunlcus,  115  " 

"  Presque  Isle,                            40    "        "                                Houlton,  leo  " 

"      "  Fort  Fairfield,                           11     "        "                                Presque  Isle,  169  " 

"       "  St.  John  River,  at  Mouth  ofViolette  brook,  30  miles  from'      "          "  191  " 

"      "  Ashland,  by  Aroostook  road,                            75           "        Molunkus,  146  " 

"      "  Presque  Isle,    "            "                                     24           "        Ashland,  170  " 

"      "  Fort  Kent,  by  Fish  river,                                 48           "               "  194  " 


TOWNS   AND   PLANTATIONS   IN   AROOSTOOK   COUNTY.  965 

Another  inducement  to  settle  in  Aroostook,  which  should  be  first,  but  which,  in  the 
haste  to  be  rich,  is  generally  last  considered,  is  the  remarkably  healthy  character  of  the 
climate.  The  cold  is  less  intense  than  in  many  places  in  New  England  farther  south, 
while  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  has  no  tendency  to  induce  disease,  either  conta- 
gious or  organic. 

The  legislature  of  1858  incorporated  two  new  towns  in  this  county,  which,  with  those 
ff.\ea  in  the  body  of  the  work,  make  thirteen.  A  brief  historical  and  statistical  notice  of 
these,  together  with  such  townships  as  have  been  opened  by  the  state  to  settlers,  and 
make  a  respectable  show  of  inhabitants,  is  here  given. 

B.  Plantation  is  a  half  township  in  range  1,  next  north  of  Bridgewater,  containing 
11,520  acres.  It  was  designated  for  settlement  in  1855.  The  Presque  Isle  of  the  St.  John 
runs  through  it,  and  furnishes  very  excellent  water-power.  From  this  fact,  and  from 
its  location  on  the  Aroostook  road,  near  Presque  Isle,  a  populous  settlement,  at  an  early 
day,  must  be  the  result     Mars  Hill  post-office  is  in  this  township.     Population,  about  150. 

Bancroft  Plantation,  about  seventy-five  miles  from  Bangor,  is  situated  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  Mattawamkeag  river,  and  is  commonly  known  as 
Baskahegan  Gore.  It  has  a  post-office,  and  three  school  districts.  Population,  upwards  of 
200. 

Barker  Plantation  is  made  up  of  a  part  of  Number  1,  range  3,  and  that  part  of 
Bancroft  township  lying  west  of  Mattawamkeag  river.  It  has  one  school  district.  Popu- 
lation, about  30. 

Belfast  Academy  Grant  is  a  half  township,  and  joins  the  west  line  of  Houlton.  It 
was  located  in  1809.  It  has  four  school  districts,  and  136  scholars.  Population,  about 
SCO. 

Benedicta  Plantation,  about  eighty  miles  from  Bangor,  includes  township  Num- 
ber 2,  range  5.  The  west  half  of  this  township  was  purchased  of  the  state  of  Massa- 
chusetts by  Bishop  Benedict  J.  Fen  wick,  and  was  settled  about  the  year  1837,  by  Irish 
Catholics.  A  chapel  and  college  building  have  been  erected,  but  the  college  is  not 
yet  patronized.  The  east  half  of  the  township  belongs  to  the  stat«,  and  was  lotted  for 
settlement,  in  1858,  by  Daniel  Barker.  Considerable  progress  has  already  been  made  in 
the  settlement  Both  halves  are  watered  by  the  Molunkus  stream.  The  plantation  has 
one  school  district,  with  162  scholars ;  and  the  Conway  post-office.    Population,  about  350. 

Bridgewater,  about  twenty-one  miles  from  Houlton  (the  shire  town),  lies  in  the  first 
range  of  townships,  and  is  made  up  of  two  half  townships,  Bridgewater  Academy  Grant 
and  Portland  Academy  Grant  The  first-named  grant  was  settled  in  1827,  by  Nathaniel 
Bradstreet,  who  built  mills  on  the  Presque  Isle  of  the  St.  John,  or  Bridgewater  river, 
about  ten  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  St  John.  The  next  settlers  were  Joseph 
Ketchum,  James  Thorn,  John  Young,  Joseph  Bradstreet,  and  Samuel  Harvey.  The 
lands  were  held,  until  1852,  by  the  Trustees  of  Bridgewater  Academy,  when  John  D. 
Baird  purchased  them,  and  built  a  store  and  extensive  lumber  mills  upon  the  site  of  the 
old  mills,  as  well  as  a  potash  manufactory  and  a  grist-mill.  The  first  settlers  on  the  Port- 
land Academy  Grant  were  Orrin  Whitney,  Dennis  Nelson,  David  Foster,  Jason  Russell, 
William  Harvey,  George  Oliver,  and  others,  who  came  here  about  the  time  of  the  Aroos- 
took war,  during  which  a  company  of  riflemen  was  stationed  here.    The  town  was  incor- 

81* 


966  HISTORT   AND    DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

porated,  March  2,  1858,  and,  upon  organization,  Elbridge  Webber  was  chosen  town 
clerk. 

The  town  is  in  a  good  farming  region,  but  as  yet  its  agricultural  resources  have  not  been 
fully  developed,  on  account  of  the  superior  facilities  for  lumbering.  There  are  two  small 
villages,  Bridgewater  Corner  and  Baird's  Mills,  and  one  post-office.  At  the  Ketchum 
place  is  the  "  Half-way  House,"'  where  passengers  from  Houlton  to  Presque  Isle  stop 
for  refreshment.  About  two  million  shingles  annually  made  in  these  parts  are  brought 
here  for  sale.  There  are  four  school  districts  ;  also  four  blacksmith's  and  one  carriage- 
maker's  shop.     Population,  about  700. 

Crystal  Plantation,  which  is  township  Number  4,  range  5,  was  first  settled  by 
William  Young,  who  came  here  in  1838.  It  is  well  watered  by  westerly  branches  of  the 
Mattawamkeag  river,  and  has  one  saw-mill.  Large  clearings  have  been  made,  and 
there  remained  unsold.  May  1,  1858,  only  6,404  acres.  There  are  about  thirty  settlers ; 
three  school  districts,  and  two  school-houses.     Population,  about  200. 

Dayton  Plantation  is  township  Number  5,  range  5.  Like  Crystal  Plantation,  it  is 
watered  by  the  head  branches  of  the  Mattawamkeag.  It  has  not  kept  pace  with  some  of 
the  neighboring  townships.  The  first  settlers  were  Nicholas  Cooper  and  Samuel  Houston, 
who  came  here  together  in  1839.     There  is  one  school  district.     Population,  about  60. 

Eaton  Plantation,  about  fortj^-seven  miles  north  from  Houlton,  embraces  the  west- 
ern half  of  the  grant  to  the  town  of  Plymouth,  and  the  original  grant  to  William  Eaton, 
which  was  made  in  consideration  of  services  rendered  by  him  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
On  the  Aroostook  river  here  are  some  well-cleared  farms,  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation ; 
and  a  carriage  road  has  been  opened  from  the  mouth  of  the  Carribou  stream,  in  letter  H. 
Plantation,  to  Fort  Fairfield,  passing  through  a  portion  of  the  Plymouth  grant  and  entirely 
through  Eaton.  A  negotiation  has  been  opened  between  the  proprietors  of  these  two 
grants  and  the  governor  and  council  of  Maine  for  an  exchange  of  these  for  other  tracts, 
which,  when  carried  through,  will  bring  into  the  market  some  very  choice  lands.  There 
are  here  four  school  districts  and  a  post-ofiice.     Population,  about  400. 

Fort  Fairfield,  about  forty-five  miles  from  Houlton,  was  "  so  much  of  township 
letter  D.,  first  range  west  from  the  east  line  of  the  state,  as  lay  south  of  the  Aroostook  river, 
together  with  so  much  of  the  township  granted  to  the  town  of  Plymouth,  as  lay  south- 
easterlj'  of  the  same  river."  It  was  first  settled  as  early  as  1816,  by  people  from  the 
British  Provinces,  who  came  up  the  river  in  canoes.  They  located  themselves  on  front 
lots  near  the  river,  and  lived  many  years  without  roads,  having  no  communication  with 
other  parts  of  Maine,  and  confessing  allegiance  to  the  British  crown.  Upon  the  breaking 
out  of  the  northeastern  boundary  troubles  in  1839,  the  state  authorities  sent  a,  mihtary 
force  here.  Fort  Fairfield  (from  which  the  town  has  been  named)  was  built  the  same 
year,  consisting  of  two  block-houses  and  the  officers'  head-quarters ;  and  roads  were 
opened  from  the  Penobscot.  The  main  fort  has  been  demoUshed ;  the  other,  erected  for 
the  protection  of  tlie  boom,  and  the  officei-s'  head-quarters,  are  still  standing,  the  latter 
beinf  occupied  as  a  dwelling-house.  The  township  was  lotted  in  1840,  bj-  Thomas 
Sawyer,  Jr.,  surveyor-general  of  the  State,  from  which  time  there  has  been  a  steady  in- 
crease in  population.     The  town  was  incorporated  March  11,  1858. 

The  surface  is  generally  smooth,  with  some  swells,  and  is  well  watered  by  the  Aroostook 
ri-ver  and  its  tributaries.  The  soil  is  very  fertile,  and  easily  cultivated.  Lumber  is  the 
chief  article  of  manufacture  and  trade ;  and  the  facilities  for  getting  it  to  the  ocean  are 


TOWNS  AND   PLANTATIONS   IN  AEOOSTOOK   COUNTY.  967 

very  good.  Tow-boats  pass  up  and  down  the  Aroostook,  and  the  St.  John  is  navigable 
for  steamboats  to  Grand  Falls,  eighteen  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Aroostook,  and  for 
tow-boats  120  miles  further,  to  the  Big  Rapids  above  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Black  river. 
The  town  has  one  village,  three  religious  societies ^ — -Methodist,  Congregational,  and 
Baptist,  —  nine  school  districts,  and  three  posl>-offices,  —  Fort  Fairfield,  Maple  Grove,  and 
Fremont:  also  three  saw-mills,  a  clapboard-mill,  a  grist-mill,  and  a  plaster-mill.  Popu- 
lation, about  700. 

Fremont  Plantation  is  letter  C,  range  1,  and  is  bounded  north  by  Fort  Fairfield. 
It  was  lotted  by  Noah  Barker  in  1856.  Every  settling  lot  is  now  taken  up  by  immi- 
grants, and  a  considerable  portion  has  been  improved.  The  first  settler  was  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Barrett,  who  was  soon  followed  by  Henry  Wilson,  the  latter  of  whom 
travelled  by  a  spotted  line  from  Presque  Isle,  and  settled  near  the  middle  of  the  town- 
ship in  1858.  The  township  offers  superior  inducements  to  settlers,  and  those  al- 
ready here  are  a  persevering  and  industrious  class  of  people.  Much  interest  is  mani- 
fested in  the  organization  of  district  and  Sabbath  schools.  Isaac  Wortman,  a  gentleman 
of  wealth  from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  has  taken  up  lands  here,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
princely  estate.  He  felled  forty  acres  of  forest  in  1856.  The  legislature  of  1857  granted 
him  640  acres  of  land  as  an  inducement  to  erect  mills,  and  such  mechanical  establishments 
upon  the  river  De  Chute  as  will  materially  aid  in  the  progress  of  the  settlement.  Fre- 
mont has  one  school  district.     Population,  about  150. 

G.  Plantation  is  bounded  north  by  II.  Plantation  and  the  Eaton  Grant,  and  south 
by  Presque  Isle,  and  contains  19,GG5  acres,  a  part  of  which  has  been  lotted.  The  road 
from  Presque  Isle  northward  to  the  St.  John  passes  through  it,  and  the  Aroostook  river 
makes  such  a  detour  southwards,  then  taking  its  coui-se  directly  north,  that  it  twice 
nearly  traverees  the  township.  On  this  are  some  mills.  The  land  is  very  productive,  and 
Indian  corn  has  been  grown  here  with  good  success,  the  j'ield  having  been  found  equal 
to  fifty-one  bushels  to  the  acre,  although  the  average  crop  does  not  probably  exceed  forty 
bushels.     There  are  eight  school  districts,  and  1 74  scholars.     Population,  500. 

Golden  Ridge  Plantation  is  Number  3,  range  5,  mostly  east  of  the  Aroostook 
road,  and  was  set  apart  for  settlement  in  1855.  It  contains  22,111  acres,  and  is  watered 
by  the  Molunkus  stream.  It  has  a  fertile  soil,  and  is  being  rapidly  settled.  Alfred  Cush- 
man,  who  came  here  about  the  year  1833,  was  the  first  settler.  Mr.  Cushman,  in  one 
instance,  from  two  bushels  and  a  half  of  seed,  reaped  175  bushels  of  wheat  on  four 
acres,  one  acre  of  which  proved  too  wet,  and  yielded  only  about  half  as  much  as  the  rest, 
thus  indicating  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  on  three  acres.  The  corn  crop  here  has  proved 
excellent,  yielding  210  bushels  of  sound  ears  to  the  acre.  There  are  probably  one  hun- 
dred settlers,  some  forty  of  whom  came  here  in  the  summer  of  1858.  The  other  settlers 
have  generally  made  large  clearings.  There  are  two  saw-mills,  two  school-houses,  six 
school  districts,  and  one  post-office,  called  Number  Three.     Population,  about  300. 

H.  Plantation,  in  range  2,  about  fifty  miles  north  from  Houlton  and  eight  from 
Presque  Isle,  embraces  the  westerly  half  of  the  township  of  which  Eaton  is  the  cast  half, 
and  township  I.  directly  north  of  these  two  half  townships.  Half  township  H.  was  lotted 
in  1839,  by  H.  AV.  Cunningham,  and  is  a  tract  possessing  many  advantages  for  the  settler. 
The  inhabitants  were  mostly  from  Kennebec  and  Oxford  counties.  Among  those  who 
first  arrived  were  Winslow  Hall  from  Hartford,  and  I.  Hardison  from  China.  Nearly 
all  of  the  lots  are  already  taken  up,  and  but  3,157  acres  were  remaining  in  May,  1858. 


968  HISTORY  AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NKW   ENGLAND. 

A  post-office,  called  Lyndon,  is  located  here.  There  are  two  clapboard-mills,  a  saw-mill, 
and  two  grist-mills  in  this  township.  Township  I.  was  lotted  in  1856,  by  Noah  Barker, 
and  but  little  of  it  has  yet  been  taken  up.  Alexander  Cochrane  and  brother  were  the 
first  settlers  here,  having  taken  up  a  residence  since  1840.  There  are  several  French 
settlers  here  from  Madawaska,  one  of  whom  keeps  a  public-house.  There  is  a  shingle- 
mill  in  this  part  of  the  township.  The  plantation  contains  seven  school  districts,  with 
162  scholars.     Population,  about  325. 

Hancock  Plantation,  in  the  extreme  north  part  of  Aroostook  county,  joins  the 
■western  boundary  of  Madawaska  Plantation,  but  has  no  definite  limits.  Fish  river  runs 
through  its  territory  and  falls  into  the  St.  John.  At  the  junction  of  these  two  rivers,  the 
United  States  government,  in  1839,  built  Fort  Kent,  designed  for  the  defence  of  the 
frontier.  The  fort  consisted  of  a  common  block-house,  connected  with  which  were  two 
houses  for  the  accommodation  of  the  officers,  barracks  for  the  soldiers,  and  buildings  for 
the  use  of  the  commissary  department.  The  land  upon  which  they  were  erected  was 
leased  by  the  state  to  the  United  States,  and  was  to  continue  in  the  possession  of  the 
latter  as  long  as  it  should  be  occupied  for  a  military  post.  The  troops  were  withdrawn  late 
in  the  autumn  of  1843,  since  which  time  the  fort  has  been  under  the  charge  of  an  agent 
of  the  federal  government  Noah  Barker,  the  land-agent  of  this  state,  in  March,  1857, 
requested  of  the  war  department  a,  surrender  of  the  lease,  on  the  ground  that  the  lands 
are  no  longer  occupied  as  a  military  post ;  and  the  surrender  was  ordered  in  October  of 
the  same  year. 

The  region  adjacent  to  Fort  Kent  is  probably  one  of  the  healthiest  within  the  limits  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  climate,  though  rigorous,  seems  to  be  promotive  of  the  most 
robust  health.  Fevers  and  other  diseases  of  a  malarious  origin  are  unknown ;  and  in 
many  instances,  pulmonary  symptoms,  quite  strongly  marked  in  persons  arriving  here, 
have  disappeared  after  a  brief  residence.  The  inhabitants  are  largely  made  up  from  the 
French  "side  of  the  house."  There  is  one  post-office — Fort  Kent;  and  there  are  nine 
school  districts.     Population,  about  1,000. 

Haynesville  Plantation,  in  the  southeast  part  of  Aroostook  county,  about  eighty 
miles  from  Bangor,  joins  Orient,  and  embraces  the  west  half  of  township  Number  9, 
Greenwood's  survey,  and  that  part  of  Pickering  and  Morrill's  gore  lying  south  of  the  west 
branch  of  Mattawamkeag  river,  as  well  as  township  Number  2,  range  3.  A  small  village 
has  grown  up  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  river,  on  the  military  road,  containing  a  post- 
office,  two  stores,  and  two  public-houses.  This  place  is  better  known  as  the  "  Forks  of 
the  Mattawamkeag."     There  are  three  school  districts.     Population,  about  100. 

Island  Falls  Plantation  is  Number  4,  range  4,  and  was  organized  as  a  plan- 
tation in  the  autumn  of  1858.  It  was  lotted  in  1855-6,  and  contains  an  area  of  23  040 
acres,  a  small  portion  of  which  has  been  disposed  of  to  settlers.  The  first  settler  was 
Levi  Sewall,  who  came  here  in  1842.  Thirty-two  new  settlers  took  up  their  residence 
here  in  the  year  1858.  It  is  an  excellent  farming  township,  and  is  traversed  by  the 
head-waters  of  the  Mattawamkeag  river,  which  have  their  course  through  a  lar^e  pond 
situated  upon  the  east  line  of  the  township.  The  road  from  Patten  to  Smyrna  passes 
through  the  northerly  part.     Population,  about  100. 

Leavitt  Plantation,  ninety-five  miles  from  Bangor,  embraces  Number  3  ran<>-e  2 
as  also  that  part  of  Pickering  and  Morrill's  gore  lying  northeast  of  the  west  branch  of 
Mattawamkeag  river.     There  are  two  school  districts,  with  forty  scholars.     Population 
about  75. 


TOWNS   AND   PLANTATIONS   IN   AROOSTOOK   COUNTY.  969 

LiMESTONF,  EiVEn  PLANTATION,  about  fifty-four  miles  from  Houlton,  is  E.,  range  1, 
and  was  lotted  in  1847,  by  Charles  K.  Eddy.  In  May,  1858, 1,280  acres  had  been  disposed 
of  to  settlers.  On  the  Limestone  river,  a  saw-miU  and  clapboard  machine  have  been 
erected.  This  river  derives  its  name  from  the  abundance  of  limestone  found  in  Hm 
region.     A  post-office  has  been  established  here.     Population,  about  100. 

Macwahoc  Plantation  is  Number  1,  range  4,  being  the  next  township  northeast  of 
Molunkus.  The  Military  road  runs  through  the  southeast  part  of  it,  and  the  Macwahoc 
stream  passes  through  its  entire  length  from  north  to  south,  emptying  into  the  Molunkus 
stream  not  far  below  Molunkus  pond.  There  are  two  school  districts.  Population,  about  1 30. 

Madawaska  Plantation,  in  the  extreme  north  part  of  Aroostook  county,  about  195 
miles  from  Bangor,  embraces  Numbers  18  and  19,  ranges  4  and  5.  The  settlement 
derived  its  name  from  the  river  Madawaska,  which  falls  into  the  St  John  about  thirty- 
six  miles  above  the  Grand  Falls,  and  160  miles  above  Frederickton.  The  original  settlers 
arrived  soon  after  the  treaty  of  1 783,  and  the  first  grant  of  land  was  made  to  Joseph  Muz- 
zerol  and  fifty-one  other  French  settlers,  in  the  month  of  October,  1790,  by  Thomas  Carl- 
ton, then  lieutenant-governor  of  the  province  of  New  Brunswick.  The  land  thus  granted 
lay  at  intervals  between  the  Verde  (Green)  and  Madawaska  rivers  (which  are  about  nine 
miles  apart)  and  on  both  sides  of  the  St.  John  river.  The  grant  comprised  fifty-one 
several  lots  or  plats  of  land,  sufficiently  large  for  a  homestead  for  each  settler.  The  sec- 
ond grant  was  to  Joseph  Soucer  and  others,  in  August,  1 794,  by  lieutenant-governor  Carl- 
ton, and  contained  5,253  acres  lying  below  Green  river.  These,  and  one  made  to  Limo 
Hibert,  in  May,  1825,  of  250  acres  opposite  to  and  along  the  Madawaska  river,'  were  the 
only  grants,  on  this  side  of  the  St.  John. 

The  inhabitants  arc  exclusively  French,  or  of  French  descent,  and  came  here  from 
Acadia  upon  the  breaking  up  of  that  settlement  by  the  English.  They  are  principally 
Roman  Catholics.  The  plantation  is  divided  into  four  parishes — Grand  River,  Mada- 
waska, Chatauquay  (Cat-corner),  and  St  Francis,  at  each  of  which  is  a  church  edifice. 
There  are  thirteen  school  districts,  and  one  post-office.     Population,  about  1,400. 

Mars  Hill  Plantation,  in  range  1,  about  thirty  miles  north  from  Houlton,  was 
granted  by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  to  Revolutionary  soldiers.  It  was  lotted  in  1804; 
and  when  the  boundary  line  was  run  between  Maine  and  New  Brunswick,  it  was  found 
that  a  half-mile  strip,  thus  lotted,  was  within  the  territory  of  the  latter  province.  The 
proprietors  of  the  township  are  ^Messrs.  Madigan  and  Trueworthy.  The  surface  is  rough 
and  broken,  lilars  hill,  from  which  the  plantation  was  named,  about  three  miles  long, 
and  estimated  to  be  1,700  feet  high,  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part.  The  post-office 
called  Mars  Hill  is  in  the  half  township  B.,  range  1,  which  bounds  this  on  the  south. 
Population,  about  50. 

Molunkus  Plantation,  Aroostook  county,  seventy-one  miles  northeasterly  from 
Bangor,  is  township  A.,  range  5,  and  includes  the  tracts  marked,  on  the  state  plan,  Fiske 
and  Bridge,  and  Chamberlain.  It  has  one  school  district,  and  a  post-office  called  South 
Molunkus.     Population,  about  100. 

Number  Eleven,  range  one,  Ues  between  Amity  and  Hodgdon,  on  the  Houlton  and 

'  Madawaska  river  is  wholly  in  the  province  of  New  Brunswick;  consequently  the  grant  in  1825 
must  have  been  mostly,  if  not  wholly,  in  that  province. 


970  HISTORY   AND    DESCKIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Baring  road,  ten  miles  south  of  Houlton,  and  was  designated  for  settlement  in  1855.  It 
embraces  11,520  acres,  6,747  of  which  remained  unsold  May  1,  1858.  It  was  lotted  in 
1856,  by  Daniel  Cummings,  and  there  are  already  a  few  settlers  here.  There  are  five 
school  districts.     Population,  about  100. 

Number  Twelve,  range  three,  is  next  west  of  Presque  Isle  and  G.  Plantation,  situ- 
ated upon  the  road  from  Ashland  to  Presque  Isle.  It  was  lotted  in  1843,  and  the  settle- 
ment is  making  rapid  progress.  A  branch  of  Presque  Isle  stream  runs  through  its 
southern  part.     Population,  about  100. 

Number  Four,  range  four,  was  lotted  in  1855  and  1856.  It  contains  an  area  of 
23,040  acres,  a  small  portion  of  which  has  been  disposed  of  to  settlers.  The  road  from 
Patten  to  Smyrna  passes  through  the  northerly  part,  and  it  is  traversed  by  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mattawamkeag  river,  which  have  their  course  through  a  large  pond  situated 
upon  the  east  line  of  the  township. 

Number  Nine,  range  four,  is  next  southeast  of  Masardis,  and  Weis  lotted  in  1839.  It 
is  watered  by  the  Masardis  stream,  on  which  are  some  old  mills. 

Number  Twelve,  range  four,  was  partly  lotted  in  1855,  by  Noah  Barker,  and  the  sur- 
vey was  completed  in  1858,  by  Daniel  Barker.  Kapid  progress  is  making  in  the  settle- 
ment. Here  are  the  Castle  Hill  post-office,  and  a  public-house,  at  the  half-way  point  be- 
tween Presque  Isle  and  Ashland,  on  the  road  leading  from  Fort  Fairfield  via.  Presque 
Isle  to  Ashland.  The  township  is  not  yet  organized  into  a  plantation,  but  its  citizens 
vote  at  Salmon  Brook.  The  Aroostook  river  passes  through  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
township.     Population,  about  150. 

Number  One,  range  five,  is  a  half  township,  situated  between  Molunkus  and  Bene- 
dlcta  plantations,  but  has  not,  as  yet,  an  organization.  The  Aroostook  road  runs  through 
it,  as  also  the  Molunkus  stream.  The  Kawsou  post-office  is  located  here,  although  the 
township  is  as  yet  sparsely  settled. 

Number  Five  is  the  name  of  a  plantation  embracing  township  Number  5,  ran^e  6. 
Thomas  Myrick  was  the  first  settler.  The  township  lies  next  north  of  Patten,  and  the 
Aroostook  road  passes  through  it     Population,  about  150. 

Number  Eleven,  range  six,  is  the  next  township  west  of  Ashland,  and  has  a  good 
location.  The  Aroostook  road  and  river,  as  well  as  the  village  of  Ashland,  are  within  a 
mile  of  the  east  line,  and  the  Machias  river  runs  through  the  centre  from  west  to  east 
discharging  its  waters  into  the  Aroostook.     The  township  was  lotted  in  1839.  It  has  mills. 

Plymouth  Plantation,  Aroostook  county,  is  all  that  part  of  the  Plymouth  Academy 
Grant  in  range  1,  which  lies  northeasterly  of  the  Aroostook  river,  and  which  is  not  in- 
cluded in  Fort  Fairfield  and  Eaton  Plantation.  The  river  passes  southeasterly  and 
northeasterly  through  the  township.  The  road  to  Limestone  River  Plantation,  thence 
easterly  to  the  St.  John,  also  passes  through  the  township.  The  proximity  of  Plymouth 
to  Fort  Fairfield  gives  it  superior  advantages  as  a  place  for  settlement.  There  are  thirty- 
two  scholars  in  the  public  school.     Population,  about  100. 

Portage  Lake  Plantation,  about  ten  miles  north  from  Ashland  and  160  from 


TOWNS  AND  PLANTATIONS  IN  AROOSTOOK  COUNTY.  971 

Bangor,  is  Number  13,  range  6,  and  is  bisected  by  the  Aroostook  road.  The  beautiful 
lake,  the  name  of  which  is  borne  by  the  townsUp,  is  at  the  head  of  the  chain  of  lakes 
having  their  outlet  northward  into .  Fish  river.  But  a  small  portion  of  the  lots  here 
remain  unsold.  It  is  an  excellent  farming  township,  and  possesses  an  advantage  over 
some  of  the  neighboring  places  in  the  length  of  summer,  frosts  not  generally  making  their 
appearance  until  about  two  weeks  later  than  in  Number  11,  which  is  twelve  miles  further 
south.  The  wheat-fly  has  never  troubled  the  grain  here.  Hon.  Nathaniel  Blake,  who 
has  done  much  to  promote  the  settlement  of  the  plantation,  has  usually  had  a  wheat  crop 
of  twenty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  There  are  three  school  districts  with  134  scholars, 
and  a  post-office.    Population,  about  300. 

Pkbsque  Isle  is  F.,  range  2,  situated  forty  miles  north  from  Houlton,  and  160  from 
Bangor.  The  first  improvement  here  was  made  in  1828,  by  Dennis  Fairbanks,  who  soon 
afterwards  erected  a  mill.  The  township  was  partly  surveyed  in  1839,  by  Thomas  Saw- 
yer, Jr.,  and  the  survey  was  completed  in  1856,  by  Noah  Barker.  Presque  Isle  is  situated 
in  the  midst  of  a  large  tract  of  the  finest  settling  land  in  New  England,  and  is  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  townships,  which  are  fast  filling  up  with  an  intelligent  and 
industrious  people.  Its  position,  therefore,  must  soon  place  it  among  the  first  towns  in 
northern  Maine.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  its  agricultural  resources  are  extensive,  which  fact, 
coupled  with  the  capacity  of  the  stream  for  mills,  has  brought  in  a  considerable  popula- 
tion. Immigration  hither,  for  the  last  two  or  three  years,  has  been  rapid,  and  the  town- 
ship is  mostly  settled.  Some  attention  has  been  given,  through  the  exertions  of  members 
of  the  North  Aroostook  Agricultural  Society,  to  the  introduction  of  choice  breeds  of 
cattle.  The  grass  crops  in  this  region  are  very  heavy,  and  a  large  quantity  of  grass- 
seed  is  put  up  for  market.  The  village  of  Presque  Isle  is  situated  partly  in  letter  F. 
and  partly  in  letter  G.  The  people  of  these  two  townships  have  petitioned  the  legisla- 
ture of  1859  for  incorporation  into  one  town,  by  the  name  of  Presque  Isle.  Several 
roads  connect  here,  —  a  branch  of  the  Aroostook  from  Ashland,  the  Military  road  north- 
ward and  southward,  and  two  roads  from  the  St  John  through  Fremont  Plantation  and 
Fort  Fairfield.  Presque'  Isle  stream  flows  northward  into  the  Aroostook,  and  the  Presque 
Isle  of  the  St.  John  passes  southward  into  the  St.  John.  There  are  here  one  post-office, 
one  newspaper  —  the  Aroostook  Pioneer — the  only  one  in  the  county,  seven  school  dis- 
tricts, with  189  scholars,  a  high  school,  and  a  public-house  :  also,  a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill, 
a  clapboard  and  shingle  machine,  a  carding,  spinning,  and  weaving  machine,  five  stores, 
and  establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  furniture,  harnesses,  carriages,  &c.  The  place 
is  fast  increasing  in  numbers  and  importance.  Religious  services  are  held  regularly  on 
Sundays  in  the  high-school  building.  .  Population,  about  600;  valuation,  about  $70,000. 

Reed  Plantation,  about  nine  miles  northeast  from  Molunkus,  is  Number  1,  range  3. 
The  MiUtary  road  passes  through  it,  and  it  is  watered  by  the  Wy  topidlock  stream,  running 
south  into  the  Mattawamkeag. 

RocKABEMA  PLANTATION,  which  IS  Number  6,  range  5,  is  about  forty-four  miles  from 
Molunkus,  and  is  traversed  by  the  Aroostook  road.  Limestone  abounds  in  this  region. 
There  are  two  school  districts,  with  thirty-seven  scholars;  and  two  post-offices — Moro 
and  Rockabema.     Population,  about  75. 

Salmon  Brook  Plantation  embraces  township  Number  13,  range  3,  and  is  situ- 
ated next  westerly  of  letter  G.  and  H.  plantations,  ten  miles  from  Presque  Isle,  and  fifty 
from  Houlton.     On  the  south  side  of  the  township  is  a  stiip  of  land  two  miles  wide,  along 


972  HISTORY  AND   DESCEIPTION   OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

the  Aroostook  river,  which  was  lotted  in  1842,  by  William  P.  Parrott,  and  is  now 
nearly  all  settled.  The  remaining  part  of  the  township  was  lotted,  in  1855,  by  Rev.  E. 
Knight,  but  as  yet  has  very  few  settlers.  Mr.  Knight  also  laid  out  a  road  from  the 
junction  of  Salmon  brook  with  the  Aroostook  river  to  Lyndon  post-office  in  H.,  range  2. 
The  principal  portion  of  the  lands  on  this  road  are  now  being  taken  up  with  a  view 
to  settlement  Iron  ore  abounds  in  this  reppon.  A  postoffice,  called  Salmon  Brook, 
is  established  here,  and  on  the  stream  of  the  same  name  are  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and  a 
carding  machine.  There  are  two  school  districts,  with  ninetj-six  scholars.  Population, 
about  300. 

Umcolcus  Plantation  is  Number  9,  range  6,  and  adjoins  the  southwest  corner  of 
Masardis.  It  was  lotted  for  settlement,  in  1839  and  1840,  by  H.  W.  Cunningham  and 
Noah  Barker,  and  is  perhaps  better  known  as  the  "  Ox-bow,"  named  from  a  singular 
bend  which  the  Aroostook  river  makes  in  passing  through  the  township.  The  Umcolcus 
stream  comes  from  the  south,  and  falls  into  the  Aroostook  near  the  Ox-bow.  Here  are  a 
good  saw-mill  and  a  grist-mill,  which  have  been  in  operation  since  about  the  year  1842. 
The  post-office  is  on  the  Aroostook  road,  in  Number  8,  range  5,  which  township  was  also 
lotted,  in  1839,  by  Noah  Barker,  and  in  which  is  a  limestone  quarry.  There  is  one  school 
district,  with  forty-one  scholars.     Population,  about  80. 

Van  Buren  Plantation  is  in  the  extreme  northeast  part  of  the  county,  190  miles 
from  Bangor,  being  bounded  north  by  the  river  St.  John,  east  by  New  Brunswick,  south 
lay  Limestone  Plantation  (E.,  range  1)  and  H.  Plantation,  and  west  by  Madawaska 
Plantation,  and  embraces,  as  will  be  perceived,  nine  townships.  At  the  mouth  of 
Violette  brook,  in  M.,  range  2,  there  is  a  settlement  containing  a  post-office,  a  public- 
house,  a  saw-mill,  a  clapboard-mill,  and  a  store.  A  large  proportion  of  the  population 
here  consists  of  French,  who  retain  their  own  language.  At  this  point  the  inhabitants 
of  the  plantation  assemble  to  vote.  L.,  range  2,  included  in  this  plantation,  was  set  apart 
by  the  legislature  for  settlement,  and  was  partly  lotted,  in  1858,  by  Lore  Alford.  Sevei'al 
Yankee  settlers  are  a,bout  entering  here  to  make  farms.  G.,  range  1,  and  M.,  range  2, 
were  also  located  and  designated  for  settlement  in  1858.  Numerous  streams  run  through 
the  several  townships,  such  as  the  Violette,  Toussaint,  Little  Madawaska,  and  Limestone ; 
and  the  soil  of  the  whole  region  is  of  a  character  to  invite  unmigration.  The  Grand 
Falls,  on  the  St  John,  are  within  three  miles  of  the  eastern  limits  of  the  plantation. 
There  is  also  another  post-office,  by  the  name  of  West  Van  Buren.  There  are  said  to  be 
585  scholars.     Population,  about  1,200. 

Franklin  County:  — 

Dallas  Plantation  is  township  Number  2,  range  2,  west  of  Bingham's  Kennebec 
Purchase.  The  Acquessuck  or  Rangely  lake  is  near  the  township  upon  the  west ;  but  the 
waters  of  Dallas  chiefly  fall  into  the  Saddleback  stream,  which  flows  in  a  northeasterly 
direction  into  Dead  river.     Population,  123.' 

E.  Plantation  is  a  gore  of  land  situated  between  Phillips  and  Number  6  upon  the 
south,  and  Rangely  Plantation  upon  the  north.  Here  is  the  water-shed  between  the 
Androscoggin  and  Sandy  rivers.     There  are  two  school  districts.     Population,  86. 

EuSTis  Plantation  contains  township  Number  1,  range  4,  west  of  Bingham's  Pur- 

■  '  An  enumeration  of  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  plantations  in  Franklin  county  was  made  November 
9,  1858,  from  which  these  figures  are  derived. 


TOWNS  AND  PLANTATIONS  IN  FRANKLIN  COUNTY,  ETC.       973 

chase,  which  adjoins  Somerset  county.     The  Saddleback  stream  here  unites  with  Dead 
river.     The  soil  is  mostly  good,  and  there  are  many  excellent  farms.     Population,  315. 

Jackson  Plantation  (known  as  Copeland  Town)  embraces  township  Number  1, 
range  3.  It  adjoins  Somerset  county,  and  is  a  part  of  what  is  called  "  Dead  Kiver 
Settlement,"  lying  westerly  and  southwesterly  of  Flag  Staff  Plantation  and  Dead  river. 
It  is  a  good  farming  region,  but,  as  yet,  lumbering  forms  the  chief  business.  A  new 
county  road  is  about  to  be  laid  out  by  the  county  commissioners  through  this  region,  pass- 
ing west  of  Mount  Abraham,  and  connecting  the  Sandy  river  valley  with  the  Dead  river 
country.     The  Saddleback  stream  passes  through  the  township.     Population,  63. 

KcMBER  Three  is  township  Number  3,  range  2,  of  Bingham's  Purchase.  It  is  next 
north  of  Kingfield,  and  is  watered  by  the  north  branch  of  Seven-Mile  brook,  which 
empties  into  the  Kennebec  at  North  Anson.  There  is  some  settling  land,  but  the  town- 
ship is  mostly  valuable  for  its  timber.     Population,  39. 

Number  Six  is  the  westerly  portion  of  what  was  once  incorporated  as  the  town  of 
Berlin,  but  which,  as  no  organization  was  effected  under  the  charter,  again  relapsed 
into  the  plantation  state.  The  easterly  half  was  afterwards  annexed  to  the  town  of 
Phillips.     Population,  59. 

Perkins  Plantation,  a  small,  irregular  tract  of  land,  was  formerly  known  as  Num- 
ber Four,  and  was  set  off  from  Carthage,  which  bounds  it  upon  the  west.  Weld  is  upon 
the  north,  Dixfield  upon  the  south,  and  Temple  and  Wilton  are  upon  the  east.  It  lies  in 
a  narrow  gorge  between  rugged  mountcdns.  There  are  three  school  districts,  and  seventy- 
two  scholars.     Population,  177. 

Kangely  Plantation  embraces  townships  Number  2  and  3,  range  1,  next  west  of  Ma- 
drid. Its  waters  run  westerly  into  Rangely  and  Mooselockmeguntic  lakes.  Population,  183. 

Hancock  County:  — 

Swan  Island  Plantation  includes  Swan  and  Burnt  Coat  islands,  situated  about  ten 
miles  from  the  mainland,  and  easterly  of  Deer  Isle.  There  are  four  school  districts,  with 
187  scholars.     It  has  a  post-office.     Population,  423. 

Wetmore  Isle,  formerly  a  part  of  Prospect,  is  situated  in  Penobscot  river,  opposite 
Bucksport,  and  contains  an  area  of  about  five  thousand  acres.  It  originally  belonged  to 
the  Waldo  patent,  and  fell  into  the  possession  of  an  orphan  girl,  an  heir  of  General 
Waldo :  hence  it  bore,  for  many  years,  the  name  of  Orphan  Island.  It  was  finally  pur- 
chased by  a  man  named  Wetmore.  The  island  was  settled  in  1 763  by  three  families, 
who  took  up  their  residence  on  its  southern  margin.  At  that  time  there  was  not  another 
settler  above  them  on  the  river.  The  chief  means  of  subsistence  to  the  inhabitants  is 
fishing  and  hunting,  the  land  being  too  poor  to  yield  any  thing  in  the  shape  of  grain  or 
vegetables.  There  are  four  school  districts  and  seven  schools  here.  Population,  405; 
valuation,  $56,595. 

Kennebec  County:  — 

Unity  Plantation  is  in  the  extreme  northeast  part  of  Kennebec  county,  having 
Unity  in  Waldo  county  on  the  east  It  is  the  only  territory  in  the  county  not  under  muni- 
cipal government     It  has  one  school  district,  with  thirty-three  scholars.     Population,  110. 

VOL.  I.  82 


974  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Lincoln  County  :  — 

Matinicus  Isle,  a  plantation  belonging  to  Lincoln  county,  is  opposite  to  St.  George, 
and  several  miles  from  the  mainland.  It  has  one  school  district,  and  a  post-office. 
Population,  120. 

Muscle  Ridge  is  also  a  plantation  easterly  from  St.  George,  but  nearer  the  coast 
than  Matinicus.  It  consists  of  several  small  islands,  and  has  three  school  districts.  Popu- 
lation, 56. 

SoMEUviLLE,  the  most  northerly  town  in  Lincoln  county,  about  fifteen  miles  easterly 
from  Augusta,  was,  until  its  incorporation,  March  25th,  1858,  called  Patricktown  Planta- 
tion. The  settlement  was  commenced  in  1 784,  John  Evans,  William  and  David  Gil- 
patrick,  Ichabod  Marr,  Joseph  Tobey,  Porter  Dodge,  Enoch  Gove,  and  Daniel  Brown 
being  the  first  men  on  the  ground.  The  land  belonged  to  the  government,  and  was  pur- 
chased more  than  twenty  years  since  by  Hon.  Reuel  WilHams,  and  Messrs.  Dorr  and 
Russell,  from  whom  the  settlers  have  derived  title.  The  principal  occupations  of  the 
inhabitants  are  lumbering  and  farming.  The  town  has  two  villages  —  Sand  Hill  and 
Sheepscot;  two  church-edifices  —  Baptist  and  Second  Advent;  seven  school  districts,  and 
one  post-office ;  also,  five  saw-mills,  two  grist-mills,  eight  shingle-machines,  eight  stave- 
machines,  and  one  clapboard-machine.     Population,  552. 

Oxford  County: — 

B.  Plantation  adjoins  the  New  Hampshire  line,  and  has  Umbagog  lake  partly  upon 
the  north  and  west  border,  and  is  well  watered  bj'  streams  contributing  to  this  lake  and 
to  the  Androscoggin  river.     It  has  four  school  districts,  and  a  post-office.     Population,  174. 

Franklin  Plantation  is  a  tract  of  land  west  of,  and  about  half  as  large  as,  the 
town  of  Peru.     It  has  four  school  districts.     Population,  188. 

Hamlin's  Plantation  is  a  small  quadrangular  tract  of  land  southeast  of  Bethel.  It 
has  one  school  district     Population,  108. 

Milton  Plantation  is  a  tract  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  Rumfoi-d,  and  about  two 
thirds  its  length.     It  has  two  school  districts.     Population,  166 

NujiBER  Five,  in  ranges  1  and  2,  is  the  name  of  a  plantation.  The  Margalloway 
river  passes  southwards  through  a  large  portion  of  it,  and  the  Umbagog  chain  of  lakes  is 
upon  the  east  side.     It  has  two  school  districts.     Population,  105. 

Riley  Plantation  is  west  of  Newry  and  east  of  Gorham,  N.  H.  It  has  not,  thus 
far,  made  a  very  rapid  advance  towards  a  prosperous  settlement.     Population,  60. 

Penobscot  County:  — 

Mattawamkeag  Plantation  is  Indian  township  Number  One,  being  that  part  of 
the  Indian  Purchase  which  lies  east  of  Penobscot  river.  The  river  Mattawamkea"  runs 
westerly  through  its  southern  part.  Mattawamkeag  Point,  the  half-way  place  from  Ban- 
gor to  Houllon,  at  the  junction  of  these  two  rivei's,  and  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navio-a- 
tion  upon  the  Upper  Penobscot,  is  a  village  of  some  importance,  containing  an  excellent 
hotel,  several  stores,  and  a  post-office.     Population,  about  300. 


TOWNS  AND  PLANTATIONS  IN  PENOBSCOT  COUNTY,  ETC.        975 

NiKERTOU  Plantation  embraces  a  tract  containing  upwards  of  100,000  acres,  and 
is  made  up  of  two  townships,  that  were  formerly  granted  by  the  state  to  the  Penobscot  In- 
dians, the  Hopkins  Academy  Grant,  township  A.,  and  Emerson  and  Fish  township.  It 
is  well  watered  by  the  west  branch  of  the  Penobscot,  by  the  Twin  lakes,  and  the  Milli- 
noket  stream.  It  has  four  school  districts,  with  105  scholars,  and  a  post-office.  Popula- 
tion, about  250. 

Number  One,  north  division,  was  set  oflf,  together  with  Greenfield  and  Number  Two, 
in  1857,  from  Hancock  county,  and  annexed  to  this  county.  It  adjoins  Greenbush,  which 
borders  upon  Penobscot  river,  and  has  the  Passadumkeag  river  upon  the  north,  a  branch 
of  which  passes  nearly  through  this  township.     Population,  142. 

Number  Four,  range  one,  is  bounded  north  by  Springfield  and  south  by  Number  Four, 
north  division,  in  Hancock  county.  Sysladobsis  lake  lies  partly  within  the  township. 
There  are  three  school  districts.     Population,  161. 

Number  Five,  range  six,  is  next  north  of  Patten,  on  the  Aroostook  road.  Nearly 
half  of  the  land  has  been  sold,  and  habitations  arc  springing  up.  A  road  has  also  been 
laid  out  to  some  ponds  and  mill  privileges  in  the  northwest  part.  Fifty-seven  scholars 
were  reported  in  the  last  school  returns.     Population,  about  150. 

Prentiss,  Penobscot  county,  about  sixty  miles  from  Bangor,  having  Carroll  upon  the 
south,  is  what  was  township  Number  7  in  the  third  range  of  townships  north  of  Bing- 
ham's Penobscot  Purchase.  The  original  proprietors  were  Seth  Paine  and  members  of 
his  family,  Hon.  Israel  Washburn,  Jr.,  and  Hon.  Henry  E.  Prentiss,  in  honor  of  whom 
the  town  was  named.  Major  John  Judkins,  who  came  here  with  his  family,  consisting  of 
five  sons  and  two  daughters,  June  25,  1838,  was  the  first  settler.  His  original  habitation 
was  a  rude  hut  covered  with  elm  bark,  which  he  put  up  in  less  than  two  days.  The  next 
year  E.  and  I.  Averil,  J.  T.  Baldmn,  and  others,  came  into  the  settlement.  A  post-office 
by  the  name  of  Deei-field  was  established  in  1855,  and  on  the  27th  of  February,  1858,  the 
town  ■was  incorporated.  Water  is  supplied  from  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Penobscot. 
Prentiss  has  six  school  districts  ;  also,  a  saw-mill  and  grist-milL  This  is  said  to  be  one  of 
the  best  settling  towns  in  the  State.  There  are  fifty-two  legal  voters,  and  a  population 
of  about  300. 

WoODViLLE,  a  plantation  lying  on  the  west  bank  of  Penobscot  river,  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Mattawamkeag  river,  is  township  Number  2,  Indian  Purchase,  which  was 
lotted  by  Noah  Barker  in  1835,  under  a,  resolve  of  the  legislature  granting  said  town- 
ship, in  lots  of  200  acres  each,  to  the  Maine  or  Massachusetts  soldiers  in  the  Revolution. 
Many  of  the  lots  have  been  bought  up  by  speculators :  hence  the  tardiness  of  its  settle- 
ment. There  is  a  carriage  road  through  it,  leading  from  Chester  to  Nikertou,  or  Forks  of 
the  Penobscot  river.  A  post-office,  by  the  name  of  North  Woodville,  has  been  established 
here.    Ninety-six  scholars  are  reported.    Population,  about  225. 

Somerset  County:  — 

Dead  River  Plantation  embraces  township  Number  3,  range  3,  of  Bingham's 
Kennebec  Purchase.  It  is  situated  upon  the  south  bend  of  the  Dead  river,  and  has  some 
very  good  farms.  Mt.  Bigelow  lies  upon  the  south.  There  is  one  post-office.  Population, 
about  100. 


976  HISTORY   AND    DESCRIPTION   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 

Flag  Staff  Plantation  is  Number  4,  range  4,  of  Bingham's  Kennebec  Purchase, 
and  is  said  to  have  derived  its  name  from  the  circumstance  of  Arnold's  erecting  a  flag 
here,  when  on  his  expedition  to  Canada.  It  is  watered  by  the  Dead  river  and  its  tribu- 
taries, on  which  are  some  mills.  There  is  some  excellent  farming  land,  and  good  progress 
has  been  made  in  the  settlement.  A  public-house  occupies  the  site  of  the  flag.  It  has 
a  post-office.     Population,  about  75. 

FoKKS  is  the  name  of  a  small  settlement  in  Number  1,  range  4,  west  of  Kennebec 
river,  and  at  the  junction  of  the  same  with  Dead  river,  about  fifty-five  miles  north  from 
Augusta.  It  is  also  called  Salmon  Stream  Town.  It  has  three  school  districts,  and  a 
post-office.     Population,  about  150. 

Moose  River  Plantation,  sometimes  known  as  Jackman's,  is  Number  4,  range  1, 
north  of  Bingham's  Kennebec  Purchase.  It  is  watered  by  Moose  river,  which  runs  easterly 
into  Moosehead  lake ;  and  the  main  road  up  the  Kennebec  river  and  thence  to  Canada 
passes  through  the  township.     Population  about  125. 

Number  One,  range  two,  west  of  Kennebec  river,  is  what  is  called  Pleasant  Ridge.  It 
has  three  school  districts,  with  sixty-two  scholars.     Population,  143. 

Number  Two,  range  two,  is  next  west  of  Number  1,  and  has  three  school  districts,  and 
fifty-one  scholars.     Population,  144. 

Number  One,  range  three,  east  of  the  Kennebec  river,  Is  what  is  called  Carritunk,  and 
has  five  school  districts,  with  ninety  scholars,  and  one  post-office  —  Carritunk.  Population, 
about  200. 

AVashington  County  :  — 

Big  Lake  Plantation  lies  on  the  north  side  of  Big  Lake.  It  is  visited  during  the 
summer  months  by  hunting  and  fishing  parties,  but  as  yet  is  sparsely  settled.  It  has  one 
school  district     Population,  126. 

Danforth  Plantation  is  in  the  extreme  north  part  of  the  county,  south  and  west 
of  the  Schoodic  lakes.     It  has  one  school  district.     Population,  168. 

Number  Seven,  range  two,  is  Kossuth.     It  has  two  school  districts.     Population,  61. 

Number  Nine,  range  four,  is  a  to^vnship  formerly  belonging  to  Waterston  and  others, 
and  contains  the  Baskahegan  lake,  fully  one  third  of  its  territory  being  tlius  covered  with 
water.    It  has  two  school  districts.     Population,  about  75. 

Number  Fourteen  is  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  the  county,  west  of  Dennysville. 
It  has  three  school  districts,  with  sixty-three  scholars,  and  a  post-office.  Population,  about 
125. 

Talmadge  Plantation  is  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  county,  in  the  second  range. 
It  has  a  considerable  lake  in  the  west  part,  and  is  also  watered  by  streams  emptying  into 
Big  lake.     There  are  two  school  districts.     Population,  about  70. 

Wait  Plantation  lies  next  east  of  Talmadge,  and  is  watered  by  Schoodic  river  and 
its  branches.     It  has  one  school  district,  and  a  post-office.     Population,  81. 


APPENDIX  A. 


POST-OFFICES. 


The  following  list  contains  some  names  of  post-offices  newly  established,  some  of  which  have  been 
casually  omitted  in  the  body  of  the  work,  and  some  in  towns  where  the  nnmber  of  offices  is  stated, 
but  where  the  names,  although  differing  from  those  of  such  towns,  are  not  given. 


Albany,  North 

Amity, 

Anson,  West 

Ashland  —  Aroostook, 

Atkinson, 

Atkinson,  South 

Baldwin,  West 

Bangor, 

Bangor,  North 

Bangor —  Six  Mile  Falls, 

Bangor,  West 

Bath, 

Beddington, 

Beddington,  South 

Bethel,  East 

Bethel,  West 

Boothbay  —  Hodgdon's  Mills, 

Boothbay,  North 

Bowdoin  Centre, 

Bowdoin,  West 

Bowerbank, 

Bridgton,  North 

Bridgton,  South 

Bridgton,  West 

Brooksviile,  South 

Brooksville,  We^t 

Brownville,  North 

Buckfield,  North 


Ellsworth, 

Franconia  —  Profile  House, 
Hooksett  —  Howe's  Corner, 
Hojikinton,  West 
Laconia  —  Weir's  Bridge, 


Albany,  West 
Brighton  —  Island  Pond, 
Granville  —  Sandusky, 


MAINE. 

Bucksport—r  Buck's  Mills, 

Burnham, 

Casco,  New, 

Dexter, 

Dexter,  South 

Dixmont,  North-east 

Forks  —  Parlin  Pond, 

Freedom,  West 

Freeport,  South 

Fryeburg  Centre, 

Fuller,  Washington  Co. 

Gouldsborough — Prospect  Har- 
bor, 

Great  Pond,  Hancock  Co. 

Greenbush — Olamon, 

Hartford,  South 

Highland,  Somerset  Co. 

Hollis  — BarMiUs, 

HoUis,  North 

Jackson,  Washington  Co. 

Jacksonville,  Franklin  Co. 

Jefferson,  South 

Kennebunk  Depot, 

Leeds —  Curtis's  Corner, 

Levant,  South 

Lincoln  Plant'n,  Oxford  Co.  — 
Wilson's  Mills, 

Linneus, 

NEW    HAMPSHIRE 

Lisbon,  North 
Littleton,  West 
Northfield  Depot, 
Salisbury,  West 
Stratford — Coos, 

VERMONT. 

Greensborough,  East 
Guildhall, 
Marlborough,  West 


Livermore,  North 

Livermore,  South 

llariaville  —  Tilden, 

Milford  —  Greatworks, 

Monmouth,  South 

Newburgh,  North 

Newcastle,  North 

New  Limerick, 

Northfield, 

Palermo,  Nortn 

Palmyra, 

Parkman,  South 

Penobscot,  South 

Phipsburg  —  Cape  Small  Point, 

Seaport,  Hancock  Co. 

Shapleigh  —  Emery's  STilh, 

Shirley  —  Shirley  'Mills, 

Sidney,  West 

Smyrna, 

Smyrna  Mills, 

St.  George,  South 

Troy  Centre, 

Vienna,  North 

Wales,  East 

Warren,  North 

West  Bath  —  Winnegance, 

Windham,  East. 


AVakefield  —  Horn's  Mills, 
Wentwortli's  Location, 
White  Jits.  —  Crawford  House, 
White  Mts.  — White  Mt.  House, 
Winchester  —  Ashuelot. 


Starksborough,  South 
Thetford  Centre, 
Victory. 


APPENDIX  B. 


LIGHTS  ON  THE   COASTS  OF   MAINE   AND   NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

The  following  table  contains  all  the  lights  in  the  First  Light-house  District,  in  geographical  order, 
from  Passamaquoddy  bay  to  Hampton  harbor.  —  The  lights  of  each  estuary  are  arranged  in  regular 
order,  from  the  sea  to  the  head  of  navigation,  under  separate  references;  after  which,  the  next 
sea-coast  light  will  be  found  in  its  order.     The  names  of  the  lights  are  printed  as  follows,  viz. :  — 

1st.  PRIMARY  SEA-COAST  LIGHTS. 

2d.  Secondary  sea-coast  lights,  and  lake-coast  lights. 

3d.  Sound,  bay,  river,  and  harbor  lights. 

In  the  column  of  "  Distance  visible  in  nautical  miles,"  will  be  found  the  distances  at  which  the 
lights  can  be  seen,  under  ordinary  states  of  the  atmosphere,  by  observers  at  elevations  of  fifteen 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

REFERENCES. 

F.,  Fixed  or  steady  light;  F.  R.,  Fixed  red  light;  Fig.,  Flashing  light;  F.  V.  F.,  Short  eclipse  or 
fixed  light,  varied  by  flashes;  F.  and  R.  Fig.,  Fixed  white  light,  with  red  fl.ashes;  Revg.,  Revolving 
light;  Mag.  Var.,  Magnetic  variation;  N.,  North;  S.,  South;  E.,  East;  and  W.,  West.  Colore3 
lights  are  speci.ally  noted  by  small  capitals  in  column  of  Remarks.  [0  1].  First  order  lens  appa- 
ratus; [02].  Second  order;  [03].  Third  order;  [Oi].  Fourth  order;  [05].  Fifth  order;  [06]. 
Sixth  order. 

(977) 


978 


LIGHTS    ON   THE   COAST    OP  MAINE. 


1 

Name. 

Location. 

4 

u 
o 

1=1 

1 

1 

5 

i 

E 

1.1 

•a 
& 
■? 

1 

1 

St.  Croix  River 

On  St.  Croix  or  Big  island,  in 
the  St.  Croix  river,  opposite 
Robbinston. 

D.  M.   8. 

45  06  30 

D.   M.  S. 

67  08  30 

1 

2 

West  Qdoddt  Head     . 

Near  Eastport,  south  side  of 
the  entrance  to  the  bay. 

44  49  00 

66  57  00 

1 

Bell 

3 

Little  River 

On  an  island  at  the  moutli  of 
Little  Kiver  harbor. 

1 

4 

Round  Island . 

At  entrance  to  Machiaa  bay    . 

6 

Libby's  Island     . 

On  Libby's  island,   entrance 
to  Machias  bay. 

44  34  04 

67  21  12 

1 

Bell    . 

6 

Moose  Peak   . 

On  Mistake  island,  southwest 
of  west  entrance  to  Bay  of 
Fundy. 

44  28  52 

67  31  43 

1 

7 

Nabhe's  Island  . 

Off  the  mouth  of  Pleasant  riv- 
er (east  side). 

44  27  00 

67  43  00 

1 

8 

Narraguagus  . 

On    the    southeast    point    of 
Pond  island,  at  the  entrance 
to  Narraguagus  bay. 

1 

9 

LITTLE  MENAN 

On  the  south  end  of  the  island 
of  that  name. 

44  22  00 

67  52  00 

1 

Bell    . 

10 

Prospect  Harbor 

On  east  side  of  Prospect  har- 
bor. 

.    .    . 

1 

11 

Winter  Harbor         .     . 

On  south  point  of  Mark  isl- 
and, west  of   entrance    to 
the  harbor. 

1 

12 

MOUNT  DESERT 

On  Mount  Desert  rock. 

43  68  80 

68  08  00 

1 

Bell    . 

13 

Bakee'8  Isund  .     .     . 

Off  Mount  Desert  island,  and 
south  of   the   entrance    to 
Frenchman's  bay. 

44  15  42 

68  14  12 

1 

14 

Bear  Island         .    .    . 

On  one  of  the  Cranberry  isl- 
ands, about  6  miles  north- 
west of  Baker's  Island  light. 

44  17  00 

68  17  30 

1 

15 

Bass  Harbor  Head  .    . 

East    side  entrance    to    Bass 
harbor. 

1 

.     .     . 

16 

Spoon  Island  .    . 

Isle  au  Haut  bay.            .     ,     . 

1 

17 

Edgemaroggan . 

On  southeast  point  of  Green 
island,    entrance   to    Blue- 
hill  bay  and  Edgemaroggan 
reach. 

44  14  00 

68  3180 

1 

18 

o  ■ 

Saddleback  Ledoe. 

Near  southwest  end  of  Isle  au 
Haut,  and  east  side  of  en- 
trance to  the  bay. 

43  59  00 

68  36  SO 

1 

19 

Heron  Neck. 

On  south  point  of  Green  isl- 
and,  the  southernmost    of 
the  Fox  islands,  Penobscot 
bay. 

44  01  00 

68  51  30 

1 

LIGHTS   ON   THE   COAST   OF  MAINE. 


979 


-a 

1 
g 

o 

M 

a 

a 

A 

11 

a 

s 

1 

o 

s 

3 

u 

1 

s 

1 

ll 

1 
» 

g 

■s 

o 

a 

1 
a 

1 

Iluiuurks. 

1 

r. 

M.6. 

12 

■White 

31 

71 

[0  6] 

1866 

Light  on  south  end  of  keeper's  dwell- 
ing. 

2 

F. 

17 

White 

55 

133 

[0  3] 

1808 

Fog-bell.     Tower  painted  with  red 
and  white  horizontal  stripes. 

8 

F.  V.  r. 

1  30 

12 

•White 

28 

40 

[0  5] 

1847 

1855 

West  from  Grand  Menan  island,  and 
to  the  northward  and  eastward  of 
Machias  bay. 

4 
5 

r. 

13 

Authorized. 
Fog-bell. 

Gray  . 

35 

52 

[0  4] 

1822 

1855 

6 

KcTg. 

SO 

14 

IFhite 

40 

65 

[©2] 

1826 

1856 

Guide  to  Moose  3i  Bee  harbor.   Bright 
flash  every  half  minute. 

7 

E.  R. 

12 

•White 

28 

47 

[0  4] 

1838 

1855 

Red  light  at  W.  end  of  Moose  4  Bee 
reach. 

8 

F. 

12 

Bed    . 

29 

45 

[0  5] 

1853 

1856 

Guide  to  vessels  entering  Narragua- 
gushay. 

9 

F.  Y.  F. 

2  00 

17 

Gray  . 

109 

125 

[0  2] 

1817 

1855 

Fog-bell.  There  are  dangerous  ledges, 
distant  from  2  to  5  miles  on  differ- 
ent bearings  from  this  light. 

10 

Bevg. 

100 

11 

White 

30 

40 

[0  5] 

1848 

1857 

U 

F. 

11 

IVhite 

19 

37 

[0  5] 

1856 

02 

F. 

14 

Gray  . 

60 

75 

[©3] 

1830 

1857 

Twenty    miles    south-southeast     of 
Mount  Desert  island,  27  miles  from 
Little  Menan  light,  and  33  miles 
from    Matinicus    light.      Fog-bell 
rung  hy  machinery. 

13 

F.  V.  F. 

1  30 

17 

IVhite 

37 

105 

[©4] 

1828 

1855 

Guide  to  Cranberry  Island  harbor. 

14 

F. 

16 

Ked    . 

22 

97 

[0  5] 

1853 

1853 

1866 

Guide  to  Northeast  harbor. 

15 

16 
17 

Recently  completed. 
Authorized. 

F. 

9 

White 

22 

26 

[0  4] 

1856 

13 

F. 

13 

Gray. 

36 

51 

[0  5] 

1839 

1856 

Dangerous  ledges  for  nearly  the  whole 
distance  between  this  light  and  Car- 
ver's harbor. 

19 

F.  E. 

10 

Bed    . 

24 

92 

[©5] 

1853 

Guide  to  Carver's  harbor  and  Hurri- 
cane sound.    Res  light. 

980 


LIGHTS    ON   THE    COAST   OF   MAINE. 


20 


22 


24 


25 


28 


33 


Widow's  Island    . 

Deer  Island  Thor- 
oughfare. 

Eagle  Island  Point 

Pumpkin  Island    . 


MATINICTJS  ROCK 


Brown's  Head 

Beauchamp  Point . 

Negro  Island 
Grindel'a  Point 

Dice's  Head  . 
Fort  Point 


Tenant's  Harhor 


Marahall's  Point 
MoNHEGAN  Island  . 


Franklin  Island  . 


South  and  east  entrance  to 
!Fox  island  thoroughfare. 

On  Mark  island,  western 
entrance  of  Deer  island 
thoroughfare. 

On  Eagle  island,  at  the  head 
of  Isle  au  Haut  bay 

On  Pumpkin  island,  north- 
west of  Little  Deer  isle,  and 
south  of  Buck^s  harbor, 
Isle  au  Haut  bay. 

Off  Penobscot  bay. 


On  Whitehead  island,  Fouth- 
west  of  west  entrance  to 
Penobscot  bay. 

On  the  went  side  of  entrance 
to  Penobscot  bay,  oif  Rock- 


On  the  southern  of  the  Fox 
islands,  east  side  of  the 
west  entrance  to  the  bay. 

On  Indian  island,  at  the 
northeast  side  of  entrance 
to  Rockport  harbor. 

South  side  of  entrance  to 
Camden  harbor. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  en- 
trance to  Gilkey's  harbor, 
Penobscot  bay. 


Near  Castine. 


On  Old  Fort  Point,  at  mouth 
of  Penobscot  riyer. 


On  the  northeast  side  of 
Southern  island,  and  south- 
west side  of  entrance  to 
Tenant's  harbor. 

On  Marshall's  Point,  St. 
George. 

On  Monhegan  island. 


On  the  north  end  of  the 
island,  and  west  of  entrance 
to  St.  George's  river. 


68  43  00 

68  46  00 
68  45  00 


44  05  00 


43  63  20 
43  46  15 


43  55  00 


69  09  00 


69  13  00 
69  17  56 


44  07  32 

44  24  00 
44  18  00 

43  51  15 

44  GO  20    69  06  00     1 
44  03  50 


150  feet  apart. 


LIGHTS   ON   THE   COAST   OF  MAINE. 


981 


1 

£ 
S 

s 

1 

si 
(3 

1 
£ 

s 

1 

■s 

o 
"o 

1 

£  * 

if 

1 

g 

i, 
■3 

0 

u 

1 

0 

1 

1 
1 

1 

1 

Remarks. 

20 
21 

M.S. 

Authorized. 

A  guide  to  western  entrance  to  Deer 

F. 

12 

White 

25 

52 

[©4] 

1867 

22 

F. 

16J 

White 

30 

106 

[©4] 

1837 

1857 

Guide  to  northeast  entrance  to  Pe- 
nobscot bay. 

23 

F. 

9 

White 

20 

27 

[©5] 

1854 

Tower    white  ;      keeper's    dwelling 
brown.       Intended    to    guide    to 
Buck's    harbor,  and  to  Edgema- 
roggan  reach,  from  the  west. 

24 

2  F. 

16 

Gray  . 

40 
60 

85 
90 

[©3] 

1827 

1857 

This  light  is    33   miles  from  Mount 
Desert   Rock    light,   and  39  miles 
from  Seguin  island  light.    Fog-hell 
rung  by  machinery. 

25 

F. 

13 

Gray  . 

34 

70 

[©3] 

1804 

1852 

1856 

Fog-bell  at  this  Ught. 

26 

F. 

IG 

White 

19 

100 

[©4] 

1825 

1856 

Guide  to  vessels  passing  up  and  down 
the  bay,  and  to  Rockland  harbor. 
A  fog-bell  will   be   struck   during 
foggy  weather  by  machinery. 

27 

F. 

12 

White 

23 

39 

[©5] 

1832 

1856 

At    the    west    end   of   Fox    island 
thoroughfare. 

28 

F.  R. 

12 

Ited    . 

23 

41 

[©5] 

1850 

1655 

Red  light. 

29 

F. 

12i 

White 

23 

52 

[©4] 

1835 

1856 

Tower  sheathed  with  wood. 

30 

F. 

11 

Red    . 

28 

39 

[©6] 

1850 

1856 

31 

F. 

17 

White 

42 

130 

[©4] 

1828 

1857 

West  side  of  entrance  to  Caatine  har- 
bor. 

32 

F. 

16 

White 

27 

103 

[©4] 

1836 

1868 

Marks    the    entrance    to    Penobscot 
river. 

33 

Revg., 
Red. 

0  30 

13 

White 

26 

66 

[©4] 

1857 

Tower  white ;   lantern  and  keeper's 
dwelling  red. 

34 

F. 

10 

White 

24 

31 

[©6] 

1832 

1857 

Marking    entrance    to  Herring-Gut 
harbor. 

35 

RcTg. 

1  00 

19 

Gray  . 

36 

175 

[©2] 

1824 

1851 

l&'i6 

This  light  is  19  miles  from  Matinicus, 
and  22  miles  from  Seguin  island 
light.     A  fog-bell,  struck  by  ma- 
chinery, is  placed  about  one  mile 
west  of  the  light. 

36 

F.  V.  F. 

1  30 

12 

White 

35 

64 

r©4] 

1806 

1855 

■  ■  ' 

Guide  to  vessels  bound  to  Thomas- 
ton. 

982 


LIGHTS   ON   THE   COAST   OF  MAINE   AND   NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


1 

Name. 

Location. 

1 
■s 

3 

,3 

1 

"a 
3 

1 

'? 
bo 

37 

Pemaqdld  Point  . 

At    southwest    entrance     to 
Bristol  bay,  and  east  of  en- 
trance to  John's  bay. 

D.   M.    S. 

43  50  26 

D.    M.    S. 

69  28  28 

1 

38 

Burnt  Island  .... 

West    side     of    entrance     to 
Soutbport  harbor. 

1 

39 

Hendrick's  Head 

On  east  side  of  the  mouth  of 
Sheep  scot  river. 

43  47  30 

69  39  00 

1 

40 

Pond  Island             .    . 

On  the  west  side  of  entrance 
to  Kennebec  river. 

43  45  00 

69  46  00 

1 

Bell    . 

41 

SEQUIN     . 

On    Seguin    island,    off    the 
mouth    of    the    Kennebec 
river. 

43  42  25 

69  45  11 

1 

Bell    . 

42 

CAPE  ELIZABETH. 

On    Cape    Elizabeth,    south- 
southeast  of  Portland. 

43  33  50 
43  33  56 

70  11  49 
70  11  41 

2 

300  yards  apart. 

BcU    . 

43 

Portland  Harbor     . 

On  Portland  head,   near  en- 
trance to  Portland  harbor. 

43  37  22 

70  12  09 

1 

BeU    . 

44 

Portland      Break- 
water. 

On  northea.'^t  end  of  break- 
water, Portland  harbor. 

1 

45 

Wood  Island  . 

Near   the    entrance    to    Saco 
harbor. 

43  27  24 

70  19  24 

1 

48 

Goat  Island    .          .     . 

On  the  north  side  of  the  en- 
trance   to    Cape    Porpoise 
harbor. 

43  21  27 

70  25  11 

1 

47 

Kennebunk  Pier      .     . 

Extremity     of    North     Pier, 
mouth  of  Kennebunk  river. 

1 

48 

BOONE  ISLAND     .     . 

On  west  part  of  Boone  island, 
off  York  harbor. 

48  07  16 

70  28  16 

1 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

49 

S 

a  ■ 

Whale's  Back 

On  the  northeast  side  of  outer 
entrance     to      Port.smouth 
harbor. 

43  03  30 

70  41  28 

1 

60 

1 

Portsmouth  Harbor. 

On  southwest  side  of   inner 
entrance     to     Portsmouth 
harbor. 

43  04  14 

70  42  12 

1 

51 

Isle  of  Shoals     . 

On  White  island,  the  south- 
west island  of  the  Isles  of 
Shoals,  off  Portsmouth. 

42  58  00 

70  37  04 

1 

LIGHTS   ON   THE   COAST   OP  MAINE   AND   NEW   HAMPSHIRE. 


983 


•^ 

0) 

1 

1 

s 

.9 

O 

s 
s 

■s 

1 

M 

i 

a 

'ki 

3 
a 

1 

O 

1 

g 

a 

a  . 

O   «3 

41 

g 
11 

■s 

1 

1 

■s 

•s 

o 

1 

g 

1 
a 

s 

•a 

1 

Remarks. 

U.S. 

8, 

r. 

141 

White 

32 

75 

[0  4J 

1827 

1857 

38 

F. 

13 

■(Vhite 

24 

61 

[©4] 

1821 

1857 

30 

Kevg. 

1  00 

12 

AVTiite 

30 

40 

[0  5] 

1829 

1857 

Light  on  keeper's  house ;  gnide  to 
Wiscasset. 

40 

r. 

13 

TiTiito 

18 

54 

[G5] 

1821 

1855 

Fog-bell ;  guide  to  ve*els  entering 
the  Kennebec  river 

41 

P 

20 

Gray  . 

3.-) 

ISO 

[Gl] 

1795 

1857 

This  light  is  39  miles  from  Matinicua 
Rock   light,  46  milts   from   Boon 
island    hght,   and    21   miles  from 
Blonhegan    and     Cape    Elizabeth 
hghts.    Fog-bell. 

42 

r.  & 

i  CO 

17 

White 
White 

53 
63 

143 
143 

[0  2] 
1G2] 

1828 

1858 

Fog-bell,  Btmck  by  machinery.    Illu- 
minating apparatus  2o  lamps  and 
21-inch  reflectors,  to  be  changed  to 
two  2d  order  lens. 

43 

F. 

141 

■\niite 

49 

81 

[0  4] 

1791 

1855 

Fog-beU. 

44 

F.  R. 

8 

^V^litc 

17 

23 

[0  6] 

1855 

Red. 

4S 

ECTg., 

KeJ. 

1  CO 

13 

White 

47 

62 

[0  4] 

1808 

1857 

ReTolving  red  light ;  guide  to  Winter 
harbor. 

46 

F. 

11 

White 

25 

38 

[0  6] 

1833 

1857 

Ilarbor  of  refuge. 

47 

F.  R. 

8 

White 

11 

22 

[0  6] 

1856 

On  outer  end  of  Kennebunk  pier,  and 
about  three  miles  south  of  Groat 
island  light. 

48 

F. 

in 

Gray  . 

123 

133 

[0  2] 

1812 

1854 

This  light  IS  46  miles  from  Segnia 
light,  and  30  miles  from  the  two 
lights  on  Thatcher's  island,  Cape 
Ann. 

NE^ 

V  HAMPSHIRE. 

49 

F.  V.  F. 

1  30 

12J 

AVhite 

40 

58 

[0  4] 

1829 

1855 

The  tower  is  erected  on  a  ledge. 

60 

F. 

14 

White 

60 

70 

(G4] 

1804 

1854 

51 

RcTg. 

0  30 

15 

White 

40 

87 

[0  2] 

1821 

1858 

llluminatingapparatus  ten  lamps  and 
21-inch  reflectors,  to  be  changed  to 
2d  order  revolving  lens. 

APPENDIX  C- 

EPITAPHS  OF  SOME    OF   THE   KEPKESENTATIVE  MEN  AND   FAMILIES   OF   MAINE, 
NEW  HAMPSHIRE,  AND  VERMONT. 


Truthful  epitaphs  are  among  the  most  valuable  historical  records  of  the  lives  and  times  of  great 
men,  often  oresenting  volumes  condensed  into  a  single  line.  The  names  here  given  are  of  men 
whose  influence  in  shaping  the  character  and  destiny,  and  increasing  the  fair  fame,  of  their  respective 
States,  is  universally  conceded  to  have  been  very  great.  The  Pepperells  stand  forth  as  representa- 
tives of  the  Provincial  period;  Allen,  Stark,  and  Weare,  of  tlie  Revolutionary  period;  and  the 
Prebles  run  through  these  two  periods  into  that  of  the  Constitution,  winning  especial  renown  in  the 
early  and  trying  days  of  the  Republic,  in  the  person  of  Com.  Edward  Preble,  who  is  regarded  by 
some  as  the  father  of  the  American  navy,  and  the  master-spirit  in  the  conflict  that  exacted  proper 
respect  from  Tunis  and  Tripoli  towards  the  merchant  seamen  of  this  country. 

At  Kittery  Point,  in  Maine,  in  the  orchard  of  the  estate  belonging  to  the  Pepperells,  stands  the 
tomb  of  the  Pepperell  family,  now  much  dilapidated.  Here  lie  the  remains  of  the  distin^ished 
Sir  William,  the  first  and  only  American  baronet,  who  acquired  such  renown  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
vincial troops  in  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  in  1745.  Surmounting  the  tomb  is  the  once  elegant  monu- 
ment bearing  this  inscription  in  memory  of  the  father: 

"  Here  lies  the  body  of  the  honourable  William  Pepperell,  esquire,  who  departed  this  life  the  15  of 
February,  Ajino  Domini,  1733,  in  the  87  year  of  his  age,  with  the  remains  of  a  great  part  of  his 
famil}'-." 

In  the  old  churchyard  at  Portland,  Me.,  is  a  square  marble  monument  about  ten  feet  in  height, 
erected  soon  after  the  death  of  Commodore  Preble  by  the  friends  of  Henry  Wadsworth,  the  purpose 
of  which  appears  from  the  inscriptions. 

[On  one  side.]     "  Edward  Preble,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  died  Aug.  25,  1807,  aged  46  years." 

[South  side. J  '*In  memory  of  Henry  Wadsworth,  son  of  Peleg  Wadsworth,  Esq.,  Lieut,  in  U.  S. 
Navy,  who  fell  before  the  walls  of  Tripoli,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  Sept.  1804,  in  the  20th  year 
of  his  age,  by  the  explosion  of  a  Fireship,  which  he  with  others  gallantly  conducted  against  the 
enemy;  determined  at  once,  they  prefer  death  and  the  destruction  of  the  enemy,  to  captivity  and 
torturing  slavery."  —  (  Com.  PrehWs  letter.) 

[West  side.]  "  Capt.  Richard  Somers,  Lieut.  Henry  Wadsworth,  Lieut.  Joseph  Israel,  and  ten 
brave  seamen  volunteers  were  the  devoted  band." 

[East  side.]  "  An  honor  to  his  country,  and  an  example  to  all  excellent  youth."  (Resolve  of 
Congress. ) 

[North  side.]  "  My  country  calls  ! 

This  world  adieu  ; 
I  have  one  life, 
That  life  I  give  for  you," 

Within  a  few  years,  the  family  of  Commodore  Preble  have  erected  a  square  marble  block  about 
seven  feet  high,  bearing,  on  one  side,  tlie  same  inscription,  in  memorj'-  of  this  distinguished  officer, 
as  that  upon  the  Wadsworth  monument.  The  other  sides  record  the  names  of  his  wife  Slary,  and 
his  only  son,  Edward  Deering  Preble. 

At  Manchester,  N.  H.,  in  an  enclosure  on  the  farm  of  General  Stark,  situated  upon  a  commanding 
bluff  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Merrimack,  is  a  plain  granite  shaft,  indicative  alike  of  the  simplicity 
and  hardihood  of  the  old  hero  of  Bennington,  bearing  this  simple  record: 

"  Maj.  General  Stark." 

At  Hampton  Falls,  N.  H.,  upon  a  plain,  neat  obelisk,  is  the  following: 

[South  side.]  Hon.  Mf.shecit  Weaue,  born  at  Hampton  Falls,  June  16,  1713;  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College,  l735;  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  1752;  Commissioner  to  Congress  at 
Albany,  1754;  President  of  New  Hampshire  from  1776  to  1784;  i  at  the  same  time  Councillor  from 
Rockingham,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  President  of  the  Council,  and  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Superior  Court.    In  public  service  45  years.     Died  January  14,  1786. 

[North  side.]  Erected  A.  d.  1853,  by  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
her  illustrious  son,  whose  early  efforts,  safe  counsels,  and  persevering  labors  contributed  lai-gely 
towards  establishing  his  country's  independence  and  shaping  the  future  destiny  of  his  native  State. 

[East  side.]  GOV.  WEARE.  He  was  one  of  those  good  men  "who  dare  to  love  their  country 
and  be  poor." 

[West  side.]  The  following  were  the  Committee  chosen  by  the  State  to  erect  this  Monument; 
George  H.  Dodge,  J.  Everett  Sargent,  John  H.  Wiggins. 

At  Burlington,  Vt.,  is  the  newly  erected  monument  referred  to  on  page  767,  bearing  the  following 
inscriptions: 

[West  side.]  Vermont  To  ETHAN  ALLEN.  Born  in  Litchfield,  Ct.  10th  Jan.  a.  i>.  1737,  0.  S. 
Died  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  12th  Feb'y,  A.  r>.  1789,  and  buried  near  the  site  of  this  monument. 

[South  side.]  The  Leader  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys  in  the  surprise  and  capture  of 
TICONDEROGA,  which  he  demanded  "  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress." 

[East  side.]  Taken  prisoner  in  a  daring  attack  on  Montreal,  and  transported  to  England,  he  dis- 
armed the  purpose  of  the  enemy  by  the  respect  which  he  inspired,  for  the  REBELLION  AND  THE 
REBEL. 

JNorth  side.]  Wielding  the  Pen  as  well  as  the  Sword,  he  was  the  sagacious  and  intrepid  DE- 
FENDER of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  and  Master  Spirit  in  the  arduous  stnaggle  which  resulted 
in  the  Sovereignty  and  Independence  of  this  State. 

1  This  date  is  erroneona ;  the  records  of  the  Council  show  it  to  be  1785.  (984) 


APPENDIX  D. 


SENATORS  ANDBEPEESENTATIVES  IN  CONGRESS. 


A  blank  indicates  that  the  incumbent  has  been  elected  for  &  full  term  yet  unexpired. 


Senatoi's, 


Bradburj'",  J.  W. 
Chandler,  John, 
Evans,  George, 
Fairfield,  John, 
Eessenden,  \Vm. 
Pitt, 

Hamlin,  Hannibal, 

Holmes,  John, 

Moor,  Wymaii  B. 
Pan-is,  Albion  IC, 
Eug!;Ics,  John, 
Sheplcy,  Ether, 
SpragTie,  Peleg, 
Williams,  Kuel, 


1647- 

1820- 

1S41- 

1843- 

i 1854- 

<  1859- 

f  1849—; 

,  \  1851—: 

(  1857- 
1820- 
1823- 
S.'  1848- 
1827- 
1835- 
1833- 
1829- 
1837- 


-1853 
-1829 
-1847 
-1847 
-1859 

1851 
1857 

-1827 
-1833 
-1849 
-1823 
-1841 
-1837 
■1835 
-1843 


Jiepresentatives. 


Abbott,  Nchemiah, 
Allen,  Elislia  H., 
Anderson,  Hu^^h  J., 
Anderson,  John, 
Andrews,  Charles, 
Appleton,  John, 
Bailey,  Jeremiah, 
Bates,  James, 
Belcher,  Hiram, 
Benson,  Samuel  P. 
Bronson,  David, 
Burleigh,  William, 
Butman,  Samuel, 
Carey,  Shepard, 
Carter,  Timothy  J., 
Cilley,  Jonathan, 


1857—1859 
1841—1843 
1837—1841 
1825-1833 
1851—1852 
1851—1853 
1835—1837 
1831—1833 
1847—1849 
1853—1857 
1841—1843 
1823—1827 
1827—1831 
1843—1845 
1837—1838 
1837—1838 


MAINE. 

Clapp,  W.  H., 
CLark,  Franklin, 
Clifford,  Nathan, 
Cushman,  Joshua  P. 
Dane,  Josepb, 
Davee,  Thomas, 
Dunlap,  Robert  P., 
Evans,  George, 
Fairfield,  John, 
Farley,  E.  Wilder, 
Fessenden,  Wm.  Pitt, 
Foster,  Stephen  C, 
Fuller,  Thomas  J.  D. 
French,  Ezra  B., 
Goodenow,  Robert, 
Goodenoiv,  Eufus  K. 
Gerry,  Elbridge, 
Gilman,  Ch.aries  J., 
Hall,  Joseph, 
Hamlin,  Hannibal, 
Hammous,  David, 
Harris,  Mark, 
Herrick,  Ebcnezer, 
Henick,  Joshua, 
Hill,  Mark  L., 
Holland,  Cornelius, 
Jarvis,  Leonard, 
Karanagh,  Edward, 
Kidder,  David, 
Knowlton,  Ebenezer, 
Lincoln,  Enoch, 
Littlefield,  Nathan-  ( 
iel  S.,  i 

Longfellow,  Stephen, 
Lowell,  Joshua  A., 
Marshall,  Alfred, 
Mason,  Moses, 


1847—1849 
1847—1849 
1339—1843 
1821—1825 
1821—1823 
1837—1841 
1843—1847 
1829—1841 
1835-1339 
1853—1355 
1841—1843 

1849—1857 

1359— 

1851—1853 

1349—1851 

1842—1851 

1857-1859 

1833—1837 

1843—1847 

1847—1849 

1822—1323 

1343—1845 

1821-1827 

1821—1823 

1831—1833 

1831—1837 

1831—1835 

1823—1827 

1855—1857 

1821—1826 

1841—1843 

1849—1851 

1833—1325 

1839—1843 

1841-1843 

1834—1337 


(  1343—: 
I  1857—; 
( 1359— 


Mayall,  Samuel, 
McCrate,  J.  D., 
McDonald,  Moses, 
Mclntire,  Eufus, 

Morse,  F.  H. 

Noyes,  Joseph  C, 
O'Brien,  Jeremiah, 
Otis,  John, 

Perry,  John  J., 

Parks,  Gorham 
Parris,  Virgil  D.,. 
Eandall,  Benjamin, 
Eeed,  Isaac, 
Eipley,  James  W., 
Eobinson,  Edward, 

Sawtelle,  CuUen, 

Scammon,  J,  F., 
Severance,  L., 

Smart,  Ephraim  K. 

Smith,  Albert, 
Smith,  F.  0.  J. 
Sprague,  Pelcg, 
Stetson,  Charles, 
Somes,  D.  E. 
Washburn,  Israel, 

Jr. 
Whitman,  E. 
Wiley,  James  S., 
Williams,  Hezekiah,   1845 
Williamson,  Wm.  D.  1821- 
Wood,  John  M.  1855 

Wingate,  J.  F.  1827- 


1853 

1845 

1851- 

182G 

1343 

185' 

1359 

1837 

1323- 

1849- 

1855- 

1859- 

1833- 

1838- 

1839- 

1852- 

1827- 

1838- 

1845- 

1849- 

1845- 

1843- 

1847- 

1851- 

1839- 

1833- 

182J- 

1849- 

1859- 

1851 

1859 

1821- 

1847 


1855 
1847 
1855 
1835 
1845 
1859 

-1839 
-1829 
-1851 
-1857 

-1837 
-1841 
-1343 
-1853 
-1831 
-1839 
-1847 
-1851 
-1847 
-1847 
-1849 
-1853 
-1341 
-1839 
-1829 
-1851 


f  1851—: 
j  1859— 


—1859 


-1822 
-1849 
-1849 
-1823 
-1859 
-1831 


NETV  HAMPSHIRE. 


Senators. 


Atherton,  Chas.  G. 

Bell,  James, 
Bell,  Samuel, 
Cilley,  Joseph, 
Clark,  Daniel, 
Cutts,  Charles, 
Gilman,  Nicholas, 

Hale,  John  Parker, 


VOL.  L 


(  1843- 

(  1853- 

1355- 

1823- 

1846- 

1856- 

1810- 

1805- 

( 1847- 

<  1854- 

( 1859- 


-1849 
-1854 
-1857 
-1835 
-1847 

■1813 
■1814 
■1853 
■1859 


Hill,  Isasic, 
Hubbard,  Henry, 
Langdon,  John, 
Livermore,  S. 
Mason,  Jeremiah, 
Morrill,  David  L., 
Norris,  Moses, 
Olcott,  Simeon, 
Page,  John, 
Parker,  Nahum, 
Parrott,  John  F., 
Pierce,  Franklin, 
Plumer,  William, 

83 


1831- 
1835- 
1769- 
1793- 
1813- 
1817- 
1849- 
1801- 
1836- 
1807- 
1819- 
1837- 
1602- 


■1836 
■1841 
-1801 
-1801 
■1817 
■1823 
-1855 
■1805 
-1837 
-1810 
-1825 
-1842 
-1807 


Sheafe,  James, 
Storer,  Clement, 
Thompson,  T.  W. 
Wilcox,  Leonard, 
Williams,  Jared  W., 
Wingate,  Paine, 

Woodbury,  Levi,      j 


1601- 
1817- 
1814- 
1842- 
1854- 
1789- 
1325- 
1841- 


Hepresentativcs. 

Atherton,  Charles  G.  1837- 
Atherton,  Charles  H.  1315- 

(965) 


■1802 
■1819 
■1617 
-1843 
-1855 
■1793 
-1631 
■1847 


■1843 
■1817 


986 


SENATORS    AND    KEPRBSENTATIVES    IN    CONGRESS. 


Barker,  David, 

Bartlett,  Ichabod, 
Bartlett,  Josiah, 
Bean,  Benning  M., 
Bclton,  Silas, 
Blaisdell,  Daniel, 
Broadhead,  John, 
Brown,  Titus, 
Buffum  Joseph, 
Burke,  Edmund, 
Bums,  Robert, 
Butler,  Josiah, 
Carlton,  Peter, 
Chamberlain,  J.  C., 
Chandler,  Tliomas, 
Cilley,  Bradbury 

Clagett,  Clifton,       { 

Cra^in,  A.  H., 
Cusntnan,  Samuel, 
Dinsmore,  Samuel, 
Durell,  Daniel  II., 
Eastman,  Ira  A., 
Eastman,  Nchemiah, 
Edwards,  Thos.  M. 
Ellis,  Caleb, 
Farrington,  James, 

Foster,  Abiel,  j 

Freeman,  Jonathan, 
Gardner,  Francis, 


1827—1829 

1823—1829 

1811—1813 

1833—1837 

1803—1807 

1809—1811 

1829—1833 

1825—1629 

1819—1821 

1839—1845 

1833—1837 

1817—1823 

1807—1809 

1809—1811 

1829—1833 

1813—1817 

1803—1805 

1817—1821 

1855—1859 

1835—1839 

1811—1813 

1807—1809 

1839—1843 

1825—1827 

1859— 

1305—1807 

1637—1639 

1789—1791 

1705—1803 

1797—1601 

1607—1809 


Oilman,  Nicholas, 
Gordon,  William, 
Hale,  John  Parker, 
Hale,  Obed, 
Hale,  Salma, 

Hale,  William, 

Hamraons,  Joseph, 
Harper,  John  A., 
Harper,  Joseph  M., 
Harvey,  Jonathan, 
Harvey,  JIatthew, 
Haven,  Nathaniel  A. 
Healy,  Joseph, 
Hibbard,  Harry 
Hough,  David, 
Hubbard,  Henry, 
Hunt,  Samuel, 
Johnson,  James  H., 
Kittredge,  Geo.  W., 

Livermore,  Arthur, 

Livermore,  S., 
JIarston,  Gilman, 
JIatson,  Aaron, 
Morrison,  Geo.  W., 
Sloulton,  Mace 
Norris,  Moses 
Parrott,  John  F., 
Peaslee,  Charles  H., 
Pcirce,  Joseph, 


1789- 
1797- 
1643- 
1811- 
1817- 
( 1809- 
I  1813- 
1629- 
1811- 
1831- 
1625- 
1821- 
, 1809- 
1825- 
1849- 
1603- 
1829- 
1802- 
1645- 
1853- 
(  1617- 
I  1623- 
■  1789- 
1659- 
1821- 
1853- 
1845- 
1843- 
1817- 
1847- 
1801- 


-1797 
-1800 
-1645 
-1813 
-1619 
-1811 
-1817 
-1833 
-1813 
-1835 
-1631 
-1825 
-1811 
-1829 
-1855 
-1807 
-1635 
-1805 
-1849 
-1855 
-1821 
-1625 
-1793 

■1626 
-1655 
•1647 
•1647 
1619 
1653 
•1802 


Perkins,  Jared, 
Pierce,  Franklin 
Pike,  James 
Plumer,  William,  Jr 
Reding,  John  R., 
Shaw,  Tristram, 
Sheafe,  James, 
Sherburne,  J.  S., 
Smith,  Jedediah  IC, 
Smith,  Jeremiah, 
Smith,  Samuel, 
Sprague,  Peleg, 
Storer,  Clement, 
Sullivan,  George, 

Tappan,  JIason  W., 

Tenney,  Samuel, 
Thompson,  T.  W., 
Tuck,  Amos, 
Upham,  George  B., 
Upham,  Nathaniel, 
Vose,  Roger, 
Webster,  Daniel, 
Weeks,  John  W., 
Weeks,  Joseph, 
Whipple,  Thomas, 
Wilcox,  Jedutban, 
Wlliams,  Jared  V/., 
Wilson,  James, 
Wilson,  James, 
Wingate,  Paine, 


1651—1853 
1633—1637 
1665—1859 
■.,  1819—1625 
1841—1645 
1839—1843 
1799—1801 
1793—1797 
1807—1809 
1791—1797 
1813—1615 
1797—1799 
1807—1609 
1811—1613 
1865—1859 
1659— 
1800—1807 
1805—1807 
1847—1663 
1601—1803 
1817—1623 
1813—1617 
181.3—1817 
1829—1833 
1635—1639 
1821-1829 
1813—1817 
1837—1641 
1809—1611 
1847—1660 
1793—1795 


VERJIONT. 


Senators. 

Bradley,  Stepen  R.,  | 

Brainerd,  Lawrence, 

Chase,  Dudley,         1 

Chipman,  Nathaniel, 
Collamer,  Jacob, 
Crafts,  Samuel  C., 
Fisk,  James, 

Foot,  Solomon,         j 

Paine,  Elijah. 
Palmer,  William  A., 
Phelps,  Samuel  S., 
Prentiss,  Samuel, 
Robinson,  Jonathan, 
Robinson,  Sloses, 
Seymour,  Horatio, 
Smith,  Israel, 
Swift,  Benjamin, 

Tichenor,  Isaac,        j 

Upham,  William, 


1791—1795 

1801—1813 

1864—1866 

1813—1617 

1825—1831 

1797—1602 

1665— 

1842—1843 

1817—1818 

1661—1857 

1857— 

1795—1801 

1818—1825 

1639—1851 

1831—1842 

1807—1815 

1791—1796 

1821—1833 

1802—1807 

1833—1839 

1796—1797 

1815—1621 

1843—1863 


Bepresentaiivcs. 


t  1617—1819 
}  1827-1628 


Allen,  Heman,  *«... — ^^..„ 

( 1833—1639 

Bartlett,  Thomas  Jr.,  1661—1853 

Bradley,  Wm.C.,  \]lllz\m 
Buck,  D.  A.  A.,  llll^Zl^l 
Buck,  Daniel,  1796—1799 


Butler,  Ezra, 
Gaboon,  William, 

Chamberlain,  AVni.,  j 

Cbipman,  Daniel, 
Cbittendcn,  JIartin, 
Collamer,  Jacob, 
Crafts,  Samuel  C., 
Dcming,  Benj.  F., 
Dillingham,  l*aul, 
Elliott,  James, 
Everett,  Horace, 

Fisk,  James,  | 

Fletcher,  Isaac, 
Foot,  Solomon, 
Hall,  Hiland, 
Hebard,  William, 
Hodges,  George  T., 
Henry,  William, 
Hubbard,  Jona.  H., 
Hunt,  Jonathan, 
Hunter,  William, 
Jewett,  Luther, 
Janes,  Henry  F., 
Keyes,  Elias, 
Langdon,  Chauncey, 
Lyon,  Asa, 
Lyon,  Matthew, 
JLillory,  Rollin  C, 
Marsh,  Charle=i, 
Marsh,  George  F., 


Mattocks,  John 


■I 


1813—1815 
1629—1833 
1803—1805 
1809-1811 
1815—1617 
1803—1813 
1643—1849 
1617—1826 
1633—1835 
1843—1647 
1803—1809 
1829—1643 
1805—1809 
1611—1815 
1637—1841 
1643—1847 
1633—1843 
1649—1863 
185G— 1857 
1847—1851 
1609—1811 
1827—1632 
1817—1819 
1815—1817 
1635—1637 
1821—1823 
1815—1817 
1815—1817 
1797—1801 
1819—1631 
1815—1617 
1843—1849 
1821—1823 
1626—1627 
1641—1643 


Meacham,  James,       1849- 
Meech,  Ezra,  j  -.pnrZ 

Merrill,  Orsamus  C,  1817- 
Miner,  Ahiman  L.,      1851- 

Morrili,  Justin  S., 

Morris,  Lewis  R., 
Niles,  Nathaniel, 
Noyes,  John, 
Olin,  Gideon, 
Olin  Henry, 
Peck,  Lucius  B., 

Rich,  Charles, 

Richards,  Mai-k, 

Royce,  Homer  E., 

Sabine,  Alvah, 
Shaw,  Samuel, 
Skinner,  Richard, 
Slade,  William, 

Smith,  Israel, 

Smith,  John, 
Swift,  Benjamin, 

Strong,  William, 

Tracy,  Andrew, 
Wales,  George  E., 

Walton,  Ezekiel  P, 


; 1665- 
1850- 
1797- 
1791- 
1615- 
1803- 
1824- 
1647- 

;  1813- 
1817- 
1817- 

:  1857- 
1859- 
1853- 
1808- 
1613- 
1631- 
1791- 
1801- 

1839- 
1629- 
1811- 
1819- 
1653- 
1826- 
(  1657—: 
'  I  1859— 


J  1811—: 
I  1819—: 


1 

AVhite,  Phineas,  "  1821 
Witbcrell,  James,  1807- 
Young,  Augustus,       1841 


-1656 
-1821 
-1827 
-1819 
-1653 
-1859 

-1603 
-1795 
-1817 
-1807 
-1825 
-1851 
-1615 
-1624 
-1821 
•1859 

•1857 
•1813 
■1815 
1843 
1797 
1803 
1841 
1831 
1815 
1821 
1655 
1829 
1859 

-1823 
-1808 
-1643 


m 

o 

o 
a 


I 


-1    ^  a  ^ 


i   s:§  £'.2  !.;» 

•a    ^'O'^  Sri  s 


S£6H 


w 


o  o 

1-5'-= 


3  S 


o  o  c^ 


I 


g    K 


^a 


^  s'gs  o  s  g  s 

o3'C  c  cs  o  c;  ^ 
Sz;  cc  w  W  JS  S  <;  .^ 


JB    00 


u 


o 


n 

03    H 

9 

Pi 

o 

Pi 


Ph 


H 


CO 

I 


f-i  00  U5 
t-t  o  cl 

51   CO      ^ 


CO 

I 


5  E 


•^O    CB    =    S 


*^  ^    O    3    E  .£ 


-a  o 


Oh3 


00 

p 


7  -a 


8^": 


5  0.2       >.     -q 

E  o  ci,  Q^  &._  c  t-  c 

^  C  m  p  «  J"  S:J3J5 


05 
I 

00 

CO 


>5 


i  "  < 

>J  N  s 


g  =  S     o 
•s  s  -S  g  «    o 

^   £  5  cc  ^-  ::q    ■    - 

PS  wo  £-■<!»<; 


to  ^ 

■5  CO 
>^   . 


<;o 


>o 


r. 


<N  K    ='■§ 

>-5   •< 


^     -       ^     - 

=  25   .c  c 
»*  S  j3  iT  g  o  t: 

=  '*'3H.S  -^ 

W  («  —         —  C  t— I 

^  C  03  C  »  _, 

C      P    -i^      C«     C      QJ     fc 

i-=H!z!>-s(Oa!p-s 


»  . 
.S  o. 
SO 


00 


o  >.  S 

|1<  <  CI 

3  I  S 

s  5  s 

i-s  S  t-s 


hq 


i-s  1-5  *i;  ^  h^ -35  H 


1  2 


^    S 


I 

o 

00 


gS|o^fS^£5 
Ota.— 't>-=s®oo<D 


T-H       a:    u 


S5     U 
o    ci    >< 


&     M 


S  H 


o    e 
•-I  a  (>  . 

K     —    on 


50         G     . — TO 

.i^  ^  T3  cS  rt     . 
Oh2W^03A5 


—  ce 
SB 

So 

j::    . 


=  « 

w  „ 


a>  o 


-?H 


(987) 


CD 
1-0 

00 
1-1 
I 
(» 

CO 


P5 


m 


< 


sss 

O    CO 

CJ    OO 

)- 

iQ 

S:    >5 

.     C-     a 

4 

o 

CO 

1 

oddard, 
rtlett, 
n  Steele 
Alcock, 
y  Walke 
Aldrich 
Tarieto 

rH 

^o 

^ 

03    2 

««|t|&l 

S5 

S5 

I 

o 
o 

CO 


rt^ 

m 

s^ 

F 

tT 

s 

T. 

t: 

H 

^ 

P3 

> 

OJ 

:- 

>^ 

.-5 

r 

SO 

? 

^ 

O 

WHPQ^ 

<35    lO 

1-1    lO 

I-  to 


I 


I— 1    ^  . 


S  C-S.O  go 


I 


Cf     £ 


.0^    . 


SK 


1— 1 

o 

CO 

U) 

I  ji  --£ . 

p:  p:  CO  ;z5  H  ft  ►S  ►^ 


F= 

> 

, 

B 

03 

J^ 

a 

< 

'S 

Is 

c: 
cr 

1 

P 

O 

1-5 

C 

S 

1 

1 

1 
CO 

Robei 
Thorn 
Georg 
Benin 

S 

CO 

I 


ca^ 


eP'l«s 


5j  ■£-(*«  fen 

o  o  o  ^  o  -o 


I 

00 
00 


^,    ^  a.  ^ 

E^     o  S  fcE  „ 
S  gD-COCL, 

^r^  o  o  o 


I 

OO 


«3  J>j  ».  t-  iJ' 

■^  t-  O    oj  '7-'    U  t-„ 

•S  -a  rt   =   c3  [i,  "^  ; 

fe]  ■s  ""We-"  a; 


1  oj  oi 


I 

00 
O 

00 


£!^J 


S|g 


S  Qj  o  2  S~-;= 

Ji  ^  — ^  ci  o  0)  o 


5m 


0.0 


65 
o  a 


§2 

E  S 


tog 


5^ 


P  o 

C3   J2 


a  h 
c  ,o 


o3 


fel 


cJ      E 

^   <3         O 

K-si 

■°-a     ^ 

P.  to 

SS.S« 

S    0.   3.2 

mC-l 

O  OJ3   1 

Is 

llfs 

t^X  c-a 

"a 

a>  a 

■S-SSS 

o    „ 

•0(£  g  i 

„s 

fcKSi 

e-S 

=  g'Sg 

il 

^  o  jr  ja 

H-H^ 

H^CJEH 

"  «» t 

1- 

,n 

rH 

'? 

tx 

M^ 

M 

00 

g 

f^ 

:1 

s 

n 

w 

u 

o 

s  »  s 

s   ^   s 

►^    K    Hs 


^   C   C3   2   cS   C 


H 

M 

0 

O 
I 

H 

H 

K 
H 


(D     -!j"     t- 


'-'    ;>  a  -C 


F4  n 


S      M      O 
«3^    C^   t- 

00"  to" 


I 


CO 
CO 


i-H    -w    gj    o 


55 


C   cd   r-        ,5   O   ^ 


I 

CD 


ra   g  ^ 


ss 

!•- 

^> 

rT> 

,^ 

N 

CD 

is 

i 

>: 

(N 

CO 

CO 

1— 1 

to 

D 

fe 

<5 

^ 

g 

d 

1 

OJ4  (j5 


b  P5  fc  o  aj 

^-    C3  'g    O    fc-    qj  — 

■F.2  s  9  S  &« 


■>* 

S 

^ 

J?! 

00 

Id 

""    s 

^ 

H 

j! 

Henry  Hubbard, 
Samuel  Jones, 
Jabez  A.  Dougla 
Samuel  Webster, 
Nathaniel  B.  Bak 

CO 
rH 

en 

H 
•J 

pi 

to 

a 
"C 

0 

^ 

- 

1 

CQ 

w  o  CO 


CI 

I 

00 


fe    5 


S5  oa 


M  Oi  OS  CO 
CO  CO  O  O) 
I-    1-     kO     O 


fe^ 


iTg  §:=  3  S  =8  — 
oES"»i2o£  — 

O  03  CO  ?  !z;  H  W  (S 


I 
00 

00 


>    -E 


-  :§es  . 

«  M  S  n  t>  £ 

W    03    O    O  "T  •— ' 
CC  l-j  1-3  1-5  K  Cfi 


(989) 


990 


ELECTORAL   VOTE   OF   VERMONT, 


ELECTORAL  VOTE  IN  VERMONT  FROM  1792   TO   1856;    NAMES  OF 
ELECTORS;    AND  POPULAR  VOTE  FROM  1828 1  TO   1856. 


1792-3.    George  Washington, 

John  Adams, 

Vacancy, 

Electors.^ 
Samuel  Shattuck, 
Lot  Hall, 
Lemuel  Chipman, 
Paul  Brigham. 

1796-7.    John  Adams, 

Thojias  Pinckney, 

Electors. 
Elii'ah  Dewey, 
Eli'sha  Slieldon, 
John  Brulgman, 
Oliver  Gallop. 

1800-1.    John  Adams, 

C.  C.  Pinckney, 

Electors, 
Elijah  Dewe}^, 
Jonathan  Hunt, 
Roswell  Hopkins, 
William  Chamberlin. 


1804-5.    Thomas  Jefferson,  Pres. 
George  Clinton,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Josiah  Wright, 
Samuel  Shaw, 
Ezra  Butler, 
Nathaniel  Niles, 
William  Hunter, 
John  Noyes. 

1808-9.    James  Madison,  Pres. 

John  Langdon,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Israel  Smith, 
Jonas  Galusha, 
John  White, 
Samuel  Shepardson, 
James  Tarbox, 
William  Gaboon. 


1312-13.  Jaiies  Madison,  Pres. 

Elbridge  Gerry,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Nathaniel  Niles, 
Noah  Chittenden, 
William  Slade, 
John  H.  Andrews, 
Elihu  Luce, 
Josiah  Wright, 
William  A.  Griswold, 
Mark  Ricli.ards. 


Elect. 
Vote. 


1816-17.  James  Monroe,  Pres. 

D.  D.  Tompkins,  V.  Pres. 

Ekclors. 
Jonathan  Robinson, 
Apollos  Austin, 
Robert  Holley, 
William  Brayton, 
James  Roberts, 
Asaph  Fletcher, 
John  H.  Cotton, 
Isaiah  Fisk. 

1820-1.    James  Monroe,  Pres. 

D.  D.  Tompkins,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Jonas  Galusha, 
Gilbert  Denison, 
Pliny  Smith, 
Aaron  Leland, 
Timothy  Stanley, 
William  Slade,  Jr., 
D.  A.  A.  Buck, 
Ezra  Butler. 


1824-5.    John  Quincy  Adams,  Pres. 
John  C.  Calhoun,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Jonas  Galusha, 
Titus  Hutchinson, 
Joseph  Bun-, 
John  Mason, 
Jabez  Proctor, 
Asa  Aldis, 
Daniel  Carpenter. 

1828-9.    John  Quincy  Adams,        24,364 
Andrew  Jackson,  8,353 

Richard  Rush,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Jonas  Galusha, 
Ezra  Butler, 
John  Phelps, 
Apollos  Austin, 
William  Jarvis, 
Asa  Aldis, 
Josiah  Dana. 

1832-3.    William  Wirt,  13,106 

Henry  Clay,  1i|i52 

Andrew  Jackson,  7,870 
Amos  Elmaker,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Asa  Aldis, 
James  Tarbox, 
John  S.  Pettibone, 
Amos  Thompson, 
William  Strong, 
Nathan  Leavenworth, 
Augustus  Clark. 


Elect 
Vote. 


1  Previous  to  1828,  the  presidential  electors  In  Vermont  were  chosen  by  the  Assembly, 
electors  were  required  to  be  chosen  by  the  people. 

2  From  some  c;iuse,  but  three  of  these  electors  voted. 


By  a  law  passed  in  1824, 


ELECTORAL   VOTE   OF  VERMONT. 


991 


1836-7.    Wm.  Hekky  Hahkison,     20,996 
Mabtln  Van  Bukek,  14,039 

Fbancis  Granger,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Jabez  Proctor, 
Samuel  Swift, 
David  Crawford, 
Zimri  How^, 
Titus  Hutchinson, 
W.  A.  Griswold, 
Edward  Lamb. 


1840-1.    Wm.  Henry  Harrison,  32,440 

Martin  Van  Bueen,  18,007 

James  G.  Birney,  319 

Scattering,  7 

John  Tyler,  V.  Pres. 

JEkctors. 
Samuel  C.  Crafts, 
Ezra  Meech, 
William  Henry, 
John  Conant, 
Abner  B.  W.  Tenney, 
William  P.  Briggs, 
Joseph  Bced. 

1844-5.    Henry  Clay,  26,770 

James  K.  Polk,  18,041 

James  G.  Bibney,  3,954 

Theodore  Fbelinghuysen,V.P. 

Electors. 
Jedediah  H.  Harris, 
John  Peck, 
Calvin  Townsley, 
Carlos  Coolidge, 
Benjamin  Swift, 
Erastus  Fairbanks. 


Elect. 

Vote. 

7 


1848-9.     Zachary  Taylor,  23,122 

Martin  Van  Buben,  13,837 

Le\vis  Cass,  10,948 

Millard  Fillmore,  V.  Pres. 

Elect<yrs. 
Erastus  Fairbanks, 
Timothy  Follett, 
George  T.  Hodges, 
Andrew  Tracey, 
Albert  L.  Catlin, 
EUjah  Cleveland. 


[852-3.    WiNFiELD  Scott,  22,173 

Franklin  Pierce,  13,044 

John  P.  Hale,  8,621 

Scattering,  52 

William  A.  Graham,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
Portus  Baxter, 
A.  P.  Lyman, 
E.  P.  Walton, 
Edward  Eirkland, 
Samuel  Adams. 


1856-7.    John  C.  Fremont,  39,563 

James  Buchanan,  10,577 

Millard  Fillmore,  546 

Scattering,  75 

William  L.  Dayton,  V.  Pres. 

Electors. 
William  C.  Bradley, 
Lawrence  Brainerd, 
George  W.  Strong, 
Portus  Baxter, 
John  Porter. 


Elect. 

Vote. 

6 


NUMBER   OF  ELECTORAL  VOTES   TO   WHICH  EACH   STATE   HAS   BEEN  ENTITLED 
AT  EACH  PRESIDENTIAL  ELECTION. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

00 

to 

0 

■^ 

00 

N 

t- 

00 

00 

T-l 

Si 

r-i 

T-4 

IH 

00 

CO 

00 

00 

00 

Maine 

s 

9 

9 

10 

10 

10 

9 

9 

8 

« 

New  Hampshire 

5 

6 

6 

6 

7 

7 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

7 

7 

7 

6 

fi 

5 

5 

Vermont 

4 

4 

4 

6 

6 

8 

8 

8 

7 

7 

7 

7 

7 

6 

6 

6 

6 

APPORTIONMENT    OF    FEDERAL    REPRESENTATIVES,  AND   RATIO   OF   REPRESENT 
TATION  BY  THE   CONSTITUTION,  AND   AT  EACH   CENSUS. 


i  a; 

u 

"  a 
3  ■§ 

0    B 

Kl       CO 

TO     *^ 

1   a 

3    S 

i  s 
fi  * 

S     TO 

"3  a 
1  ■§ 

to 

i  s 

Ratio  of  Representation 
Me.  adm't  Mar.  15, 1820 
New  Hampshire 
Vt.  admit'd  Mar.  4, 1791 

30,000 
3 

33,000 

4 
2 

33,000 

5 
4 

36,000 

6 
6 

40,000 
7 
6 
5 

40,700 
8 
6 
6 

70,680 
7 
4 
4 

93,423 
6 
3 
3 

APPENDIX  F. 


GUBERNATORIAL  VOTE  IN  MAINE,  NEW  HAMPSHERB,  AND  VERMONT, 
TOGETHER  WITH  THE  GOVERNORS  AND  ACTING  GOVERNORS  IN 
MAINE    AND    NEW    HAMPSHIRE. 


MAINE,  1830  TO  1858. 


1820. 
1821. 

1822. 

1823. 
1824. 
1825. 
1826. 
1827. 
1828. 
1829. 

1830. 

1831. 

1832. 

1833. 


William  King,  21,083 
Scattering,  1,  31 

Albion  K.Parris,  12,887 
Joshua  Wingate,  jr.  3,879 
Ezekiel  Whitman,  6,811 
Scattering,  811 

Albion  K.Parris,  15,476 
Ezekiel  Wliitman^  6,795 
Joshua  Wingate,  jr.,  755 
Scattering,  154 

Albion  K.  Parris,  18,550 
Scattering,  850 

Albion  K.  Parris,  19,779 
Scattering,  660 

Albion  K.  Parris,  14,206 
Scattering,  1,046 

Enoch  Lincoln,  20,689 
Scattering,  374 

Enoch  Lincoln,  19,969 
Scattering,  489 

Enoch  Lincoln,  25,745 
Scattering,  2,364 


Jona.  G.  Hunton,  23,315 
Samuel  E.  Smith,  22,991 
Scattering,  245 

Samuel  E.  Smith,  30,215 
Jona.  G.  Hunton,  28,639 
Scattering,  238 

Samuel  E.  Smith,  28,292 
Daniel  Goodenow,  21,821 
Scattering,     •  106 

Samuel  E.  Smith,  31,987 
Daniel  Goodenow,  27,651 
Hoses  Carlton,  869 

Scattering,  90 

EoB'T  P.  DuNLAr,  25,731 
Daniel  Goodenow,  18,112 
Thomas  A.  Hill,        2,384 


Samuel  E.  Smith, 
Scattering, 


3,034 
101 


1834. 


1835. 


1836. 


1837. 


1838. 


Kob't  p.  Dunlap,  38,133 

Peleg  Spraguc,  83,732 

Thomas  A.  Hill,  1,076 

Scattering,^  90 

RoB'T  P.  Dunlap,  45,208 
William  King,  16,860 

Scattering,  615 

RoB'T  P.  Dunlap,  31,837 
Edward  Kent,  22,703 

Scattering,  148 


Edward  Kent, 
Gorham  Parks 
Scattering, 

John  Fairfield, 

Edward  Kent, 
Scattering, 


34,358 

33,879 

2S6 

46,216 

42,897 
486 


1839.  John  Fairfield,  41,038 
Edward  Kent,  34,749 
Scattering,  208 

1840.  Edward  Kent,^  45,574 
John  Fairfield,  45,507 
Scattering,  98 

1841.  John  Fairfield,  47,354 
Edward  Kent,  36,790 
Jeremiah  Curtis,  1,662 
Scattering,  347 

1842.  John  Fairfield,  40,855 
Edward  Robinson,  26,745 
James  Appleton,  4,080 
Scattering,  100 

1843.  H.  J.  Anderson,  32,029 
Edward  Robinson,  20,973 
James  Appleton,  6,746 
Edward  Kavanagh,  3,221 
Scattering,  170 

1844.  H.  J.  Anderson,  48,942 
Edward  Robinson,  38,501 
James  Appleton,  6,245 
Scattering,  165 


1845.  H.  J.  Anderson,  34,711 
Freeman  H.  Morse,  26,341 
Samuel  Fessenden,  5,867 
Scattering,  486 

1846.  John  W.  Dana,^  36,031 
David  Bronson,  29,557 
Samuel  Fessenden,  9,398 
Scattering,  678 

1847.  John  W.  Dana,  33,429 
David  Bronson,  24,246 
Samuel  Fessenden,  7,352 
Scattering,  275 

1848.  John  W.  Dana,'  39,760 
Elijah  L.  Hamlin,  29,929 
Samuel  Fessenden,  12,037 
Scattering,  653 

1849.  John  Hubbard,  37,636 
Elij.ah  L.  Hamlin,  28,056 
George  F.  Talbot,  7,987 
Scattering,  102 

1850.  John  Hubbard,  41,203 
William  G.  Crosbv,  32,120 
George  F.  Talbotj  7,267 
Scattering,  75 

1851.  By  a  change  in  the  consti- 

tution of  the  State,  pro- 
viding for  the  session  of 
the  Legislature  in  the 
winter  instead  of  sum- 
mer, all  State  officers 
elected  in  1850  held  of- 
fice until  1852— no  elec- 
tion being  held  in  1861. 

1862.  John  Hubbard,  41,999 
Wm.  G.  Chosby,2  29,127 
Anson  G.  Chandler,  21,774 
Ezekiel  Holmes,  1,617 

Scattering,  190 

1853.  A.  Pillsbury,  86,386 

Wm.  G.  Crosbt,2  27,061 

Anson  P.  Morrill,  11,027 

Ezekiel  Holmes,  8,996 

Scattering,  157 


1  1429  Totes,  distributed  among  the  several  candidates  and  included  in  the  above  returns,  were  rejected. 

2  Chosen  in  convention  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. 

(992) 


HEW  HAMPSHIEE  —  PROVINCIAL  GOVERNMENT. 


993 


1654.  A.  P.  MoBEiLi,,  44,565 

Albion  K.  Parris,  28,462 

Isaac  Reed,  14,001 

Shepard  Gary,  8,478 

Scattering,  127 

1855.   A.  P.  Morrill,'  61,441 

Samuel  Wells,  48,345 


Isaac  Reed, 
Scattering, 


10,610 
81 


1856.   Hann'l  Hamlin,  69,674 

Samuel  Wells,  43,628 

George  F.  Patten,  6,664 

Scattering,  68 


1857.  Lot  M.  Morrill,  54,665 
Manasseh  H.  Smith,  42,968 
Scattering,  256 

1858.  Lot  M.  Morrill,  60,380 
Manasseh  H.  Smith,  62,440 
Scattering,  78 


GOVERNORS    AND    ACTING    GOVERNORS    OF    MAINE    FROM    1820    TO    1860. 


Names. 


When  Inaugurated. 


William  King, 
William  D.  Williamson, 
Benjamin  Ames, 
Daniel  Rose, 
Albion  K.  Parris, 
Enoch  Lincoln, 
Nathan  Cutler, 
Jonathan  G.  Hunton, 
Samuel  E.  Smith, 
Robert  P.  Dunlap, 
Edward  Kent, 
John  Fairfield, 

Richard  H.  Vose, 
Edward  Kent, 
John  Fairfield, 
Edward  Kavanagh, 
Hugh  Anderson, 
John  W.  Dana, 
John  Hubbard, 
William  G.  Crosby, 
Anson  P.  Morrill, 
Samuel  Wells, 
Hannibal  Hamlin, 
Joseph  H.  Williams, 
Lot  M.  Morrill, 


June 

Acting,  Maj' 

"        Dec. 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jan. 
Acting.  Oct. 

Feb. 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jan. 

Jan. 


1,  1820, 
28,  1821, 

5,  1821, 

2,  1822, 
4,  1822, 
4,  1827, 

12,  1829, 

10,  1830, 

8,  1831, 

2,  1834, 

19,  1838, 

4,  1839, 


Acting,  Jan.  12, 

Jan.  13, 

Jan.  6, 

Acting,  March  7, 

Jan.  6, 

May  18, 

May  13, 

Jan.  18, 

Jan.  6, 

Jan.  4, 

Jan.  8, 

Acting,  Feb.  26, 

Jan.  8, 


1841, 
1841, 
1842, 
1843, 
1844, 
1847, 
1850, 
1853, 
1855, 
1856, 
1857, 
1857, 
1858. 


Termination  of 
Office. 


Jan. 
Jan. 
Jan. 
Oct. 


May  28,  1821. 
Dec.    6,  1821. 

2, 1822. 

4,  1S22. 

4, 1827. 

8,  1829. 
Feb.  10,  1830. 
Jan.  8,  1831. 
Jan.  2, 1834. 
Jan.  19,  1838. 
Jan.  4, 1839. 
Jan.  12,  1841. 

Jan.  13,  1841. 
Jan.  6,  1842. 
March  7, 1843. 
Jan.  5,  1844. 
May  18,  1847. 
May  13, 1850. 
Jan.  18,  1853. 
Jan.  6, 1855. 
Jan.  4,  1856. 
Jan.  8,  1857. 
Feb.  26,  1857. 
Jan.     8,  1668. 


Remarks. 


Resigned. 

Resigned,  (Pres't  of  Senate). 

,  (Speaker  of  House). 

,  (Pres't  of  Senate). 


Deceased. 


,  (Pres't  of  Senate). 


Office    declared    vacant     by 

legislature. 
,  (Pres't  of  Senate). 

Resigned. 


,  (Pres't  of  Senate). 


Rcsifmed. 


,  (Pres't  of  Senate). 


NE\V"   HAMPSHIRE. 
PROVINCIAL    GOVERNMENT    FROM   1680    TO   1776. 

1680.  John  Cutt,       appointed  president  by  Charles  H. 

1681.  Richard  Waldron,     "  "  "        "        " 

1682.  Edward  Cranfield,    "  "  "        "        " 

1685.  Walter  Barefoot,      "  "  "    James  IL 

1686.  Joseph  Dudley,        "  "  "        "        " 

1687.  Edmund  Andros,      "  "  "        "        " 

1689.  Simon  Bradstreet,  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire. 

1691.  John  Hickes,  acting  president  under  government  of  Massachusetts. 

1692.  John  Usher,  appointed  lieutenant-governor  by  William  III.  and  Mary. 

1697.  William  Partridge, "  "  "  ''  " 

1698.  Samuel  Allen,  "  governor  "  "        "  " 

1699.  Richard  Coote,  Earl  of  Bellamont,  appointed  governor  by  William  III.  and  Mary. 

1703.  Joseph  Dudley,  appointed  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  by  Queen  Anne. 

1716.  George  Vaughan,     "  lieutenant-govei-nor  by  George  I. 

1716.  Samuel  Shute,         "  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  by  George  I. 

1717.  John  Wentworth,    "  lieutenant-governor  by  George  I. 

1728.  William  Burnet,       "  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  by  George  II. 

1730.  Jonathan  Belcher,    "  lieutenant-governor  of  Mass.        "  "         "        "        " 

1731.  David  Dunbar,  "  "  "  "  New  Hampshire  by  George  H. 
1741.  Benning  Wentworth,  appointed  governor  "  "  "  "  "  " 
1767.  John  Wentworth,             "                "                      "      "            "  "        "      HL 

1776.  January  6,  to  June  10,  1784.     Council  of  twelve,  of  which  Meshech  Weare  was  annually 
chosen  president. 


1  Chosen  in  convention  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Kepresentativea. 


994 


GUBERNATORIAL   VOTE    OF   NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


GUBERNATORIAI-    VOTE,    1784  —  1859. 


1784.  Meshech  Weare,' 

1785.  George  Atkinson, 
John  LangdoNj^ 
Scattering, 


176 


John  Sullivan, 

John  Langdon, 
Scattering, 


2,755 
2,497 
1,497 

4,309 

3,600 

638 


178T.  John  Langdon,  4,034 

John  Suluvan,-  3,642 

Josiah  Bartlett,  628 

Samuel  Livermore,  603 


1788. 
1789. 

1790. 

1791. 

1792. 
1793. 

1794. 
1795. 
1796. 
1797. 
1798. 

1799. 
1800. 

1801. 


John  Langdon, 

John  Sullivan, 
Scattering, 

John  Sullivan,' 
John  Pickering, 
Josiah  Bartlett, 
Joshua  Wentworth, 


4,421 

3,664 

753 

3,657 

3,488 

968 

89 


John  Pickering,  3,169 

Joshua  Wentworth,  2,369 

Josiah  Bartlett,'  1,776 

Nathaniel  Peabody,  294 

Josiah  Baetlett,  8,679 

Scattering,  288 

Josiah  Baetlett,  8,092 

Scattering,  297 

Josiah  Bartlett,  7,388 

John  Langdon,  1,306 

Scattering,  1,160 

.John  T.  Giljian,  7,829 

Scattering,  1,160 

John  T.  Gilman,  9,340 

Scattering,  2,650 

John  T.  Gilman,  7,809 

Scattering,  2,966 

John  T.  Gilman,  9,625 

Scattering,  1,198 

John  T.  Oilman,  9,397 

Oliver  Peabody,  1.169 

Scattering,  1,567 


John  T.  Gilman,  10,138 

Scattering,  1,690 

John  T.  Gilman,  10,362 

Timothy  Walker,  6,039 

Scattering,  361 

John  T.  Gilman,  10,898 

Timothy  Walker,  5,249 

Scattering,  692 


1802. 

1803. 

1804. 
1805. 
1606. 
1807. 
1808. 
1809. 


John  T.  Oilman, 
John  Langdon, 
Scattering, 

John  T.  Oilman, 
John  Langdon, 
Scattering, 

John  T.  Oilman, 
John  Langdon, 

John  Langdon, 
John  T.  Gilman, 

John  Langdon, 
Scattering, 


10,337 

,  8,753 

76 

12,263 

9,011 

43 

12,216 
12,060 

16,097 
12,287 

15,277 
5,298 


John  Langdon,      13,912 
Scattering,  2,949 


John  Langdon, 
Scattering, 


12,641 
3,258 


Jeremiah  Smith,  15,610 
John  Langdon,  15,241 
Scattering,  132 


1810.  John  Langdon,  16,325 
Jeremiah  Smith,  15,166 
Scattering,  84 

1811.  John  Langdon,  17,523 
Jeremiah  Smith,  14,477 
Scattering,  65 

1812.  John  T.  Gilman,  15,613 
Wm.  Plumee,3  15,492 
Scattering,  887 

1813.  John  T.  Oilman,  18,107 
William  Plumer,  17,410 
Scattering,  132 

1814.  John  T.  Oilman,  19,695 
William  Plumer,  18,794 
Scattering,  53 

1615.   John  T.  Oilman,  18,357 

William  Plumer,  17,799 

Scattering,  38 

1816.  William  Plum  EK,  20,338 
James  Sheafe,  17,994 
Scattering,  75 

1817.  William  Plumer,  19,088 
James  Sheafe,  12,029 
Scattering,  4,258 


1818.  William  Plumer,  18,674 
Jeremiah  JIason,  6,850 
Scattering,  5,941 

1819.  Samuel  Bell,  13,751 
William  Hale,  8,600 
Scattering,  1,854 


1820. 
1821. 
1822. 
1823. 

1824. 


Samuel  Bell, 
Scattering, 

Samuel  Bell, 
Scattering, 

Samuel  Bell, 
Scattering, 


22,212 

2,559 

22,682 
1,860 

22,934 
1,046 


Levi  Woodhuey,  16,985 
Samuel  Dinsmoor,  12,718 
Scattering,  240 

D.  L.  MoRBiLL,*  14,699 
Levi  Woodbury,  11,741 
Scattering,  3,708 


1825.  D.  L.  MoRRiLL,<  29,166 
Scattering,  663 

1826.  D.  L.  Morrill,*  17,578 
Benjamin  Pierce,  12,287 
Scattering,  386 

1827.  Benj.  Pieece,  23,695 
David  L.  Morrill,  2,529 
Scattering,  1,187 

1828.  John  Bell,  21,149 
Benjamin  Pierce,  18,672 
Scattering,  76 

1829.  Benj.  Pierce,  22,615 
John  Bell,  19,583 
Scattering,  48 

1830.  Matt'w  Harvey,  23,214 

Timothy  Upham,  19,040 

Scattering,  187 

1831.  Sam'l  Dinsmoor,  23,503 
Ichabod  Bartlett,  18,6S1 
Scattering,  HO 

1632.    Sam'l  Dinsmoor,  24,167 

Arthur  Livermore,  14,920 

Scattering,  i4e 

1838.    Sam'l  Dinsmoor,  28,279 

Arthur  Livermore,  3,959 

Scattering,  1^238 


1834. 
1635. 

1836 

1837. 


William  Badger,  28,552 
Scattering,  x^621 

William  Badger,  25,767 
Joseph  Healey,  14,825 
Scattering, 


Isaac  Hill, 
Joseph  Healey, 
Scattering, 

Isaac  Hill, 

Scattering, 


308 

24,904 
2,566 
3,455 

22,361 
2,171 


I  Probably  elected  by  unanimous  vote.     No  official  statement  of  the  vote  is  found  on  njcord, 
3  Elected  by  the  Senate,  there  being  no  choice  by  the  people. 

3  There  being  no  choice  by  the  people,  Plumer  was  elected  in  conventiou  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Itenre- 
sentatives,  liaving  a  majority  of  twenty-two  votes.  ^ 

*  Chosen  in  convention  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. 


GUBERNATORIAL   VOTE   OF  NEW   HAMPSHIRE VERMONT. 


995 


1838.  Isaac  HiLi,, 

James  Wilson,  jr. 
Scattering, 


1839. 


John  Page, 
James  Wilson,  jr. 
Scattering, 


1840.  John  Page, 
Enos  Stevens, 
Scattering, 


John  Page, 
Enos  Stevens, 
Scattering, 


1841. 


28,697 

25,244 

629 

30,518 

23,928 

155 

29,621 

20,716 

562 

29,116 

21,230 

1,343 


1842.  Henry  Hubbard,  26,831 
Enos  Stevens,  12,234 
Scattering,  0,039 

1843.  Henry  Hubbard,  23,050 
Anthony  Colby,  12,551 
John  H.  White,  5,497 
Daniel  Hoit,  3,402 
Scattering,  33 

1844.  John  H.  Steele,  25,986 
Anthony  Colby,  14,750 
Daniel  Hoit,  5,767 
John  H.  White,  1,988 
Scattering,  201 

1845.  John  H.  Steele,  23,406 
Anthony  Colby,  15,579 


Daniel  Hoit, 
Scattering, 


6,786 
994 


1846.  Jared  W.  Williams,  26,740 
Anthony  Colby,'  17,707 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  10,397 
Scattering,  668 

1847.  J.  W.  Williams,  30,806 
Anthony  Colby,  21,109 
Nathaniel  S.  Beny,  8,531 
Scattering,  64 

1848.  J.  W.  Williams,  32,245 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  28,829 
Scattering,  468 

1849.  Sam'l  Dihsmooe,  30,107 
Levi  Chamberlain,  18,704 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  7,046 
Scattering,  117 

1860.  Sam'l  Dinsmook,  30,751 
Levi  Chamberlain,  18,512 
Nathaniel  S.  Berry,  6,472 
Scattering  64 

1861.  Sam'l  Dinsmook,^  27,425 
Thos.  E.  Sawyer,  18,458 
John  Atwood,  12,049 
Scattering,  179 

1852.  Noah  Martin,  30,807 
Thos.  E.  Sawyer,     19,850 


1863. 


1854. 


1855. 


John  Atwood, 
Scattering, 

Noah  Martin, 
James  Bell, 
John  H.  White, 
Scattering, 


9,479 
269 

30,934 

17,590 

7,995 

47 


Nath'l  B.  Baker,  29,788 
James  Bell,  16,941 

Jared  Perkins,         11,080 
Scattering,  122 


Ralph  Metoalf, 
Nath'l  B.  Baker, 
James  Bell, 
Asa  Fowler, 
Scattering, 


32,769 

27,055 

3,436 

1,237 

193 


1856.  >JRalph  Metcalf,'  32,119 

John  S.  Wells,  32,031 

Ichabod  Goodwin,  2,360 

Scattering,  193 

1867.    William.Haile,  34,216 

John  S.  Wells,  31,214 

Scattering,  452 

1858.  William  Haile,  36,215 
Asa  P.  Cate,  31,079 
Scattering,  72 

1859.  Ichabod  Goodwin,  30,368 
Asa  P.  Cate,  32,825 
Scattering, 


VERMONT,    1792-1858. 
1778-88.    Thomas  Chittenden.  1796-7.        Thojias  Chittenden. 


1789. 


Moses  Robinson.* 


1790-96.    Thomas  Chittenden. 

1792-3.      Thomas  CHrrTENDEN, 
Isaac  Tichenor, 
Noah  Smith, 

1793-4.      Thomas  Chittenden, 
Isaac  Tichenor, 

1794-6.      Thomas  Chittenden. 


1795-6.      Thomas  Chittenden. 


3,184 

2,712 

174 

2,623 
2,000 


1797-8.       Isaac  Tichenor, 
Moses  Robinson, 
Israel  Smith, 


1798-9. 


1799- 
1800 


1801-2. 


Isaac  Tichenor, 
Israel  Smith, 

Isaac  Tichenor, 
Israel  Smith, 
Scattering, 


Isaac  Tichenor, 
Israel  Smith, 
Scattering, 


6,211 

2,806 

332 

7,454 
3,915 

6,444 

3,239 

380 


1800-1.      Isaac  Tichenor  (majority),       2,060 


7,823 

5,085 

181 


1802-3.      Isaac  Tichenor  (majority),       2,100 


1  There  being  no  choice  by  the  people,  Colby  was  elected  in  convention  of  the  Legislature,  having  a  majority  of 
twenty-two  votes. 

2  Dinsmoor  was  elected  in  convention  of  the  legislature,  having  a  majority  of  four  votes. 

3  Elected  in  convention  of  the  TiCgislature,  having  a  majority  of  twenty -five  votes. 

*  Chosen  by  the  Council  and  General  Assembly  on  joint  ballot,  the  people  having  failed  to  elect  a  governor. 


996 


GUBERNATORIAL  TOTE  OP  VERMONT. 


1821-2. 

Richard  Skinner, 
Scattering, 

11,520 
167 

1803-4. 

Isaac  Tichenor, 

8,796 

1822-3. 

Cornelius  P.  Van  Ness 

11,479 

Moses  Robinson, 

6,665 

Dudley  Chase, 

10,088 

Scattering, 

232 

Scattering, 

843 

1804-5. 

Isaac  Tichenok, 

8,682 

1823-4. 

Cornelius  P.  Van  Ness, 
Joel  Doohttle, 
Scattering, 

13,413 

1,962 

346 

1805-6. 

Isaac  Tichenor, 

8,551 

1824-5. 

Cornelius  P.  Van  Ness 
almost  unanimous). 

(vote 

1806-y. 

Israel  Smith  (inajority),i 

1,160 

1826-6. 

Ezra  Butler, 
Joel  Doolittle, 
Scattering, 

8,966 
3,167 
2,037 

1807-8. 

Isaac  Tichenor, 

13,634 

1826-7. 

Ezra  Butler, 

13,699 

Israel  Smith, 

13,202 

Joel  Doolittle, 

3,950 

1808-9. 

Jonas  Galusha, 
Isaac  Tichenor, 
Scattering, 

14,583 

13,467 

498 

1827-8. 

Samuel  C.  Crafts, 

1809-10. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

13,810 

1828-9. 

Samuel  C.  Crafts, 

14,325 

Isaac  Tichenor, 

9,618 

Heman  Allen, 

7,346 

Scattering, 

361 

Joel  Doolittle, 
Scattering, 

3,973 
50 

1810-11. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

13,828 

Martin  Chittenden, 

11,214 

1829-30. 

Samuel  C.  Crafts, 

13,476 

Scattering, 

558 

William  A.  Palmer, 
Ezra  Meech, 

10,923 
6,285 

1811-12. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

19,158 

M.artin  Chittenden, 

15,950 

1830-1. 

William  A.  Palmer,- 

15,258 

Scattering, 

644 

Heman  Allen, 
Ezra  Meech, 

12,999 
6,158 

1812-13. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

16,828 

Martin  Chittenden,^ 

16,632 

1831-2. 

William  A.  Palmer,= 

17,318 

Scattering, 

605 

Samuel  C.  Crafts, 
Ezra  Meech, 

15,499 
8,210 

1813-14. 

Martin  Chittenden, 

17,466 

Jonas  Galusha, 

17,411 

1832-3. 

William  A.  Palmer, 

Ezra  Meech, 

20,565 
15,683 

1814-15. 

Jonas  Galusha, 
Martin  Chittenden, 

18,055 
16,632 

Horatio  Seymour, 

1,765 

Scattering, 

571 

1833-4. 

William  A.  Palmer,^ 
William  C.  Bradley, 

17,131 

10,385 

1815-16. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

17,262 

Horatio  Seymour, 

10,159 

William  Strong, 
Scattering, 

13,888 
102 

1834-5. 

William  A.  Palmer,^ 
William  0.  Bradley, 

16,210 
13,254 

1816-17. 

Jonas  Galusha, 
Isaac  Tichenor, 

13,756 
7,430 

Charles  Paine, 
Scattering, 

6,435 
54 

1835-6. 

Silas  H.  Jenison, 

20,471 

1817-18. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

15,243 

William  C.  Bradley, 

16,124 

Scattering, 

749 

Scattering, 

35 

1818-19. 

Jonas  Galusha, 

12,628 

1836-7. 

Silas  H.  Jenison, 

22.260 

William  C.  Bradley, 

1,058 

William  C.  Bradley, 
Scattering, 

17,730 
8 

1819-20. 

Richard  Skinner, 

13,162 

Scattering, 

934 

1837-8. 

Silas  H.  Jenison, 
William  C.  Bradley, 

24,738 
19,194 

1820-21. 

Richard  Skinner, 

Scattering, 

87 

1838-9.       Silas  H.  Jenison, 


24,611 


1  No  record  of  name  or  vote  of  opposition  candidate  to  be  found. 

2  Chosen  on  the  joint  ballot  of  the  Council  and  Assembly,  the  people  having  failed  to  elect  a  governor. 

3  No  choice  of  governor  being  made  either  by  the  people  or  the  legislature,  the  lieutenant-governor  (Silas  H. 
Jenison),  who  had  been  elected  by  the  people,  became  acting  governor. 


GUBBKNATOKIAL  VOTE  OP  VERMONT. 


997 


1839-40. 


1840-1. 


1841-2 


1842-3. 


1843-4. 


1844-5 


1845-6. 


1846-r. 


1847-8. 


1848-9. 


Nathan  Smilie, 

22,257 

1849-50. 

Carlos  Coolidge,' 

26,488 

Scattering, 

34 

Horatio  Needham, 
Jonas  Clark, 

23,545 
3,384 

Silas  H.  Jenisok, 

33,435 

Scattering, 

26 

Paul  Dillingham, 

22,637 

Scattering, 

44 

1850-51. 

Charles  K.  Williams, 
Timothy  P.  Redfield, 

22,676 
14,950 

Chables  Paine,!   * 

23,353 

John  S.  Robinson, 

6,686 

Nathan  Smilie, 

21,302 

Scattering, 

61 

Titus  Hutchinson, 

8,039 

Scattering, 

284 

1851-2. 

Charles  K.  Williams, 
Timothy  P.  Redfield, 

23,119 
15,025 

Charles  Paine, 

23,679 

J.  S.  Robinson, 

6,807 

Nathan  Smilie, 

21,689 

Scattering, 

43 

Scattering, 

248 

1852-3. 

Eeastus  Fairbanks,' 

23,795 

Charles  Paine, 

27,168 

J.  S.  Robinson, 

15,001 

Nathan  Smilie, 

24,141 

Lawrence  Brainerd, 

9,445 

Charles  K.  Williams, 

2,093 

Scattering, 

20 

Scattering, 

36 

1853-4. 

Erastus  Fairbanks,' 

21,118 

John  Mattocks,* 

24,813 

J.  S.  Robinson, 

18,263 

Daniel  Kellogg, 
Charles  K.  Wlliams, 

22,261 

Lawrence  Brainerd, 

8,398 

3,826 

Scattering, 

133 

Scattering, 

21 

1854-5. 

Stephen  Rotce, 

28,116 

William  Slade, 

28,420 

Merrit  Clark, 

15,297 

Daniel  Kellogg, 
William  K.  Shafter, 

21,187 

Lawrence  Brainerd, 

619 

6,638 

Horatio  Needham, 

308 

Scattering, 

34 

W.  C.  Kittredge, 
Scattering, 

293 
422 

William  Slade,i 

22,920 

Daniel  Kellogg, 

18,676 

1855-6. 

Stephen  Rotce, 

26,176 

William  R.  Shafter, 

6,544 

Merrit  Clark, 

13,082 

Scattering, 

362 

James  M.  Slade, 
William  R.  Shafter, 

3,631 
1,308 

Horace  Eaton.i 

23,933 

Scattering, 

182 

John  Smith, 

18,059 

Lawrence  Brainerd, 

7,163 

1856-7. 

Rylakd  Fletcher, 

34,757 

Scattering, 

64 

Henry  Keyes, 
Scattering, 

11,747 
274 

Horace  Eaton,i 

22,611 

Paul  Dillingham,  jr., 
Lawrence  Brainerd, 

18,735 

1857-8. 

Rylakd  Fletcher, 

26,992 

7,017 

Henry  Keyes, 

12,943 

Scattering, 

18 

Scattering, 

262 

Carlos  Coolidge,' 

22,125 

1858-9. 

HiLAND  Hall, 

29,660 

Oscar  L.  Shafter, 

15,038 

Henry  Keyes, 

13,338 

Paul  Dillingham,  jr., 

13,501 

William  R.  Shafter, 

162 

Scattering, 

48 

Scattering, 

22 

1  Chosen  in  conTention  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Kepresentatiyes,  the  people  having  failed  to  elect  a  gOTemor. 

VOL.  I.  84 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


N.  B.    Where  the  former  names  of  towns  are  given,  the  present  name  also  occnrs  in  {     )  ;  T.  indicates  i 

Tillage  J  p.  o.  a  post-office. 


PAOS 

Abadagusset,  an  Indian  chief  60 
Abbot,  Rev.  Abiel  490 

Abbot,  Benjamin  490 

Abbot,  David  665 

Abbot,  Jacob  322 

Abbot,  Capt.  Joshua  452 

Abbot's  Purchase  822 

Abbott,  Benjamin  S23 

Abbott,  John  734 

Abbott,  Hon.  Nehemiah  985 

Abbott,  Rev.  S.  T.  646 

Abbott,  Me.  25 

Abenaqui  Springs  670 

Abnaki  Indians  20,  21,  401 

Aboriginal  tribes  20,  401 

Abraham,  Mt.  129 

Abraham,  Plains  of  4 

Acadia  10 

Acquessuck,  or  Rangely  Lake  972 
Acton,  Me.  25 

Acworth,  N.  H.  405 

Acworth  V. — Lincoln,  Vt.  833 

Adams,  Alvin  734 

Adams's  Annals  of  Portsmouth 

cited  383 

Adams  (Crawford,  Me.)  98 

Adams  (Jackson,  N.  H.)  534 

Adams,  Daniel,  M.  D.  the  Arith- 
metician 583 
Adams,  Rev.  Hugh  479 
Adams,  Rev.  John  479,  483 
Adams,  Ilev.  John  226 
Adams,  John,  Pres't  988 
Adams,  John  Quincy,  Pres't  987, 
988,  989,  990 
Adams,  Rev.  Joseph  599,  658 
Adams,  Samuel  991 
Adams,  The,  U.  S.  corvette  127, 
149,  195 
Adams,  Col.  W.  481 
Addison,  Me.  25 
Addison,  Vt.,  first  settled  town 

in  the  State  731 

Addison  County,  Vt.  ,       732 

Agamenticus,  Mt.  9,  372,  627 

Agamenticus  (York,  Me.)  369,  373 
Agassiz,  Prof.  Louis  696,  778,  855 
Agawams,  The  401 

Agiocochook,    Indian  name    of 

White  Mts.  678-9 

Aiken,  Capt.  James  559 

Ainsworth,  Rev.  Laban  536 

Akiey,  Samuel  286 

Albany,  Me.  26 

Albany,  N.  H.  405 

Albany,  Vt.  733 

Albion,  Me.  26 

Alburgh,  Vt.  733 

"     '  first    settled  by    the 

French  733 

Alburgh  Springs  734 

Alcock,  Robert  988 

AMen,  Pres.,  cited  679 

Aiden,  Rev.  Thuothy  626 


PAGE 

Alderbrook             ,  752 

Aldis,  Hon.  Asa  906,  990 

Aldis,  Hon.  Asa  C.  906 

Aldricb,  Rev.  Artemas  631 

Aldrich,  Capt.  872 

Aldrich,  George  988 

Aldsworth,  Robert  67 

Alexander,  Me.  26 

Alexander,  John  528,  756 

Alexandria,  N.  H.  407 

Alford,  Lore  972 

Alfred,  Me.,  a  shire  town  27 

"      Shakers  at  28 

Algiers  v. — Pawlet,  Vt.  871 

Algonquins  6,  706 

Allagash  river  33 

Allen,  Hon.  Ebenczer  861 

Allen,  Rev.  Ebenezer  701 

Allen,  Hon.  EUsha  985,987 
AUen,  Ethan           709,  711,  712,  714, 
715,  736,  743,  744,  809,  824  8^ 

Allen,  Ethan,  adventure  at  Brid- 

port  758-9 

Allen,  Ethan,  grave  of  767,  984 

"  *'        Narrative  of  cited   822 

"  *'        proclamation      to 

the  people  of  Guilford  813 

Allen,    Ethan,    taken    prisoner 

and  sent  to  England  715 

Allen,  Hon.  Heman  767,  875,  986, 996 
Allen,  Ira  712,  717,  767,  783,  827 
AUen,  Capt.  Perkins  257 

Allen,  Samuel  380,  384,  993 

Allen.  Hon.  \Vjlliam  vi 

AUen^  Rev.  William  610 

Allen,  William  H.  205 

Allen's  Hist.  Norridgewock  cited 

232,233 
Allenstown,  N.  H.  407 

Almond  (Orneville,  Me. )  241 

Alna,  Me.  29 

Alpine  House  682 

Alstead,  N.  H.  408 

Alton,  Me.  29 

Alton,  N.  n.,  a  shire  town  409 

Ames,  Hon.  Benj.  993 

Amestown  (Sangerville,  Me.)  291 
Amherst,  Me.  29 

Amherst,  N.  H.  409 

Amherst,  General  740 

Amherst,  Lord  Jeffrey  410 

Amity,  Me.  30 

Ammonoosuc  river        418,  424,  460, 
648,  556 
Amoskeag  Falls  568 

Amoskeag  v.  &  p.  o. — Manches- 
ter, N.  H.  572 
Anasagunticook  Indians  20, 211,  249 
Anderson,IIon.H.  J.  985,987, 992, 993 
Anderson,  Hon.  John  985 
Andover,  Me.  30 
Andover,  N.  H.  412 
Andover,  Vt.  734 
Andrews,  Lieut.  Ammi                 623 


PAGE 

Andrews,  Hon.  Charles  246,  985 
Andrews,  Rev.  E.  D.,  Historical 

Sermon  cited  880 

Andrews,  John  H.  990 

Andros,  Sir  Edmund  67, 176, 384.  993 
Androscoggin  county.  Me.  31-2 

Androscoggin  pond  187 

Androscoggin  Jlaiiroad  127, 187 

Androscoggin  &  Kennebec  Rail- 
road        31,  38, 101, 144, 167, 187, 
214,  281,  346 
Androscoggin  River    31,  84,  98, 101, 
108,  111,  141,  144,  146,  152,  188, 
198,  210,  244,  251,  287,  328,  330, 
422, 431,  460,  477,  504,  580,  648,  972 
Anne,  Queen  15 

Annals  of  Portsmouth  cited  383 

"        "  Warren  "       63, 338 

Anson,  Me.  32 

Antiquities  at  Biddeford  55 

Antrim,  N  H.  413 

Appleton,  Me.  32 

Appletou,  James  992 

Appleton,  Rev.  Jesse  514,  600 

Appleton,  Dr.  John  vi 

Appleton,  Hon.  John  985 

Appleton,  Hon.  Nathan  600 

Appleton,  Samuel  600 

Apthorp  (Littleton,  N.  H.)  556 

Argal,  Capt.  Samuel  13,  219 

Argyle,  Me.  32 

Arlington  (Winchester,  N.  H.)  699 
Arlington,  Vt.  735 

Arms,  John  756 

Arnold,  Benedict  235,  714 

Arnold,  Dr.  Jonathan  908 

Arnold,  Hon.  L.  H.  908 

Arnold,  Rev.  Samuel  611 

Aroostook  county       32,  34,  963-972 
"  "    character  of  soil 

and  climate  963,  964,  965 

Aroostook  p.  o. — Ashland,  Me.  977 
Aroostook  river  33,  967,  970 

Aroostook  road  35,  964,  971 

ArrowsiC,  Me.  11, 15,  34 

Arsenal,  U.  Skates,  at  Augusta  40 
Artel,  M.  sacks  Berwick  53 

Artists,  names  of  ix 

Arundel  ( Kennebunkport,  Me. )  178 
Ascutney  mountain  936,  952,  954 
Ascutneyville    v.    and    p.    o. — 

Weathersfield,  Vt,  936 

Ashburton  Treaty  8 

Ashland,  Me.  35,  963,  964 

Ashley,  Rev.  Joseph  699 

Ashley,  Hon.  Samuel  446 

Ashmun,  Phineas  73 

Ashuelot  p.  o. — West  Winches- 
ter, N.  H.  977 
Ashuelot  mountain  442 
"        R'd   442,529,542,631,926 
"        river       408,  442,  502,  529, 
542,  573,  692,  631,  638,  655 
Assiminasqua,  chief  of  the  Tar- 
ratines  22 

(999) 


1000 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Athens,  Me.  S5 

Athens,  Vt.  736 

"         groundless  panic  at       736-7 
Atherton,  Hon.  Charles  G.  985 

Atherton,  Hon.  Charles  H,  985 

Atherton,  Hon.  Joshua  410 

Atkinson,  Me.  36 

Atkinson,  N.  H.  414 

Atkinson,  Geo.  994 

Atkinson,  Hon.  Theodore     414,  595, 
626,  667 
Atlantic  and  St.  Lawrence  Rail- 
road 276,  460,  604,  648 
Atteon,  John,  a  chief  of  the  Tar- 
ratines  23 
Atteon,  Joseph,    "        *'        "       23 
Atwater,  Rev.  Jeremiah                  846 
Atwood,  John                                  995 
Auburn,  Me.  36 
"        Indians  snared  at         36-7 
Auburn,  N.  H.                               415 
Augusta,  Me.,  shire  town  and 

Stat«  capital  40 

Augusta,  Me.,  U.  S.  Arsenal  at        40 
"        Insane  Hospital  at       40-1 
Aurora,  Me.  41-2 

Austin,  ApoUos  990 

Austin,  Rev.  Samuel  767 

Averill,  Vt.  737 

Averill,  John  879,  939-40 

Averill,  Samuel  833 

Avery,  Rev  David  74G 

Avery,  Samuel  738 

Avery's  Gores  738 

Avon,  Me.  42 

Ayer's  brook  752 

Ayer,  Richard  H.  989 


B.  Plantation,  Aroostook  Coun- 
ty, Me.  965 
B.  Plantation.  Oxford  Co.,  Me.  974 
Baboosuc  pond  411 
Bache,  Prof.  109,  375 
Bachelder,  Ebenezer  482 
Bachilcr,  Rev.  Stephen  513 
Back  river  341 
Bacon,  Rev.  Jacob  639 
Badger,  Gen.  Joseph  601 
Badger,  Hon.  "William  988,  989,  994 
BagnaU,  Walter  85 
Bailey,  Rev.  Abner  640 
Bailey,  Cyrus  734 
Bailey  or  Bayley,  Gen.  Jacob  512, 
856,  857,  858,  871,  872 
Bailey,  Hon.  Jeremiah  985 
Bailey,  Judge  366 
Bailey,  Wm.  H.  H.  989 
Bailey's,  Mistake  harbor  329 
Baileyville,  Me.  43 
Baird,  Dr.  6 
Baird's   Mills   v. — Bridgewater, 

Me.  966 

Baker,  Captain,  Expedition  of  621 
Baker,  Hon.  Nathaniel  B.  989,  995 
Baker,  Remember  709,  710,  735, 
736,  783 
Baker's  brook  8C1 

Baker's  Island  light  978 

Baker-s  river    510,  621,  638,  672,  675 
Bakersfield,  \t.  738 

Bakerstown  {Moscow,  Me.)  217 

Bakerstown  (Poland,  Me.)  265 

Bakerstown  (Salisbury,  N.  H.)      641 
Baidiace  mountain  442,  534 

Bald  hill,  Landaff,  N.  H.  548 

Bald  hill,  Leicester,  A^t.  832 

Bald  mountain,  Sandgate,  Vt.      898 
Bald  mountain  branch  913 

Baldwin,  Me.  43 

Baldwin.  Rev.  Henry  F.  746 

Baldwin,  Csipt.  Isaac  523 

Baldmn,  Rev  Thomas  432 

Ball  mountain  349 

Ballou,  Rev.  Maturin  631 

Ballstown    (Jefferson  &  White- 
field,  Me.)  165  I 


Baltimore,  Vt.  738 

Bancroft,  George,  the  historian    491 

Bancroft  Plantation,  Me.  965 

Bangor,  Me.  44 

"         taken  by  the  British         45 

"        Theological  Seminary        45 

Bangor  and  Oldto^vn  Railroad      210, 

240,  242,  256 

Bankrupt  Law,  construction  in 

N.  H.  392 

Bar  Harbor  p.  o. — Eden,  Me.        115 
Barefoot,  Walter  383,  384,  993 

Baring,  Me.  47 

Barker  Plantation  965 

Barker,  Daniel  965,  970 

Barker,  Hon.  David  986,  988 

Barker,  Joseph  and  family  cap- 
tured by  Indians  753 
Barker,  Noah  vi,  968,970,971,972,975 
Barnard,  Me.  48 
Barnard,  Vt.  739,  758 
"        party  from  attempts  to 

obstruct  the  Courts  818 
Barnard,  Hon.  Benjamin  652 

Barnard,  Francis  739 

Barnard,  Hon.  Samuel  850 

Barnard,  Silas  987 

Barnes,  Rev.  Jonathan  525 

Bamet,  Vt.  739 

Bamstead,  N.  ir.  415 

Barnsville  v.— Corinth,  Vt.  785 

Barnum,    Barnabas,    killed    by 

Indians  901 

Barnumtown  v. — ^Monkton,  Vt.     849 
Barre,  Vt.  740 

Barren  mountain  118 

Barret,  John,  mortally  wounded 

by  Indians  785 

Barrett,  Dr   Silas  413 

Barrettstown  (Hope,  Me.)  160 

Barrington,  N.  H.  417,  655 

Barrows,  Dea.  William  157 

Barstow,  Rev.  Dr.  540 

Bartlett,  N  H.  416 

Bartlett,  Ezra  988,  989 

Bartlett,  Hon.  Ichabod  642,  986,  994 
Bartlett,  Hon.  Josiah    385,  545,  986, 
988,  994 
Bartlett,  Levi  988 

Bartlett,  Thomas  607,  987 

Bartlett,  Hon.  Thomas,  Jr.  986 

Bartlett's   Fron  tier   Missionary 

cited  11, 283 

Bartlett's  Island  300 

Bartley,  Rev.  J.  M   C.  512 

Barton,  Vt.  742 

Barton  river    742,  787,  806,  827,  869, 
901,  944 
Barton,  Gen.  William  742 

Bartonville  v.  and  p.  o. — Rock- 
ingham, Vt.  887 
Baskahegan    Gore   (Bancroft 

Plantation)  965 

Baskahegan  lake  342,  976 

Baskahegan  river  354 

Bass  Harbor  Head  light  978 

Bates,  Hon.  James  985 

Bates,  Rev.  Joshua  846 

Bath,  Mo.  11,  48 

Bath,  N.  H.  417 

Batson's  river  181 

Batten,  Henry,  captured  by  the 

Indians  495 

Baum,  Col.  717,  719 

Baxter,  Portus  991 

Baxter's  Hist.  Concord  cited  286 
Bayley,  Col.,  a  Pejepscot  pro- 
prietor 188 
Bayley  (see  also  Bailey). 
Baylies,  Hon.  Nicholas  851 
Beach  hill  209 
Beach,  Aaron  781 
Beach.  Samuel,  killed  by  John  ^^ 

Dennett  773 

Bean,  Hon.  Bcnning  M.  986 

Bean,  John,  killed  by  Indians      450 
Bearcamp  river  611,  645 


Bear  Island  light  978 

Bear  mountain,  Carthage   and 

Weld,  Me.  87,  348 

Bear  mountain,  Watcrford,  Me.    344 
Bear  river  143^  229 

Beaubarin,  French  commander    295 
Beauchamp  Point  light  980 

Beautiful  lake,  or  Caspian  lake     711 
Beaver  brook,  Wilmington,  Vt.     950 
"  "       Woodstock,  Vt.      960 

Beaver  Hill  (Freedom,  Me.)  130 

Beaver  river,  N.  H.         466,  636,  700 
Beddington,  Me.  50 

Bedford.  N.  H.  418 

Bedel,  Gen.  Moody  616 

Beech  mountain  476 

Beech  seal  758,  813 

Beeman.  John,  captured  by  the 

Indians  528, 925 

Belcher,  Gov.  Jona.        325,  380,  993 
Belcher,  Hon.  Hiram  985 

Belle  pond  742 

Belfast,  Me.  60 

Belfast  Academy  Grant  965 

Belgrade,  Me.  52 

Belknap  county,  N.  H.  421 

Belknap,  Dr.  Jeremy  421 

Belknap's  Biography  cited  11 

Belknap's  History  cited  67.  377, 

378,  380,  414,  595,  600,  679 
Belknap,  Simeon,   captured  by 

the  Indians  889 

BeU,  Hon.  James  443,  985 

Bell,  Hon.  James  927 

Bell,  Hon.  John  994,  995 

Bell,  Hon.  Joseph  421 

Bell,  Dr.  Luther  V.  443 

Bell,  Hon.  Samuel  443,  986,  994 

Bell,  Hon.  Samuel  D.  vi,  443 

Bellamy  river  474,  563 

Bellomont,  Earl  of  384 

Bellows  Falls  v.  &  p.  o. — Rock- 
ingham, Vt.  886, 887 
Bellows  Falls,  Indian  sculptures 

at  887 

Bellows,  Col.  Benj.  669,  671,  822, 988 
Bellows,  Thomas  988 

Belmont,  Me.  52 

Belton,  Hon.  Silas  986 

Belvidere,  Vt.  742 

Belvidere  mountain  797 

Ben  Nevis  mountain  348 

Benedicta  Plantation,  Me.  965 

Benjamin  river  302 

Bennett,  Rev.  Salmon  673 

Bennington,  N.  H.  421 

Bennington,   Vt.,  a    half  shire 

town  742 

Bennington,  battle  of  717-719 

"        named  from   Gov.  B. 

Wentworth  743 

"        head-quarters   of   the 

Green  Mountain  Boys  743 

*•        Old    Green    Mountain 

"        Tavern  at  744 

"        natural  po.sition  of         746 

Bennington  Banned  747 

Bennington  county,  Vt.  747 

Benson,  Vt.  747 

Benson,  a  revolutiouary  officer     747 

Benson,  Hon.  Samuel  P.  985 

Benton,  Me.  53 

Benton,  N.  H.  422 

Benton's  Gore  (Weston,  Tt.)  944 

Berkshire.  Mass.,  company  from 

at  battle  of  Bennington  718 

Berksliii-c,  Vt.  743 

Berlin,  N.  II.  422 

Berlin,  Vt.  749 

Berlin  Falls  422 

Berlin  pond  749 

Bernard,  Gov.  Francis  949 

Bemanlstowu  (Cornville,  Me.)        97 
Berwick,  Me.  15^  53 

'•       destruction  of  53 

Berry,  Nathaniel  S.  995 

Bethel,  Me.  54 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


1001 


Bethel,  Vt.  749 

'*■        Stockade  fort  at  750 

Bethlehem,  N.  H-  423 

Betton,  Hon.  Silas  640 

Biarde  and  Masse,  Jesuits  218 

Bickford,  Sergeant  606 

Biekford,  "William  528 

Biddeford,  Mc.  54 

Bidden,  ^V.  S.,  Memoirs  of  Cabot 

by,  cited  1,  2 

Bidwell,  George  910 

Bigaduce  {Castine,  Me.)     15,  21,  88, 
90 
Big  Lake  Plantation,  Me.  976 

Big  lUpids,  967 

Big  river,  976 

Bigelow,  Rev.  Asahel  516 

Bigelow,  William  814 

Bill  Morrill  mountain  158 

Bingham,  Me.  56 

Bingham,  Dea.  Jeremiah  786 

Bingham,    William,   the    great 

landed  proprietor  57, 146 

Bingham's  Kennebec  Purchase, 

66,208 
"  South  Million  Acre 

Purchase,  102 

BiDghamsville  t. — Fletcher,  Vt.  804 
Binney,  Col.  Amos  912 

Birch  stream  185 

Bird,  Col.  Amos  773,  774 

Bird's  mountain  826 

Bimey,  James  G.  987,  989,  991 

Bisco,  Isaac  736 

Bishop,  Enos,  captured  by  the 

Indians  ^5 

Bishop,  Elder  Job  435 

Bishop,  Josiah,  killed  by  the  In- 
dians 424 
Bishop's  brook  654 
Bixby,  William  989 
Black  creek  800,  902 
Black  hill  805 
Black  mountain,  Me.  252,  320 
Black  mountain,  Jackson,  N  II. 

459,  634 
Black    Mountain,    Woodstock, 

N.  H.  703 

Black  Point  (Scarborough,  Me.) 

15  292 

Black  river,  Vt.     733.  776.  787,'788, 

806.  836,  863,  869,'  876,  894,  905, 

936,  955 

Blackwater  river    412,  425,622,  533, 

642. 

Blaisdell,  Hon.  Daniel  9S6 

Blaisdell  Town  (Exeter,  Me.)         123 

Blake,  Benjamin  701 

Blake,  General  149 

Blake,  Nathan,  captured  by  the 

Indians  639 

Blake,  Hon.  Nathaniel  971 

Blake  v.— Kindge,  N.  II.  633 

Blanchard,  Col.  Joseph         387,  5S8 
Blanchard,  Me.  57 

Blanchard,  Richard,  a  victim  of 

savage  cruelty  434 

Blodgett,  Hon.  Samuel  564,  568 

Blood,  Rev.  Caleb  899 

Blood,  Hon.  Francis  664 

Bloody  Brook  866 

Bloody  Point  (Newington,N.H.)  598 
Bloomfield,  Me.  67 

Bloomfield,  Vt.  750 

Bloomingboro'  {Monmouth,  Me.)  212 
Blossom,  Gen.  Ira  214 

Blue  hill,  Me.  67 

Blue  hills  655 

Blue  mount  129,  343 

Blue  mouQtain,  N.  H.  703 

Blue  mountain,  Vt.  896 

Blue  Point  v.— Scarboro',  Me.      288 
Blue  ridge  323 

Blueberry  mountain  87 

Boardman,  escape  of  Mrs.  "with 

her  children  824 


Boards  head  514 

Bodwell,  Rev.  Abraham  643 

Bog  brook.  Me.  157 

Bog  brook,  N.  H.  657 

Boiling  spring  102 

Bobter's  Mills  t. — Harrison,  Me.  154 
Bolton,  Vt.  751 

Bombazine  lake  775 

Bond,  George  P.  6S2 

Bond,  Nicholas,  killed  by  the  In- 
dians 513,  646 
Bondville  v.  and  p.  o. — ^Winhall. 

Vt.  ■  955 

Bonnie  Eagle  v.  and  p.  o- — Stan- 
dish,  Me.  314 
Bonnybeag  mountain  761 
Bonython,  Capt.  Richard               288 
Boone  Island  lighthouse        629,  982 
Boothbay,  Me.  59 
"          harbor  of  59 
Boscawen,  N.  H.                              424 
Boston  and  Maine  R'd  309,  415,  474, 
481, 482, 493,  563, 602.  603,  620,  637 
Boston,  Concord,  and  Montreal 
R'd       422,  435,  456,  600,  508,  521, 
530,  646,  576,  579,  604,  622,  638, 
643 
Bouchette,  Joseph  8 
Boundary,  ancient,  between  Mass. 

and  Vt.  755 

Boundary  of  Maine  8 

Boundary  of  N.  H.  330,  381,  391, 392 
Bourn  brook  840 

Bourn,  Stephen  and  Jesse  839 

Bourne,  Hon.  E.  E.  vi 

Bourns,  llev.  Edwjird  867 

Bouton,  Rev.  Nathaniel  vi 

Bouton's  Hist.  Concord,  cited      453 
Bow,  N.  II.  526 

Bowdoin,  Me.  GO 

Bowdoin  College,  76 

"  "        grants  to      146, 320 

Bowdoin,  Gov.  60 

Bowdoin,  Peter  26S 

Bowdoin,    William,    grantee    of 

Bowdoinham  60 

Bowdoinham,  Me.  00 

Bowen,  Peter  434 

Bowerbank,  Me.  61 

Bowers,  Jesse  989 

Bowkerville  v. — ^Fitzwilliam,  N.  H. 

494 
BowlviUe  v.— Mt.  Holly,  Vt.  855 

Boxer,  a  British  brig  of  war    70,  113 
Boyden,  Josiah  794 

Boyden's  lake,  257,  284 

Boyle  (Gilsum,  N.  H.)  602 

Brackett,  Capt.  Anthony,  killed 

in  the  battle  at  Portland  269 

Bradbury,  Hon.  J.  W,  985,  987 

Bradford,  Me.  61 

Bradford,  N.  H.  427 

Bradford,  Vt.  751 

Bradford,  David  734 

Bradford,  Rev.  B.  P.  693 

Bradford,  Governor  6, 168,  333 

Bradford,  James,  murdered  by 

Indians  132 

Bradford,  Rev.  Moses  494 

Bradley,  Me.  62 

Bradley,  Samuel  and  Jonathan, 

killed  by  the  Indians  450 

Bradley,  Hon.  Stephen  R.    850,  942, 
986 
Bradley,  "William  C      941,  943,  986, 
991,  996 
Bradleyvale  (now  part  of  Con- 
cord and  Victory,  Vt.)        784,  927 
Bradstreet,  Sunon  993 

Brainerd,  Hon.  Lawrence     753,  986, 
991,  997 
Braintree,  Vt.  762 

Brandon,  Vt.  763 

Brattle,  Thomas  586 

Brattle,  Col.  William  756 

Brattleborough,  Vt.  750 

84* 


Brayton,  William  990 

Breakenridge,  James      710,  743,  745 
Breakenridge,  Major  786 

Breakfast  hill  640 

Bream,  The  113 

Brenton's  Farm  (Litchfield,  New 

Ham  p.  555 

Bremen,  Me.  62 

Brentwood.  N.  H.  428 

Bretton    Mills  v.  —  Livermore, 

Mo.  198 

Bretton  Woods  (Carroll,  N.H.)    436 
Brewer,  Me.  62 

Brewer,  Stephen's,  heirs  283 

Brewster  6 

Brewster,  Capt.  John  634 

Brewster's  river  773 

Breyman,  Colonel  719 

Bridges,  Moody  64 

Bridgetown  (Troy,  Me.)  329 

Bridgestown  (Wellington,  Me.)     349 
Bridgewater,  Me.  966 

Bridgewater,  N.  H.  428 

Bridgewater,  Vt.  757 

Bridgewater  Academy  Grant         966 
Bridgham,  John  36 

Bridgham,  Rowland  H.  987 

Bridgman,  John  990 

Bridgman's  Fort  527,  926 

Bridgton,  Me.  64 

Bridport,  Vt.  758 

Bridport,  Vt.  sufierings  of  set- 
tlers 759 
"  skirmish  at  759 
Brigadier's  Island  299 
Brigham,  Rev.  Benj.  494 
Brigham,  Hon.  Paul  866,  990 
Brighton,  Me.  66 
Brighton.  Vt.  761 
Bricks,  Wm.  P.  991 
Bristol,  Mc  66 
"  destruction  of  68,  69 
"  antiquities  in  71,  72 
Bristol,  N.  H.  429 
Bristol.  Vt.  762 
Broad  Bay  (Waldoborough,  Me.)  336 
Broad  brook  699 
Broad  mountain  81 
Broadhead,  Hon.  John  986 
Bronson,  Hon.  David  935,  992 
Brookfield,  N.  H.  429 
Brookfield,  Vt.  763 
BrookUn,  Me.  72 
Brookline,  N.  H.  430 
Brookline,  Vt.  763 
Brooks,  Me.  73 
Brooksville,  Me.  74 
Brooksville,  v.  and  p.   o. — New 

Haven,  Vt.  862 

Brown,  Alexander,  killed  by  In- 
dians 2^ 
Brown,  Rev.  Arthur  626 
Brown  claim  62 
Brown,  Colonel  824 
Brown,  David  764 
Brown,  Ezra,  killed  by  Indians  358 
Brown,  Rev-  Francis  518 
Brown,  Capt.  Hammon  356 
Brown,  Henry  Young  74 
Brown,  Gen.  Jacob  734 
Brown,  Jonathan,   captured  by 

the  Indians  889 

Brown,  Rev.  Joseph  490 

Brown,  Major  715 

Brown,  Mr,,  first  settler  of  Jer- 
icho, Vt.  829 
Brown,  Phineas  931 
Brown,  Silvanus  710 
Brown,  Timothy  764 
Brown,  Hon.  Titus  986 
Brownfield,  Me.  74 
Bro\vuington,  A^t.  764 
Brownville,  Ble.  75 
Brown's  Comer,  t,— Northport, 
Me.                                              237 


1002 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Brown's    Corner  p.  o. — Taesal- 

boro',  Me.  333 

.Brown's     Comers,    t.  —  Grand 

Isle,  \t.  809 

Broivn's  Head  Usht  9S0 

Brown=s  river    798,  799, 830. 923,  938 
Brownsville  v.  and  p.  o. — West 

"Windsor,  Vt.  945 

Bruce,  Rev.  John  683 

Eruns\vick,  Mo.  75 

Brunswick,  Vt.  764 

Brush,  Crcan,  the  tory  794,  941,  942 
Bryant, ,  murdered  by  In- 
dians 142 
Bryant's  Pond  t. — Woodstock, 

Me.  367 

Buchanan,  James,  Pres.  987,989,991 
Buck,  Abijah  78 

Buck,  Hon.  Daniel  986 

Buck,  Hon.  D.  A.  A.  986,  990 

Buck  Hollow  T.— Fairfax,  Yt.        799 
Buckfield,  Me.  77 

Bucksminster,  Kev.  Joseph  626 

Buckminster,  Rev.  Joseph  S.         490 
Buck's  harbor  74 

Buck's    Harbor    (Machiasport, 

Me.)  166 

Buck's  Mills   p.  o. — Bucksport, 

Me.  977 

Bucksport,  Me.  78 

Buffum,  Hon.  Joseph  986 

Buckstown  (Bucksport,  Me.)  78 

Bulkely,  Peter  586 

Bullard,  John,  killed  by  Indians   539 
Bullen,  Rev.  Jo.seph  737 

Bungtown,  v. — Grafton,  N.  H.      607 
Buntin,    Andrew,   captured  by 

Indians  407 

Burbank,  Samuel  and  sons  532 

Burdett,  Rev.  George  408 

Burgess,  Rov.  Archibald  516 

Burgess,  Eenj.  989 

Burgess,  Ellis  987 

Burgess,  Rev.  George,  cited  15 

Burgin,  Hall  988 

Burgoync,   Gen.,   alarm  at  ap- 
proach of  717 
Eurgoyne,  surrender  of,  at  Still- 
water                                             720 
Eurgoyne's  report  of  battle  at 

Bennington  719 

Burke,  Vt.  765 

Burke  mountain  765 

Burke,  Hon.  Edmund  986 

Burleigh,  Col.  Moses  195 

Burleigh,  Hon.  W^illiam  985 

Burling,  Edw'd  783,  798, 799, 824,  828 
Burlington,  Me.  79 

Burlington,  Yt.,  shire  town  765 

"  a  port  of  entry  765 

Burnap,  Rev.  Jacob  5T7 

Bumct,  William  993 

Burnham,  Me.  79 

Burnham,  Rev.  Abraham  613 

Burnham,  Rev.  A,  W.  632 

Burnham,  Capt.  James  180 

BurniOe,  Mons.  271,  350 

Burns,  Hon.  Robert  986 

Burns,  Samuel  989 

Eurnside  mountain  812 

Burnt  Coat  Island,  Mo.  973 

Burnt  Island  light  982 

Burnt-meadow  brook  75 

Burnt-meadow  mountain  75 

Burr,  Joseph  846 

Burroughs,  Rev.  Charles  vi 

BniTOughs,  Rev.  George,  a  vic- 
tim of  the  witchcraft  delusion 

268,  269 
Burrows  lake  27 

Burton,  Rev.  Asa  865,  917 

Burton,  James  734 

Burton,  Major  99 

Burton  mountain  664 

Buss,  Rev.  John  479 

Bussey,  Benjamin  222 


Butler,  Rev.  Benjamin  607 

Butler,  Hon.  and  Rev-  Ezra  933,  986, 

990,  996 
Butler,  Gen.  Henry  607 

Butler,  James  D.,  cited  709 

Butler,  John  794 

Butler,  Hon.  Josiah  986 

Butman,  Hon.  Samuel  985 

Butman's  pond  109 

Eutterfield,  Henry  S56 

Button,  Peter,  killed  by  Indians 

889,923 
Buxton,  Me.  79 

Buxton  (Albany,  N.  H.)  405 

Buxton,  William  130 

Byron,  Me.  80 


Cabot,  Yt.  769 

"        noted  for  sugar  making    769 
Cabot,  John  1,  3 

Cabot,  Sebastian  1 

Cabots,  Memoirs  of,  cited  1,  2 

Cady's  Falls  t.  &  p.  o. — Morris- 
town,  Yt.  855 
Caesar,  killed  by  Indians  424 
Gaboon,  Hon.  WiUiam  986,  990 
Calais,  Me.  81 
Calais,  Yt.  770 
"  experiences  of  first  set- 
tlers 770,  771 
Calais  branch  796 
Calais  and  Baring  RaDroad  47,  81 
Caldersburgh  (Morgan,  Yt.)  853 
Caledonia  county,  Yt.  771 
Calfe,  Hon.  John  612 
Calhoun,  John  C.  988,  990 
Calkins,  or  Trout  brook  820 
Call,  Mrs.,  killed  by  Indians  452 
Cambridge,  Me,  82 
Cambridge,  N.  II.  430 
Cambridge,  Yt.  772 
Cambridge  river  143 
Cambridgeport    v.   and  p.   o. — 

Rockingham,  Yt.  887 

Camden,  Me.  82 

Camden  mountains  285 

Camden  (Washington,  N.  H.)  673 
Camel's  Hump  mountain  795,  825 
Cammock,  Capt.  Thomas  292 

Campbell,  Cornelius  406 

Campbell,  James  987 

Campbell's    Gore    (Mount  Yer- 

non,  N.  H.)  583 

Campo  Bello  Island  201 

Campton,  N,  H.  431 

Canaan,  Me.  83 

Canaan,  N.  H.  432 

Canaan,  Yt.  773 

Canada,  invasion  of  715 

Canada^,  The  7,  10 

Candia,  N.  H.  433 

Canibas,  a  tribe  of  Abnakies  20,  231 
Caniaderi-Guaruntc,     a     name 

given  to  Lake  Champlain  726 

Canney's    Corner     v. — Exeter, 

Me.  123 

Canoe  Falls  896 

Canseau,  British  sloop  of  war        273 

Canterbury,  N.  H.  433 

' '  Shaker    se  t  tlement 

at  435 

Canton,  Me.  84 

Cape  Cod  10 

Cape  Elizabeth.  Me.  85 

Cape  Elizabeth  light  982 

Cape  Hattei-as  2 

Cape  Horn  605 

Cape  Jellison  317 

Cape   Neddock    v.   and   p.   o  — 

York,  Me.  372 

Cape  Newagen  (Boothbay,  Me.)       59 


Cape  Porpoise  harbor  180 

Cape  Small  Point,  p.  o. — Phips- 

burg,  Me.  977 

Cardigan  (Orange,  N.  II.)  608 

Cardigan  mountain  407,  608 


Carleton,  Ebenezer 

Carlton,  General 

Carlton,  Mnjor 

Carlton,  Moses 

Carlton,  Hon.  Peter 

Carlton,  Lieut.  Gov.  Thomas 

Carlton  stream, 

Carmel,  Me. 

Carpenter,  Rct.  Abraham 

Carpenter,  Hon.  Benjamin 

Carpenter,  David 

Carpenter,  Jiev.  Ezra 

Carpenter,  Rev.  Smith 

Carr,  James,  killed  by  the  Tn- 


989 
715 
760 


86 
619 
814 
990 
662 
619 


Cape  Porpoise 


176,  181 


attacked  by  Indians  177 
entirely  desolated  178 
again  attacked  179 


dians  407, 612 

Carr,  Dr.  Moses  650 

Carr  mountiin  484,  675 

Carribou  stream  966 

Carrigain,  Dr.  Philip  454 

Carritunk  falls  306 

Carritunk  Plant,  (No.  1,  R.  3,  E. 

K.  R.  Me.)  976 

Carritunk  p.  o. — No.  1,  R.  3,  E. 

K.  R.   Somerset  co.  976 

Carroll,  Me.  86 

Carroll,  N.  H.  435 

Carroll  county,  N.  H.  435 

Carroll,  Hon.  Charles  436 

Carter  brook,  826 

Carter  mountain  689,  695 

Carter,  Dr.  Bzm  454 

Carter,  Nathaniel  H.  454 

Carter,  Hon.  Timothy  J.        246,  985 
Carter's  v. — Newton,  N.  II.  604 

Carthage,  Me.  86 

Gary,  Hon.  Shepard        985,  987,  993 
Casco,  Me.  15,  87.  261 

Casco  bay  123,  124,  207^  368 

Case,  Rev.  Isaac  '  311 

Caspian  or  Beautiful  lake  811 

Cass,  Josiah,  a  tory  891 

Cass,  Hon.  Lewis     489,  987-  989,  991 
Castin,  Baron  de  21,  22,  88 

Castin  the  younger  22,  88 

Castiu's  Fort  90 

Castine,  Me.  S7 

"        its  part  in  the  Revolu- 
tion 88,  89 
Castle     Hill     p.     o.  —  Number 

Twelve,  R.  3,  Aroostook  Co. 

Me.  970 

Castleton  river  801,  895 

Castleton,  Yt.  773 

"        invaded  by  the  British,  774 

"        fort  erected  at  774 

"        Medical  College  at  775 

Cat,  British  ship  of  war  274 

Catamount  bill  407 

Catiiwamteak  (Rockland,  Me.)      284 

Catbow  branch,  837 

Gate,  Asa  P.  995 

Catlin,  Albert  L.  991 

Cavendish,  Yt.  775 

"  monument  at  776 

"  fills  at  776 

"  serpentine  rock  in       776 

Cedar  mountain,  248 

Censors,  council  of  in  Vt.    723  724 

Centre  Harbor,  N.  H.  '  4313 

Centrevillc,  Me.  90 

Cetacea,  a  specimen  of,  found  in 

Charlotteville,  A"t.  775 

Chadwick,  Paul,  murder  of  170,359 
Chadwick,  William  '  9^7 

Chamberlain,  John  135 

Chamberlain,  John  (son)  121 

Chamberlain,  John  949 

Chamberlain.  Johu  C.  541   ggg 

Chamberlain,  Levi  640,  541'  995 

Chamberlain,  Hon.  Williaui  986,990 
Champlain,  the  explorer  lo'  705 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


1003 


Champlajn  lake,  battle  of    716,  726, 
768,  907,  924 
Champney,  Benjamin  600 

Champney,  Hon.  Ebenezer  600 

— Chandler,  AbieL  519 

Chandler,  Capt.  Abiel  452 

Chandler,  Hon.  Anson  G.  2U,  992 
Chandler,  Benjamin  987 

Chandler,  Dr.  C.  W.  735 

Chandler,  Capt.  John  451 

Chandler,  Gen.  John  214,  486,  985 
Chandler,  Col.  Thomas  (Vt.)  779 
Chandler,  Thomas  (son)  780 

Chandler,  Hon.  Thomas  (N.  H.)  986 
Chandler,  Hon.  Zachariah  420 

"Dhandlervillc  (Detroit,  Me.)  105 

Chandler's  river,  166 

Chapel  of  the  IIUls  417 

Chapman,  Lemuel  990 

Chapman,  Winthrop  123 

Charles  I.,  charter  to  (Jorges  14 

Charleston,  Me.  91 

Charleston,  Vt.  777 

Charlestown,  N.  H.  438 

*'  colonial  and  revolu- 
tionary struggle  438, 440 
Charlevoix,  Father,  cited  22,  234 
Charlotte,  Me.  91 
Charlotte,  Vt.  778 
Chase,  Caleb  461 
Chase,  Rt.  Rev.  Carlton  461 
Chase,  Hon.  Dudley  881,  882,  986, 
990,  996 
Chase,  Gov.  Salmon  P.  461 
Chatauque  Parish,  Madawaska 

Plant.  969 

Chatauque  v. — Conway,  N.  H.  459 
Chatham,  a  British  brig  322 

Chatham,  N.  H.  442 

Chaudiere  17 

Checkerberry  Green  v. — ^Milton, 

Vt.  849 

Chelsea,  Mc.  91 

Chelsea,  Vt.,  shire  town  779 

Cherryfield,  Me.  91 

Cherry  mountain  435,  538,  688,  693 
Cheshire  county,  N.  II.  442 

Cheshire  Railroad  442, 494,  642,  573 
Chealey,  Thomas  552 

Chester,  Mo.  91 

Chester,  Vt.  779 

Chesterville,  Me.  91 

Chcsuncook  Lake  260 

Chichester,  N.  H.  445 

Chichawaukie  pond  83.  285 

Child,  Dr.  Robert  '    65 

Chimney  Point,  French  settle- 
ment at  731 
Chin  Mountain  840 
China,  Me.  93 
China  lake  93,  332 
Chipman,  Hon.  Daniel  886,  986 
Chipman,  Col.  John  843 
Chipman,  Hon.  Nathaniel  918,  986 
Chipman's  hill  844 
Chipman's  Point  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Orwell,  Vt.  870 

Chippenhook  v. — Clarendon,  Vt.  783 
Chiswick  ( Littleton,  N.  II. )  866 

Chittenden,  Vt.  781 

Chittenden  county,  Vt.  781 

Chittenden,  Hon.  Martin      949,  986, 
996 
Chittenden,  Noah  990 

Chittendcu.  Gov.  Thomas     712,  713, 
720,  736,  781,  823,  949,  996 
Chocorua  mountain  406,  436 

Chocorua-s  curse  406 

Christi  or  Christian,  an  Indian 

404,434 
Church  hill,  133 

Church,  Capt.  22 ;  Col.  184 

Church,  Major  Benj.  269 

Church,  Rev.  J.  H.  612 

Churchill  family  821-824 

ChurcliiU,  Ezckiel,  taken  prisoner  823 


Churchill,  James  C.  987 

Churchill,  John,  taken  prisoner  823 
Churchill,  Silas,  taken  prisoner  823 
Churchill,  William  823 

Cilley,  Hon.  Bradbury  L.  986 

Cilley,  Hon.  Jonathan  985 

CUley,  Gen.  Joseph  388,  007,  986 
City  Bank  of  Portland  103 

Claggett,  Hon.  Clifton  411,  986 

Clap,  Capts.  Joshua  and  Caleb  850 
Clapp,  Asa  987 

Clapp,  Hon.  TVilliam  985 

Claremont,  N.  H.  446 

"        mills  at  447 

Clarendon,  Vt.  782 

"  title  to  lands  in  782 

"  Springs  782 

"  Cave  782 

"  Springs  p.  o.  782 

Clark,  Asa  987 

Clark,  Augustus  990 

Clark,  Hon.  Daniel  985,  989 

Clark,  Hon.  FrankUn  985 

Clark,  Rev.  John  490 

Clark,  Jonas  997 

Clark,  Lieutenant  270 

Clark,  Major  34 

Clark,  Merrit  997 

Clark,  Nathan  746 

Clark,  Thomas  367 

Clark,  Rev.  Ward  545 

Clark  and  Lake's  claims  169,  261 
Clarksville  v. — Landgrove,  Vt.  832 
Clay,  Henry  987,  989,  990,  991 

Clear  stream  581 

Clear-water  pond  162 

Cleeves,  George  267,  373 

Cleeves's  Neck  267-272 

Cleveland,  Elijah  991 

CUitord,  Hon.  Nathan  986 

Clifton,  Me.  94 

Clinton,  Me.  94 

Clinton  Gore,  Me.  95 

Clinton,  De  Witt  983 

Clinton,  George  990 

Clyde  river      761,  777,  791,  799,  869, 
896,  944 
Cobb,  Gen.  David  142 

Cobb's  Mills  v.— Phipsburg,  Me.  260 
Cobble  hUl,  Landaff,  N.  II.  648 

Cobble  hill,  Barre,  Vt.  741 

Cobble  hill,  Milton,  Vt.  848 

Cobbossee  Contec  (Gardiner,  Me.) 

93, 137 
Cobbossee  Con  tee  stream  167, 168, 354 
Cobbossee  Contce  pond  137,  205, 3G4 
Cobbossee  Contee  river  364 

Cobscook  bay  266 

Cobscook  falls  253 

Cochecho  Railroad  409,  474,  493, 656 
Cochecho  river  474,  493,  635,  656 
Cochran,  Robert  709,  710 

Cochrane,  J.  H.  vi 

Cockbum,  Sir  George  654 

Cockbume  (Columbia,  N.  H.)  449 
Cockburne,  Sir  James  449 

Cockermouth  (Grotou,  N.  H.)  510 
Cod  Lead  280 

Coe,  Rev.  Curtis  582 

Coffein,  Capt.  John  775 

Coffin,  Rev.  Peter  469,  482 

Coffin,  Rev.  Peter,  a  Shaker  27 

Cograan's  creek  933 

Coggswell,  Hon.  C.  N.  309 

Coggswell,  Joseph  G.  491 

Coggswell,  Nathaniel  414 

Colt's  Gore  (Waterville,  Vt.)  934 

Colburn,  Lieut.  Andrew  573 

Colburn,  Zerah  769 

Colby,  Gov.  Anthony  601,  995 

Colby,  Jonathan  528 

Colby,  Moses  464 

Colchester,  Vt.  783 

Colcord,  Edward,  jr.  606 

Cold  branch  868 

Cold  brook  850 


Cold  river.  N.  H.    405,  408,  549,  669 
Cold  river;  Vt.  904 

Cold  stream  121, 124,  354 

Cold-stream  pond  121 

Colden.  Lieut.  Gov.  860,  962 

Cole,  Dr.  Matthew  884 

Cole,  Samuel  446 

Cole's  pond  929 

Colebrook,  Sir  George  654 

CoUamer,  Hon.  Jacob  959,  986 

Collins,  Samuel  989 

Colman,  Jabez  and  son  killed  by 

Indians  545 

Colt's  pond  763 

Columbia,  Me.  95 

Columbia,  N.  H.  448 

Columbus  1,  2,  3 

Colvin,  disappearance  of  839 

Commissioners'  Report  cited  69 

Conant,  John  991 

Conant,  Rev.  William  661 

Conary,  Stephen  321 

Concord,  Me.  95 

Concord,  N.  H.,  shinj  town  and 

State  capital  449 

"        early     struggles    of 

people  450-463 

*'        controversy        with 

Bow  451, 452 

"       State  Prison  at  456 

"       Insane  Asylum  at         456 

Concord,  Vt.  784 

Concord  (Lisbon,  N.  H.)  555 

Concord  Railroad  466,  627 

Concord  &  Claremont  Railroad    428, 

448,  457,  679,  659 

Congress,  U.  S.  frigate  628 

Congress  galley  716,  717 

Connecticut  lake  616 

Connecticut  river    400, 418, 427, 442, 

444, 447, 449, 460, 461, 608, 516, 529, 

637, 648, 551, 566,  682, 583, 600, 609, 

615,  616, 619,  740,  760, 751, 767,  764, 

765, 773,  784,  798, 802, 812, 817, 819, 

833, 837, 869, 866, 868, 896, 905, 926, 

934,  936,  951,  954 

Connecticut   and   Passumpeic 

Rivers  Railroad    508, 619, 562, 610, 

616, 817,  867,  869,  896,  917,  934, 955 

Connecticut     and     Passumpsic 

Rivers  Railroad,  extension  of    791 

Connecticut  River  Railroad  926 

Constitution  of  N.  Hampshire      389 

"  "  Vermont       723-725 

Contents  vU 

Contoocook  (Boscawen,  N.  II.)      425 

Contoocook  river    414,  4^,  441,  442, 

456,  465,  616,  522,  526,  527,  633, 

537,  579,  592,  615,  647 

Contoocook  Valley  llailraad         522, 

626,  627,  533,  679 

Contoocookville  v.    and  p.  o. — 

Hopkinton,  N.  H.  533 

Converse,  Captain  350,  351 

Conway,  N.  U.  458 

Conway  peak  433 

Conway  river  664 

Cooash  Indiana  401 

Cook,  Francis  686 

Cook,  Judge  Orchard  336 

Cook,  Thomas,  killed  by  Indians   424 
Cook,  Timothy  426 

Coolidge,  Hon.  Carlos     953,  991,  997 
Cooper,  Me.  95 

Cooper's    Mills  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Whitefleld,  Me.  3-55 

Cooper's  Naval  History  cited        716 
Coos  county,  N.  H.  460 

Coos  p  o.— Stratford,  N.  H.         977 
Coote.  Richard  993 

Copper  mine,  Versbire,  Vt.  927 

Copperas  manufacture  912,  913 

Copperas  Hill  p.  o.— StraffiDrd,Vt.  913 
Corinna,  Me.  96 

Corinth,  Me.  96 

Corinth,  Vt.  984 


1004 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Cornish,  Me. 
Cornish,  N.  II. 
Comville,  Me. 
Cornwall,  Yt. 

Cotton,  Kev.  John  € 

Cotton,  John  II. 
Cotton,  Kev.  Josiah 
Cotton,  Rev.  Se,aborn 
Cotton,  Rev.  Theophilua 
Coulson,  Thomas 
Courts,  inteiTuptionof  at  Wind- 
sor and  Rutland 
Cousins,  Ichabod 
Cousins  river 
Coventry  (Benton,  N.  II.) 
Coventry,  Vt. 
Cow  mountain 
Cozine,  John 
Crafts,  Col.  Ebenezer 
Crafts,  Hon.  Samuel  C. 


99i, 


Craftsbury,  Vt. 

Cragie's  Mills  v. — Oxford,  Me, 

Cragin,  Hon.  A.  II. 

Cram,  Rev.  Jacob 

Cram,  Joseph 

Cranberry  Isles.  Me. 

Crane,  Rev.  D.  M. 

Cranfleld,  Edward  379,  SS 

Crawford,  Abel  68; 

Crawford,  David 

Crawford,  Erastus 

Crawford,  Ethan 

Crawford,  Ethan  A.  68! 

Cra\vford,  Thomas  J. 

Cra^vford  House  eiSi 

Crawford  House    p.  o. — ^White 

Mountains,  N.  H.  977 

Crawford,  Me.  98 

Crawford  mountain  341 

Crawford's  Grant  693 

Crockett,  Rev.  John  643 

Crockett,  Knott  987 

Cromwell,  John  677 

Cromwell,  Oliver  406 

''  "     petition  to  183 

Crooked  brook  798 

Crooked  or  Pequawket   river, 
221, 


785 
624 
990 
644 
614 
615 
273 

720 
175 
1-31 
492 
786 
812 
828 
787 
986, 
996 
787 
244 
986 
533 
734 
97 
764 
993 
684 
991 
684 
684 
684 
684 


680. 
992; 


495,  609, 


462,  508, 


Me, 
Crosby,  Gen.  John 
Crosby,  Capt.  Josiah 
Crosby,  Hon.  William  G. 
Crosbytown  (Etna,  Me.) 
Cross  hill 
Cross  lake 
Crotched  mountain 
Crown  Point 
Croyden,  N.  H. 
Croyden  mountain 
Crystal  Falls  USa 

Crystal    Plantation,    Aroostook 

Co.  Me.  966 

Cuba  2 

Cuba  mountain  675 

Cumberland,  Me.  98 

Cumberland  county.  Me.  93 

Cumberland    county    (all     the 

eastern  counties).  Vt.  747, 

Cumberland  and  Oxford  Canal 
164,  276, 
Cummings,  Daniel 
Cummings  Gore 
Cummings,  Rev.  Joseph 
Cunningham,  II.  W.  967, 

Currier,  Elijah  R. 
Currier,  Rev.  Joseph 
Curtis.  Elias,  captured  by  the 

Indians 
Curtis,     Henry,     purchaser    of 

Roothbay 
CurtLs,  Jeremiah 
Curtis's    Corner     p.   o. — Leeds, 

Me. 
Curvo  (Phillips,  Me.) 
Cushing,  Me. 
Cushing,  Rev.  James 


Cushing,  John  P.  491 

Cushman,  Alfred  967 

Cushman,  lion.  Joshua  P  985 

Cushman,  Hon.  Samuel  986 

Cushman'e  mountain  703 

Cushnoc  (Augusta,  Me.)     38,  39, 168 
Cushnocs,  a  clan  of  the  Canibas 

21,38 
Cutler,  Me.  99 

"         "  harbor  99,  lighthouse    99 
Cutler,  Joseph  99 

Cutler,  Hon.  Nathan  987,  993 

Cutler's  Mills  v.— Exeter,  Me.       123 
Cutter,  Rev.  Ammi  R.  239 

Cutter,  Doctor  625 

Cutter,  Doctor  682 

Cuttingsville    v.     and     p.  o. — 

Shrewsbury,  Vt.  904 

Cutt,  or  Cutts,  John      383,  626,  993 
Cutts,  Hon.  Charles  985 

D. 

D.iUas  Plantation,  Me,  972 

Dalton,  N.  H.  462 

Dalton,  Rev,  Timothy  514 

Dalton,  Hon,  Tristram  462 

Damariscotta,,  Me,  100 

Damariscotta  pond  165 

Damariscotta  river    59,  66, 100, 115, 
165, 194,  2^,  ^ 
Dana,  Rev.  Daniel  490, 518, 659 

Dana,  Hon.  John  W.  992,  993 

Dana,  Josiah  990 

Dana,  Prof.  406 

Dana,  Hon.  Samuel  410 

Dana,  Rev.  Sylvester  609 

Danbury,  N.  H.  462 

Danby,  Vt.  789 

Dane,  Hon.  Joseph  985 

Danforth,  Rev.  Samuel's,  alma- 
nac 679 
Danforth  Plantation,  Me.  976 
Diintzic  (Newbury,  N,  II.)  593 
Dantzic  (New  London,  N.  H.)  600 
Danville,  Me.  101 
Danville,  N.  H.  463 
Danville,  Vt.  789 
*'  formerly  shire  town  790 
Darling.  Col.  John  G.  784 
Dart,  Captain  818 
Dartmouth  College  390,  517, 648,  946 
Dartmouth  (Jefferson,  N.  II.)  537 
Diiyton,  William  L.  991 
D'Aulney,  French  Governor  of 

Acadia,  16, 88 

Davec,  Hon,  Thomas  985 

Davenport,  Charles  794 

Davies  7 

D.avies,  James  12 

Davies,  Capt.  Richard  12 

Davis,  Rev.  Henry  846 

Davis,  Col.  Jacob  770,  850 

Davis,  Rev.  James  216 

Davis,  Gen.  Parley  770,  796,  850 

Davis,    Sylvanus,   captured    in 

French  war  270, 271 

Davis,  Hon.  Woodbury  74 

Davistown  (MontviUe,  Me.)  101 

Day's  Ferry  v. — Woohvich,  Me.    368 
Dayton,  Me.  101 

Dayton  Plantation,  Me.  906 

De  Chute  river  '  967 

De  Guercheville.  Madame        12,  219 
De  Laplace,  Captain  714 

De  MoQts  Pierre         10, 12,  283,  706 
Dead  creek,  Cambridge,  Vt,  773 

Dead  creek,  Panton,  Vt,  870 

Dead  river  973,  975,  976 

Dead  River  Plantation,  Me.  975 

Dead  Stream,  Me.  29,  61,  185 

Deadwater  river  664 

Dean,   John,  murdered    by   In- 
dians 480 
Dean,  John  W.  vi 
Dean,  Rev.  Seth                               682 
Dean,  Capt.  WilUam                       952 


Dean,  Willard,  and  William,  jr. 
Deane,  Charles 
Deanfield  (Lowell,  Me.) 
Dearborn,  Edward,  M.  D. 
Dearborn,  Col.  Greenleaf 
Dearborn,  Gen.  Henry 


952 


Dearborn,  Simon 

Debelioe,  M. 

Deblois,  Me. 

Deblois,  Thomas  Amory 

Dedham,  Me. 

Dedication 


200 

647 

214 

137,  214, 

388,  48o 
605 

439,789 
102 
102 
103 
iii 


Deer  Island  Thoroughfare  light  980 
Deer  Isle,  Me.  103 

Deerfield,  N.  H.  464 

Deerfield  p.  o. — Prentiss.  Me.  975 
Deerfield  river  747,  792,  883.  899, 
904,  913,  947,  950,  95l,  956 
Deering,  N.  H.  465 

Deming,  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  986 

Deming  s  Vermont  State  Officers 

cited  731 

Denison,  Gilbert  814,  990 

Denmark,  Me.  104 

Dennett,  John,  kills  Sam'l  Beach  773 
Dennysville,  Me.  105 

Denny's  river  105 

Derby,  Vt.  790 

Dermer,  Thomas  15 

Derry,  N.  H.  466 

Derryfleld  (Manchester,  N.  H.)  664 
Detroit,  Me.  105 

Devil's  Den,  682 

Devil's  Slide,  663 

Devonshire,  an  ancient  county  of 

Me.  374 

Dewey,  Capt.  Elijah  744,  990 

Dewey,  Rev.  Jedediah  746 

Dexter,  Me.  105 

Dexter,  Samuel  251 

Diamond,  John,  tortured  to  death 


by  Indians 
Dice's  Head  hghthouse 
Dickinson 

Dillingham,  Hon.  Paul 
Dillingham,  Paul,  jr. 
Diasmoor,  Gov.  Samuel 


352 
90,980 

7 


640.986 
9S8,  994;  995 
Discoverer,  one  of  Martin  Pring's 

vessels  376, 622 

Distances,  table  of  in  Aroostook 

county  964 

Dix,  Dr.  Elijah  108 

Dix,  Hon.  ,lolm  A.  491 

Dix,  Col.  Timothy  466 

Dixflcld,  Me.  107 

Dixmont,  Me,  108 

Dixville,  N,  H,  466 

Dixville  Notch  466 

Dodge,  Rev,  Joshua  684 

Dog  river  749,  863,  933 

DoUoff,  James,  killed  by  Indians  613 


Doolittle,  Joel 

996 

Dorchester,  N,  H, 

467 

Dorr,  Thomas  W. 

491 

Dorset,  Vt. 

791 

"    convention  at 

710 

*'    marble  quarries  at 

791 

Dorset  mountain 

791 

Doty,  Jerathiel 

929 

930 

Doublehead  mountain 

442 

469 

Doughtv's  Falls 

27 

Doughty 's  Falls  v.— North  Ber- 

wick, Me. 

236 

Douglas  cited 

67 

Douglas,  Stephen  A. 

754 

Douglass,  Jabez  A. 

989 

Dover,  Me.,  a  shire  town 

109 

Dover,  N.  H.,  a  shire  town 

381 

467 

"    destruction  of 

471 

Dover,  Vt. 

792 

Dow,   Josephj  Hist,   address  at 

Hampton  cited 

613 

Dow,  Hon.  Moses 

500 

Downie,  Commodore 

721 

GENERAL  INDEX. 


1005 


Downinff's  Mills  v. — New  Dur- 
ham, N.  H.  597 
Downs,  Ebenezer  649 
Do\Tns,  Gershom,  killed  by  In- 
dians                                   634,  649 
Drake,  S.  G..  Hist.  Indians  of  N. 

America  citud  234 

Drake,  S.  G.,  Tragedies  of  wilder- 
ness citud  67, 327 
Drake's  Comer   v. — Effingham, 

N.  H.  484 

Draper  (Wilmington,  Vt.)  949 

Dresden.  Me.  110 

Dublin,  N.  U.  474 

Duck  pond  130 

Duck-trap  stream  195,  337 

Dudley,  Hon.  John  631 

Dudley,  Gov.  Joseph  384,  586,  993 
Dudley,  Kev.  Samuel  490 

Duke  of  York  67,707 

"  "     Commissioners  of    223 

Dummer,  Captain  23,  367 

Dummer,  Lieut.  Gov.  755,  793 

Dummer,  N.  H.  477 

Dummer  Falls  477 

Dummer's  Meadows  755 

Dimimerston,  Vt.  792 

*'        title  to  lands  in  793 

"         active  in  Kevolution   793 
Dunbar,  Col.  David  59,  69,  231,  325, 
385,993 
Dunbarton,  N.  H.  477 

Duncan,  lion.  James  H.  491 

Duncan,  Capt.  John  413 

Duncausboro'  (Newport,  Tt.)  862 
Dunlap,  Hon.  llobert  P.       985,  992, 

Dunmore  lake  732,  832,  898 

Dunstable  (Nashua,  N.  II.)  585 

Duiistan^s  Corner  v. — Scarboro', 

Ble.  298 

Dupont,  the  French  explorer  10,  705 
Durand  (Randolph,  N  H.)  629 

Durham,  Me.  110 

Durham,  N.  H.  478 

"     savage  attacks  upon  480,  481 
Durell,  Hon.  Daniel  L.  986 

Durrill,  Philip,  family  of  mur- 
dered by  the  Indians  179 
Duston,  Jonathan  432 
Duston,  Mrs.,  heroic  feat  of         425 
Dutchman's   Point,  blockhouse 

at  864 

Duxbury,  Tt.  795 

Duxbury  branch  795 

Dwiglit,  Thomas  251 

Dy,  John  264 

E. 

E.  Plantation,  Franklin  county, 

Me.  972 

Eagle,  an.  American  war  ve^el  721 
Eagle  Island  Point  Ught  980 

Eagle  lake  33 

Eames,  Uev.  Jeremiah  605 

Eames,  Rev.  Jonathan  603 

East  bay  801,  938 

East  creek  869,  875 

East  Haven,  Tt.  796 

East  Kingston,  N.  H.  481,  651 

East  Livermore,  Me.  HI 

EastMacbias,  Me.  112 

East  Machias  river  112 

East  Montpelier,  Vt.  796 

East  mountain  910 

East  or  Ne«ichawannock  pond  663 
Ea.*;t  Pond  Plantation  (Newport, 

Me.)  227 

East  Somerset  Agricultural  Soc.  155 
East Tliomaston( Rockland, Me.)  284 
East  Town  ( Wakefield,  N.  H.)  667 
Eastbrook,  5Ie.  Ill 

Eastern  Head,  mine  at  100 

Eastern  Hailroad  510,  515,  636,  647 
Eastern  river  110 

Eastman,  Capt.  Ebenezer      449,  450 


Eastman,  Hon.  Ira  A. 

Eastman,  Jonathan 

Eastman,  Capt.  Joseph 

Eastman,  Hon.  Nehemiah     4£ 

Easton,  Bildad 

Eastport,  Me. 

"        taken  by  the  British 

Eaton 

Eaton,  Hon.  Horace 

Eaton,  N.  H. 

Eaton  Plantation,  Me. 

Eaton,  Samuel 

Ebeme  riA'er 

Echo  lake 

Eddington,  Me. 

Eddy,  Jona.,  grantee  of  Edding- 
ton 

Eden,  Me. 

Eden,  Vt. 

Edgecomb,  Me. 

Edgecomb,  John 

Edgecomb,  Sir  Kicliard 

Edgemaroggan  light 

Edinburgh,  Me. 

Edmunds,  Me. 

Edwards,  Hon.  Thomas  M.    986 

Edwards  i 

Effingham,  N.  H.  483 

Egeremet,  Indian  sagamore  3o0 

Ela's  river  596,  689 

Elbridge,  Gyles,  grantee  of  Bri-stol  67 

Electors  of  President  in  Maine, 
N.  H.,  and  Tt.  987-991 

Electoral  Totes  (see  Tote). 

Eliot,  John  418 

Elizabeth  Islands  9 

Elkins,  Henry,  killed  by  Indians  845 

Elkins,  Jona.,  taken  pi-isoner  by 
British  871, 872 

Elkins,  Moses,  taken  prisoner  by 
British  872 

Elligo-sigo,   an  early   name  of 
Black  river  788 

EUiugwood  Comer  v.  &  p.  o. — 


454, 989 
451 

493,  986 
794 
112 
113 
6 
997 
482 


75 
496,682 
114 


Frankfort,  Me, 
Elliot,  Me. 
Elliot,  Hon.  James 
Elliot,  Lieut. 
Elhot,  Samuel 
Elliotsville,  Me. 
Ellis,  Hon.  Caleb 
Ellis,  Judge 
Ellis  river,  Me. 
Ellis  river,  N.  H. 


128 

117 

814,  986 

785 

814 

118, 962 

446,  986,  983 

540 

30.287 

'534 


Ellsworth,  Me.  a  shire  town  118 

*'    Roman  Catholic  troubles  119 
Ellsworth,  N.  H. 
Elmaker,  lion.  Amos 
Elmore,  Vt. 
Elmore  mountain 
Elmore,  Col.  Samuel 
Embden,  Me. 
Emerson,  Aaron  P. 
Emerson,  Rev.  Daniel 
Emerson,  Rev.  Noah 
Emerson's  branch 
Emerson's  stream 
Emery  family 
Emery,  Rev.  Stephen 
Emery's   Mills  T.    and  p.   o. — 
Shapleigh,  Me.  303,  977 


990 


Enfield,  Me. 
Enfield,  N.  11. 

"      Shaker  settlement  at 
Englishman's  Bay- 
Enosburgh,  \t. 

Enterprise  aud  Boxer,  fight  be- 
tween 
Epitaphs  of  representative  men 
Epping,  N.  IL 
Epsom,  N.  H. 
Equinox  mountain 
Equivalent  lands 
Errol,  N.  H. 
Escutussis  stream 
Essex,  Vt. 


70 
984 
485 
486 
■91,  840,898 
755 
487 
200 
798 


Essex  county,  Tt.  798 

Estabrook,  Rev.  Experience  665 

Etchemins,  described  21-24 

Etna,  Me.  122 

Eureka  Powder-works  v.— New 

Durham,  N.  IL  597 

European  and  North  American 

Railroad  256 

Eustis  Plantation,  Me.  972,  973 

Evans,  Rev.  Edward  484 

Evans,  Hon.  George  985 

Evans,  Richard  626 

Everett,  Hon.  Alexander  H.  490 

Everett,  Hon.  Edward  491 

Everett,  Hon.  Horace  953,  986 

Ewell's  Mills  v. — Peacham,  Tt.  873 
Ewers,  Rev.  Nathaniel  652 

Exeter,  Me.  122 

Exeter,  N.  H.,  a  shire  town  487 

Exeter  river  (Squamscott)      428,  636 


F. 

Fabyan'a 

Factory  Point  v.  &  p.  o. — Man- 
chester, Vt. 

Factoryville  v.— Littleton,  N.  H. 

Fairbanks,  Hon.  Ei-astus  i 

991, 

Fairbanks  road 

Fairfax  (Albion,  Me.) 

Fairfax,  Tt. 

Fairfield,  Me. 

Fairfield  (Woodstock,  N.  H.) 

Fiurfield,  Tt. 

Fairfield  river 

Fairfield,  John 

Fairfield,  Hon-  John       935,  992, 

Fairhaven,  Vt. 

Fairlee,  Vt. 

I'airlee  lake  802,  917, 

Fall  brook 

Falmouth,  Me.  123, 

*'         sufferers  by  burning  of 

Fane  {Newfanc,  Vt.) 

Farley,  Ebenezer 

Farley,  Hon.  E.  Wilder 

Farmer,  John,  historian  of  N.  IL 
"         '*       Gazetteer  cited 

Farmer  and  Moore's  collections 
cited 

Farmingdale,  Me. 

Farmington,  Me. 

Farmington,  N   IL 

Famsworth,  Ebenezer  440, 

Famsworth,  Stephen,  captured 
by  Indians 

Farrand's  river 

Farrar,  Rev.  Joseph 

Farrar,  Rev.  Stephen 

Farrar,  Judge  Timothy 

Farrington,  Hon.  James 

Farwell  Tillage  and  p.  o. — (Ilau- 
dolph,  Vt.) 

Fassett,  John 

Fassctt,  John,  jr. 

Fassett,  Jonathan 

Fay,  Davi^ 

Fay,  John 

Fay,  Dr.  Jonas 

Fay,  Joseph 

Fay,  Samuel 

Fay,  StepliGii 

Fay,  Theodore  S- 

Fays,  Tha 

Fayettovillo  v.  and  p.  0*— New- 
fane,  Vfci 

Fay's  Corner  v. — Richmond,  Tt. 

Fayston,  Vt. 

Felch,  lion.  Alpheus 

Felchville  v.  and  p.  o. — Reading, 
Vt. 

Fellows  Comer  v. — Corinth,  Vt. 

Felt,  Joseph 

Fenwick,  Ei.shop  B.  J. 

Ferdinand.  Vt. 

Ferreu's  river 


688 

840 
556 
)08, 
997 
35 
26 
799 
123 
702 


561 
993 
800 
801 
937 
306 
268 
131 
8G0 
987 
985 
454 
4S3 

594 
124 
124 
493 
735 

433 
853 
476 
599 
600,983 


882 
745 
745 
874 
745 
804 
745 
745 
744 
745 
745 
712 


744, 


861 
884 
802 
491 

SS3 
785 
233 
905 

802 
761 


1006 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Perrisburgh,  Vt.  803 

Fessenden,  Samuel  992 

Bessenden,  Hon.  Wm.  Ktt  985 

Field,  Darby  679 

Field,  Key.  Pindar  200 

Fiiield,  Benjamin,  killed  by  In- 
diana 613 
Fifteen-mile  Falls  462,  556,  740,  837 
Fillebrown,  Thomas  987 
FUlmore,  Millard  987,  988,  990 
Finlay  7 
Fish,  Rev.  Elisha  502 
Fish,  Kev.  Halloway  573 
Fish  river  35,  968 
Fisher,  Eev.  EUas  553 
Fisher,  Rev.  Jonathan  59 
Fisher,  Josiah,  killed  by  Indians 

539,879 
Fisherfleld  (Newbury,  N.  H.)  693 
Fisheries,  Report  on,  cited  506 

Fisherman's  Island  harbor  70 

Fisherville  v.  and  p.  o. — Con- 
cord, N.  H.  467,  458 
Fisk,  Isaiah  990 
Fisk,  Hon.  James  916,  986 
Fisk,  William  988 
Fisk,  Miss  641 
Fisk,  "Wilbur  814 
Fitch,  Jabez  826 
Fitz  pond  103 
Fitzwilliam,  N.  H.  493 
Five  Islands  ( Winn,  Me. )  360 
Flag-staff  Plantation,  Me.  975 
Flagg,  Rev.  Ebenezer  443 
Flamslead  (Chester,  Vt.)  779 
Flanders,  Lieut.  John  425 
Flat  v.— Richmond,  Vt.  884 
Fletcher,  Hon.  Asaph  776,  990 
Fletcher,  Rev.  Elijall  633 
Fletcher,  Ephraim  987 
Fletcher,  Rev.  Horace  776 
Fletclier,  Gen.  Isaac  838,  986 
Fletcher,  Rev.  Mr.  479 
Fletcher,  Hon.  Richard  776 
Fletcher,  Hon.  Ryland  776,  997 
Fletcher,  Gen.  Samuel  828,  920,  921 
Fletcher,  Vt.  804 
Flewellen,  Indian  sagamore  201. 
291,  843 
Flint,  Captain  43 
Flintstown  (Sebago,  Me.)  43 
Florida  2 
Flume,  at  DixviUe,  N.  II.  407 
Flume  at  Lincoln,  N.  II.  654,  688 
Flume  House  p.  o.  —  Lincoln, 

N. H.  654 

Fly's  Ledge  lighthouse  73 

Fogg,  Rev.  Jeremiah  544 

Follett,  Timothy  991 

Folsom,  Ephraim,  Sen.  488 

Folsom,  Hon.  George  vi,  14 

*'  *'      Hist.    Saco    and 

Biddeford,  cited  176,  349 

Folsom.  Gen.  Nathaniel  489 

Foot,  Colonel  83 

Foot,  Br.  Nathan  785,  786 

Foot,  Hon.  Solomon       786,  894,  988 
Fore  river  85 

Fore  Side  v.— Kittery,  Me.  185 

Forestdale  v.  and  p.  o. — Bran- 
don, Vt.  764 
Forks  Plantation,  Me.  976 
Forks  of  the  Mattawamkeag  964,968 
Fort  Charles  67 
Fort  Constitution  627 
Fort  Dummer  706 
Fort  Dummer  (Hinsdale,  N.  II.)  527 
Fort  Edward  717 
Fort  Fairfield,  Me.  966 
Fort  George,  UrunSTvick,  Me.  76, 
251,  357 
Fort  George,  Castine,  Me.  90 
Fort  Halifax  34,  263,  361 
Fort  Kent  963 
Fort  Kent  p.  o. — Hancock  Plan- 
tation, Me.                                     968 


Fort  Knox  279,  280 

Fort  Loyal  268, 270 

Fort  McCleary  627 

Fort  Mott,  Pittsford,  Vt.  874 

Fort  Point  127,  278,  338 

"       cove  317 

"       lighthouse      280, 317, 980 
Fort  Preble  276 

Fort  Richmond  281 

Fort  Scamroel  276 

Fort  Shattuck  528 

Fort  Shirley  110 

Fort  Sullivan  114 

Fort    upon  Great   Meadow,  or 

Putney  fort  879 

Fort  Vengeance  874 

Fort  Western  39, 147 

Fort  William  Henry  387 

Fort  William  and  Mary  695 

Foss  Grant  674 

Foster,  Hon.  Abiel  489,  986 

Foster,  Benjamin  203 

Foster,  Gen.  Ezekiel  253 

Foster,  Rev.  Jacob  592 

Foster,  John  987 

Foster,  Josiah,  captured  by  In- 
dians 699 
Foster,  Hon.  S.  C.  253,  985 
Four  Corners  v. — Charlotte,  Vt.  778 
Fowle,  Rev.  Robert  6-30 
Fowler,  Asa  995 
Fox  Isles  (North  Haven,  Me.)  236 
Foxcroft,  Rev.  Samuel  226 
Francestown,  N.  H,  494 
Francis,  Colonel  822 
Francisburgh  (Cornish,  Me.)  96 
Franconia,  N.  II.  496 
Franconia  Notch  496,  688 
Frankfort,  Me.  126 
"  British  at,  in  last  war  127 
Franklin,  Me.  129 
Franklin,  N.  H.  497 
Franklin,  Vt.  804 
Franklin  county.  Me.  129 
Franklin  county,  Vt.  804 
Franklin  Island  light  980 
Franklin  and  Bristol  Railroad  429 
Franklin  Plantation,  Sic.  974 
Franklin,  Hon.  Jonathan  661,  988 
Framingliam  Academy  grant  197 
Frazer,  Ciipt.,  makes  attack  on 

Castleton,  Vt.  774 

Frazer,   Gen.,   orders  attack  on 

Castletou  774 

Freedom,  Me.  130 

Freedom,  N.  II.  499 

Freeman,  Me.  131 

Freeman,  Col.  Enoch  273 

Freeman,  Hon.  Jonathan       986,  988 
Freeport,  Me.  131 

Freetown  (Albion,  Me.)  26 

Freetown  (Monmouth.  Me.)  212 

Freetown  (Raymond,  N.  II.)  630 

Frelingliuysen,  Hon.  Theo.  991 

Fremont,  N.  H.  499 

Fremont  Plantation,  5Ie.  967 

Fremont  p.   o. — Fort   Fairfield, 

Me.  967 

Fremont,  John  C.  987,  988,  991 

French,  Hon.  Ezra  B.  985 

French,  Rev.  Jonathan  605 

French,  Nathan,  killed  by  In- 
dians 628 
French,  William,  killed  in  West- 
minster riot  795, 941 
French  and  Indian  war  132,  756 
French  and  Spanish  silver  coins  90 
French  v.— WilUston,  Vt.  949 
French  war  886 
Frenchman's  bay  142,  328 
Friendship,  Me.  132 
Friendship,  Long  Island  _  132 
Frontier  Missionary  cited  '11,  283 
Frontiers,  protection  of  755 
Frost,  John,  killed  by  Indians  628 
Frost,  Judge                                     481 


Frost  mountain  75 

Frye,  Gen.  Joseph  183 

Fryebuig,  Me.  133 

"         Lovell's  fight  at     133-136 
Fryeburg  Academy  136 

Fryeburg  Academy  grant  207 

Eulham  (Dummerston,  Vt.)  793 

Fuller  p.  o. —  (Washington  Co., 

Me.)  977 

Fuller,  Jonathan  G.  987 

Fuller,  Hon.  Thomas  J.  D.  985 

Furnace  brook        782,  826,  875,  918 

G. 

G.  Plantation,  Me.  967 

Gaflield,  Benj.   pursued  by  In- 
dians, and  drowned  528 
Gaflfield,     Mrs.    and    daughter, 

captured  by  Indians  926 

Gage,  Joshua  987 

Gale,  Jacob  482 

Gale,  Stephen  988 

Gallop,  Oliver  990 

Galusha,  Hon.  Jonas     721,  899,  990, 
996 
Gamble,  Lieutenant  721 

Gamble's  Gore  (Windsor,  N.  II.)   701 
Garcelon,  James  189 

Garde,  Roger  369 

Gardiner  family  137 

Gardiner,  Me.  a  city  137,  138 

Gardiner,  R.  II.  138 

Gardiner,  Dr.  Sylvester  124,169,263 
Gardner,  Rev.  Andrew  880 

Gardner,  Hon.  Francis  986 

Garland,  Jabez  649 

Garland,  Me.  138 

Garrison  Island  132 

Gassett's  Station  p.  o. — Chester, 

Vt.  780 

Gates,  Daniel  794 

Gates,  General  720 

Gaut,  Gurley  487 

Gaysville,  Vt  911 

Gendall,  Capt.,  murdered  by  In- 
dians 238 
George,  Rev.  Enos  416 
Geoi-getown,  Me.  140 
'■             supposed  first  set- 
tlement of  11 
Georgia,  Vt.                                    805 
"       Natural  Bridge  at            805 
Gerry,  Hon.  Elbridge              985,  990 
Giant's  Grave                                    683 
Gibbs,    Giles,   captured  by   the 

Indians  889 

Gibson,  Rev.  Richard  623 

Gibson  v.— New  Ipswich,  N.  II.     600 
Gilbert,  Benj.  J.  988 

Gilbert,  Nathaniel,  captured  by 

Indians  900 

Gilbert,  Capt.  Raleigh  12 

Gilchrist,  John  J.,  Chief  Justice 

ofN.  H.  441 

Gilead,  Me.  140 

"       mountain  slide  in  140 

Gilford,  N.  H.,  a  shire  town  500 

Gillis  and  Foss's  Grant  '674 

Gilman,  B.  P.  gg^ 

Oilman,  Hon.  Charles  J.  935 

Gilman,  David  (330 

Gihnan,  Hon.  John  T.   489, 490,  988 
99.i 
Gilman,  Hon.  Nicholas    489, 985  986 
Gilman,  Col.  Peter  '387 

Gilman,  Stephen,  killed  by  In- 
dians 545 
Gilmanton,  N.  H.  500 
Gilmore,  G.  ggg 
Gilson,  ,  wounded  by  In- 
dians 925 
Gilsum,  N.  H.  502 
Glass-face  mountain  287 
Glastenbury,  Vt.  gQc 
Glebe  brook  q^q 
Glebe  mountaiu                             gg^ 


GENEEAL  INDEX. 


1007 


Glen  Ellis,  or  Pitcher  Falla  690 

Glen  House  682 

Glenbum,  Me.  141 

Glidden'B  Peak  667 

Glover,  Vt.  806 

GloTer,  Gen.  John  806 

Goat  Island  light  982 

Goddard,  John  988 

Goddard,  Rev.  ■yviffiam  677 

Godfrey,  Edward  369,  373 

Goffe,  Col.  John  387,  419,  451,  603, 
B64 
Gofistown,  N.  H.  602 

Golden  Ridge  Plantation,  Me.  967 
Goldenstown  (Rockingham,  Vt.)  886 
Goldthwaite,  Col.  279 

Gonic  T.  and  p.  o. — ^Rochester, 

N.H.  635 

Goodale^s  Comer  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Orrington,  Me.  243 

Goodell,  Shubael  827 

Goodenow,  Diinlel  992 

Goodenow,  Hon.  Robert  985 

Goodenow,  lion.  Rufus  K.  246, 

985  98( 
Goodrich  Falls  634l  635 

Goodridge,  Rev.  Sewall  662 

Goodwin,  Gen.  Ichabod  309 

Goodwin,  Hon.  Ichabod  995 

Goodwin's  Mills  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Lyman,  Me.  201,  202 

Goodwinvillc  v.— Milton,  N.  H.  632 
Goodyear,  Moses  85,  267 

Gookin,  Rev.  Nathaniel  605 

Gordon,  Hon.  William  410,  986 

Gorges.  Sir  Ferdinando  13,  14,  60, 
182,  264,  291,  349,  873,  377,  680 
Gorges,  Narrative  cited  9 

Gorges,  Sir  John  264 

Gorges,  Sir  Thomas  349,  369,  373 
Gorgeana  (York,  Me.)  369,  373 

Gorham,  Me.  141 

Gorton,  Benjamin  794 

Goshen,  N.  H.  603 

Goshen,  Vt.  807 

Goshen  Gores,  Vt.  807,  875 

Gosnold,  Bartholomew  9 

Gosport,  N.  II.  506 

Goss,  Col.  Thomas  207 

Gould,  Robert  142 

Gouldsborough,  Me.  142 

Gove,  Edward  383,  646 

Gove,  Dr.  Jonathan  504 

Governor's  Island  511 

Governors  and  Acting  Governors 

of  Me.  993 

Grafton.  Me.  142 

Grafton,  N.  H.  606 

Grafton  county,  N.  H.  607 

Graham,  William  A.  991 

Granby,  Vt.  808 

Grand  Falls  in  River  St.  John  967, 
972 
Grand  Isle,  Vt.  809 

Grand  Isle  county,  Tt.  809 

Grand  lake  854 

Grand  Menan  Island  201 

Grand  Monadnock  442 

Grand  River  parish,  Madawaska 

Plantation,  Me.  969 

Grand  Trunk  Railway        31,  64,  98, 

101, 124, 141,  245,  247,  265,  276. 

423,  647,  580,  606,  75(i,  762,  799 

Grand   Trunk    Station,    Island 

Pond,  Vt.  762 

Grandy,  Elijah,  captured  by  the 

British  760 

Granger,  Francis  991 

Graniteville   v.  —  Marlborough, 

N.  H.  B73 

Grantham,  N.  H.  608 

Granville,  Vt.  810 

Grassy  brook  764 

Gray,  Me.  143 

Great  Ammonoosuc  648 

Great  Bay,  Belknap  Co.  N.  H.     675 


Great  Bay,  Rockingham  county, 

N. H.  636 

Great  Brook,  Me.  248 

Great  Brook,  Vt.  876 

Great  Cold  river  318 

Great  Falls,  Charleston,  Vt.  777 

Great  Falls,  Lyndon,  Vt.  838 

Great  Falls,  Marshfleld,  Vt.  842,  843 
Great  Falls,  Morristown,  Vt.  854 
Great    Falls    v. — Somersworth, 

N.  H.  650 

Groat  Falls  v.— Windham,  Me.  359 
Great  Falls  Branch  Railroad  662 

Great  Falls  and  Conway  Railroad 

309,  682,  637,  651,  656 
Great  Falls  and  South  Berwick 

Branch  Railroad  651 

Great  Farm  164 

Great  Haystack  mountain  682 

Great  Ilosmer  pond  733 

Great  Island  (Newcastle,  N.  H.)  594 
Great  Machias  river  35 

Great  Meadow         677,  879,  880,  881 
"  fort  upon  879 

Great  Notch  762 

Great   Otter   creek    (see   Otter 

creek). 
Great  Parker  pond  87 

Great  pond  286 

Great  Pond  p.  o. — Washington 

county.  Me.  977 

Great  Works  river,    Penobscot 

county.  Me.  62,  255 

GreatWorksriver,  YorkCo.  Me.  308 
Great  Works  p.  o.— Milford,  Me.  977 
Great  Works  v.— Oldtown,  Me.  240 
Greeley,  Hon.  Horace  411 

Groely,  Rev.  Allen  331 

Green,  Dr.  Ezra  473 

Green  hill  458 

Green,  Jona.,  killed  by  Indians  613, 
64o 
Green  mountain,  Claremont,N.  II. 

447 
Green  mountain,  Efiingham,  N.  II. 


Green  Mountains 


720,  772 


Green  Mountain  Boys  710,  715,  717, 
721 
Green  river  797,  815,  826,  842,  956 
Green  River  v.  and  p.  o. — Guil- 
ford, Vt.  814 
Greenbush,  Me.  144 
Greene,  Me.  144 
Greenfield,  Me.  145,  953 
Greenfield,  N.  H.  609 
Greenland,  N.  H.  610 
Greenleaf,  Stephen  756 
Greensborough,  Vt.  810 
Greenville,  Me.  145 
Greenwood,  Me.  146 
Gregg,  Col.  William  388,  569,  718 
Gregore,  Rev.  Mr.  658 
Gregory's  pond  824 
Gridley,  Jeremiah  251 
Grindel'B  Point  light  980 
Griswold,  Rev.  Rufus  W.  894 
Griswold,  William  A.  990 
Griswold, ,  captured  by  In- 
dians 930,  931 
Grog  harbor  803 
Gross,  Isaac  987 
Grosvenor,  Rev.  M.  G.  673 
Groton,  N.  H.  610 
Groton,  Vt.  811 
Groton  Academy  Grant  159 
Grout,  Hilkiah  628,  925 
Grout,    Mrs.  Submit,  and  her 

children  captured  by  Indians    926 
Grovetown  v. — Northumberland, 

N.  H.  606 

Guildhall,  Vt.,  a  shire  town  811 

Guilford,  Me.  146 

Guilford,  Vt.  812 

"        its     part   in   contro- 
versy with  New  York  813 


Gunner's  branch  808 

Gunthwaite  (Lisbon,  N.  H.)  655 

Gutch,  Robert  43 

Guyot,  Prof.  Arnold  682 

Gyles '8  Tragedies  of  the  Wilder- 
ness cited  67 

H. 

II.  Plantation,  Me.  967 

Haddock,  Hon.  Charles  B.  642 

Hadley  mountain  797 

Ilaile,  Hon.  William  527,  995 

Haile's  Location  436 

Hale,  Col.  822 

"     captured  by  the  British  823 
Hale,  Col.  Enoch  887 

Hale,  Isaac  989 

Hale,  Jolyi  P.  Sr.  635 

Hale,  Hon.  John  P.       473,  491,  635, 
985,  986,  987,  988,  991 
Hale,  Major  625 

Hale,  Hon.  Nathan  490 

Hale,  Hon.  Obed  986 

Hale,  Hon.  Salma  986 

Hale,  Samuel  988 

Hale,  Hon.  William  986,  994 

Halestown  (Weare,  N.  H.)  674 

Half-moon  pond  409 

Halifax,  Vt.  814 

"        connection  of,  with  the 

N.  York  controversy    815 
Hall,  Capt.,  mortally  wounded  in 

attack  on  Castleton  774 

Hall,  Lieut.,  taken  prisoner  774 

Hall,  Hiland,  Sen.  786 

Hall,  Hon.  Hiland  745,  986,  997 

Hall,  Hon.  Joseph  985 

Hall,  Joseph  S.  693 

Hall,  Hon.  Lot  943,  990 


859 


Hall's  brook 
Hall's  Eastern  Vermont  cited       755, 
793,  794,  813,  860,  880,  917 
Hall's  stream  617 

Hall's  v.— Chester,  N.  H.  444 

Hallowell,  Me.,  a  city  147,  148 

Hamblett,  John  987 

IlamUn,  Doctor  778 

Hamlin,  Hon.  B.  L.        193,  212,  992 
Hamlin,  Hon.  Hannibal        149, 198, 
985,993 
Hamlin's  Plantation,  Me.  974 

Ilammondsvilte    v.  —  Reading, 

Vt.  883 

Hammons,  Hon.  David  985 

Hammons,  Hon.  Joseph  493, 986 

Hampden,  Me.  148 

"         sacked  in  last  war  149,150 
Hampstead,  N.  H.  611 

Hampton,  N.  H.  381,  612,  651 

Hampton  Falls,  N.  H.  615 

Hancock,  Me.  151 

Hancock,  N.  H.  616 

Hancock,  Vt.  816 

Hancock  (Clinton,  Me.)  94 

Hancock  county.  Me.  151 

Hancock  Plantation,  Me.  968 

Hancock  pond,  great  161 

Hancock  pond,  small  151 

Hanover,  Me.  152 

Hanover,  N.  H.  516 

Hanson,  John  649 

Hanson's    Hist.   Gardiner    and 

Pittston  cited  262 

Hansonville  v. — Albany,  Vt.  733 
Hardiclay,  John,  killed  by  In- 
dians 528 
Hardwick,  Vt.  816 
Hardwood  Island  300 
Hardy,  Sir  Thomas  113 
Harlem  (China,  Me.)  93 
Harlow,  Captain  ,  12 
Harlow,  Dr.  Henry  M.  41 
Harmon's  Harbor  v. — George- 
town, Me.  140 
Harmony,  Me.  163 
Harper,  Hon.  John  A.                   986 


1008 


GENERAL   INBEX, 


Harper,  Itoii.  Joseph  M.  DS6 

Harpswell,  Me.  -153 

Ilarrasaoket  Settlement  (Free- 
port,  Me.)  131 
Ilarriman's  brook  859 
Ilarriman,  Deacon  J.  C20 
Harrington,  Me.  154 
IlarriDgton  (Augusta,  Me.)  147 
IlarriLigton,  llev.  Timothy  G62 
Harris  Gore  875 
Harris,  Jedediah  H.  991 
Harris,  John  8 
Harris,  Hon.  Mark  985 
Harris  mountain  109 
Harris,  Hon.  William  950 
Harrison,  Me.  154 
Harrison, Mm.  H., Pres.  987, 988, 991 
Harrisville  v. — Dublin,  N.  H.  476 
HarrisviUe  v.  and  p.  o. — Nelson, 

N.  H.  592 

Ilarrytown  (Manchester,  N.  H.)   6G4 
Harrytown  ( Wilton,  Me. )  356 

Hartford  Convention  389 

Hartford,  Me.  154 

Hartford,  Tt.  817 

Hartland,  Me.  155 

Hartland,  Vt.  817 

"        party  from,  attempts  to 

obstruct  the  courts  818 
Hart's  ledge  459,  685 

Hart's  location  684 

Hartwellville  v.  and  p.  o. — Reads- 
borough,  Vt.  883 
Harvard  College,  share  of  land  to  64 
Harvey,  Alexander  739,  751 
Harvey,  Hon.  Jonathan  986,  989 
Harvey,  Hon.  Matthew  986,  994 
Harvey,  Dr.  Solomon  793,  794 
Harwich  (Mt.  Tabor,  Vt.)  856 
Haskell,  Rev.  Daniel  767 
Haskell,  Prince,  captured  by  In- 
dians 739 
Hatch,  Samuel  989 
Haven,  Horace  A.  626 
Haven,  Rev.  Joseph  634 
Haven,  Nathaniel  A.  477,  626,  986 
988 
Haven,  Rev.  Samuel  626 
HaveriiilljN.H. , half  shiro town  519 
Hawes.  Hannah  (Mrs,  Rosebrook) 

683 
Hawk  mountain  344 

Hawke  (DanviUe,  N.  H.)  463 

Hawkins  brook  838 

Hawks,  Colonel  777 

Hawks  mountain  738,  777 

Haycock  harbor  329 

Hayes,  Hon.  Wm.  A.  308,  309 

Haynesville  Plantation,  Me.  968 

Haystack  mountain,  Pawlet,  Vt.   871 
Haystack  mountain,  Searsburgh, 

Vt.  899 

Hayward,  Peter  660 

Hazard's  Collections  cited  249 

Hazen,  Colonel  834 

Hazen,  General  872 

Hazeu,  Capt.  John  521 

Hazen's  Notch  937 

Hazzen,  Richard  512 

Heagan,  Samuel  S.  987 

Heald,  Amos  778 

Heald,  Daniel  778 

Heald,  Prescott  778 

Healdville  v.   and  p.   o.  —  Mt. 

Holly,  Vt.  885 

Healy,  Hon.  Joseph  986,  994 

Heard,  Joseph,  killed  by  Indians   634 
Heart  pond  432 

Heath's  Gore,  N.  H.  652 

Hebard,  Rev.  Salmon  597 

Hebapd,  Hon.  William  986 

Hebron,  Me.  755 

Hebron  Academy,  Me.  157 

Hebron,  N.  H.  521 

Hendrick,  Colonel  718 

Hendrick's  Head  light  982 


Henniker,  N.  H.  521 

Henry  IV.  10 

Henry  VII.  1 

Henry,  Hon.  William  986,  991 

Henshaw,  Col.  William  440 

Hermit  lake  690 

Hermon,  Me,  157 

Heron  Neck  light  978 

Herrera  cited 
Herrick,  Hon.  Ebenezer  985 

Ilerrick,  Gen.  Jedediah  149 

Herrick,  Hon.  Joshua  985 

Hertford  (Hartland,  Vt.)  817 

Heyer,  Conrad  336 

Heywood,  Col.  William  441 

Hibbard,  Hon.  Harry  986 

Ilichbom's  Corner  v.  —  Stock- 
ton, Me.  317 
Hickok,  Benjamin  822,  823 
Hickok,  Justin  822 
Hickok,  Uriah  822,  823 
Hickes,  John  993 
Hicks  hill  563 
Hidden,  Rev.  Samuel  663 
"  "  ordination  of  663 
Higgins  stream  349 
Higginson  6 
Highgate,  Vt.  819 
Highland  p.  o. — Somerset  co.  977 
Highlands,  The  151, 152 
Hildreth,  Jtichard,  the  historian  491 
Hill,  Hon.  Mark  L.  985 
Hill,  N.  H.  522 
Hill,  Rev.  Ebenezer  574 
Hill.  Hon.  Isaac  454,  985,  994,  995 
Hill,  Rev.  Samuel  634 
Hill,  Thomas  A.  992 
Hilliard,  Benjamin  605 
Hillsborough,  N.  11.  523 
Hillsborough  county,  N.  H.  526 
Hillsborough  river  625 
Hill's  Corner  v.— Exeter,  Me.  123 
Hilton,  William  and  Edward  377, 
467 
Hilton,  Wm.,  and  his  sons  at- 
tacked by  Indians  62,  63 
Hilton,  William,  of  Solon,  Me.  305 
Hilton,  Winthrop  601 
Hilton's  purchase  657 
Hinckley,  Edith  59 
Hinckley,  Nehemiah  59 
Ilinesburgh,  Vt.  820 
Hinman,  Hon.  Timothy  790 
Hinman's  pond  791 
Hinsdale,  N.  H.  627 
Hinsdale,  Ebenezer  527 
Hinsdale  (Vernon,  Vt.)  '  925 
Hinsdale  Fort  528 
Hiram,  Me.  158 
Hiram  lake  904 
Historical  works,  table  of  xi — 
Hist.  Gen.  Nouv.  France  cited  233 
Hobart,  Col.  Aaron,   Edmunds, 

Me.  116 

Hobart,    Colonel,    at   battle    of 

Bennington  718 

Hobart,  Nathaniel  116 

Hobbs,  Capt.  Humphrey  313 

Hobbs,  Rev.  James  612 

IlobinowcU,  an  Indian  saga- 
more 291,  342 
Hobbs,  Nathaniel  987 
Hobbs,  Sheldon  987 
Hodgdon.  Me.  159 
Hodgdou,  Mrs.  Jona.,  killed  by 

Indians  634 

Hodgdon's  Mills  p.  o. — Booth- 
bay,  Me.  977 
Hodges,  Hon.  George  T.  986,  991 
Hodgkins  hill  340 
Hodgkins,  John  403 
Hodsdon,  Major  Moses  187 
Hodson,  Isaac  987 
Hog  Island  819 
Hogback  mouijitain,  Montville, 
Me.                                              216 


Hogback    mountain,     Addison 

county,  Vt.  762,  849,  910 

Hogback  mountain,  Washington 

county,  Vt.  847,  933 

Hoit,  Daniel  995 

llolbrook,  Francis  989 

Ilolbrook,  John  989 

Holden,  Me.  159 

Holderness,  N.  H.  529 

Holland,  Vt.  821 

"        tornado  at  821 

Holland,  Hon.  Cornelius  985 

HoUey,  Robert  990 

Hollis,  Me.  159 

HoUis,  N.  H.  530 

Holmanstown  (Mexico,  Me.)  210 

Holmes  (Grafton,  Me. )  143 

Hohnes,  Ezekjel  992 

Holmes,  Hon.  John  985 

Holmes,  Hon.  Lemuel  660 

Holmes'B  Annals  cited  2,  3,  283 

Hooker  6 

Hookset,  N.  H.  531 

Hooper,  Rev.  James  246 

Hooper,  Robert  365 

Hooper,  Rev. 663 

Iloosic  river  747,  878,  910 

Hop  City  V.  &  p.  o. — ^Byron,  Me.   81 
Hope.  Me.  160 

Hopehood,  an  Indian  sagamore    599 
Hopkins,  F.  W.  vi 

Hopkins,  Roswell  990 

Hopkinsville  (Kirby,  Vt.)  831 

Hopkinton,  N.  H.  532 

Horn's  Mills  p.  o. — ^Wakefield, 

N.  H.  977 

Hough,  Benj.,  a  N.  York  ofacial   709 
Hough;  Hon.  David  986 

Houghton,      Daniel,      mortally 

wounded  in  Westminster  riot    941 
Houghtonsville  v.   and  p.  o. — 

Grafton,  Vt.  808 

Houlton,  Me.,  a  shire  town   160,  963 
Houston,  Rev.  John  419,  420 

Hovey,  Daniel  785 

How,  James  635 

Howard,  Joseph  and  Joel  734 

Howard,  Col.  Joshua  520 

Howard,  Solomon  735 

Howard's  Gore  (Hanover,  Me.)     153 
Howard's  pond  153 

Howe,  Caleb,  killed  by  Indians    925 
"    Mrs.,  &  children,  captured  926 
Howe,  Daniel,   captured  by  In- 
dians 528,  926 
Howe,  Nehemiah,  captured  by 

Indians  677, 879 

Howe,  Zimri  991 

Howell,  Judge  171 

Iloweville  v. — FitzwiUiam,  N.  H.  494 
Howland,  Me.  161 

Hubbard  cited  €79 

Hubbard.  Hon.  Henry   441,  985,  986 
9g9  995 

Hubbard,  Hon.  John  992'  993 

Hubbard,  Hon.  Jona.  H  953,  986 

Hubbard,  Judge  640 

Hubbard,  Levi  246,  987 

Hubbard,  Capt.  Philip  308 

Hubbard,  Thomas  821 
Hubbardton  (Shapleigh,  Me.)       303 

llubbardton,  Vt.  821 

'*            battle  at  717 

Hubbardton  river  895,  938 

Huckley, ,  killed  by  Indians  513 

Hudson,  Mc.  161 

Hudson,  N.  H.  533 

Hull,  General  719 

Hull,  Rev.  Mr.  479 

Hungerford  (Sheldon,  Vt.)  902 

Hungerford,  Samuel  799 

Hungerford,  Thomas  g()2 

Hunuewell,  Richard  295 

Hunt,  Arad  84q 

Hunt,  Hon.  Jonathan  986,  990 

Hunt,  Col.  Samuel  44i'  ggg 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


1009 


Hunter,  Hon.  William  986,  990 

Huntersville  (Lowell,  Me.)  200 

Huntington,  Vt.  824 

Huntington  river  825,  884,  910 

Huntington,  Capt.  Amos  899 

HuntooD,  Hod.  Jona.  0.  992,  993 
Huntsburgh  (Franklin,  Vt.)  804 
Hurd,  Rev.  Isaac  490 

Huse,  Carr  522 

Huse,  Joseph  987 

Hussey,  Mrs.  Mary,   killed  by 

Indians  613,  646 

Hutchins,  Gordon,  Capt.  and  Col. 

452.  453 
Hutchinson  cited  172,  325,  351,  679 
Hutchinson,    Abgah,    captured 

by  Indians  839,  923 

Hutchinson,  Ann  489 

Hutchinson,  Faith  420 

Hutchinson,  John,  captured  by 

Indians  889, 923 

Hutchinson,  Uev.  Samuel  227 

Hutchinson,  Hoa.  Titus       958,  990, 
991,997 
Hutchinson,  Rev.  William  678 

Hyde,  Capt.  Jedediah  825,  826 

Hyde,  Jedediah,  jr.  825,  826 

Hydepark.  Vt.,  a  shire  town  825, 831 
HydeviUe  v.  &  p.  o. — Castleton, 

Vt.  775 


I. 


987 


Illsley,  Isaac 

Illustrations,  list  of  ix 

Imp  mountain  682 

Incidents   of    TTlilte  Mountain 

Scenery  cited  459 

Indian  hurying-ground  886 

Indian  Head  (Nashua,  N.  H.)        589 
Indian  Old  Point  208 

Indian  pond  315 

Indian  river  871 

Indian  river  v.  and  p.  o. — ^Addi- 
son, Me.  26 
Indian  stream,  Somerset  Co.,  Me.  282 
Indiau  stream,  Grafton  Co.,  N.II.  432 
Indian    stream,     Coos    county, 

N.  H.  448,  616 

Indiau  Stream  territory       390,  391, 
448,  616 
Indian  Stream  war  390 

Indian  tribes  of  Maine  20-24 

Indian  tribes  of  New  Hampshire 

401^04 
Indian  wars  386 

Indians  snared  at  Auburn,  Me. 

36,37 
Indians  sold  as  slaves  63 

Industry,  Me.  161 

Ii^raham-s  Hill  t. — South  Tho- 

maston.  Me.  311 

Insane  Asylum  at  Augusta,  Me.     40 
Insane  Asylum  at    Brattlebor- 

ough,  Vt.  757 

Insane  Asylum  at  Concord,  N.  H.  456 
Ira,  Vt.  826 

Ira  brook  782,  826 

Irasburgh,  Vt.,  a  shire  town  827 

"  sliirt  of  mail  found  at  827 

Iron  ore — where  found  534,  554, 

753,  781,  804,  807,  819,  849,  866, 
875,  895,  916,  918 
Iron-works,  Franconia,  N.  H,        497 
Iroquois — Indian  tribes  705 

Iroquois,  lake  of  679 

Isinglass  river  417,  635,  656 

Island  FaUs  Plantation,  Me.  958 

Island  pond  750,  761 

Island  Pood  P.O.— Brighton,  Vt.  977 
Islandport,  Me.  162,  962 

Isles  of  Shoals,  Me  9, 163 

Isles  of  Shoals  light  '982 

Isle  La  Mott,  Vt.  827 

Islesborougli,  Me.  162 

Israel,  Lieut.  Joseph  984 

Israel's  river  460,  538,  648,  630 

VOL.  I. 


J. 
Jackman's  (Moose  River  Planta- 
tion, Me.)  976 
Jackson  (Hudson,  Me.)  161 
Jackson,  Me.  163 
Jackson,  N.  H.  634 
Jackson  p.  o  — Washington  Co., 

Me.  977 

Jackson  mountain  682 

Jackson,  Andrew,  Pres.  987,  988,  989 
Jackson,    Dr.   Charles   T.   cited 

195,  228,  681 

"         **      explorations  of     667 

Jackson,  Rev.  Lemuel  348 

Jackson,  Dr.  Samuel  C.  vi 

Jackson    Plantation,     Franklin 

county,  Me.  973 

Jacksonville,  Franklin  Co.,  Me.    977 
Jacksonville  v.  and  p.  o. — Whit- 

ingham,  Vt.  947 

Jacob,  Stephen  818 

Jaffrey,  George  536 

Jaffrey.  N.  H.  536 

JaU  branch  868,  932 

Jamaica,  Vt.  828 

James  I.   charters  London  and 

Plymouth  Colonies  11 

James  river,  first  settlem't  upon    11 
Jamestown  (Bristol,  Me.)  67 

Janes,  Hon.  Henry  F.  986 

Jarvis,  John  H.  987 

Jarvis,  Hon.  Leonard  985 

Jarvis,  Hon.  William  936,  990 

Jay,  Hon,  John  164,  828 

Jay,  Me.  1G4 

Jay,  Vt.  828 

Jay  Peak,  Vt.  797,  828,  884 

Jean,  Au^ustin  268 

Jebung  Woods  25 

Jefferson,  Me.  166,  962 

Jefferson,  N.  H.  637 

Jefferson  (Washington)  county, 

Vt.  8ol,  932 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  Pres.  983 

Jeffersonville  v.  and  p.  o. — Cam- 
bridge, Vt.  773 
Jenison,  Hon.  Silas  H.  722,  903,  996, 
'  99/ 
Jenness,  Hon.  Richard  4G4 
Jennings  pond  124 
Jenistown  (Warner,  N.  IT.)  G71 
Jcremisquam  (Westport,  Me.)  334 
Jericho,  Vt.  828 
Jewell's  brook  C36 
Jewett,  Hon.  Luther  896 
Joe  and  Molly,  an  Indian  and  his 

squaw  826 

Joe's  brook,  or  Merritt's  river,     790, 


Joe's  pond                      769, 

790 

929 

John's  river,           460,  462 

633 

ere 

Johnson,  Vt. 

83D 

Johnson,  Hon.  Charles 

612 

520 

Johnson,  James  and  £imily 

410 

Johnson,  Hon.  James  H. 

9S6 

Johnson,  John 

8 

Johnson,  Noah 

687, 

621 

Johnson,  Hon.  Ralph  C. 

61 

Johnson,  Col.  Samuel 

608 

Johnson,  Col.  Thomas    858 

859 

872 

Johnson,  Rev.  WillLam 

700 

Johonot,  Gen.  Gabriel 

149 

Jones,  Capt.  Ichabod 

203 

Jones,  Samuel 

988 

Jones,  ,    captured   by 

In- 

dians 

424 

Jones's  Plantation  (China,  Me.) 

93 

Jonesborougli,  Me. 

165 

Jonesport,  Me. 

962 

Jonesville  v.   and  p.   o. — Rich- 

mond, Vt. 

884 

Jordan,  Ichabod 

987 

Jordan's  river 

329 

Josselyn,  Henry 

293 

630 

Josselyn  John 

293 

'■         "    as  explorer 

679 

Josselyn's  Voyages  cited  68 

289 

292 

85 

Joy  (Troy,  Me.)  330 

Judiciary  of  N.  Hampshire  893,  394 

Judiciary  of  Vermont  725,  726 

Judson,  Rev.  Adoniram  231 

Juniper  Island  lighthouse  767 

K. 

Kancamargus,  Indian  chief  403,  404 
Kan  Kan  Vugarty  ( White  Mts.)  679 
Katahdin  mountain  260 

Kavanagh,  Hon.  Edward      985,  992, 
993 
Keag  V. — South  Thomaston,  Me.  311 
Kearsarge  Gore  671 

Kearsarge     mountain,     Carroll 

county,  N.  11.      417,  442,  458,  697 
Kearsai^e  mountain,  Merrimack 

county,  N.  H.  579,  642,  661 

Kearsarge  v. — Conway,  N.  H.       459 

Keeler,  ,  captured   by  the 

British  889 

Keene,  N.  H.  539 

Keene,  Sir  Benjamin  540 

Keith,  Caleb  988 

Keith,  J.  S.  244 

Kelliok  pond  159 

Kellogg,  ,  captured  by  the 

British  774,  821,  823 

Kellogg,  Daniel  997 

Kellogg,  Capt.  Joseph  756 

Kelly,  Rev.  John  512 

Kelly,  Rev.  William  672 

Kelly  vale  (LoweU,  Vt.)  834 

Kelsey,  Joseph  987 

Kendal,  Stephen  261 

Kendall's  Mills  v.    and  p.  o. — 

Fairfield,  Me.  123 

Kenduskeag,  Me.  166 

Kenduskeag    Plantation    (Ban- 
gor, Me.)  44 
Kenduskeag  Plantation  (Levant, 

Mc)  188 

Kenduskeag  river      47,  86.  123,  139, 
141, 157,  lot,  188,  255 
Kennebec  (Manchester,  Mc.)         205 
Kennebec  countj',  Me.  167 

Kennebec  Purchase       137, 147,  161. 
168,  17l 
Kennebec    Purchase,    Commis- 
sioners to  settle  171 
Kennebec  river    4. 10, 11,  32,  48,  52, 
63,  00, 110, 121,  123.  124, 137,  167, 
204, 208. 217,  231, 256. 259, 261, 263, 
281,  306, '344,  359,  330,  361,  363 
Kennebec    and    Portland    Rail- 
road   42,  61,  76,  98,  12i,  131, 167, 
276,  282,  328 
Kennebunk,  Me.                              171 
Kennebuuk  Pier  light  982 
Keunebunk  point,  fort  on  181 
Kennebunk  river     174, 175, 181,  375 
Kennebunkport,  Mc.  176 
"           business  of  181 
"           custom-house  at  181 
Kenned)',  John  165 
Kenny,  liev.  Isaac  631 
Kensington,  N.  H.  543 
Kent.  Rev.  Daniel  748 
Kentj  Hon.  Edward                992,  993 
Kent  Gore  239 
Kent,    John,   captured   by    In- 
dians 839 
Kent,  Col.  William  A. 
Kent's  Corner  v. — Calais,  Vt. 
Kent's  Hill  v.  and  p.  o. — Read- 
field,  Me. 
Keyes,  Hon.  Elias 
Keyes,  Henry 
Kezar  Falls  v.  and  p. 

sonsficld.  Me. 
Kezar  pond 
Kezar  river 
Kidder,  Hon.  David 
Kidderville  v.— Colebrook,  N.  11.  448 
Kilbum,  Capt.  Jolin  668,  670 

Kilkenny.  N.  H.  544 

Killington  (Sherburne,  Vt.)  902 


454 
771 


281 
986 


Par- 

248 

199,  344 

322 

985 


1010 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Killiugton  peak  902 

Kilmarnock  (Medford,  Mc.j  208 

Kimbull,  Abraham,  c:iptured  by 

Indi;ins  424, 532 

Kimball,  Capt.   BeDJ.,  contract 

■with  64, 65 

Kimball,  Hon.  Daniel  619 

Kimball,  Jolin  S.  987 

Kimball.  Nathaniel  175 

Kimball,  Kichard  175 

King,  Cyrua  298 

King,  Uufus  298,  988 

King,  Hon.  William      182,  298,  992, 
993 
Kingfield,  Me.  182 

Kingsbury,  Jle.  182 

Kingsbury,  Cyrus  408 

Kingsburj-,  Major  785 

Kingston.  N.  U.  645 

Kingville  (Troy,  Me.)  330 

Kinsley,  Hon.  Martin  149 

Kinsman,  Capt.  Aaron  452 

Kirby,  Vt.  831 

Kirkland  {Hudson,  Me.)  IGl 

Kirkland,  Edward  991 

Kittcry,  Me.  182 

Kittcry  point  183 

"        an  ancient  port  of 

entry  184 

Kittredge,  Hon.  George  W.  983 

KittruUgc,  W.  C.  997 

Knapp,  Nathan  287 

Kuecland,  Abiicr  549 

Knecland,  Joseph,  captured  by 

Indians  889 

Knight,  liev.  E.  972 

Knight,  Jonathan  794 

Knights,   Joseph,    captured  by 

Indians  358 

Kuighfs  pond  237 

Knolles,  Kev.  Ilauserd  468 

Knowlcs,  Sir  Charles  439 

Knowlcs,  James  634 

Knowlton,  Calvin  861 

Knowltou,  Hon.  Ebenezer     216,  9S5 
Knowlton,  Hon.  Luke  860,  861 

Knowlton's    Gore    (Bakersfield, 

Vt.)  733 

Knowlton's  Gore  (Fairfield,  Vt. )    800 
Knox,  Me.  185 

Knox  mountain,  AV^aldo  county. 

Mo.  337 

Knox  mountain,  Orange  Co.,  Tt.  867 

Knox,  Gen.  Henry  52,  127,  148, 

157, 164,  185,  217,  222,  280,  323, 

325,3^ 

Kossuth  Plantation  (No.  7,  K.  2, 

"Washington  county).  Me.  976 


La  Tour,  French  commander        202 
Labarce,  Kev.  Benjamin  846 

Laberee,  Pettr  440 

Labrador  1, 2 

Labrocree,  General  350,  352 

Laconia,  N.  H.  546 

Laconia,  grant  of,  to  Gorges  and 

Mason  377 

Lafayette — visit  to  University  of 

Vermont  767 

Lagrange,  Me.  185 

Lake,  Sir  Biby  HO,  367 

Lake,  Captain,  mortally  wound- 
ed by  Indians  34 
Lake  Bridge  v.— Newport.  Vt.        863 
Lake  A'illago  and  p.  o. — Gilford, 

N.  H.  500 

Lake  Village  and  p.  o. — Laconia, 

N.  H.  646 

Lamb,  Edward  991 

Lamoille  county  831 

Lamoille  river         773,  781,  783,  797, 

799,  804,  805,  80G,  808,  811,  816, 

826,  830,  831,  854,  869,  929,  956 

Lamprey  river        433,  465,  4S1,  486, 

652,  607,  631,  636,  G56 


Lancaster,  N-  H.,  a  shire  town 

460,  547 
Lancaster,    Thomas,    killed    by 

Indians  613,  G46 

LandafF,  N.  H.  548 

Landgrove,  Vt.  831 

Lane,  Isaac  987 

Langdon,  N.  H.  548 

Langdon.  Hon.  Chauncey  986 

Langdon^  Hon.  John     453,  695,  625, 
985,  S90,  994 
Langdon,  Rev.  Samuel  435,  515,  626 
Langdon,  ^Voodbury  626 

Laplot  river     778,  781,  820,  901,  934 
Ijarkham,  Thomas  469 

Jjarone  p.  o. — Fairfield,  Me.  123 

Larrabee,  Capt.  John  295 

Larrabee,  Sergeant  Stephen  172,  173 
Larrabee's  Point  p.   o. — Shore- 
,  ham,  Vt.  903 

Lawrence,  Rev.  Micah  699 

Lawrence,  Capt.  Robert  271 

Lawrence's     Cong.      Churches, 

cited  659, 664 

L'Escarbot's    Hist.  De  Monta's 

Voyages,  cited  383 

Leach's  stream  773 

Learned,  General,  brigade  of        746 
Leavenworth,  NathL.n  990 

Leavitt's  Plantation,  Me.  968 

Leavitt'a     Town     (Effingham, 

N.  H.)  483 

Lebanon,  5Ic.  185 

Lebanon,  N.  H.  549 

Lee,  Me.  186 

Lee,  N.  H.  551 

'^    battle  with  Indians  at  652 

Lee  Grant  239 

Lee  Plantation  (Monroe,  Me.)        215 
Lee,  Rev.  Jesse  213 

Lee,  Col.  Noah  773,  774 

Leeds,  Me.  187 

Leicester,  Vt.  832 

Leicester  river  807,  81G.  832,  898 

Leighton'a   Comer    v. — Os.sipee, 

N. IL  611 

Leland,  Rev.  Aaron  780,  990 

Lcmington,  Vt.  833 

Lemonfair  river       786,  869,  903,  945 
Lempster,  N.  H.  552 

Ixrmond's  Cove  (Rockland.  Me.)  284 
Leslie,  Rev.  Geor^  673 

Ijcvant,  Me.  J87 

Leverett,  President  of  Harvard 

College  '       338 

Leveridge,  Rev.  AVilliam  468 

Lewey's  Island  Riiilroad  81.  278 

Lewis  creek      798,  803,  820,  849^  910 
Lewis,  Thomas  288 

Lewiston,  Me.  188 

Lewiston  Falls  v.  and  p.  o. — Au- 
burn and  Lewiston,  Me.       38, 189 
Lexington,  Me.  191 

Liberty,  Me.  191 

Libby,  Jaraea  297 

Libby,  John  293 

Libby's  Island  light,  Me.  978 

Lights  on  the  sea  coast,  table  of 

977-983 
Lime  pond  449 

Limerick,  Me.  191 

'*        Academy  at  191 

Limerick  (Stoddard,  N.  H.)  655 

Limestone  river  969,  972 

Limestone  River  Plantation,  Mc.   969 
Limington,  Me.  192 

Lincoln,  Me.  192 

Lincoln  (Garland,  Mc.)  139 

Lincoln  Plantation   (Thomdike, 

Me.)  326 

Lincoln,  N.H.  653 

Lincoln,  Vt.  833 

Lincoln  county,  Me.  193 

Lincoln,  Gen.  Benjamin  253,  256 

Lincoln,  Hon.  Enoch     244,  985,  992, 


Lincoln,  Levi  251 

Lincolnshire  Patent  338 

Lincolnville,  Me.  195 

Lianeus,  Mc.  195 

Lippincott's  Gazetteer  cited  731 

Lisbon,  Me.  196 

Lisbon,  N.  H.  655 

Litchfield,  Me.  196 

Litchfield  Liberal  Institute  197 

Litchfield,  N.  H.  555 

Lithgow,  Capt.  AVilliam  362 

Little  Ammonoosuc  477 

Little  Androscoggin        37, 146,  211, 
244,  246,  2G5 
Little  Cold  river  318 

Little,  Rev.  Daniel  175 

Little  Falls  (Hollis,  3Ie.)  159 

Little  Falls  v.— Windham,  Me.  359 
Little  Kennebec  (Machias,  Me.)  166 
Little  Machias  bay  100 

Little  Madawa.ska  stream  972 

Little  Menan  hght  978 

Little,  Capt.  Moses,  a  Pejepscot 

proprietor  188 

Little  Norridgewock  river  92 

Little  Ossipee  river  25, 192,  225, 

303  375 
Little  Otter  creek  803,  849',  862 

Little  Parker  pond  87 

Little  Pushaw  river  161 

Little  river,  "Wash'n  Co.,  Jle.  99,  257 
Little  river,  York  county.  JIc.    '  54, 
56, 17G,  181 
Little  river,  N.  II.  441,  605,  C08 

Little  river,  Vt.  830 

Tittle  Saco  river  75 

Little  river  v.  and  p.  o. — Lisbon, 

Me.  196 

Little  river  light,  Me.  978 

Little  Sugar  river  6G7 

Little  Suncook  river  487 

Little  ."West  river  918 

Littlefield,  Francis  350 

Littlefield,  Hon.  Nathaniel  S.  935 
Littlesborough  (Greene,  JIc.)  144 
Littlesborough  (Leeds,  Me.)  187 

Littleton,  Me.  197 

Littleton,  N.  H.  556 

Live  river  658 

Livermore,  Me.  197 

Livermore,  Hon.  Arthur       629,  986, 
9SS,  994 
Livermore,  Deacon  Elijah  198 

Livermore,  Rev.  Jonathan  698 

Livermore,  Hon.  Samuel      629,  985, 
986,  994 
IJvingston,  Major  22 

Lock,  Rev.  Simon  101 

Locke,  John,  killed  by  Indinns       63 
Locke's  Mills  v.  &  p.  o. — Green- 
wood, Me.  146 
Lola,  Joseph,  chief  of  the  Tarra- 

tines  23 

London  Company  chartered  11 

Londonderry,  N.  II.  557 

"  History  of,  cited     678 

Londonderry,  Vt.  833 

Longfellow.  Hon.  Stephen  984 

Lone  mountain  30 

Long  bay  421 

Long  Island  Plantation  (Island- 
port,  Me.)  162 
Long  lake  33 
Long,  Pierce                                      g2G 
Long    pond,    Cumberland    Co . , 

Me.  G4.  65,  66,  220.  244 

Long  pond,  Kennebec  Co.,  Me.  286 
Long  pond,  Calai.>,  A't.  771 

Long  or  Runaway  pond,  Glover, 

yt.  806 

Loon  pond  197 

Lord  Germain's  letter  713 

Lord,  Rev.  Nathan  490,  618 

Lord,  Rev.  TVentworth  tilO 

Lottery      townships  —  No.  11 
(Cherryfield,  Me.)  91 


GENEEAL   INDEX. 


1011 


I^ndon,  N.  II.  560 

Louisburg,  4 :  expodition  to  887 
LoTell,  Me.  198 

Lov^oy,  William  989 

LoveweU,  Capt.  John    133, 199^  322, 
5ST,  668 
LoveweU,  Jonathan  688 

Lovewell,  Capt.  Nchemiah  872 

LoveweU,  Zaccheus  387.  5S8 

LoveweU'fi  mountain  673 

Lovewell'e  pond  136 

LoveweU's  war  15,  387 

Low,  John  201 

IjOw,  Robert  147 

Low's    Corner    t.  —  Efflngham, 

N.  n.  484 

Lowell,  Me.  198 

Lowell,  Vt.  834 

Lowell,  Hon.  Joshua  A.  985,  987 
Lowell,  Reuben  987 

Lower  Ammonoosuc  river  498, 

508,555 
Lower  Ashuelot  (Swanzey,  N.  II. ) 

662 
Lower     Ashuelot    CWinchester, 

N.  H.)  539 

Lower  Branch  v. — Cabot,  Vt.  769 
Lower  Cohos  (Ilnvcrhill,  N.  11.)  620 
Lower  Mills  v. — Rochester,  Vt.  886 
Lower  St.  George  311 

Lowtown  (Guilford,  Mc.)  147 

Loyalists  settled  at  AlburghjVt.  733 
Loxhall  (Lyman,  Me.)  201 

Lubec,  Me.  201 

Lnce,  Elihu  990 

Luce,  Jonathan  785 

Ludlow,  Vt.  835 

Luf  kin,'  John,  killed  by  Indians  450 
Lull,  Capt.  Timothy  818 

Lnirs  brook  ^  819 

Lumber  trade,  decline  of  17,  257 
Lund,  Willard  734 

Lunenburgh,  Vt.  837 

Lutwyche,  Edward  Goldatone  578 
Lye  brook  840 

Lyell,   Sir   Charles,   Travels  of, 

cited  681 

Lyford,  Fifield  769 

Lyford,  Lieut.  Thoraju;  769 

Lj'gouia  (jVlbiou,  5Ic.)  25 

Lygonia,  or  Plough  Patent  373 

Lyman,  Me.  201 

Lyman,  N.  H.  661 

Lyman,  A.  P.  S91 

Lyman,  Rev.  Giles  -573 

Lyman,  Theodore  201,491 

Lyme,  N.  If.  561 

Lynde,  Hon,  Comelia-i  948 

Lyndeborough,  N.  H.  662 

Lyndeborough  mountain  527 

Lyndon,  Vt.  838 

Lyndon    p.   o. — H.    Plantation, 

Me.  968 

Lyon,  Hon.  and  Rev.  Asa  905,  9SG 
Lyon,  G.  Parkor  vi 

Lyon,  Col,  Matthew  800,  986 

M. 

MMhias,  Me.  202 

"        heroii^m  of  its  citizens 

in  th«  r<ivolutton  203 

Machias  bav  3-55 

Machiaa  river  112. 204. 231).  342, 355 
Michias  and  Whitney vilie  Rail- 
road 204 
Machia~=;port,  Me.  204 
Machigonne  267 
Jlacdonough.  Com.  721,  924,  925 
Macomb,  General  721 
Macomber,  D.  C.  692 
Macklin,  Jtobert  667 
Macwahoc  streiim  969 
McClarv,  Mnj.  Andrew  335,  338,  438 
McClarv,  Hon.  .lo'.iu  4f?6 
3Ic(:ie:irv.  Colonel  559 
McClintock,  Rev.  Samuel               610 


McCrate,  Hon.  John  D. 
McDaniel,  John 
McDonald,  Hon.  Moses 
McDuffie,  Col.  John 
McFaden,  Thomas 
McFartin.  Rev.  Moses 


825 
985 
634 
121 
416 
420,559 


McGregore,  Rev.  David 

McGurdy'B  river  aa 

Mclndoe's  Falls  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Bamet,  Vt.  740 

Mclntire,  Hon.  Rufus  985,  987 

Mcintosh,  Donald  924 

McKcan,  Josop!i  700 

McKeen,  James  557 

McKecn,  John  vi 

McKeen,  John''8,  Address,  clt«d 

11,48 
McKenny,   Mrs.,   killed  by  In- 
dians 639 
McLain's  Mills    *.   and  p.  o. — 

Appleton,  Me.  32 

McLean,  Colonel  715 

McLellan,  Gen.  James  214 

McNeil,  Gen.  John    383,389,524,564 
McNeil,  John  778,  989 

McNeU's  Ferry,  Charlotte,  Vt.      778 
McQuam  creek  916 

Mad  river,  N.  H.  431,  665,  674 

Mad  river;  Vt.         795,  802,  853,  929, 
931,  9a3 
Madawaska  17 

Madawaska  Plantation.  3Ic.  969 

Madawaska  river  969 

Madbury,  N.  H.  663 

Madison,  Me.  204 

Madison,  N.  11.  664 

Madison,  James,  President  988 

Madockawando  22,  324,  350 

Madrid,  Me.  205 

Magog  lake  761 

Maidstone,  British  frigate  70.  71 

Maidstone,  Vt.  838 

Maidstone  lake  839 

Main,  Rev.  Amos  634 

Maine,  Aborigines  of  20-24 

"        area    and    geographical 

position  8 

"        statistics  of  IS,  19 

Maine  State  Seminary  191 

Maine  (Clifton,  We.)  94 

Maine  stream  82,  282 

Maines,  Thomas,  killed  by  In- 
dians 238 
Mallet's  bay  and  creek  783 
Mallory,  Hon.  Rollin  C.  986 
Mananas  Island,  inscriptions  on  212 
Slanchester,  Mc.  205 
Slanchester,  N.  H.,  a  shire  town  564 
"          patriotism    of    its 

citizens  667 

"  its  manufacturing 

interests  568-571 

Manchester  and  Lawrence  Rail- 
road 486,  532,  660 
Manchester,    Vt.,     a    half-shire 

town  839 

Jlanning,  Rev.  Abel  503 

Manning,  Rev.  Joel  735 

Mansel  (Trcmont,  Me.)  328 

Mansfield,  Vt.  840 

Mansfield  mountain  840,  841 

Mansfield,  Rev.  Isaac  490 

Mansfield,  Jonathan  764 

Maple  Grove  p.   o. — ^Fort  Fair- 
field, Me.  967 
Marachites,  a  tribe  of  Etchembas    21 
Marble  in  Brandon,  Vt.  754 
"         Pittsford,  Vt.  875 
"         Rutland  county,  Vt.    895 
"          Swanton,  Vt.                 916 
"         Tinmouth,  Vt.               913 
"         WestRutland.Vt.  892,893 
Marche-biguatus  (Ca.stine,  Me.)      88 
Slargalloway  river  422,  423,  4S7,  974 
Marcaretta,  capture  of,  at  Ma- 
chiaa                                   166,  203 


Mariaville,  Uc.  206 

Mariana,  district  of  377 

Marion,  Me.  206 

Marlborough,  N.  H.  572 

Marlborough,  Vt.  841 

"  rumor  of   Indian 

attack  on  841 

Marlow,  Me.  573 

Mars  Hill  Plantation,  Mc.  969 

Mara  Hill  p.  o. — B.  Plantation, 

Aroostook  County,  Me.  965 

Marsh,  Mrs.  Anna  757 

Marsh,  Hon.  Charies      958,  959.  986 
Marsh,  Hon.  George  P.        767,  768, 
846,  959,  986 
Marsh,  Isaao  842 

Marsh,  Ilev.  James  767 

Marsh,  Joseph  817 

Marsh,  Col.  S.  L.  734 

Slarsh  Bay  (Frankfort,  Me.)  127 

JIarsh  Island  242 

Blarsh  river       73, 128,  215,  326,  337 
Marshall,  Hon.  Alfred  985 

Marshall,  Robert  61 

Marshall's  Point  light  980 

Marsbfield,  Me.  206 

Marshfield,  Vt.  842 

Marston,  Hon.  Oilman  986 

Martin,  a  British  sloop  of  war      113 
Jlartin,  Hon.  Noah  473,  995 

Martin's    Ferry    v. — ^Hooksctt, 

N.H.  632 

Martyr,  Peter,  "  Decades  "  of  cited  2 
Maeardis,  Me.  207 

Masardis  stream  970 

Mascomy  pond  484 

Mascomy  river        432,  467,  607,  651 
Mason,  Me.  207 

Mason,  N.  H.  674 

Mason,  Hon.  Jeremiah  626,  985,  994 
Mason,  Capt.  John  377,  626 

Mason,  John  Tufton  666 

Mason,  John  990 

Mason,  Joseph  378 

Mason,  Hon.  Moses  985 

Mason,  Peter,  captured  by  In- 
dians 889 
Mason,  Robert  Tufton  379,  3S3 
"  *'  death  of  380 
Masgunicook  river  33 
MasquaUonge,  a  species  of  fish  761 
Massabesick  pond  415 
Massabesick  Plantation,  San- 
ford,  Me.  27 
Massabesick  Plantation,  Water- 
borough,  Me.  343 
Mass.  Court  Records,  cited  289,  324, 
325,755 
Mass.  Hist.  Coll.  cited  11,  233 
Mass.  State  Documents  63,  69,  289, 
324,  325,  379 
Mastcamp  (Alfred,  Mc.)  28 
Mast  Yard  p.  0. — Concord,  N.  H.  458 
Masters,  Andrew  987 
Mather's  Magnalia  cited  218,  351, 
37(> 
Matinicus  Isle,  Me.  974 
Matinicus  Rock  Ught  980 
Matson,  Hon.  Aaroil  986 
Mattagoodas  river  86 
Mattamiscontis,  Mc.  207 
Mattanawcook  pond  193 
Mattawamkeag  Plantation,  ^le.  974 
Mattawamkeag  Point  35,  964,  974 
Mattawamkeag  river  33,  86, 195, 
255,  965.  966,  968,  970 
Matthew's  pond  157 
Mattison,  Rev.  Isaiah  899 
Mattocks.  Hon.  John  873,  986,  997 
Maxfield,Me.  208 
Mayall,  Hon.  Moses  985 
Mayfield,  Me.  208 
Maynesborough  (Berlin,  N.  H.)  422 
Meacham,  Hon.  James  S46,  986 
Stead's  Falls  891 
Means,  Hon.  Robert               410,  983 


1012 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


MechanicsTiUe  v.  and    p.  o. — 

Mount  lIoUj-,  Vt.  855 

Medford,  Me.  208 

Medomac  river  32 

Meduncook  (Friendship,  Me.)  1.32 
Medancook  river  132 

Meduxnekeag  river  159,  195,  215 
Medybemps,  Jle.  208 

Medybemps  lake  27 

Meech,  Hon.  Ezra  986,  991,  996 

Megunticook  (Camden,  Me.)  82 

Megunticook  mountain  337 

Megunticook  stream  195,  337 

Meloon,  Natlianielj  captured  by 

Indians  425,  641 

Memphremagog  lake      761,  791,  869, 
S97 
Mendon,  Vt.  843 

Slercer,  Me.  208 

Meredith,  N.  11.  676 

Meredith     Bridge     v. — Gilford, 

N.  II.  500 

Meredith    Bridge    v. — Laconia, 

N.  IL  646 

Meridcn  T.  and  p.  o. — Plainfield, 

N. H.  619 

Merrill,  Bev.  Gyles  620 

Morrill,  Kcv.  Nathaniel  634,  639 

Merrill,  Rev.  N.athaniol  662 

Merrill,  Hon.  Orsamus  C.  986 

Merrimack,  N.  II.  677 

Merrimack  river     400,  418,  425,  427, 
455,  499,  612,  627,  632,  665,  657, 
577,  679,  604,  642 
Merrimack    and    Conn.    lUvers 

Ilailro.ad  633 

Merritt'fl  river,  or  .Toe's  brook  790 
Merrjxoncag  peninsula  (Harps- 
well,  Mc.)  153 
Merrymeeting  bay.  Me.  20 
Merrymeeting  bay,  N.  H.  409,  597 
Merrymeeting  river  409 
Mcserve,  Colonel                      387,  626 

Messenger,  829 

Metcalf,  Hon.  Ralph  446,  995 

Mexico,  Me.  209 

Middlebury,  Vt.,  a  shire  town      843 

"  Indian  relics  at     844 

*'  view  of  844 

*'  limestone  and 

marble  at    844,  845 
Middlebury  College  845,  846 

Middlebury  river  816,  845,  885,  898 
Middle  Hero  (Grand  Isle,  Vt.)  809 
Middlesex,  Vt.  847 

Middleton,  N.  II.  680 

Middletown  (Strong,  Mc.)  318 

MiddletoiTO,  Vt.  848 

Milan,  N.  H.  680 

Mile  brook  362 

Miles,  Itev.  Koali  664 

Milford  Havcu  9 

MiUbrd,  Me.  210,  964 

Milford  and  Lincoln  Railroad  121 
Milford,  N.  H.  580 

Military  road  963,  964,  971 

Milk  pond  305 

Mill  brook,  Braintree,  Vt.  752 

Mill  brook,  Ilydepark,  Vt.  826 

Mill  brook,  Jericho,  Vt.  830 

Mill  brook,  M.-inchestcr,  Vt.  840 

Mill  brook,  Wwt  IHndsor,  Vt.     945, 
954 
Mill  Brook  v.— TVcstmorc,  Vt.      944 
Mill  mountain  663 

Mill  river  782,  789,  865,  904,  930 
Millbridge,  Me.  210 

Millbum  (Skowhegan,  Me.)  305 

Miller,  Gen.  James  389,  664 

Miller,  Samuel  846 

Miller's  river,  N.  H.  631 

Miller's  river,  Vt.  838 

Millinoket  stream.  Me.  974 

Mills,  Col.  Joseph  464 

Mills,  Sir  Thomas  681 

Millsfleld,  N.  H.  681 


Millstone  Hill  741 

Milo,  Me.  210 

Milton  (Orneville,  Me.)  241 

Milton,  N.  II.  682 

Milton,  Vt.  848 

Milton  HUl  v.— Charlotte,  Vt.  778 
Milton  Plantation,  Me.  974 

Minden  (Craftsbury,  Vt.)  787 

Mine  mountain.  Me.  2G6 

Mine  mountain,  N.  H.  628 

Minchead  {Bloomfield,  Vt.)  750 

Miner,  Hon.  A.  H.  S86 

Minot,  Me.  210 

Missisco  bay  819 

Missisco  river  738.  798. 804,  819,  834, 
863,  869.  884.  902,  916,  922,  937 
Mitchell,  Rev.  Daniel  613 

Mitchell,  John  176 

Moderation  Bar  Mills  v. — Hollls, 

Me.  159 

Mogg  Mcgone,  an  Indian  sachem  65, 
350 
Mohawk  river,  N.  H.  448,  460 

Mohawks  706 

Molly's  pond  769 

Moluncus  Plantation,  5Ie.  969 

Moluncus  stream  905,  969,  970 

Monadnock  No.  1  (Rindge,  N.  H.)  6.32 
Monadnock  No.  2  (.Taffrey,  N.  H. )  636 
MonadnockNo.3(Dublin,  N.  H.)  476 
Monadnock  No.  4  (Fitzwilliam, 

N.  II.)  493 

Monadnock  No.  6  (Marlborough, 

N.  H.)  672 

Monadnock  No.  6  (Nelson,  N.  II. )  692 
Monadnock  No.  8  (Washington, 

N.  H.)  673 

Monadnock  mountain,  N.  H.  476, 537 
Monadnock  mountain,  Lemiug- 

ton,  Vt.  833 

Monhegan  Island,  Me.  211 

Monhegan  Island  lighthouse  212, 980 
Monkton,  Vt.  849 

"  cave  in  849 

Monmouth,  Me.  212 

Monmouth  Academy  215 

Monroe,  Me.  215 

Monroe,  N.  11.  682 

Monroe  (Woodbury,  Vt.)  956 

Monroe,  James,  President  987,  988 
Monson,  Me.  215 

Monsweag  v. — Woolwich,  Me.  388 
Montgomery  (Troy,  Mo.)  830 

Montgomery.  Vt.  850 

Montiecllo,  Me.  215 

Montpelier.  Vt.,  shire  town  and 

State  Capital  850 

Montpelier,  A't.,  State  House  at  852 
Mont  Vernon,  N.  U.  683 

Montville,  Mc.  216 

Moodey,  Itev.  Joshua  .r!4,  624 

Moodey,  Rev.  Samuel  o.  1,594 

Moody,  Rev.  Amos  612 

Moody,  Rev.  John  652 

Moody,  William  987 

Moor,  John  987 

Moor,  Hon.  Wyman  B.  S.  985 

Moore,  Captain  567 

Moore,  Fairbank  756 

*'  "      killed  by  Indians  756 

Moore,  Sir  Harry  761 

Moore,  Rev.  Humphrey  581 

Moore,  Dr.  J.  B.  413 

Moore,  Samuel  987 

Moore,  Rev.  Solomon  593 

Moore's  Charity  School  946 

Moore's  v. — Manchester,  N.  H.  572 
Moo.se  branch  904 

Moose  brook  104 

Moo.se  Cove  329 

Moose  hill  112 

Moose  Island  (Eastport,  Me.)  113 
Moose  mountain,  Brookfield  and 

Middleton,  N.  H.  430,  680 

Moose  mountiiin,  Il.inover,  N.H.  517 
Moose  Peak  light,  Me.  978 


Moose  pond  155.  C46 

Moose  river,  N.  H.  GiiO 

Moose  river,  Vt.      7S4,  796,  799,  809, 
908,  927,  934 
Moose  River  v.— Victory,  Vt.        927 
Moose  River  Plantation,  Me.  976 

Moo.schcad  lake  145,  260 

Moosehillock  brook  703 

Mooselockmeguntic  lake       246,  280, 
971 
Moosilanke  mountain  222,418 

Moretown,  Vt.  853 

Morey,  Nicholas  177 

Morgan,  Vt.  853 

Moro  p.  o. — Rockabema  Planta- 
tion, Me.  971 
Morrill,  Me.  217 
Morrill,  Hon.  Anson  P.  217,  992, 
993  994 
MorriU,  Rev.  David  L.  503,  9S5,  994 
Morrill,  Hon.  Justin  S.  913,  986 
Morrill,  Levi  987 
Morrill,  Hon.  Lot  M.  993,  994 
Morrill,    Peter,     daughter     of, 

killed  by  Indians  27 

Morris,  Hon.  LewLs  R.  986 

Morrison,  Hon.  George  W.  986 

Morrison,  Robert,  the  Hartland 

blacksmith  818 

Morrison,  Rev.  William  669 

Morrison's   Coi-ner  v. — Clinton, 

Me.  95 

Morristown,  Vt.  853 

Morrisville  v.  and  p.  o. — Morris- 
town,  Vt.  855 
Morse,  Hon.  F.  H.  985,  992 
Morse,  Lieutenant  128 
Morton,  James  987 
Moscow,  Me.  217 
JIoscow  V. — Calais,  Vt.  771 
Moses'  Island  132 
Moses,  Oliver  987 
Mosher's  brook  866 
Mosquito  mountain  128,  280 
Moulton,  Gen.  Jona.  436,  813,  597 
Moulton,  Hon.  Mace  986 
Moultonborough,  N.  H.  684 
Mount  Abraham  129.  973 
Mount  Adams  682,  695 
Mount  Agiimenticus  372 
Jlount  Anthony  746 
Blount  Bigelow  975 
Mount  Blue  129.  348 
Mount  Carrigain  6b2.  695 
Mount  Choeorua  CS2,  695 
Mount  Clay  6,S2.  696 
Mount  Clinton  682,  698 
Mount  De.^rt,  Me.  9, 13,  218 
"  "  Jesuit  mission  at  218 
"  "  topographical  fea- 
tures of  219 
Mount  Desert  light  978 
Mount  FrankUn  682,  698 
Mount  IL-itchet  160 
Mount  Holly  865 
Slount  Ilor  944 
Mount  Jefferson  682,  695 
Mount  John  821 
Mount  Katahdin  260 
Mount  Kearsarge,  Carroll  co.  682, 
695 
Mount     Kearsarge,    Merrimack 


Mount  Kineo 

145 

Slount  Knox 

337 

Mount  I^afayette 

6.''2,  695 

Mount  jMadison 

682,  695 

Mount  Megunticook 

337 

Mount  Metalic 

348 

Mount  Mica 

247 

Mount  Miserj',  Me. 

168 

Mount  Misery,  N.  H. 

674 

Mount  Monroe 

682,  698 

Mount  Moriah 

642,  682,  695 

Mount  Nebo 

844 

Mount  Norris 

797 

GENERAL   INDEX. 


1013 


Mount  Pico  944 

Mount  Pisgah,  Me.  3j4 

Mount  Pisgah,  Somerset,  Vt.  904 
Mount  Pisgah,  'Westmore,  Vt.  944 
Mouut  Pleasant,  Lincoln  CO.,  Me.  341 
Mount  Pleasant,  N.  H.  632,  G9S 

Mouoi;  Pliny  (533 

Mount  Prospect  431 

Mount  Saco  370 

Mount  Tabor,  Vt.  856 

Mount  Tom,  JIc.  133 

Mount  Tom,  Vt.  876,  930 

•Mount  A^ernon,  Me.  220 

Mount  Waldo  12B,  137 

Mount  Washington       400,  423,  602, 
69( 
Mount  Webster  682,  688 

Jlount  Willard  G88 

Mount  William  674 

Mount  Zion  824 

Mousam  river  28, 174, 175,  291, 

375 
Mowett,  Capt.  II.,  destro^'S  Port- 
land 227,  273 
Mo.\us,  an  Indian  chief  350 
Muddy  brook,  N.  H.  099 
Muddy  brook,  Vt.  765,  949 
Muddy  brook  v.— Williston,  Vt.  949 
Muddy  river  221 
Munjoy,  George  268 
Munjoy,  John  268 
Munjoy  Neck  267 
Munsonville  T-  and  p.  o. — ^Nel- 
son, N.  II.  593 
Murdock,  lion.  Thomas  806 
Murray's  Corner  T. — Ilinesburgh, 

Vt.  820 

Muscle  Ridge  Plantation,  Me.  974 
Muscongus  P.atent  338 

Muscongus  river  66, 194,  337,  342 
Mussey,  Edmund  314 

Muzzy,  Rev.  William  658 

N. 


Nahumkeag  Island 
Namaoskeag  Indians 
Nanamoconiuck 

262 
401 
403 

Nancy's  brook 
Naples,  Me. 

685 
220 

Narmarcungawack  river  658 

Narragansett    No.    1    (Buxton, 

Me.)  79 

Narra^nsett  No.  3  (Amherst, 

N.  11.)  405 

NarTa;p.usett    No.    5    (Bedford, 

N.  11.)  419 

Narrasansett    No.    7  (Gorham, 

Me.)  141 

Narraguag^s  bay  154 

Narraguagus  light,  Me.  978 

Narraguagus  river  50,  210 

Narrows  in  Connecticut  river  5S2 
Nash,  Timothy  GS3 

Nash  and  Sawyer's  Location  683 

NfLsh'a  stream  653,  657 

Naslic"s  Island  light.  Me.  978 

Nashua,  N.  II.,  a  shire  town  585 
"  manufactures  of  5S9-591 
Nashua  Indians  401 

Nashua  river  527,  531 

Na.shua  and  Lowell  Bailroad  578 
Nashua  and  Wilton  Railroad  581 
Naticook  (Litchfield,  N.  U.)  655,  577 
National  Telegraph  752 

Navy  (Charleston,  Vt.)  777 

Navy  3'ard  at  Portsmouth  627 

Neal,  Walter  182,  377,  598 

Neal  as  an  explorer  679 

Neal's  branch  837 

Neddock  Cape  371 

Needham,  Horatio  997 

Nelson,  N.  11.  592 

Negro  Island  930 

Nelson,  Captain  785 

Neptune.    John,    chief  of    the 

Tarratines  23 


Neptune,  Joseph,   chief  of  the 

Passanmquoddy  tribe  203 

Nequamkike,  falls  of  168 

Nequasset  387 

Nequassot  pond  SG8 

Nequasset  v. — Woolwich,  Me.  368 
Ncshobe  (Brandon,  Vt.)  753 

Neshobe  river  753,  754 

Neutral  Island  283 

Ncvins,  Samuel  322 

New  Amesbury  671 

New  Boston  (Grav,  Me.)  144 

New  Boston,  N.  U.  593 

New  Bowdoin  (EUisworth.  Ate.)  118 
New  Breton,  Andover,  N.  It.  412 
New  Brunswick  10,  9G9 

New  Castle,  N.  II.  594 

New  Durham,  N.  II.  596 

New  Durham  Gore  ( Alton,  N.  H.)  409 
New  Eng.  Historical  and  Gene- 
alogical Register  cited  513 
New  Flamstead  (Chester,  Vt.)  779 
New  Gloucester,  Me.  225 
New  Hampshire,  agriculture  and 

manuf;icture3  of  397 

New  Hampshire,  bankrupt  ques- 
tion in      332, 393 
"  boundaries,  set- 

tlement of  SSO,  392 

New  Hampshire,  constitution  of 

301,  395 
"  controversy  about 

D.irtmouth  College  390 

New  Hampshire,  courts  of     393,  394 
"  discovery  of         370 

*'  educational  and 

reformatory  institutions  of  393,399 
New  Hampshire,  financial  condi- 
tion of  396 
"              geographical  ex- 
tent of  376 
"              government  of 

3S8,  394 
"  India,n  -wars  in    336 

"  Indian    Stream 

territory  in      390 
*'  name,  origin  of   377 

*'  persecution     of 

Quakei-s  in      383 
'      "■  population  of 

895,396 
"  railroads  in  393 

"  religious  condi- 

tion of  399 

"  revolutionary 

period  in  3S8 

"  scenery  400 

"  stati.'!ticsof  395,399 

''  toleration  act       390 

"  union  with  M:lss. 

379,  3S1,  383 
"  union  with  New 

England  colonies  382 

New  Hampshire,  witchcraft  ma- 
nia in  3S3 
New  Hampshire  Grants          706,  707 
New  Hampshire   Central    R;iil- 

road  420,  504,  522,  527,  579 

New  Hampton,  N.  H.  597 

"  Literary  and  The- 

ological Institute  799 
New  Haven,  Vt.  861 

'•        freshet  at  862 

"        garrison  at  862 

New  Haven  river  862 

New     Ilopkinton     (Hopkinton, 

N.  H.)  532 

New  Ipswich,  N.  H.  599 

New  Limerick,  Me.  226 

New  London,  N.  H.  COO 

New  Madbury  (Jackson.  N.  H.)  534 
New  Marlborough  (Marlborough, 

N.  H.)  572 

New  Slarlborough  (Marlborough, 

Vt.)  841 

New  Milford  (Alna,  Me.)  29 

85* 


New  Monadnock  (Jaffrev,  N.  H.)  C36 
New  Netherlands  (New  York)  706 
New  Penacook  (Kuniford,  Me.)  276 
New  Portland,  Me.  227 

New  Salem  (Meredith,  N.  H.)  575 
New  Sanbrook  (Lovell,  JIo.)  199 

New  Sandwich  (Wayne,  Me.)  346 
New  Sharon,  Me.  229 

New  Somerset,  an  ancient  coun- 
ty of  Me.  373 
New  Vineyard,  Me.  229 
New  York,  conduct  of  her  gov- 
ernment towards  Vt.           707,  713 
New  Y^ork,  despotic  order  of  710 
*'           officials  whipped  709 
New  York  Gazette  and  Weekly 

Mercury  710 

Newark,  Vt.  856 

Newburgh,Me.  222 

Newbury,  N.  H.  593 

Newbury,  Vt.  850 

"        garrison  at  858 

"        Iudi:in  rc.ics  at  857 

"        meeting  of  legislature 

at  859 

'*        patriotic  citizens  of        858 
Newcastle,  Me.  222 

Newcomb,  Judge  Daniel  540 

Newell,  Rev.  Gad  592 

Newell,  Capt.  Jeremiah  347 

Newfane,  Vt.,  a  shii-e  towu  860 

Newfield,  Me.  225 

Newfound  lake  510.  521 

Newfound  pond  429^  508 

Newfound  river  429 

Newfoundland  1,  2,  9 

Newhall,  Rev.  Matthew  5G5 

Newicbawannock  pond  668 

Newichawannock  river  338,  3'jO,  474, 
635, 637,  649,  650.  650.    (See 
also  Salmon  Falls  river.) 
Ncwington,  N.  II.  598 

Newmarket,  N.  H.  601 

Newport  (Bluehill,  Me.)  68 

Newport,  Me.  227 

Newport  pond  204,  31G 

Newport,  N.  H.,  a  shire  towu  G02 
Newport,  Vt.  862 

Newry,  Me.  229 

Newton,  N.  H.  603 

Newton  (Alstead,  N.  It.)  408 

Newton,  John,  captured  by  In- 
dians 739 
Nichols,  Rev.  James  736 
Nichols,  Hon.  Moses  410,  718 
Nichols's  stream  62 
Nickerson,  Rev.  Joshua  663 
Nightingale,  Col.  Joseph  761 
Nikertou  Plantation,  Me.  974 
Niles,  Hon.  Nathaniel  937, 986,  990 
Nisitisset  (Hollis,  N.  II.)  530 
Nisitisset  river  430,  531 
Noble,  James  231 
Noble,  Rev.  Obadiah  609 
Noble,  Rev.  Seth  44 
Nobleborough,  Me.  230 
Normal  Academy,  Lee,  Me.  186 
Norridgewock,  Me.  231 
"  destruction  of  233 
Norridgewocks.  a  clan    of  the 

Canibas  21, 231 

Non-is,  Hon.  Moses  985 j  9P6 

North  Berwick,  Me.  235 

North       branch,       Paasumpsic 

river  833 

North  branch,  Winooski  river  852 
North  Eflingbam  (Freedom,  N.II.) 

499 
North  Flats  v.— Clarendon,  Vt.  783 
North  Fox  Island  (North  Ha- 
ven, Me.)  236 
North  Hampton.  N.  H.  G04 
North  Haven,  Me.  236 
North  Hero,  Vt.,  a  shire  town  864 
North  Hill  (North  Hampton, 
N.  H.)                                            604 


1014 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


North  pond,  Me. 

209,281 

North  pond,  Vt. 

797 

North  river,  N.  H. 

608 

North  river,  \t. 

815 

North  Branch  river 

615 

North  Salem  (Salem,  Me.)  290 

"North  Star,"' a  newspaper  790 

North  Yarmouth,  Me.  237 

Northam  (Dover.  N.  H.)  4G7 

Northern  Kailroad  413,  426,  432, 
456,  463,  485,  499,  607,  50S.  661. 
679,  608,  817 
Northfleld,  Me.  236 

Northficid,  N.  H.  604 

NorthficUl,  Vt.  8G3 

Northport,  Me.  237 

Northumberiand,  N.  11.  605 

Northwood,  N.  II.  606 

Norton,  David  vi 

Norton,  Francis  378 

Norumbe;^,  Bupposed  Bite  of  231 
Norway,  Me.  239 

Norwich,  Vt.  865 

Norwich  University  867 

Nose  mountain  840,  841 

Notch,  Garland,  Me.  139 

Notch  of  White  Blountains  C85 

Nottingham,  N.  II.  607 

Nottingham      West      (Hudson, 

N.  II.)  633 

Nourse,  Benjamin  987 

Nova  Scotia  10 

Nowell,  Simon  987 

Noyes,  Hon.  John  814,  986,  990 

Noyes,  Hon.  Jc-icph  C.  985 

Noyes,  Rev.  Nathaniel  652 

Noye-s,  Dr.  Oliver  259 

Noyes,  William  413 

Nulhegan  river  737,  750,  761,  764, 
799,  803 
Number  One  (Buxton,  Me.)  79 

Number    One,    North  Division, 

Penobscot  Co.,  Me.  975 

Number  One,   K.  5,   Aroostook 

Co.,  Me.  976 

Number  One,  E.  2,  W.  K.  R., 

Somerset  Co.,  Me.  976 

Number  One,  R.  3,  E.  K.  R., 

Somerset  Co.,  5Ie.  976 

Number  One  (\V'estminster,  Vt.)  9.38 
Number  Two,  R.  2,  W.  K.  R., 

Somerset  Co.,  Me.  976 

Number    Two     (Westmoreland, 

N.  n.)  677 

Number  Two  (Rockingham,  Vt.)  886 
Number  Three,  R.  2,  Franklin 

Co.,  Me.  973 

Number   Three   p.    o. — Golden 

Ridge  Plantation,  Me.  967 

Number  Four,  Abbot's  Purchase 

(Carthage,  Me.)  87 

Number  Four,  R.  1,  Penobscot 

Co.,  Me.  975 

Number  Four,  R.  4,  Aroostook 

Co.,  Me.  970 

Number      Four     (Charlestown, 

N.  H.)  438 

Number  Five,  R.  8,  N.  of  Waldo 

Patent  (BroAvnville,  Me.)  75 

Number  Five,   R.  3,  Aroostook 

Co.,  Me.  970 

Number  Five,  R.   6,  Aroostook 

Co.,  Me.  970 

Number  Five,  R.  1  &  2,  Oxford 

Co.,  Me.  974 

Number  Five,  R.  6,  Penobscot 

Co.,  Me.  976 

Number  Six,  Franklin  Co.,  Me.  973 
Number  Seven,  R.  2,  Washing- 
ton Co..  Jle.  976 
Number  Nine,  R.  4,   Aroostook 

Co.,  Me.  970 

Number  Nine,  R.  4,  "Washington 

Co.,  Me.  976 

Number  Ten  v. — Calais,  Vt.  771 


Number  Eleven,  R.  1,  Aroos- 
took Co..  Me.  969 

Number  Eleven.  R.  6,  Aroostook 
Co.,  Me.  ■  970 

Number  Twelve,  R.  4,  Aroostook 
Co.,  Me.  970 

Number  Fourteen,  Washing-ton 
Co..  Me.  976 

Nutfleid  (Londonderry,  N.  H.)      657 

0. 
Oak  Grove  Seminary  124 

Oak  hill  197 

Oak  Hill  p.  o. — Freeport.  Me.  77 

"  "        Brun.swick,  Me.     131 

Oak  Hill  v.— Windham,  Me.  359 

Oakess  Qulf  691,  695 

O'Brien,  Hon.  Jeremiah  203,  985 
Odell  township,  N.  U.  962 

Odlin,  Rev.  John  490 

Odlin,  Rev.  Woodbridge  490 

Odoni ,  Capt.  John  279 

Ogunquit  river  349 

Ogunquit  p.  o.— Wells,  Me.  353 

Ohio  (Corinth.  Me.)  96 

Oil-Mill  brook  960 

Oil-Stone    quarry  at  Littleton, 

N.II.  656 

Oil-Stones  at  Lake  Memphrema- 

gog  765 

Ojeda,  Alonzo  de  3 

Olamon  p.  o. — Greenbush,  Me.  977 
Olamon  stream  144, 146 

Olcott,  Hon.  Peter  866 

Olcott,  Hon.  Simeon  441,  985 

Old  Bootlibay  59 

Old  Ca.sco  267 

Old  Ilillsboro'  (Danville,  Vt.)  789 
Old  Man  of  the  Mountain  496,  688 
Old  North  Church  452 

Old  Philip,  tlie  Indian  136 

Oldham,  John,   grantee  of  Bid- 

deford  65,  176 

Oldtown,  Me.  240 

Oldtown  and  Lincoln  ICailroad  193 
Olin,  lion.  Gideon  986 

Olin,  Rev.  Stephen  832 

Oliverian  v.— Haverhill,  N.  II.  620 
Ompompanoosuc  river  866.  £68, 

912.  917,  927;  937 
Openangoes,  a  tribe  of  Etchenijns 

21,23 
Orange,  N.  H.  608 

Orange,  Vt.  807 

Orange  County,  Vt.  868 

Orange  County  Journal  752 

Orient,  Me.  241 

Orland,  Me.  241 

Orleans  (Coventry,  Vt.)  780 

Orleans  County,  Vt.  868 

Orneville,  Me.  241 

Orono,  Me.  242 

Orono  and  Milford  Railroad  242 

Orphan  (Wetmore)  Island,  Me.  973 
Orr,  Lieut.  John  419,  420 

Orrington,  Me.  243 

Orwell,  Vt.  869 

O.^good,  Christopher  58 

O.sgood,  Edward  L.  987 

Ossipee,  N.  11.,  a  shire  town  610 

Ossipee  Indians  401,  584 

Ossipee  lake  436,  499,  611 

Ossipee  mountain,  N.  H.      436,  5S5, 
611,  664 
Ossipee  mounfciin,  Waterborough, 

Jle.  343 

Ossipee  Plantation   (Limington, 

Me.)  192 

Os.^ipee  river  158,  245,  265,  483, 

499,  611 
Otis,  Christine  472 

Otis,  Harrison  Gray  154 

Otis,  James  261 

Otis,  Hon.  John  985 

Otis,  Me.  243 


Otisfleld,  Me. 
Otta  Quechee  river 


243 

139,  758,  817, 


819,  876,  877, 883,  894,  902,  956,  ow 
Otter  creek      732,  747,  763,  762,  786, 

789,  792,  803,  832,  845,  862,  870. 

874,  892,  894,  898.  914,  924,  930, 
945,  947 
Owascoag  (Scarborough  Me.)  293 
Owl-head  mountaiu,  N.  H.  422 

Owl's  Head  311 

Owl's  Head  light  980 

Owl's  Head  v.  and  p.  o. — South 

Thomaston.  Me.  311 

Oxford,  Me.    '  244 

Oxford  county.  Me.  244 

Oxford,  N.  H.  608 

Oxford  Normal  Institute  247 

Oyster  river  326.  481,  652 

Oyster  River  (Durham,  N.  II.)      478 

P. 

Packersfleld(Nel.>ion,  N.  H.)  692 

Paddock,  Dr.  Robert;  741 

Page,  Capt.  Caleb  478 

Page,   Jacob,   captured  by   the 

British  872 

Page,  Rev.  John  464 

Page,  Hon.  John  985,  995 

Page,  Rev.  Thomas  510 

Paige,  Rev.  Christopher  617 

Paige,  Rev.  Reed  516 

Paine.  Hon.  Charles       491,  863,  948, 
996,  997 
Paine,  Hon.  Elijah  863,  948,  986 

Paine,  Elijah,  jr.  948 

Paine,  Scth  975 

Painesville  v. — Essex.  Vt.  798 

Painter,  Hon.  Gam.-iliel  843,  846 

Palermo,  Me.  245 

Palfrey,  Hon.  John  G.         '  491 

Palmer,  Hon.  'William  A.       986,  996 
Palmyra,  Me.  246 

Panton.  Vt.  870 

Paper  Mill  v.  and  p.  o. — Alstead 

N.  II.  408 

Paper  Mill  v.— E.xetcr,  N.  H.         492 
Paris,  Jle.  246 

Parish  of  Unity  (South  Berwick, 

Me.)  307 

Parker,  Abel  9S8 

Parker,  Isaac,  captured  by  In- 
dians 438 
Parker,  James,  killed  by  In- 
dians 528,  925 
Parker,  James  '  987 
Parker,  Hon.  Joel  vi,  391,  636,  540 
Parker,  John  140 
Parker,  John  9S8 
Parker,  Josiah  227 
P.arkcr,  Judge  626 
Parker,  lion.  Nahum  985.  9f9 
Parker,  Col.  Nathan  67,  58 
Parker.  Hon.  Thomas  vi 
P.arkcr  Hill  v.— Lyman,  N.  II.  601 
Parker's  Gore,  Mendon,  Vt.  843 
Parkerstown,  Mendon.  Vt.  843 
Parker's    Head   v.— Georgetown 

and  Phipsburg,  Me.  l^fl  200 

Parker's   Hist,  of  IjOndonderry 

cited  578 

Parker's    Island    (Georgetown, 

Me.)  if,  140 

Parker's    Mills    v.— GoBstown 

N.  H.  '  504 

Parkhurst,  Benjamin  ggQ 

Parkhurst,  Phineas  9^9 

Parkman,  Me.  24s 

P.arkman,  Dr.  George  248 

Parknian's  hill  g^g 

Parks,  Hon.  Gorham  935   992 

Parlin  Pond  p.  o.— Forks  Plan- 
tation, Me.  9-.- 
Pannelee's  brook  799 
Parris,  Hon.  Albion  K.         157  246 
985,  992,  998 


.GENERAL   INDEX. 


1015 


985, 986 
972 
226 


248 


Parrifl,  Hon.  Virgil  D, 

Parrott,  lion.  John  F. 

Parrott,  AV'm.  P. 

Parsons,  Israel 

Parsons,  llcv.  Samuel 

Parsons,  Stephen 

Parsons,  Thomas 

Parsons,  Dr.  Usher 

Parsons,  Kev.  William  501,  652 

Parsonsfield,  Me.  248 

Partridge,  Capt.  Alden  887 

Partridge,  William  384,  993 

Pascataquack  (see  Piscataqua)      679 

Passaconaway,  an  Indian  sachem 

402,  413 
*'  farewell    address 

of  402, 403 

Passadumkeag.  Me.  249 

Passadumkcag  river        79,  200,  249, 
255,  975 
Passagassawaukeag  river  50,  73, 

217,  a3J,  337 
Passamaquoddy  bay  10, 112, 113 
PassaniaquoJdy  river  256 

Passamaquoddy  tribe  (Opcnan- 

goes)  23 

Passumpsic  river  740,  761,  764,  769. 
772,  796.  799,  S3S,  856,"  901,  90S, 
934,  944 
Passumpsic  v.  and  p.  o. — Bar- 
net,  Vt.  740 
Patrick's    Corners    v.  —  Ilines- 

burgh,  Vt.  820 

Patricktown  Plantation  (Somer- 

Tille,  Me.)  974 

Pattee,  Capt.  Ezekiel  332 

Patten,  George  F.  993 

Patten,  Me.  249,  963 

Patten^s  bay  321 

Patten's  ponds  321 

Patterson,  \V'illiam  794 

Paugus,  Indian  chief  135 

Paul's  stream  764,  803,  809,  839 

Paulsburgli  (Milan,  N.  II.)  580 

Pawiet,  Vt.  870 

Pawlet  river  792,  871,  891,  895 

Pawtuckaway  mountain  464 

Pawtuckaw.-iy  river  031 

Pawtucket  Indians  401 

Payson,  Kev.  Edward  633 

Payson,  Ilev.  Scth  632,  633 

Peabody,  Gen".  Nathaniel  414,  994 
Peabody,  Uon.  Oliver  489,  988,  994 
Peabody,  Kev.  Oliver  227 

Peabody,  Kev.  Stephen  414 

Peabody  river  505,  682 

Peacham,  Vt.  871 

"        revolutionary   history 

of  872 

Peaked     mountain,     Dixmont, 

Me.  109 

Peaked    mountain,   Elliotsville, 

Me.  118 

Peaked  niountaiu,  Lincolnville, 

Me.  195 

Peaked    mountain,   Bethlebem, 

N.  U.  424 

Pealc  .ind  brother,  killed  by  In- 
dians 142 
Pearson,  Moses  313 
Pearsontown  (Standish,  Me.)  313 
Peaslcc,  Hon.  Uharles  II.  988 
Peck,  John  991 
Peck,  Hon.  Lucius  B.  980 
Peeling  (Woodstock,  N.  II.)  702 
Pegwaggot  (see  also  Pequawket)  GSO 
Peirce,  Iton.  Andrew  473 
Peirce,  Hon.  Jo.seph  936 
Pejepscot  (Danville,  Me.)  101 
Pejepscot  Purchase  7G,  101.  Ill,  249, 
259 
Pejepscot  Records  cited  259 
Polhani,  N.  H.  611 
Pemadumcook  lake  260 
Pemaquid  (Bristol,  Me.)  6(3 
'•          destruction  of           68,  69 


Pemaquid  Falls  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Bristol,  Mo.  72  1 

Pemaquid  Patent  100,  230  | 

Pemaquid  Point  light  982  | 

Pemaquid  river  72 

Pember,  Thomas,  killed  by  In- 
dians BS9 
Pembroke,  Me.                              253 
Pembroke,  N.  H.  612 
Pemigewasset  river        412,  429,  431, 
499,  508,  522,  529,  554,  598,  G31, 
642,065 
Pemigewasset      v.  • —  Salisbury, 

N.  II.  612 

Penacook  (Concord,  N.  H.)  449 

Penacook  Indians  401,  445,  555 

Pendext«r,  Hon.  John  416,  933 

Penliallow,  Capt.  John  259 

Penhallow^s  Mss,  cited  330 

Pennamaquon  (Pembroke,  Me.)   253 
Pennamaquon  stream  91,  253 

Pennessewas.se  pond  239 

Penobscot,  Me.  254 

Penobscot  bay  9,  254,  310 

Penobscot  (Castine,  Me.)  89 

Penobscot  county,  Me.  255 

Penobscot  expedition  89 

Penobscot  and  Kennebec  lt,ail- 
road  42,  86,  95,  105,  256,  262, 

264.  316.  315 
Penobscot  river       14,  30.  46,  02',  67, 
79,  92, 114,  116, 121,  1J6, 148,  101, 
167,  194,  207.  240,  255,  260,  278, 
306,360,974 
Penobscot  river,  boom  in  243 

Pepperell,  William  163,  934 

Pepperrell,  Sir  ^\'i^ham,  Bart.  60, 
184,  984 
Pepperrellborough  (Saco,  Me.)  239 
Pequaquaukes,  or  Pequawkets  401 
Pcquawket  Indians  133-136 

Pequawket  (Conway,  N.  II.)  458 
Pequawkct  country  104,  199.  266, 
318,  322 
Pequawket  or  Kcarsarge  moun- 
tain 417,  459 
Pequawket  river  87,  221,  244,  458 
Pequot  war  249 
Pequots  6 
Perham,  Hon.  Sidney  367,  987 
Perkins,  Me.  256 
Perkins  Plantation,  Ble.  973 
J'erkius,  Abraham,  jr.  605 
Perkins,  Hon.  Janid  986,  995 
Perkins,  Nathaniel  927 
Perkins,  Capt.  Thomas  179 
Perkinsville  v. — Johnson,  Yt.  831 
Perkinsville  v.  and  p.  o. — ^\'eath- 

ersfleld,  Vt.  936 

Perley,  Rev.  Baxter  561 

Perley,  Enoch  65 

Perley,  Rev.  Samuel  610,  584 

Perley,  Stephen  939 

Perry,  Me.  23,  256 

Perry,  J.  J.  244,935 

Perry,  Obadiah  661 

Perry 's  mountain  667 

Perrystown  (Sutton,  N.  II.)  661 

Peru,  Me.  251 

Peru,  Vt.  873 

Petawi-bouque,  a  name  given  to 

Lake  Champlain  726 

Peterborough,  N.  H.  613 

Peterborough      Shp     (Temple, 

N.  II.)  ,     664 

Peterborough  and  Shirley  Itiil- 

road  527, 574 

Peters,  Obadiah,  killed  by  In- 
dians 450 
Pettibone,  John  S.  990 
Pettingill.  Hon.  Thomas  II  642 
Phelps,  John  990 
Phelps,  Hon.  Samuel  S.  846,  936 
Philadelphia  river  807,  875 
Philbrook,  John  49 
Philip,  the  Indian           390,  669,  670 


Philip's  war  15,  68,  386 

Philip's  river  581 

Phillips, 6 

Phillips,  Benjamin  323 

Phillips,  John  490 

Phillips,  Paul  D.  790 

Phillips,  Hon.  Samuel  490 

Phillips,  Walter  224 

Phillips,  Major  William    55. 291,  343 
Phillips.  Me.  257 

Phillips,  destruction  of  pond  at    258 
Phillips  Academy  490 

Phillipsburg  (Hollis,  Me.)  169 

Phipps  (or  Phips),  William,  mur- 
dered by  Indians  677,  879 
Phips,  Spencer  338 
Phips,  Sir  William  69,  260,  324, 
367 
Phips's  Canada  (Jay,  Me.)  164 
Phipsburg,  We.  259 
''  first  settlement  of  1. 2 
Picked  hill  140 
Pickering,  Hon.  John  490,  626,  988, 
994 
Pickpocket  Falls  428 
Pierce,  Alfred  987 
Pierce,  Andrew,  jr.  989 
Pierce,  Hon.  lienj.  525,  989,  994 
Pierce,  Col.  B.  K.  524 
Pierce,  Ex-President  454,  525 
Pierce,  Hon.  Franklin  985,  933,  987, 
988  991 
Piercy  (Stark,  N.  II.)  '  653 
Picrmont,  N  H.  615 
Pierson,  Thomas  and  Moses  901 
Pike,  Rev.  James  649,  986 
Pike,  Moses  H.  987 
Pike,  Nicholas  650 
Pilgrim  Fathers  5.  6 
PUkington,  Col.  Thomas  113 
Pilot  and  Willard  mountains  544 
Pillsbury,  A.  992 
Pinckncy,  Charles  C.  988,  990 
Pinckney,  Thomas  990 
Pine,  Charles  295 
Pine  hill  458 
Pine  river  611 
Pinkham  Grant  693 
Piper.  Rev.  Asa  668 
I'Lsca^sick  river  602,  652 
Piscataqua  Indians  401 
Piscataqua  river  117,  376,  474,  512, 
598,  625,  656 
Piscatiquis  county.  Me.  260 
Piscataquis  river  57.  109,  126,  147, 
101, 162,  208,  215,  248,  255.  260, 
301,  304 
Piscataquog  river  401,  413,  420, 
4U5,  495,  504,  527,  693,  674 
Piscataquog      v.  —  Manchester, 

N.  II.  420,  672 

Pishon's  Ferry  p.   o. — Clinton, 

Me.  95 

Pitman,  Rev.  Benj.  H.  503 

Pitman,  John  415 

Pittsburgh,  N.  H.  616 

Pittsfield,  Me.  261 

Pittsfleld,  N.  II.  617 

Pittsfield,  Vt.  874 

PHtsford,  Vt.  874 

'•         Forts  at  874 

Pittston,  Me.  262 

Place,  Capt.  David  634 

Plainficld,  N.  U.  618 

Plainficld,  Vt.  875 

Plaisted,  Lieut.  Roger  308 

Plaistow,  N.  U.  619 

PLantjition  Ko.  10    (Edmunds, 

Me.)  116 

Plantation  No.  23.  E.  Division 

(Oentreville,  We.)  91 

Plantation  of   Piscataqua  (Kit- 

tery,  Me.)  14,182,373 

Piattsburg,  battle  of  721 

Plausawa,  an  Indian  434,  642 

Pleasant  lake  27 


1016 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Plejisantmounhiin,  Lincoln  Co., 

-Me.  341 

PleiiKint  mountain,  Oxford  Co., 

■Me.  104 

Pleasant  Ridge  (No.  1,  n.  2,  W. 

K.  U.jMc.  976 

Pleasant  river  60,  93,  210,  260 

Pleasant  Valley  t.   and  p.   o. — 

Underbill.  Vt.  923 

Plough  Patent  264,  373 

Plumer,  Hon.  John  634 

Plumcr,  Hon.  Wm.  485,985,988,994 
Plumer,  Hon.  William,  jr.  986 

Plymouth  Colonists  5 

Plymouth  Colony  204,  213 

Plymouth  Company        11,  168,  171, 
176,  251,  378 
Plymouth  Gore  (Pittsfield,  Me.)    261 
Plymouth,  Me.  264 

Plymouth,  N.  H.,  a  shire  town     620 
Plymouth  Plantation,  Me.  970 

Plymouth,  Vt.  876 

PohenagJimook  lake  8 

Pokey  lake  27 

Poland,  Me.  265 

Poland,  Hon.  Luke  P.  908 

Polereczskv,  Major  .John  110 

Polk,  James  K.,  President   987,  988, 
991 
Pomegranate  pond  28 

Pomeroy,  Dr.  John  768 

Pomeroy,  John  N.  7G7 

Pomfret,  Vt.  876 

Pond  brook  820,  849 

Pond  Island  light  982 

Pondicherry  (Bridgton,  Me.)  64 

Pondichcrry  mountain  435 

Pondtown  (Winthrop,  Me.)  363 

Pondville  v.    and    p.   o. — New- 
fane,  Vt.  861 
Pool,  The                          .                664 
Poole,  \Villi.im  P.  vi 
Poor,  Knoch                                     388 
Poor,  Peter,  killed  by  Indians       648 
Popham,  Oeorge,  colony  of        6,  11, 
12,  140,  25.9 
Poplin  (Fremont,  N.  H.)                499 
Porgy  Oil,  niaaufiicture  of              72 
Port  llo^al,  attack  on                     387 
Portage  lake                                       33 
Portige  Lake  Plantation,  Me.      970, 
971 
Porter,  Me.                                       265 
Porter,  John                                    991 
Porter,  V.uv.  Micaiah                       619 
Portland,  Me.,  county  sent           267 
"        battle    at,   in  French 

irar  2G9, 270 

"        destruction     of,     by 

British  274 

"        described  275 

"        harbor  of  275 

"        commerce  of  276 

Portland,  SacOj  and  Portsmouth 

Itailroad      118,  276,  289,  309,  853, 

376 

Portland  Academy  Grant  966 

Portland  l!re.akwater  light  982 

Portland  Harbor  light  982 

Portsmouth,  N.  II.,  county  seat     - 

389,  622 

*'  origin  of  name         626 

"  h.arbor  of  627 

Portsmouth  harbor  light  982 

Portsmouth,  Annals  of,  cited        383 

Portsmouth  &  Concord  Railroad 

433,  457,  632,  679,  613,  631,  636 
Post  Mills  V.  and  p.   o  — Xhet- 

ford,  Vt.  917 

Potato  factory  820 

Potter,  Hon.  C.  E.  626 

Potter,  Rev.  Isaiah  560 

Potter,  the  necromancer  413 

Potter's  History  of  Manchester, 

cited  402 

Pottersville  v.— Belvidcrc,  Vt.       742 


Pottsville  T.  and  p.  o. — Dublin, 

N.  H.  476 

Poultney,  Vt.  877 

Poultney  river        801,  848,  877,  895, 

919,  9.38 

Powers,  Rev.  Grant  520,  857 

Powers,  Grant,  History  of  the 

Coos  Country  by,  cited     520,  618, 

621,  857,  86o 

Powers,  Hiram  857,  858 

Powers,  Capt.  Peter  630,  531 

Powers,  Rev.  Peter  620,  857 

"        patriotism  of  858 

Powers,  Dr.  Stephen  957 

Powers,  Rev.  IValter  603 

Pownal,  Me.  277 

PownaU  Vt.  878 

Pownalborough  ( Wiscasset,  Me.) 

29, 110,  366 
Powow  river  482,  652 

Pratt,  Rev.  Allan  677 

Preble,  Com.  Edward  984 

Preble,  Gen.  Jedediah  273 

Preble, ,  killed  by  Indians       34 

Preble,  The  721 

Prentice,  Ilev.  Josiah  606 

Prentiss,  Me.  975 

Prentiss,  Hon.  Henry  E.  975 

Prentiss,  John  540,  983 

Prentiss,  Hon.  Samuel  851,  986 

Prescott,  Josiah  987 

Prescott,  M.ad:im  Mary  594 

Prescott,  William  164 

Prescott  v.— Jaffrey,  N.  II.  537 

Presque  Isle  Plantation,  Me.         35, 
971 
Presque  Isle  river  970,  971 

Presque  Isle   of    the  St.   John 

river  965, 971 

Preston,  Rev.  N.  0.  746 

Preston,  Rev.  ^Villard  767 

Presumpscot  river         124, 142,  353, 
357,  369,  374 
Presumpscot  canal  353 

Prevost,  Sir  George  721 

Price,  Rev.  Ebenezer  51 

Prince  7 

Prince,  Joseph  987 

Prince's  Annals  cited  12 

Princeton,  Me.  278 

Prindle,  Rev.  Cyrus  746 

Prindle,  a  tory — house  of,  plun- 
dered 760 
Pring,  Martin  9,  376,  622 
Proctor,  J.abez  9aO,  991 
Proctorsville  v. — Cavendish,  At.  777 
Profile  House  p.  o. — Franconia, 

N.  U.  977 

Prospect,  Me.  278 

Prospect  Harbor  p.  o. — Goulds- 
borough,  Me.  977 
Pro.spect  Harbor  light  978 
Protectworth  (Springfield,  N.  II.)  652 
Providence  (Barton,  Vt.)  742 
Provincial  Government  of  N.  H. 

993 
Puddle  Dock  v.— Alna,  Me.  29 

Pumpkin  l.sland  light  980 

Purchas   Thomas        75,  76,  187,  249 
Purchas's  Pilgrimage  cited  11 

Purgatory  ponds  196 

Puritans  5,  6 

Purpooduck  271 

Pushaw  pond  141 

Pushaw  river  61,  241,  265 

Pushaw,  Little,  stream  161 

Pushaw  v.— Oldtown,  Me.  240 

Putn.am,  Rev.  Israel  W.  626 

Putnam,  John  L.  9S9 

Putnam,  Major  Perley  113 

Putnam,  Seth  438 

Putnam  ( AVashington,  Mc.)  341 

Putney,  Vt.  879 

"  Historical   sermon   at, 

cited  880 

"        fort  at  879 


Putney,   Samuel,   captured    by 
Indians  424,  5-32 


469 
469 


715 
819 


819 
386 

Ti 


Quakerism  at  Dover,  N.  H. 
Quakers,  persecution  of         383, 
Quampheagen  falls  and  landing 
307, 
Quarles,  Samuel  988, 

Quebec,  projected  attack  on         '■ 

Quechee  Falls 

Quechee  river  (see  Otta  Quechee) 

Quechee  v.  and  p.  o. — Hartford, 

Vt. 
Queen  Anne's  war 
Quint,  Rev.  A.  U. 

K. 
Raby  (Brookline,  N.  H.)  430 

Ragged  mountains  412,  522,  579 

Rainbow,  British  sloop   of  ivar 

203,  366 
Ramillies,  British  sloop  of  war  113 
Rand,  Rev.  John  662 

Randall,  Hon.  lieuj.  985 

Randall,  Rev.  Benj.  695,  596 

Randall,  Miss  852 

Randall  mountain  248 

Randallsville  v. — New  Durham, 

N.  II.  697 

Randolph,  N.  H.  629 

Randolph,  Vt.  881 

Randolph  hill  630 

Randolph.  Edward  379 

Random  (Brigliton,  Vt.)  761 

Rangeley,  JMe.  2S0 

Bangely  lake  972,  973 

Rangely  Plantation,  Me.  973 

Ranney,  Rev.  D    S.  792 

Ranney,  Ephraini  794 

Ranney,  Dr.  T.  S.  463 

Ransom,  Gen.  Truman  B.  867 

Rasles,  Father  Sebastian  2.32 

''  death  of  233 

Ratcliffo  10 

Rattlesnake  hill,  N.  H.  458,  674 

Rattlesnake  hill,  Milton,  Vt.  848 

Rattlesnake  niountiin  266 

Rawson  p.  o. — Number  1,  R.  5, 

Aroostook  county.  Me.  970 

Rawsonville  v. — Jamai'ca,  Vt.        828 
Raymond,  Me.  280 

Raymond,  N.  II.  630 

Raymond,  Capt.  Joel  633 

Raymond's  Comer  v. — Bradford, 

N. H.  428 

Readfleld,  Mc.  281 

Reading,  Vt.  882 

Rcadsborough,  Vt.  883 

Readsborough  City  v.  and  p.  o. 

— Readsborough,  At.  883 

Records  of  Gen.  Court  of  M:iss. 

cited  289 

Red  Hill  685 

Red  Hill  river  645 

Red  Jacket,  a  packet  ship  286 

Red  mountain  898 

Red  pond  682 

Redfleld,  Hon.  Isiiac  F.         789,  935, 
936,  953 
Redfleld,  Dr.  Pcleg  787,  935 

Redfleld,  Hon.  T.  P.  997 

Reding,  Hon.  John  R.  9S6 

Reed,  Colonel  559 

Reed,  George  ggg 

Reed,  Hon.  Is.Tac  9,S5,  993 

Reed,  Gen.  James  333^  494 

Reed,  Joseph  991 

Reed  Plantation,  Me.  971 

Reed's  Ferry  v.  and  p.  o. — Merri- 
mack, N. H.  579 
Reformation,  house  of,  for  juve- 
nile and  female  ofTenilers             399 
Representation  in  Congress,  ra- 
tio of                                              991 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


1017 


Bepresentalives,  apportionment 

of  991 

Rice,  Rev.  Jacob  74,  621 

Kich,  Hon.  Charles  986 

Reed,  Kev.  Ezckiol  666 

Richards,    Jonathan,    captured 

by  Indians  634 

Richards,  Joseph,  killed  by  In- 
dians 634 
Richards,  Hon.  Mark     943,  986,  990 
Richards'  house,  escape  of  Ethan 

Allen  from  759 

Richardson,  David  987 

Richardson,   Joseph,   killed    by 

Indians  528 

Richford,  \t.  884 

Richmond,  Me.  281 

Richmond,  N.  H.  631 

Richmond,  Vt.  884 

Richmond  Island  85 

Richmond  lake  344 

Ricker,   George,   killed   by    In- 
dians "  649 
Ricker,  Maturin,   killed  by  In- 
dians 649 
Rider  Rally,  an  American  yessel 

322 
Riddle,  Isaac  420 

Riedesel,  General  823 

Rigby,  Alexander  264,  373 

Rigg'sCoTcv. — Georgetown,  Me.  140 
Riley  Plantation,  Me.  974 

Rindge,  N.  IE.  G32 

Rindge,  Daniel  626 

Ripley,  General  282 

Ripley,  Hon.  James  W.  985 

Ripley,  Me.  282 

Ripton,  Vt,  684 

Roaring  branch  915 

Robbins,  Lieutenant  135 

Robbins,  Luthor  144 

Robbins,  William,  killed  by  In- 
dians 528,  925 
Robbinston,  Me.  282 
Roberts,  Eli  759 
Roberts,  Jacob  73 
Roberts,  James  990 
Robertson's  America  cited  3 
Robin  Hood  48,  59,  367 
Robin  Hood's  Cove  v. — George- 
town, Me.  140 
Robins,  Aaron,  killed  by  Indians  753 
Robins,  George,  killed  by  Indiana  753 
Robinson,  Col.  Beverley  711 
Robinson,  Gen.  David  745 
987. 
992 

Robinson,  Goodman  488 

Robinson,  Rev.  Isaac  655 

liobinson,  Jonathan      744,  745,  986, 
990 
Robinson,  John  S.  997 

Robinson,  Moses    744,  804,  929,  943, 
986,  995,  996 
Robinson,  Nathaniel  937 

Robinson,  Rev.  Otis  642 

Robinson,  Samuel  744,  745,  746 

Robinson,  Samuel,  jr.  744 

Robinson,  Thoma-s  987 

Robinson,  Thomas  D.  987 

Robinsons,  The  712 

Robinson^s  Island  300 

Rochester,  Vt.  885 

Rockabema  Plantation,  Me.  981 

Rockingham,  Vt.  886 

Rockingham  county,  N.  H.  C35 

Rockland,  Me.  284 

Rockomeca    (East    Uvermore, 

Me.)  Ill 

Rockomeca  Falls  v. — East  Liver- 
more,  Me.  112 
Rockomeca  Indians  84,  3j3 
Rockomeca  nionntaiu  84 
Rockomeca  point  84 
Rockport  V.  and  p.  o. — Camden, 
Me.                                                    S3 


Rockville  v.  and  p.  o. — Camden, 

Me.  83 

Rogers,  Rev.  Daniel  490 

Rogers,  James  833 

Rogers,  Major  740 

Rogers,  Rev.  Nathaniel  626 

Rogers,  Robert  387,  451,  477 

Rogers's  Rangers  588 

Rolfe,  Benjamin  451,  454 

Rolfe,  Rev.  William  510 

Rollins,  Hon.  Ichabod  650 

Rollinsford,  N.  II.  636,  650 

Roman  Catholic  troubles  at  Ells- 
worth 119 
Rome,  Me.  288 
RoFe,  Hon.  Daniel  993 
Rosebrook,  Capt.  Eleazcr  033,  G34 
Rosebrook,  Me.  693 
Ross,  James  271 
Ross's  Corner  t.  &  p.  o. — Sbap- 

leigh.  Me.  3C3 

Round  Island  light,  Me.  978 

Round  mouQt::ia  424 

Itound  Pond  v.  and  p.  o. — Bris- 
tol, Me.  72 
Roundy,  John                                    57 
Rowe's  Corner  v.    and    p.  o. — 

Ilooksett,  N.  II.  532,  977 

Rowland,  Rev.  AViUlam  F.  490 

Uowley-Oanada  (Rindge,  N.  11.)    C32 
Roxbury,  Me.  283 

Roxbury,  N.  U.  C37 

Roxbury,  Vt.  SS8 

Roy,  Patrick,  wounded  by  In- 

diaas  925 

Royall,  Col.  William  111,  237 

Royairs  river  225,  239,  277,  338 

Royallston  (Durham,  Me.)  Ill 

Royalton,  Vt.  888 

Roycc,  Elihu  M.  748 

Royce,  Homer  E.  748,  986 

Royce.  Rodney  C.  748 

Royce,  Hon.  Stephen  748,  997 

Royce,  Stephen,  first  settler  of 

Berkshire,  Vt.  748 

Ruggles,  Hon.  John  985 

Rumford,  Count  and  Countesa    454 
Rumford,  Me.  286 

Rumford  (Concord,  N.  II.)  450 

Rumford  (.Alcrrimack,  N.  II.)        677 
Rumford  Falls  287 

Rumford  and  Bow,  controversy 

between  451 

Rumney,  N.  II.  63d 

Runaway    pond,    Glover,     Vt., 

history  of  806 

Runnels,  Samuel  116 

Rupert,  Vt.  890 

Rush.  Richard  988,  990 

Russell,  Josiah  989 

Russell's  mountain  57 

Rust,  Captain  239 

Rust,  Rev.  Henry  658 

Kutland,  Vt.,  a  shire  town  891 

*'        forts  at      ^  891 

"        old  court  house  at         892 

"        marble  quarrying    at 

892,893 
Rutland  County,  Vt.  894 

Rutland  and   Burlington  Rail- 
road    733,  753,  754,  769.  803,  832, 
837,  845,  849,  855,  856,  8li2,  875, 
888,  894,  898,  902,  906.  924,  930, 
947,  951,  955 
Rutland  &  Washington  R;ulroad 

775,  871,  878,  891,  894 
Rutland,  William  175 

Rye,  N.  H.  638 

"     inhabitants  of,  proprietors 

of  Warner  671 

Ryegatc,  Vt.  895 

"       Scotch  immigration  to    895 
"      colony  destined  to,  bro- 
ken up  by  General 
Gage  895, 896 


Saba.tifl,  an  Indian 

434,642 

Sabattis  hill 

840,  847 

Sabattis  mountain 

840,  347 

Sabattis  pond 

145,  340 

Sabattis  river 

347 

Sabattisville  v.  and  p.  o. — TVeb- 

6ter,  Me.  347 

Sabine,  lion.  Alvali  986 

Sabine.  Lorenzo  vi,  506 

Sabine,  L..  J^eport  of,  on  Fisii- 

erie.s,  cited  506 

Sabine,  KoaU  794,  880 

Saccarappa  v.  and  p.  o. — "".Vest- 

broolt.  Jle.  353 

Sacketts  brook  881 

Saco,  Me.  288 

Saco  river    44. 65,  56,  75,  80,  97, 104, 
136,  158, 159,  192,  245.  289,  875, 
417,  468,  460,  508 
Saddleback  Ledge  light  978 

Saddleback  mountain,  Franklin 

County,  Me.  87, 129 

Saddleback    mountain,    Oxford 

County,  Me.  143 

Saddleback  mountain.  N.  H.       465, 
607,  608 
Saddleback  stream  972,  973 

SalTord,  Samuel  745 

Safford.s  The  745 

Sagadahoc  Agricult.  and  Kort. 

Society  328 

Sagadahoc  colony  11,  12,  259 

Sagadahoc  country  6 

Sagadahoc  county.  Me.  290 

Sagadahoc  Ferry  v. — "Woolwich. 

Me.  368 

Salem,  Me.  290 

Salem,  N.  H.  640 

Salem,  Vt.  896 

Salem-Canada    (Lyndeborough, 

N.  II.)  562 

Salem  pond  791,  896 

Salisbury,  N.  TL.  641 

Salisbury,  Tt.  897 

Salisbury  Cove  p.  o. — Eden,  Me.  115 
Salmon  Brook  I'lantation,  Me.  971 
S.almon  F.-iUs    v. — Buxton    and 

HoUis,  Mo.  80 

Salmon  Falls  v.  and  p.  o. — Rol- 
linsford, Jle.  637 
Salmon  Falls  river  303,  430,  582, 
633,  635,  636 
Salmon  river  25 
Salmon    Stream    Town    {Forks, 

Somerset  Co.,  Me.)  976 

Saltash  (Plymouth,  Vt.)  876 

Saltonstall,  Commodore  89,  279 

Saltonstall,  Hon.  Leverett  491 

Sanborn,  Oliver  L.  987 

Sanbornton,  N.  II.  643 

Sanders,  Rev.  D.  G.  767 

Sanders,  Lieut.  John  171 

Sandgate,  Vt.  898 

Sandliill  v. — Somerville,  Me.  974 
Sandown,  N.  11.  640 

Sandu.sky  p.  o. — Granville,  Vt.  977 
Sandwich,  N.  II.  644 

Sandy  Beach  p.  o. — Sebago,  Me.  301 
Sandy  point  127,  317 

Sandy  Point  v.  and  p.  o. — Pros- 
pect and  Stockton,  Me.  280 
Sandy  pond  130 
Sandy  river.  Franklin  Co.,  Me.      43, 
124, 125,  208,  230,  232,  258,  315. 
319,  356,  972,  973 
Sandy  river,  TValdo  Co.,  Me.  130 
Sandy  River  valley                  124,  973 
Sanford,  Peleg                                  291 
Sanford,  Me.                                   291 
Sangerville,  Me.                               291 
Sarah,  Countess  of  Rumford         454 
Saratoga,  The  721 
Saratoga   and  Washington  Rail- 
road                                               775 
Sargeant,  Colonel                   737,  841 


1018 


GENERAL   DJDBX. 


Sargeant,  David,   killed  by  In- 
dians 756 
Sargeant,   David,   Jr.,  captured 

by  Indians  756 

Sargeant,   John,    captured     by 

Indians  785 

Sargent,  Rev.  Benjamin  617 

Sartwell,  Obadiah,  killed  by  In- 
dians 439 
Saturday    Cove   v. — Northport, 

Mo.  237 

Savage,   James's,   Ed.   of   "Win- 

throp-s  Ulst.  N.  E.,  cited  679 

Savage,    Samuel   S.,   vain  pur- 
suit of  gold  by  928 
Savage,  Rev.  Thomas  420 
Saville  ( Sunapeo,  N .  H. )  059 
Sawdawga  Springs  v. — \Vbiting- 

ham,  Vt.  947 

Sawtelle,  Hon.  CuUen  985 

Sawyer,  Benjamin  683 

Sawyer,  Elijah  S89 

Sawyer,  Rev.  John  609 

Sawyer,  Rev.  Moses  B21 

Sawyer,  Thomas,  jr.  966,  971 

Sawyer,  Thomas  E.  995 

Sawyer's  rock  685 

Sax,  John  819 

Saxe,  John  G.,  the  poet  767 

Sax's  Mills  v.— lUghgate,  Vt.        819 
Saxton,  Frederic  766 

Saxton's  river         808,  886,  950,  951 
Saxton'B  River  v.   and  p.  o. — 

Rockingham,  Vt.  887 

Scale,  patent  balance,  manu&c- 

ture  of  909 

Scales,  Rev.  James  633 

Scales,  Matthew  J  murdered  by    noo 
Scales,   AVilliam  f      Indians 
Scammel,  Alexander  388,  481 

Scammon,  Hon.  J.  F.  985 

Scandinavian  colony,   supposed 

marks  of  72 

Scarborough,  Me.  282 

"  attacked    by    In- 

di.ins  293, 294 

Schoodic  Grand  lake  241,  842 

Schoodic  lakes  976 

Schoodic  river  342,  976 

Schoolcraft,  the  Indian  ethnolo- 
gist 887 
Schuyler,  General  717 
Scootum  lake  208,  260 
Scotch-Irish  61,  72,  385,  557,  664 
Scotland  v.  and  p.  o. — York,  Me. 

372 
Scott,  John  989 

Scott,  Rev.  Jonathan  265 

Scott,  Martin  745 

Scott,  Winficld  987,  988.  991 

Scottow,  Captain  '  293 

Scottow's  hill  299 

Scabrook,  N.  H.  645 

Sealy,  Captain  785 

Seamans,  Rev.  Job  601 

Seaport  p.  o. — Hancock  county. 

Me.  977 

Searle,  Rev.  Jonathan  642 

Sears.  David  164,  299 

Sears,  David,  jr.  299 

Searsburgh,  Vt.  899 

Searsmout,  Me.  299 

Scarsport,  Me.  299 

Seaville,  Me.  299 

Sebago,  Me.  300 

Sebago  lake  43,  221,  301,  313 

Sebasticook  (Benton,  Me.)  53 

Sebasticook  (Pittsfield.  Me.)  261 

Sebasticook  river       53.  94,  105,  216, 
227,  246,  261,  326,  330,  337,  361 
Sebasticook  and  Kennebec  rivers, 

junction  of  362 

Sebec,  Me.  801 

Sebec  lake  61,  126.  260,  301 

Sebec  river  210,  260,  801 

Sedgwick,  Me.  302 

Sedgwick,  Major  Robert  302 


Scgar,  Nathaniel  152,  153 

Scguin  Ught  982 

Senter,  Col.  Jo.seph  437 

Severance,  Hon.  L.  985 

Sergeant,  John  617 

Seven-mile  brook,  121,  182,  191,  228, 
230,  290,  973 
Sewall,  Jonathan  M.  626 

Sewall,  Joseph  987 

Sewall,  Rev.  Jotham  92 

Seward's  Mills  p.  o. — Vassalbo- 

rough.  Me.  353 

Seymour,  Henry  814 

Seymour,  Hon.  Horatio  986,  996 
Seymour,  Rev.  Richard  12 

Seymour's  brook  773 

Seymour's  lake  853 

Shafter,  Oscar  L.  997 

Shafter,  William  K.  997 

Shaftsbury,  Vt.  899 

Shaker  v.  and  p.  o. — Canterbury, 

N. H.  434 

Shaker  v.— Enfield,  N.  U.  485 

Shannon,  Nathaniel  988 

Shapleigh,  Me.  303 

Shapleigh,  Major  803 

Shapleigh,  Nicholas  250 

Sharon,  N.  U.  647 

Sharon,  Vt.  900 

Shattuck,  Samuel,  990 

Shaw,  Rev.  Jeremiah  684 

Shaw,  Rev.  Naphthali  644 

Shaw,  R.  G.  286 

Shaw,  Hon.  Samuel  986,  990 

Shaw,  Hon.  Tristram  986,  989 

Shay's  rebellion  720 

Sheafe,  Hon.  James  626,  985,  986, 
994 
SheddsviUe  v. — West  Windsor, 

Vt.  946 

Sheepscot  Bridge  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Alna  and  Newcastle,  Me.  29,  225 
Sheepscott,    John,    an    Indian 

chief  324 

Sheepscot  Great  Pond  (Palermo, 

Me.)  245 

Sheepscot  river  69,  94,  115,  130, 

194,  216,  224,  227,  246,  201,  326, 
330,337 
Sheepscot  v. — Somcrville,  Me.  974 
Sheffield,  Vt.  900 

Shelburne,  N.  H.  647 

Shelbume,  Vt.  901 

Shelburne    Addition   (Gorham, 

N.  II.)  604 

Sheldon,  Vt.  902 

Sheldon,  Elisha  990 

Shelton  6 

Shepard  6 

Shepardsfield  (Hebron,  Me.)  156 

Shepardson,  lion.  John  814 

ShepardsoD,  Samuel  990 

Shepherd,  Gen.  Amos  408 

Shepherd's  river  75 

Shepley,  Hon.  Ethan  985 

Shepley,  George  T.  987 

Sherburne,  Hon.  J.  S.  966 

Sherburne,  Capt.  Samuel,  billed 

by  Indians  613 

Sherburne,  .Tudge  626 

Sherburne,  Vt.  902 

Sherwood,  Captain  821,  823 

Shettarack  mountain  898 

Shinkly,    Thomas,  captured  by 

the  British  760 

Ship-building        60.  61,  59,  72,  114, 

131, 175, 204, 279, 312,  316, 321,  368 
Shirley,  Governor  361 

Shirley,  Me.  304 

Shoreham,  Vt.  903 

Shrewsbury,  Vt.  903 

Slirewsburv  peak  903 

Shurt,  Abraham  68,  211,  361 

Shurtlifl,  Benoni  640 

Shutc,  Mrs.  Fanny  601 

Shute,  Samuel  993 

Sibley,  John  L.  vi 


Sidney,  Me. 
Silver  Cascade 


304 


Silver  Spring 

Simonsville  v.   and  p.   o. — An- 

dover,  Vt.  735 

Sinclair,  Col.  Richard  415 

Six-mile  Falls  p.  o. — Penobscot 

county  977 

Skencsborough  (WhitehaU,  N.  Y.) 

714,716 
Skillertown  (Byron,  Me.)  81 

Skinner,  Hon.  Richard  840,  986, 

996 
Skowhegan,  Me.  304 

Slab  City  v.— Belvidere,  Vt.  942 

Slade,  James  M.  997 

Slade,  Hon.  Wm.  846,  986,  990,  997 
Slade's  State  Papers  cited    710,  714, 
793 
Slate  quarries,  Fairhaven,  Vt.      801 
"  Castleton  774 

"  in  Rutland  co.        895 

Sleeper,  Samuel,  a  Quaker  857 

Sleeper's  river  790,  909 

Small,  Francis  96,  192,  225,  303 

Small,  Samuel  987 

Smart,  Hon.  EphraimK.  985 

Smilie,  Nathan  997 

Smith,  Hon.  Albert  985 

Smith,  Rev.  Ethan  and  John  620 
Smith,  Hon.  F.  0.  J.  986 

Smith,  Rev.  Isaac  601 

Smith,    Isaac  W.'s,  Centennial 

Address  cited  511 

Smith,  Hon.  Israel  751,  893,  986,  990 
995,  996 
Smith,  James  988 

Smith,  Hon.  Jedediah  K.       411,  986 
Smith,  Hon.  Jeremiah   171,  489, 490, 
640,  541,  986,  994 
Smith,  John  101 

Smith,  Capt.  John  15,  21,  163 

Smith,  John,  a  Vermont  patriot  710 
Smith,  Hon.  John  980,  997 

Smith,  Jonathan  987 

Smith,  Jo.'^eph,  the  Mormon  900 
Smith,  Joseph  H.  989 

Smith,  Manasseh  II  993 

Smith,  Blarshall,  taken  prisoner 

by  the  British  760 

Smith,  Nathan,  taken  prisoner 

by  the  British  760 

Smith,  Noah  996 

Smith,  Noah.  jr.  987 

Smith.  Hon.  Pliny  869,  990 

Smith,  Hon.  Samuel  986.  993 

Smith,  Hon.  Samuel  E.  992 

Smith,  Rev.  Thomas  272 

Smith.  Capt.  V  illiom  413 

Smith,  Rev.  Worthington  767,  906 
Snake  mountain  732 

Smith  and  Deane's  Journal  cited  261 
Smith's  river,  N.  H.       407,  429,  463 
607,  702 
Smith's  river,  Vt.  861 

Smithfield,  Me.  305 

Smithfield   (Fairt^hild    and    Ba- 

kersfleld.  Vt.)  800 

Smithfield  pond  800 

Smithstown  (Freedom,  Me.)  130 

Smith's  V. — New  Hampton,  N.  H.  698 
Smith's  V. — New  Ipswich,  N.  H.  600 
Smyrna,  Me.  305 

Snow,  Rev.  Eiisl^a  311 

Snow's  falls         '  247 

Snow's  pond  344 

Snow's  Store  T.  and  p.  o. — Pom- 
fret,  Vt.  877 
Soadabscook  stream  86, 122,  150 
167,222 
Soapstone  region  808 
Sokokis,  a  tribe  of  Abnakis  20 
Solon.  5Ic.  306 
Somers,  Hon.  D.  E.  9g5 
Somers,  Capt.  Richard  984 
Somerset,  Vt.  9Q4 
Somerset  county,  Me.                      306 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


1019 


Somerset  Mills  p.  o. — Fairfield, 

Me.  123 

Somerset   and   Kennebec  Bail- 

road  345, 362 

Somersworth,  N.  H.  648 

''  Indian  attack  on     386 

Somerville,  Me.  974 

Somes,  Abraham  219 

Songo  river  220,  221 

Soucook  river  445,  455,  560 

Soucook  v.— Loudon,  N.  H.  560 

Souhcgan  East  (Bedford,  N.H.)  419, 
577 
Souhegan  East  (Merrimack,  N.  H. ) 

419,  577 

Souhegan  Indians  '  401 

Souhegan  river      411,  527,  574,  578, 

581,600 

Souhegan  v. — Merrimack,  N.  H. 

579 
Soule,  Bishop  198 

Soule,  Gideon  t.  490 

South  Berwick,  Me.  307 

South  branch  river  6G2 

South  branch  of  West  river  861 

South  Flats  v.— Clarendon,  Vt.  783 
South  Fox  Island  (Vinai  Haven, 

Me.)  334 

South  Hampton,  N.  H.  651 

South  Hero,  Vt.  904 

South  Million-Acre  Purchase  102 
South  mountain,  Bristol,  Vt.  762 
South  mountain,  Danby,  Vt.  789 
South  Newmarket,  N.  H.  652 

South  Peak  841 

South-west  Bend  v.  and  p.  o.— 

Durham,  Me.  Ill 

Souther,  Rev.  Mr.  417 

Southwick,  Joseph  987 

Spafford,  John,  captured  by  In- 
dians 438 
Sparhawk,  Nathaniel  60 
Sparhawk,  Samuel  989 
Sparks,  Jared,  the  historian  491 
Sp.aulding,  Lieut.  Leonard  793,  794 
Spear's  stream  252 
Speckled    mountain,    Grafton, 

Me.  143 

Speclded  mountain,  Stow,  Me.  318 
Spectacle  pond  158,  266 

Spigget  river  512 

Spoon  Island  light  978 

Sprague,  Bev.  Edward  476 

Sprague,  Hon.  Peleg,  of  Me.  985,  992 
Sprague,  Hon.  Peleg,  of  N.  H. 

640,986 
Springfield,  Me.  312 

Springfield,  N.  H.  652 

Springfield,  Vt.  905 

"  falls  at  905 

Springvale  p.  o. — Sanford,  Me.  291 
Sproul,  Capt.,  leader  of  Bristol 

boys  against  the  Maidstone   70,  71 
Spruce  creek  185 

Spruce  mountain  789,  898 

Spurwink  268, 271 

Squam  lake  437,  508,  530,  684,  605 
Squam  mountain  645 

Squamscott  Indians  401 

Squamscott  Patent  657 

Squamscott  (Exeter)  river  491,  644 
Square  lake  33 

St.  Albans,  Me.  315 

St.  Albans,  Vt.,  a  shire  town        906 
"         view  of  907 

St.  Albans  (ILartland,  Me.)  155 

St.  Albans  Academy  155 

St.  Andrew  &  Quebec  Railroad  964 
St.  Andrew's  Gore  (Plainfield, 

Vt.)  875 

St.  Clair,  General  717,  821,  822 

St.  Croix  Island,  settlement  at        10 
"  "        reduced  13 

St.  Croix  river       8,  30,  81,  207,  284, 
342,  705 
St.  Croix  Mver  light,  Me.  978 


St.  Francis  Indians  791 

St.  Francis  Parish,  Madawaska 

Plantation,  Me.  969 

St.  Francis  river  8,  761 

St.  George,  Me.  315 

St.  George,  Vt.  907 

St.  George's  Island  (Monhegan)  211 
St.  George's  river  32,  99. 160, 194, 
216,  815,  323,  331,  m 
St.  John  river  8, 10,  30, 100,  306, 
964,  967,  971 
St.  John's,  garrison  at  715 

St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  a  shire  town  908 
"  view  of  909 

St.  Saviour  (Mt.  Desert,  Me.)  13,219 
Stamford,  Vt.  910 

Standish,  Me.  313 

Stanley,  Hon.  Timothy         810,  990 
Stansbury,  Lieutenant  721 

Stark,  N.  H.  653 

Stark,  Archibald  478,  564 

Stark,  Caleb  420 

Stark,  Gen.  John  315,  385,  388,  413, 
451,  452,  559,  567,  717,  718,  984 
Stark,  William       387,  451,  478,  666, 

Stark's  hill  136 

Starks,  Me.  314 

Starksborough,  Vt.  910 

Starkstoivn  (Dunbarton,  N.  H.)    478 

Startwell's  fort  926 

State  House,  Augusta,  Me.  40 

"  Concord,  N.  U.         456 

"  Montpelier,  Vt.        852 

State  Prison,  Me.  326 

"  N.  H.  399, 456 

"  Vt.  728, 954 

State  Reform  School,  Me.  86 

Steams,  Rev.  Josiah  435 

Stebbins,    Benj.,    the   Barnard 

fiirmer  818 

Steele,  Hon.  John  H.  614,  995 

Steele,  Jonathan  988 

Steele,  Zadock,  captured  by  In- 
dians 881 
Steep  Falls  v.  &  p.  o. — Standish, 

He.  314 

Sterling    Plantation     (Fayette, 

Me.)  126 

Sterret,  Rev.  David  348 

Stetson,  Me.  316 

Stetson,  Hon.  Charles  985 

Steuben,  Me.  317 

Stevens,  Major  Ebenczer  545 

Stevens,  Enos  439,  739,  740 

Stevens,  Enos  995 

Stevens,  Henry  vi 

Stevens,  Dea.  Josiah  505 

Stevens,  Capt.  Phineas  438,  439,  789 
Stevens,  Samuel  739,  740 

Stevens's  branch   of  Winooski 

river  868,  873,  948 

Stevens's  brook,  Essex,  Vt.  798 

Stevens's  Plains  p.  o. — West- 
brook,  Mc.  353 
Stevens's  river.  Me.  49 
Stevens's  river,  Bamet,  Vt.  740 
Stevens's  v. — Bamet,  Vt.  740 
Stevensville  v.— UnderhlU,  Vt.  923 
Stewartstown,  N.  H.  654 
Stickney,  Colonel  718 
Stickney,  John  987 
Stickney,  Thomas  388 
Stiles,  Rev.  Ezra  626 
Stiles,  Ezra,  jr.  943 
Stillman,  Major  203 
Stillwater  (Orono,  Me.)  242 
Stiuchfield,  James  226 
Stinson,  William  478 
Stockbridge  Indians  842 
Stockbridge,  Vt.  911 
Stockton,  Me.  317 
Stoddard,  N.  H.  655 
Stoddard,  Colonel  756 
Stone,  Col.  Nathan  952 
Stone  Bridge  brook                       805 


Stone,  ,  taken  prisoner  by 

the  British  760 

Stone's  brook  799 

Stone's  house  pillaged  by  Indians  759 
Stoneham,  Me.  818 

Storer,  Hon.  Clement  985,  986 

Stoier,  Joseph  175 

Storer's  fort  350 

Storey,  Amos,  widow  and  fam- 
ily of  897 
Stow,  Vt.                                        911 
Strachey,  William,  Narrative  of, 

cited  11 

Strafibrd,  N.  H.  655 

Strafford,  Vt.  912 

Strafford  county.  N.  H  656 

Stratford,  N.  H. '  657 

Stratford  peaks  657 

Stratham,  N.H  657 

Stratton,  Vt.  912 

Stratton's  Gore  913 

Stratton's  Islands  292 

Straw,  David  B.  987 

Strawberry  Bank  (Portsmouth, 

N.H.)  623 

Streaked  mountain  156,  246 

Strickland's  Ferry  p.  o. — E.  Liv- 

ermore,  Me.  112 

Strong,  Me.  318 

Strong,  Gov.  Caleb  319 

Strong,  George  W.  991 

Strong,  Hon.  John  731 

Strong,  Hon.  WilUam  986,  990,  996 
Stroudwater  v. — Westbrook,  Me.  353 
Sturdlfit,  taken  prisoner  by  the 

British  760 

Sturgeon  Creek  (Elliot,  Me.)  117 

Suassaye's  colony  at  Mt.  Desert 

13,219 
Success,  N.  H.  658 

Sudbury,  Vt.  913 

(Bethel,  Me.        64 
Sudbury-Canada  <  Hanover,  Me.  152 
( Newry,  Me.      229 
Sugar  Hill  v.  &  p.  o. — Lisbon, 

N.H.)  655 

Sugar  river     447,  462,  505,  553,  602, 

eeo 

Sullivan,  Me.  319 

SuUivan,  N.  H.  658 

Sullivan  County,  N.  H.  659 

Sullivan  RaUroad  441,  448,  659,  887, 
951 
Sullivan,  Capt.  Ebenezer  308 

Sullivan,  Hon.  George  986,  989 

SulUvan,  Gov.  James  192 

'Sullivan,  John,  Gen.  and  Gov.    1^, 
388,  389,  481,  595,  658,  988,  994 
Sullivan's  Hist.  Maine  cited    70,  89, 

Summerville    v.  &  p.    o. — Dal- 

ton,  N.  H.  462 

Sumner,  Me.  220 

Sumner,  Col.  Benjamin  446 

Sumner,  Dr.  William  446 

Sunapee,  N.  H.  659 

Sunapee  lake  679,  594,  601,  659 

Sunapee  mountains  427,  505,  659 
Suncook  (Pembroke,  N.H.)  612 

Suncook  mountains  500 

Suncook  river        407,  416,  445,  465, 
487,  579,  613,  618 
Suncook    Y.    fc  p.  o. — Epsom, 

N.  H.  487 

Suncook  p.  o.  -Pembroke,  N.  H.  613 
Sunderland,  Vt.  914 

Sunderland,  Rev.  Byron  903 

Sunday,  Capt.,  an  Indian  saga- 
more      96, 159, 192.  291,  303,  342 
Sunkhaze  river  145 

Surry,  Me.  321 

Surry,  N.  H.  660 

Sutton,  N.  H.  661 

Sutton,  Vt.  915 

Swan(Swani111e,  Me.)  321 

Swan  Island  (Perkins,  Me.)  256 


1020 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


973 


Sivan  Island  Plantation,  Me. 

Swan,  Edward  987 

Swanckadocke,  Indian  name  of 

Saco  288 

Swanton,  Vt.  915 

^'        early  settlement  of,  by 

the  French  916,  916 

Swanton,  Capt.  William  49 

Swanville,  Me.  321 

Swanzey,  N.  H.  661 

Swarson,  an  Indian  136 

Swearing  hill  898 

Sweden,  Me.  322 

Swett,  Capt.  Benjamin  294 

Swett,  Capt.,  killed  by  Indians  613 
Swift,  Hon.  Benj.  847,  906,  986,  991 
Swift,  Samuel  991 

Swift  brook  286 

Swift  river,  Oxford  Co.,  Me.  81,  287 
Swift  river,  Carroll  Co.,  N.  H.  468, 
664  674 
Swift  Water  v.— Bath,  N.  H.  '  418 
Sylvester,  Capt.  Joseph  330 

Sylvester-Canada  {Turner,  Me.)  330 
Sysladobsis  lake  976 


Taber  hill  832 

Tabor,  Isaac  W.  937 

Tabor,  Lemuel  919 

Tabor,  Levi  919 
Taconnets,  a  clan  of  the  Cani- 

has  21 

Taftsville  p.  o.— Woodstock,  Tt.  91 


Taggart,  Rev.  Samuel 

Tahi  pond 

Talbot,  George  F. 

Talbot,  John  C. 

Talmadge  Plantation,  Me. 

Tamworth,  N.  II. 

Tappan,  Rev.  Christopher 

Tappan,  Hon.  Mason  W. 

Tarbox,  James 

Tarleton,  William 

Tarratines,  a  tribe  of  Etchemins 

*•        chief  of  the 
Taah,  Col.  Thomas 
Taunton  bay 
Taylor,  Eldad,  lost  children  of, 

and  Ethan  Allen 
Taylor,  Rev.  Ilezekiah 
Taylor,  John 
Taylor,  Dr.  John 
Taylor,  Capt.  Joseph 
Taylor,  Joshua 
Taylor,  Nathan 
Taylor,  Zachary,  President  987, 


00 
121 
992 
987 
976 
663 
224 
427,  986 
990 


914 
861 
989 
331,860 
446 


,168 


Teconnet  (Ticonic)  Tails 

Temple,  Me. 

Temple,  N.  H. 

Temple,  Lady 

Temple,  Mr.,  of  Rutland,  Vt. 

Ten-mile  brook 

Ten-mile     falls     (Androscoggin 

river)  196 

Tenant's  Harbor  light  980 

Tenant's    Harbor    p.    o. — Saint 

George,  Me.  316 

Tennents  7 

Tenney,  Abner  B.  W.  991 

Tenney,  Allen  vi 

Tenney,  Hon.  Samuel 
Terror,  a  British  bomb-ship 
Thatcher  branch  934 

Thayer,  Elisha  937 

Thctford,  Vt.  916 

Thomaston,  Me.  323 

"  Indian  attacks  upon  324 

"  State  Prison  at  826 

Thompson,  Amos  990 

Thompson,     Benjamin     (Count 

Rumford)  454 

Thompson,  Hon.  Daniel  P.     851,  897 
"  "  Green    Mountain 

Boys"  by  897 


113 


Thompson,     Hon.     Daniel    P., 

"  Gaut  Gurley  "  by  487 

Thompson,  David  377,  622 

Thompson,  Hon.  Ebenezer  481,  988 
Thompson,  Rev.  John  313 

Thompson,  Col.  Samuel  273 

Thompson,  Hon.  Thomas  W.       454, 
985,  986 
Thompson,  WilUam  987 

Thompson,  Zadock,  historian  of 

Vermont  767,  768,  778,  876 

Thompson's  Hist,  of  Vermont, 

cited  731, 768 

Thompson's  Island  622 

Thompson's  pond  87,  244,  344 

Thompsonborough  (Lisbon,  Me.)  196 
"  (Webster,Me.)347 

Thorn  mountain  459,  634 

Thorndikc,  Me.  326 

Thorndike,  Israel  164 

Thornton,  N.  H.  665 

Thornton,  Andrew  665 

Thornton,  Hon.  James  B.  678 

Thornton,  Hon.  Matthew     388,  474, 
577,  678,  697 
Thornton's  Ferry  v.  and  p.  0. — 

Merrimack,  N.  H.  579 

Three  Mile  pond  94 

Thundering  brook  908 

Thurston,  Rev.  David's,  Hist,  of 

AVinthrop,  cited  346 

Thurston,  Hon.  Samuel  R.  252 

Tichenor,  Hon.  Isaac    721,  745,  986, 
996,  996 
Ticonderoga,  capture  of  714 

Ticonderoga,  The  721 

Ticonic  faUs  344,  361 

Tilden  p.  o. — Mariaville,  Me.  977 
Tilton,  Samuel  989 

Timber  Lane  (Hampstead,  N.  H.)  512 
Tinkerviile  v. — Lyman,  N.  H.  561 
Tinmouth.Vt.  918 

Titcomb,  Samuel  8 

Tobin,  Joseph  987 

Toddy  pond  241 

Togus    Spring   p.    o. — Chelsea, 

Maine  91 

Tom  Hegon,  an  Indian  136 

Tomlinson  (Grafton,  Vt.)  808 

Tompkins,  D.D.  988 

Toppan,  Hon.  Christopher  613 

Topsfield,  Me.  327 

Topsham,  Me.  327 

Topsham,  Vt.  919 

Toussaint  stream  972 

Towle,  Caleb  606 

Townsend,  Micah  814 

Townshend  (Boothbay,  Me.)  59 

Townshend,  Vt.  919 

"  patriotism    of    the 

citizens  of  920 

Townsley,  Calvin  991 

Towwoh  (Lebanon,  Me.)  185 

Tozier,  John,  house  of,  attacked 

by  Indians  307 

Tracy,  Hon.  Andrew  986,  991 


Trafton,  Charles 

987 

Tragedies  of  the  Wilderness 

327 

Trask,  Rev.  Nathaniel 

428 

Trask,  William  B. 

vi 

Treat,  Joshua 

128 

Trecothick  (Ellsworth,  N.  H.) 

484 

Trelawney,  Robert                    85 

267 

Tremont,  Me. 

328 

Trenton,  Me. 

328 

Trescott,  Me. 

329 

Tre.^cott,  Samuel 

987 

Trott's  Island 

180 

Trout  brook 

820 

Trout  river                               798 

850 

Troy,  Me. 

329 

Troy,  N.  H. 

666 

Troy,  Vt. 

921 

"     Falls  at 

922 

True,  Rev.  Henry 

612 

Tryon,  Governor                     710 

952 

Tuclt,  Hon.  Amos  986 

Tucker,  Rev.  Jedediah  560 

Tucker,  Richard  267 

Tucker,  Col.  Samuel  63 

Tucker,  Samuel  987 

Tucker's  bridge  670 

Tuckerman's  Ravine  682 

Tuftonborough,  N.  H.  666 

Tufts,  Rev.  Joshua  656 

Tumble-down  Dick  252 

Tunbridge,  Vt.  922 

Turk  mountain  81 

Turkey  river  427 

Turner,  Me.  330 

Turner,  Rev.  Charles  330,  331 

Turrell,  Mrs.  Jane  694 

Tute,  Capt.  Amos  925,  926 

Tweed  river  874,  911 

Tn-enty-mile  river  78,  320 

Twenty-mile  stream  776 

Twenty-five  mile  pond  330,  332 

Twin  lakes  976 

Twin  mountains  682 
Twitchell,  Benj.,  captured   by 

Indians  540 

Twitchell,  Moses  144 
Two  Ilei-os,  Grand  Isle,  Vt.  809,  864 
Two  Ileros,   North  and  South 

Hero,  Vt.  809,  864 

Tyler,  Rev.  Bennett  518 

Tyler,  John  991 

Tyler,  Jonathan  615 

Tyler,  Royall  814 

Tyng,  Captain  356 

Tyng,  Edward  2C9 

Tyng,  Jonathan  586 

Tyngtown  ( AVilton,  Me. )  366 

Tyrum  mountain  344 
Tyson  Furmice  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Plymouth,  Vt.  876 

U. 
Ulmcr,  Major  George  82,  113 

Ulmer,  Major  Philip  113 

Umbagog  lake  245, 422,  4.30, 487, 974 
Umcolcus  Plantation,   Me.  (the 

Ox-bow)  972 

Umcolcus  stream  972 

Uncanoonuck  mountain  504,  527 
Underhill,  Vt.  923 

Underhill,  Capt.  John  468 

Union,  Me.  331 

Union  river        30,  42,  111,  118, 120, 
152,  206,  243,  299,  328 
Union  v.  and  p.  o. — Thetford, 

Vt.  917 

United  States  military  station  160 
Unity,  Me.  331 

Unity,  N.  H.  666 

Unity  (Cumberland)  county  951 
Unity  PlanUtion,  Me.  973 

Upham,  Hon.  George  B.  640, 986,  988 
Upham,  Hon.  Nathaniel  986 

Upham,  Capt.  Samuel  851 

Upham,  Timothy  994 

Upham,  Hon.  William  856,  906,  986 
Upper  Ammonoosuc  river  422,  606 
Upper  Ashuelot(Keene,  N.  H.)  539 
Upper  St.  George  311 

Upper  town  of  St.  George  340 

Upper  Stillwater  v.  and  p.  o. — 

Oldtown,  Me.  240,  241 

Usher,  Ilezekiah  586 

Usher,  John  384,  993 

Usher.  Lieutenant-Governor  545 
Utley,  William  832 


Van  Buren,   Martin,  President 

987,  989,  991 
Van  Buren  Plantation,  Me.  972 

Van  Ness,  Hon.  C.  P.  996 

Vassalborough,  Me.  332 

Vaudreuil,  Governor  926 

Vanghan,  Charles  147,  163,  286 

Vaughan,  George  385,  993 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


1021 


Tauglian,  TTilliam  224,  231, 387,  625 

Vauglianstown  (Harmony,  Me.)  153 

Veazie,  Me.  333 

Vcazie,  Gen.  Samuel  333 

Verd-Antique  marble  S88 

Vergennes,  Vt.,  a  city  924 

"         U.  S.  Arsenal  at  925 

Vermont  705, 961 

•'        geographical  extent        705 

"        early  condition  706 

"        first  settlement        706,  731 

"        declared  independence  711, 

723 

*'         overtures  from  the  Brit- 

ish  to  711 

'        applies  for  admission  to 

the  Union  711 

'*  neglected  by  Congress  711, 
712 
*"  admitted  to  the  Union  713 
"  patriotism  of  the  people  714 
"        efficiency  of  militia  721 

"        in  last  war  721 

'•        later  history  of       722,  723 
''        foray  of  sympathizers 

Arom,  into  Canada        723 
II        Constitution  of        723-725 
judiciary  725,  726 

"        physical  character  726,  727 
"        resources  725-730 

"        financial  condition  727 

**        educatiooal  condition 

727-729 

**        commerce  729 

"        manufactures  728, 729 

"        railroads  729 

"        religious  condition  729 

"        political  divisions  729 

"        population  730, 731 

"        University  of    766,  767,  768 

Vermont  and  Canada  Railroad    767, 

784,  804,  810,  906,  916 

Vermont  and  Mass.  Railroad  75*, 951 

Vermont  Central  Railroad    750,  751, 

753, 767, 810, 617, 819, 848, 864, 868, 

882, 884,  888,  890,  900, 934, 949, 955 

Vermont  Valley  Railroad     757,  795. 

881,  943,  95l 

Vernon,  Vt.  925 

''        Bridgeman's  fort  in        925 

Vershire,  Vt.  927 

Vespucci,  Amerigo 

Victory,  Vt.  927 

Vienna,  Me.  333 

Villages,  incorporation  of  746 

Vinal  Haven,  Me.  334 

Vines,  Richard  176,  288 

"        lands  at  Saeo  14 

"        one  of  grantees  of  Bid- 

deford  54, 55 

Vineyard  (Isle  La  Mott,  Vt.)        827 

Violette  brook  972 

Virgin  mountain  752 

Vose,  Hon.  John  421 

Vose,  Hon.  Richard  H.  993 

Vose,  Hon.  Roger  641,  986 

Vote,  Presidential,  in  Maine         987 

N.  H.  988.  989 

"  Vt.      990'  991 

Tote,  Gubernatorial,  in  Me.  992*,  993 

N.  H.  994,  995 

"  Vt.       995-997 

Votes,  Electoral,  in  Me.,  N.  H., 

and  Vt.  987-991 

Votes,  Electoral,  number  of         991 

W. 
TVade,  Itev.  John  309 

Wadleigh,  John  349 

Wadleigh's  Falls  v.— Lee,  N.  H.   552 
■\Vadsworth,  Lieut.  Henry  984 

Wadsworth,  Gen.  Peleg  158,325,984 
Wait.  Colonel  785 

Wait;  Gen.  Benjamin    818,  827,  927, 

Wait  Plantation,  Me.  976 

VOL.  1. 


Wait's  river  761,  868,  919,  932 

Waite,  Col.  Joseph  446 

Waitsfleld,  Vt.  927 

"  Indian  relics  at  927 

"  supposed  buried  trea- 
sure at  928 
Wakeag  (Sullivan,  Me.)  320 
Wakefield,  N.  H.  667 
Wakefield,  Dr.  John  834 
Walbridgc,  Ebenezer  745 
Walden,  Vt.  929 
Waldeu  Gore  789 
Waldeme,  or  Waldron^  Major 

Richard  386,  468,  471 

Waldo,  Me.  334 

Waldo  county  337 

Waldo  mountain  337 

Waldo  Patent  127, 148, 157,  333 

Waldo,  General  99,325,334,338,973 
Waldo,  Samuel  336 

Waldo,  Sarah  334 

Waldoborough,  Me.  335 

Waldron,  Col.  John  472 

Waldron,  Isaac  989 

Waldron,  Richard  993 

Wales,  Me.  339 

Wales,  Hon.  George  B.  986 

Walford,  Goodwife  383 

Walford,  Jane,  tried  for  vritch- 

craft  623 

Walker,  Rev.  Dr.  James  490 

Walker,  Rev.  James  493 

Walker,  Rev.  John  609 

Walker,  Nathan  734 

Walker,  Robert  421 

Walker,  Hon.  Tunothy  454,988,994 
Walker,  Rev.  Timothy  454 

Wallace,  Hon.  Robert  621,  938 

Wallingford,  Vt.  929 

Wallingford,  Hon.  Thomas  650 

WaUoomscoik  river        718,  746,  878, 
899,  950 
Walpolc,  N.  II.  668 

''      Indian  attack  upon  669,  670 
Walpole  V. — Bristol,  Me.  72 

Waltham,  Me.  340 

Waltham,  Vt.  930 

Walton,  Gen.  Ezekiel  P.  851 

Walton,  Hon.  E.  P.        851,  986,  991 
Walton,  Rev.  Joseph  595 

Walton,  Shadrach  595 

Wamesit  or  Pawtucket  Indians    401 
Wapskanegan  river  27 

War,  King  WUliam's  386 

**    Queen  Anne's  386 

Ward,  Rev.  Jeremiah  597 

Ward,  John,  taken  prisoner  by 

the  BriOsh  760 

Ward,  Rev.  Nathan  621 

Wardsborough,  Vt.  931 

Ware,  Hon.  Asher  490 

Warner,  N.  H.  671 

Warner  river  661 

Warner,  Gideon  709 

Warner,  Moses,  captured  by  In- 
dians 785 
Warner,  Seth         709,  714,  715,  743, 
744,  746,  m 
"         at  siege  of  Montreal    715 
"         at  battle  of  Benning- 
ton 719 
Warren,  Me.                                     340 
Warren,  N.  H.                               672 
Warren,  Vt.                                    931 
Warren,  Annals  of,  cited       63,  338 
Warren,  Isaac                                846 
Warren,  Dr.  John             96, 155,  246 
Warren,  Simon                                989 
Warren's  Town,  No.  3  (Hart- 
land,  Me.)                                   165 
Worromontogus  stream                  137 
Warsaw  (Pittsfield,  Me.)               261 
Warumbee,  an  Indian  chief,        187, 
250,350 
Washburn,  Israel,  jr.     198,  975,  9S5 
Washburn,  Hon.  Reuel                 198 


Washburn,    Governor's.     Hist. 

Leicester  Academy  cited  541 

Washington  (Brooks,  Me.)  73 

Washington,  Me.  341 

Washington,  N.  H.  673 

Washington,  Vt.  932 

Washington  county.  Me.  342 

Washington  county,  Vt.  932 

Washington,  General  389 

Washington,  George,  Pres't    988,  990 
Washington's     Correspondence 

with  Vermont  712,  713,  859 

Washington  Galley  816 

Waterborough,  Me.  343 

Waterbury,  Vt.  933 

Waterbury  river  841,  911,  934 

Waterford,  Me.  343 

Waterford,  Vt.  934 

Waterman.  WiUiam,  tal^en  pris- 
oner by  the  British  890 
Waters,  Rev.  Cornelius  503 
Waters,  Col.  Josiah  343 
Waterville,  Me.  344 
Waterrille,  N.  H.  674 
Waterville,  Vt.  934 
WaterviUe  College  346 
Waterville  Gore  666 
Waugh,  James  314 
Waumbekketmethna,    Indian 

name  of  ^Vhite  Mountains        679 
Wawa,  Tom,  Indian  warrior        135, 
172,349 
Wawenocs,  a  tribe  of  Abuakis        20 
Way,  George  249 

Wayne,  Me.  345 

Wayne,  Gen.  Anthony  346 

Weare,  N.  H.  674 

Weare,  Joseph  238 

Wcare,  Hon.  Meshech    388,  615,  646, 
607,  674,  859,  984,  993,  994 
Weare,  Nathaniel,  father  &  son    646 
Weathersfleld,  Vt.  935 

''  patriotism  of  in- 

habitants 935 

Webb's   Mills    v".    and   p.   o. — 

Casco,  Me.  87 

Webb's  pond  348 

IVcbb's  Pond  Plantation  (Weld, 

Me.)  347 

Webber,  Rev.  John  644 

Webhannet  (Wells,  Me.)  850 

Webster,  Mc.  348 

Webster,  Andrew  242 

Webster,  Hon.  Daniel    137,  390, 490, 
497-499,  540,  626,  986 
Webster,  Col.  David  654 

fl'ebster,  Capt.  Ebenezer       497,  641 
Webster,  Ezekiel  498 

Webster,  Samuel  989 

Webster,  Rev.  Samuel  664 

Webster,  William  988 

Webster  treaty  8 

Weeks,  Hon.  John  W.  986,  989 

Weeks,  Hon.  Joseph  986,  989 

Weeks,  Major  389 

Weeks's    Comer    v.  —  Parsons- 
field,  Me.  248 
Weeks's  Mills  v.  &  p.  o. — China, 

Me.  94 

Weirs,  The  675 

Weir's    Bridge   p.  o. — Laconia, 

N. H.  977 

Welch,  Samuel  426 

Welchville  v.  and  p.  o. — Oxford, 

Me.  244 

Weld,  Me.  347 

Weld,  Benjamin  348 

Weld,  Rev.  Thomas  686.  589 

Welhngton,  Me.  348 

WeUs,  Me.  15,  349 

Wells,  Vt.  9.36 

Wells  pond  936 

Wells  river  811,  859,  868,  896 

Wells  river  (or  Long)  pond  811 

Wells  River  v.  and  p.  o. — New- 
bury, Vt.  859 


86 


1022 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


■\rells,Capt.,  defends  Castleton    794 
Wells,  John  S.  995 

Wells,  Samuel  756 

WeUs,  Hon.  Samuel  993 

Wendell  (Sunapee,  N.  H.)  660 

Wendell,  Isaac  661 

Wendell,  John  660 

Wenemovet,  a  chief  of  the  Tar- 

ratinea  23 

Wenlock  (Brighton  and  Ferdi- 
nand, Vt.)  802 
Wenlock,  divided  between  Brig- 
ton  and  Ferdinand,  Vt.  761 
Wentworth,  N.  H.                         675 
"           destructive  fi:eshet 

at  676 

Wentworth,  Gov.  Benning  386,  433, 
511,  625,  706,  993 
Wentworth,  Gov.  John        885,  625, 
701,  993 
Wentworth,  John,  killed  by  In- 
dians 634 
Wentworth,  Joshua                       994 
Wentworth,  Mark  H.      477,  626,  701 
Wentworth,  Col.  Paul  650 
Wentworth,  Sir  Thomas                436 
Wentworth,  Elder  WilUam  648 
Wescott's  stream                             335 
Wescustogo  (North  Yarmouth, 

Me.)  238 

Wesley,  Me.  353 

Wesleys  7 

Wessaweskeag  (So.  Thomaston, 

Me.)  311 

Wessaweskeag  stream  311,  326 

Wesserunset  (Canaan,  Me.)  83 

Wesserunset  pond  306 

Wesserunset  stream  97 

West,  Hon.  Benjamin  441,  988 

West  Bath,  Me.  363 

West  Fairlce,  Tt.  937 

West  Gardiner,  Me.  363 

West    Greatworks    p.    o. — Old- 
town,  Me.  241 
West  Haven,  Vt.  938 
West  mountain  899 
West  Quoddy  Head  light       201,  978 
West  river      747,  757,  704.  792,  795, 
828,  834,  842,  861,  873:  931,  944, 
950,  951,  956 
West  River  mountain  444 
West  Windsor,  Vt.  945 
West's  Mills  V.  &  p.  o. — Indus- 
try, Me.  162 
Westbrook,  Me.  863 
Westbrook,  Captain  324 
Western  Vermont  Railroad          747, 
894,  900,  915,  930 
Westfleld,  Vt.  937 
Westfield  Academy  Grant  169 
Westford,  Vt.  938 
WeEtminstcr,Vt.  938 
"          formerly  shire  town  940 
"          part  in  New  York 

controversy    940,  941 
"         riot  at  941 

"  conventions  at  941 

"         sessions  of  legisla- 
ture at  941 
Westmore,  Vt.  943 
Westmoreland,  N.  H.  677 
Weston,  Me.  354 
Weston,  Vt.                                      944 
Weston,  Mrs.  Hannah  166 
Westport,  Me.                                  354 
Wetmore,  William                          188 
Wetmore  Isle  Plantation,  Me.       973 
Weybridge,  Vt.  945 
"        monument    to    set- 
tlers 946 
Weymouth,  Capt.  George    9, 10, 
69, 
Whale's  Back  light                 629,  982 
Wharton,  Richard            76,  187,  260 
INTieaton,  Gen.  Henry  S.  767 
■\Vheeler,  Ezekiel  D.  741 


Wheeler,  Rev.  John  767 

Wheeler's  stream  764 

Wheelersborough      (Hampden, 

Me.)  148 

Wheelock,  Vt.  94G 

Wheelock,  Ebenezer  946 

Wheelock,  Rev.  Eloazer  517, 518,  661 
"RTieelock,  Hon.  John  518 

Wheelock,  Rev.  John  946 

Wheelock  mountain  946 

Wheelwright,  Rev.  John       349-352, 
381,  487,  614 
Wheelwright's  pond  552 

Whetstone  brook  757,  842 

Whipple,  Commodore  777 

Whipple,  Col.  Joseph  638 

Whipple,  Hon.  Thomas  986 

VThipple,  Wilham  888,  626 

T^Tiite,  Benjamin  130 

White  Cap  mountain  287 

White  Creek  891,  893 

VThitc  Horse  Ledge  459 

"n-hitc  Island  light  629 

White  Mountain  House  p.  o. — 

White  Mountains,  N.  H.  977 

White  Mountain  Railroad    424,  462, 

,   ■  555,  557 

White  Mountains  678-697 

"        extent  of  678 

"        discovery  of  382, 678-680 

"        geological  formation 


heights   of   various 

summits  682 

description  of  682-€97 
first  settlement  of  683 
routes  to  684,  686 

valley  of  the  Saco  685 
Silver  spring  685 

Sawyer's  rock  685 

Hart's  ledge  685 

Nancy's  brook  686 

Bemis's  pond  685 

Willey  house  685 

Notch  685 

destruction  of  Wil- 
ley family         685,  686 
Silver  cascade      686,  687 
Mount  Webster  682,  688 
Mount  Willard  688 

Devil's  den  .682 

Valley  of  Ammonoo- 

suo  688, 691 

Fabyan's  688 

Franconia  notch  688 
Old  Man  688 

Flume  688 

Mt.  Lafayette  682,  695 
Echo  lake  688 

Crawford  house  688 

Alpine  house  688 

Glen  house  688 

Imp  mountain  688 

Peabody  river  688 

Tuckerman"s  ravine  (388 
Carter  mountain      682, 
689,  695 
ElUs  river  689 

Crystal  falls  689 

Hermit  lake  690 

Glen  Ellis,  or  Pitch- 
er falls  690 
Mount  Clinton  682,  688 
Mount  Pleasant  682,  688 
Mount  Franklin  682,  688 
Red  pond  682 
Mount  Monroe  682,  688 
Oakes's  gulf  691,  696 
Lake  of  the  Clouds  691 
Mount    Washington 

400,  692-697 
Mount  Jefferson  682,696 
Mount  M.adison  682,  695 
Mount  Clay  682,  695 
Mount  Adams  682,  695 
Mount  Chocorua        695 


White  Mountains,  Mt.  Kearsarge 

695 
"  Mount  Carrigain  682, 
695 
"  Mount  Moriah  682,  695 
"  Willey  mountain  682 
"  Mount  Kinsman  682 
"        Great  Haystack  682 

"  Jackson  mountain  682 
'*  Twin  mountains  682 
"        Zoological  aspects 

696,  697 
White,  John  990 

White,  John  H.  989,  995 

White,  Moses  988,  989 

White,  Hon.  Phineas  986 

White  river     739,  750,  762,  762,  779, 
810,  817,  868,  874,  877,  882,  886, 
_  890,  894,  900,  911,  923,  932,  955 
White   River  Junction   p.   o. — 

Hartford,  Vt.  817 

White  River  v.— Hartford,  Yt.  817 
■\Vhite  Rocks  930 

Whitefleld,  Me.  364 

IVhitefield,  N.  H.  678 

Whitefleld,  Rev.  George  7,  596,  624 
IVhitehall  and  Saratoga  Rail'd  894 
Whitehead  light  980 

Whitelaw,  Gen.  James  761,  777 

Whiting,  Me.  355 

"VVhiting,  Vt.  946 

fVhiting,  Col.  John  946 

Whiting,  Rev.  Thurston  864 

Whitingham,  Vt.  947 

•Whitman,  Hon.  Ezekiel  985,  992 

■(Vhitncy,  Capt.  Ephraiin  166 

Whitney,  Capt.  Nathaniel  842 

Whitney,  Phineas  239 

■\\Tiitney,  Richard  814 

■Whitney  pond,  origin  of  name  84 
Whitneyville  356 

Whiton,  Rev.  John  M.  414 

Whittemore,  Rev.  Aaron  613 

Whitton.  Thomas  L.  989 

Widow's  Island  Ught  980 

Wiggin,  Andrew  668 

Wiggin,  Rufus  287 

Wiggin,  Capt.  Thomas  377,  468 

Wiggin's  mountain  248 

Wilcox,  Hon.  Jeduthan  986 

Wilcox,  Hon.  Leonard  986 

Wilcox's  peak  874 

Wild  branch  788,  797,  956 

Wild  river  141 

Wild  Ammonoosuc  river      418,  422, 
648,  688 
Wilder,  Hon.  Marshall  P.  633 

Wilder,  Samuel  L.  633 

Wildersburgh  (Barre,  Vt.)  741 

Wildes,    Samuel,    attacked    by 

British  179 

Wiley,  Hon.  James  S.  986 

Wilkins,  Lieut.  Robert  B.  525 

Willard,  Dubartus  765 

Willard,  Capt.  Jonathan       570,  571 
WUlard,  Col.  Josiah      628,  699,  766, 
879,  880,  94(3 
Willard,  Rev.  Joseph  547 

Willard,  Nathan  756 

Willard,  William  794,  880 

Willard  mountain  644 

Willard's  brook  773,  833 

Willey,  Rev.  Benjamin  G.  686 

Willey,  Rev.  Isaac  603 

Willey,  Samuel,  jr.,  destruction 

of  family  of  685,686 

Willey  house  685 

William  of  Orange  15 

Williams,  Capt.,  killed  in  attack 

on  Castleton  774 

Williams  College  grants        138, 186 

197,  32(j 

Williams,  Hon.  Charles  K.    893,  894 

997 

Williams,  Doctor  6g2 

"        Hist,  of  Vermont  cited  822 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


1023 


Williams,  Got.  Francis  182,  378,  623 
TVilllams,  Hon.  Hczekiah  986 

WUliams,  Uon.  Jared  W.      985,  986, 
995 
Williams.  Hon.  Joseph  II.  993 

Williams,  Hon.  Keuel    286.  369,  974 
■  985,  987 
Williams,  Roger 
Williams,  Rev.  Simon 
Williams,  Rev.  Simon  F, 
Williams,  Col.  WUliam 
Williams's  river     808,  8 


6 

700 
676 
842 
1,  950,  961, 
955 
355 


Williamsburgh,  Me. 

Williamson,  Hon.  Joseph  vi 

Williamson,  Hon.  Wm.  D.     985,  893 

Williamson's  Hist.  Me.  cited      9, 11, 

60.  67,  68,  71,  140,  217,  249,  259, 

283,  293,  313,  324,  325,  329,  332, 

370,  373 

Williamstown,  Vt.  947 

Williamsville  v.  and  p.  o. — ^New- 

fene,  Vt.  861 

Willis,  Samuel  949 

Willis,  Hon.  William  vi 

Williston,  Vt.  949 

Willoughby  lake  944 

Willoughby  Lake  p.  o.  —  West- 


more,  Vt. 

944 

Willonghhy's  river 

742,  764,  944 

Wihnington,  Vt. 

949 

Wilmot,  N.  H. 

697 

Wilmot,  Doctor 

697 

Wilmot,  Rev.  Ezra, 

884 

Wilson 

6 

Wilson,  Hon.  Henry 

493 

Wilson,  Gen.  James 

640,986 

Wilson,  Hon.  James 

986 

Wilson,  James,  jr. 

995 

Wilson,  Rev.  John 

415,443 

Wilson,  Lieutenant 

827 

Wilson  pond 

214,346 

Wilson's  Mills   p.  o. 

— Lincoln 

Plantation,  Oxford 

CO.,  Me.       977 

Wilson's  stream 

118,  215 

Wilton,  Me 

Wilton,  N.  H. 

Wilton  Railroad 

Winchester,  N.  H. 

WJncoU,  Capt.,  house  of,  fired 

by  Indians 
Windham,  N.  H. 
Windham  county,  Vt. 
Windmill  Point  (Alburgh,  Vt.) 
Windsor,  N.  H. 
Windsor,  Vt. 

**        part  in  New  York  con- 
troversy 


conventions  at       723,  963 


Windsor,  Vt.,  State  prison  at        954 
Windsor  county,  A't.  954 

Wingate,  Joshua,  jr.  987,  992 

Wingatc,  Hon.  J.  F.  985 

Wingate,  Hon.  Paine  985 

Winhall,  Vt.  955 

Winhall  river  955 

Winnecowett  Indians  401 

Winnegance  p.  o. — West  Bath, 

Me.  977 

Winnegance  river  49 

Winnepesaukee  Indians  401 

Winnepesaukco  lake      400,  409,  421, 

437,  548,  584,  666 

"  discovered        679 

Winnepesaukee  river    499,  601,  604, 

643 

Winnicumet  (Hampton,  N.  H.) 

381,  513 
Winnicut  river  605 

Winooski  river       749,  761,  763,  768. 
769,  7n,  772,  781,  783,  796,  796; 
797,  798,  830,  831,  842,  847,  850, 
851,  852,  875,  884,  888,  929,  932, 
933,949 
Winooski  v.  and  p.  o. — Burling- 
ton and  Colchester,  Vt.      769,  783 
Winslow  6 

Winslow,  Captain,  and  men  mur- 
dered by  Indians  316 
Winslow,  Gen   John  361 
Winslow  Mills  p.  o. — Greenfield, 

Me.  145 

Winter  Harbor,  garrison  at  66 

Winter   Harbor    p.    o. — Mount 

Desert,  Me.  220 

Winter  Harbor  light  980 

Winter,  John  85 

Wmthrop,  Me.  363 

Wmthrop,  Governor  6,  249 

Winthrop's  Journal,  or  Hist,  of 

New  England  cited     402,  679,  680 
Wirt,  William  990 

Wiscasset,  Me.  363 

"        fort  at  365 

"        harbor  of  366 

Wise,  Rev.  Jeremiah  309 

Wiswell,  A.  987 

Wiswell,  John  222 

Witchcraft  delusion  383 

Witherell,  Hon.  James  986 

Withington,  James  H.  252 

Wolcott,  Vt.  955 

Wolfborough,  N.  H.  701 

Wonnalancet,  Indian  chief  402,  403, 
418,  419 
Wood,  Abiel  366 

Wood,  Rev.  Amos  674 

Wood,  Captain  Daniel  308 


Wood,  Rev.  Henry 
Wood,  Hon.  John  M. 
Wood  Island  light 
Woodard's  Cave 
Woodbridge,  AVilliam 
Woodbury,  Vt. 
Woodbury,  James 
Woodbury,  Uon.  Levi  495,  ( 

Woodford,  Vt. 

Woodford's   Comer   v.  —  West- 
brook,  Me. 

Woodman,  Rev.  James 

Woodstock,  Me. 

Woodstock,  N.  H. 

Woodstock,  Vt.,  a  shire  town 
"         sessions  of  legislature 
at 

Woodsville  v. — Haverhill,  N.  H. 

Woodville  Plantation,  Me. 

Woodward,  James 

AVoodward,   Joshua,  killed   by 
Indians 

Woodward,  "William  H. 

AVoodwcll, ,  and  family 

Wool,  General 

Woolson,  Thomas 

Woolwich,  Me. 

Worcester,  Joseph  E. 

Worcester,  Rev.  Noah 

Worcester,  Vt. 

Worcester  and  Nashua  Railroad 


603 
276 
982 
816 
490 
956 
495 


956 

363 
643 
367 
702 
957 

957 
520 
975 
495 

901 
171 
632 
723 


421 
665 
960 
631 
137 
960 
967 
857 
990 
946 

729 
752 


91, 


by 


WoiTomontagus  river 
TTorster  (Worcester,  Vt.) 
Wortman,  Isaac 
Wright,  Benoni 
Wright,  Josiah 
Wright,  Hon.  Silas 
Wright,    T.    M.,    captured 

Indians 
Wright  mountain 
Wyman's    Plantation    (Yienna, 

Me.) 
Wytopidlock  stream 


Yarmouth,  Me.  368 

York,  Me.,  a  shire  town  15,  369 

"    destruction  of  by  Indinns 

370,  371 
York  and  Cumberland  Kailroad 

80,  142,  276,  291,  353,  376 
Yorkshire  374 

York  river  369 

Young,  Hon.  Augustus  986 

Young,  Brigham,  the  Mormon     947 
Young,  Sir  George  734 

Young,  Dr.  Thomas  723 


E  E  E  A  T  A. 


Pao'e  233,  line  2,  and  note,  line  1,  and  page  233,  lines  14,  19,  and  28,  read  Easles  or  Sale  instead  of 

Rdsle. 
Page  233,  last  line,  read  xviir,  instead  of  vii. 


245,  line  16, 
371,  "  20, 
476,  last  line, 
629,  line  24, 
"  "  28, 
904,    "     11, 


MoosehcJomeguntic  instead  of  Moosetocmefftmtic. 
Moodey  instead  of  Moody. 
PoUersville  instead  of  PottsviUe. 
Whale's  Back  instead  of  White's  Back. 
1858  instead  of  1853. 
CuHingsviUe  instead  of  Cotlingsmlle. 


( 1024 )